Benita's Big Bad Book Pile 2014

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Benita's Big Bad Book Pile 2014

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1benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Jan. 3, 2015, 7:11 pm

Once again I will attempt to rid my shelves of books that have been sitting around for a very long time. My goal for this year is 30 books off my shelf. The books I will be reading will be anything purchased or added to my list before December 31, 2012, but I want to concentrate on older books in my collection. The eligible books can also be recorded books. I will add titles to this posting when I finish them and a short review below as I get time to write it. Learning to download to my Nook is also one of my goals for this year. This should help to lessen the number of books on my shelves. I will use this first spot to index my ROOTS for the year.

1. Blind Willow Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami - audio book - January 4, 2014
2. Coco Chanel; An Intimate Life by Lisa Chaney - January 5, 2014
3. Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan - audio book - February 1, 2014
4. Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff - audio book - February 6, 2014
5. Soulless by Gail Carriger - February 10, 2014
6. Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor - audio book - February 20, 2014
7. Heartless by Gail Carriger - February 21, 2014
8. Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor - audio book - February 22, 2014
9. Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese - March 1, 2014
10. Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver - recorded book - March 2, 2014
11. Stardust by Neil Gaiman - recorded book - March 4,2014
12. Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope - March 7, 2014
13. Magician King by Lev Grossman - recorded book - March 22, 2014
14. Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood - March 30, 2014
15. Cinder by Marissa Meyer - April 8, 2014
16. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer - April 19, 2014
17. A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin - recorded book - April 22, 2014
18. School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister - recorded book - May 1, 2014
19. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett - May 10, 2014
20. Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane - recorded book - May 19, 2014
21. Graceling by Kristin Cashore - recorded book - May 22, 2014
22. Fire by Kristin Cashore - recorded book - May 27, 2014
23. Empire of the Summer Moon by S. C. Gwynne - May 29, 2014
24. Uncoupling by Meg Wolitzer - recorded book - May 30, 2014
25. Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay - June 14, 2014
26. Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin - recorded book - June 16, 2014
27. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore - June 22, 2014
28. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang - July 5, 2014
29. Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly - recorded book - July 10, 2014
30. Spice Necklace: My Adventures in Cooking, Eating, and Island Life by Ann Vanderhoof - July 22, 2014
31. Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly - recorded book - July 26, 2014
32. Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay - August 1, 2014
33. Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe by Nancy Goldstone - August 4, 2014
34. Dark Voyage by Alan Furst - August 7, 2014
35. Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente - recorded book - August 11, 2014
36. Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson - August 19, 2014
37. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs - recorded book - August 24, 2014
38. In Ghostly Japan by Lafcadio Hearn - August 29, 2014
39. Rotters by Daniel Kraus - recorded book - September 9, 2014
40. Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox - September 13, 2014
41. Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson - recorded book - September 14, 2014
42. Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Medicine, Madness, and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard - September 14, 2014
43. Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox - September 26, 2014
44. Ornament of the World: How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain by Maria Rosa Menocal - September 30, 2014
45. Fire Chronicle by John Stephens - recorded book - October 2, 2014
46. Matched by Ally Condie - recorded book - October 16, 2014
47. Crossed by Ally Condie - recorded book - October 29, 2014
48. Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson - nook book - November 12, 2014
49. Reached by Ally Condie - recorded book - November 17, 2014
50. Crown of Embers by Rae Carson - November 18, 2014
51. Seraphina by Rachel Hartman - recorded book - December 5, 2014
52. The Diviners by Libba Bray - recorded book - December 20, 2014
53. Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway - December 30, 2014

2connie53
Dez. 11, 2013, 10:51 am

I'm happy to see you again, Benita!

3rabbitprincess
Dez. 11, 2013, 4:44 pm

Welcome back! Have fun exploring the older books in your collection!

4Tallulah_Rose
Dez. 13, 2013, 7:54 am

Welcome back again! Going to follow your progress and hope you're in for a good reading year!

5rainpebble
Jan. 1, 2014, 2:45 am

Hi Benita. Good luck with your challenge.

6benitastrnad
Jan. 3, 2014, 4:28 pm

I am really back. At least now I will be in areas where I will have internet access so I can post. Currently, I am working on Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life from my book pile, and started Short Life and Long Times of Mrs. Beeton. I also have plans to start Cutting for Stone this month for my real life book club.

7Tallulah_Rose
Jan. 4, 2014, 8:23 am

Hey Benita welcome back and it sounds like you're in for a good start on your challenge.

8benitastrnad
Jan. 6, 2014, 1:18 pm

I listened to Blind Willow Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami while driving back to Alabama from my Christmas break. This was a collection of 24 short stories written at various points in the author's illustrious career and gathered into a sizable collection. As usual these stories are filled with the weird and offbeat with many musical pieces and jazz artists mentioned and discussed at length. I think the size made the whole collection unwieldy. The stories did not seem to fit together very well. That may also have been a result of the fact that this was a recorded version read by two narrators - on female and one male. The female read the stories that had a female protagonist and the male the ones with a male protagonist. This made sense, but unfortunately I don't think it helped the coherence of the collection and may have added to the problem. I tended to like the stories read by the woman narrator and that had a woman as the main figure. The story that has stayed with me is the one about the surfer in Hawaii and his mother. The other one was about the illustrator and his wife who loved to buy clothes.

9benitastrnad
Jan. 6, 2014, 1:27 pm

I started reading Coco Chanel: An Intimate Life by Lisa Chaney last fall and read huge chunks of it while on Christmas vacation. I am not a voracious reader of biographies but I found myself really liking this book. I did not necessarily like Chanel, but I did like the book. I started it because I wanted to learn about her life as fashion designer, but instead I found out about her life in general. That is not a bad thing, but she really wasn't a nice person. This book was more of a book about art and the salon life in Paris during the first half of the 20th century than it was a book about the couture industry during that time. Hence, the subtitle of an intimate life. It was surprising how much of the book was about Chanel's wanting to be independent and a person of renown. Work was her life and there is no doubt that she had a radical impact on the way women dress in her century. And what a life she lived. A book worth reading if a person is curious about couture and salon life in Paris.

10Tallulah_Rose
Bearbeitet: Jan. 8, 2014, 11:40 pm

Hey Benita, great start into the year, already 2 ROOTs down and it's just the 7th January!
I'm sorry the Murakami didn't live up to his usual standards. Maybe it really was just the making up of the collection.

11Caramellunacy
Jan. 8, 2014, 1:44 pm

The Chanel book sounds intriguing, it may have to go on my wishlist!

12cyderry
Bearbeitet: Jan. 13, 2014, 3:42 pm

Glad you're back!

13benitastrnad
Feb. 3, 2014, 5:38 pm

I listened to Saving Fish From Drowning while driving back to Kansas to attend to the health care needs of my father. It was my first Amy Tan book. This book started out with a great deal of promise but by the end it just slowly petered out. I recall that the reviews of this book weren't all that good, but I expected more from it due to the promising beginning. The story is told by a ghost who followed her clients while they were on a trip to China and Burma. She rescues them and watches while time after time they continue to be the bumbling American tourists who desecrate holy sites and create enemies all along their tour route. This book is not a comedy and it is not an indictment. Because it is neither it fails to entertain or enlighten.

I will read other Amy Tan books, because I believe that she is a good writer. This book just wasn't a showcase for her talents.

14Tallulah_Rose
Feb. 3, 2014, 11:48 pm

Congrats on yet another ROOT. I hope your father is okay?

15connie53
Feb. 5, 2014, 9:25 am

I do too, Benita. I hope your dad will get better soon.

16benitastrnad
Feb. 11, 2014, 5:37 pm

I listened to Bride's Farewell by Meg Rosoff. Reviews of this book called it "misery porn." I started listening to it with trepidation due to those reviews. I thought it would be another of those Victorian England stories full of starving children and women forced to do things they did not want to do for economic reasons. However full of those things that this book was it ended better than that. It was full of hope and determination. Best of all it was edited well. Even though it was only an average novel, it was not overly long and that was a departure from most of my recent reading that was much appreciated.

The book was about a young woman who leaves home rather than marry the young man who is in love with her. She sets out to seek her fortune and quickly finds that nobody will hire a woman, even if she is talented and willing to work hard. This leads to a series of misfortunes for her and her family. Eventually, she finds herself and her future.

17benitastrnad
Feb. 11, 2014, 5:38 pm

#14 & 15

Thank you for your concerns. Dad is not going to get well, but I hope that together we can make the best end of it that we can.

18connie53
Feb. 12, 2014, 9:36 am

That's really sad, Benita! I hope you can do that too. I will be thinking about you and your family.

19Merryann
Feb. 13, 2014, 1:59 am

I, too, add my thoughts of peace for you and your family.

20Tallulah_Rose
Feb. 13, 2014, 2:20 am

Benity, my thoughts are with you and your dad. I hope you'll be able to make a good end of it and that you are well, too.

21benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Feb. 20, 2014, 5:40 pm

I finished listening to the recorded book Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor while making my monthly trek back to Kansas. This book is perfect for listening to even though the reader insists on using an annoying accent for one of the Czech characters. Other than that the reader does a good job with the book.

The book is set in the present day Prague with side-trips to Merrikesh, Morrocco, and another world called Eratz. This is the story of Angels, specifically Seraphim, and Chimera. The two races are at war on their home world and one of the Angels falls in love with one of the Chimera. The story is well crafted and though slow to get going, once it does it takes off.

I purchased this recorded book as a used copy from the Friends of the Tuscaloosa Public Library store and got the hardcopy from the McLure Library collection because I wanted to see how some of the names of the characters were spelled. I enjoyed this book so much that I went to the public library and got the sequel to listen to immediately upon finishing the first book in the series.

22connie53
Feb. 21, 2014, 6:26 am

Sounds interesting, Benita!

23benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Mrz. 2, 2014, 9:59 pm

Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor is a sequel that might surpass the first book in the series in quality. This is a book that grabs you by the hair and doesn't let go and when the book ends you are on the edge of your chair wondering how this story ends. It is full of plot twists and turns that don't stop coming. I simply can't wait for the final book in this trilogy as this is simply the best fantasy series I have read for a long time.

In this volume of the story Akiva and Karou find each other and leave each other. They each do something for their people and against the "others." They both strive for peace and end up aliens. You can be sure that when the last book comes out in April I will be right in line to get it.

24benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Mrz. 2, 2014, 10:07 pm

Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese is a book that I have been wanting to read for some time. It is our book discussion selection for March and I have been reading it for a long time.

I didn't want to like this book, but I did. There is so much packed into this book. It is lengthy but the plot hangs together and sticks together. It hinges on Marion's unrequited love for Genet and her fickleness and inconstancy. It also is about Shiva's inability to take some things seriously - like his brother's love for Genet. This was a great read.

25benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Mrz. 2, 2014, 10:17 pm

Listened to Liesl & Po by Lauren Oliver while driving back from Munden. I had wanted to read this book for some time due to rave reviews by some fellow LT'ers. This book was a cute YA - upper level Children's book. It is a fantasy but not a swords and sorcerers book. It is about magic but not about magicians. It is fortunate that I had a copy of the book with me as the illustrations are very well done and are a vital part of the book. The narrator is wonderful but if you listen to this book and do not look at the pictures you miss part of this book.

26Tallulah_Rose
Mrz. 3, 2014, 12:42 am

That last book sounds interesting. Can you give some short story description?
Have you read Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver? It's a YA-book in the style of Groundhog Day, but with a more fatal end where the protagonist is sure to die and she has to make up some of her faults she already committed in her young life. It's quite a lot about bullying and highschool problems, and I didn't necessarily like the protagonist, but it was also very touching.

27benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Mrz. 3, 2014, 12:52 am

Liesl & Po is a basic wicked stepmother mistreating her stepdaughter in order to get the daughters money. There is lots of complications and humor in it because the girl is rescued by a ghost named Po. There are also funny supporting characters and cute ghostly pets. It is not Oliver's best work. It is written for a younger audience than is her other books.

28connie53
Mrz. 3, 2014, 6:53 am

Hi Benita, In Marks thread in the 75-ers I read your father died last week. I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. My thoughts are with you and your family.

29Tallulah_Rose
Mrz. 3, 2014, 12:42 pm

Benita, sorry to hear that. My thoughts are with you and your family, too.

30cyderry
Mrz. 4, 2014, 1:38 pm

My sympathies to you and your family.

31Merryann
Mrz. 7, 2014, 3:22 am

You are in my thoughts and prayers.

32benitastrnad
Apr. 3, 2014, 1:22 pm

Listened to the recorded version of Lev Grossman's follow-up in his Fillory series The Magician King. I purchased this book at a truck stop in Salina, Kansas for $20.00. I doubt I would have made the effort to purchase the recorded version if it had not been so cheap or so available. I liked the first book but not enough to pay $50.00 for the sequel. If I had time to read the book fine, but I wasn't going to make too much of an effort. However, when I saw the recorded version at a cheap price I took it. I am glad I did. I think this book was as good or better than the first one. The characters are more complex and they are older and more responsible. This makes them more interesting to read about. Even the fantastical land of Fillory is more developed than it was in the first book. This is a book in which Julia shines and she takes over the book. Quentin comes across as a whining child compared to her. If there is a third book I will be reading it because I want to know what happens to her.

33benitastrnad
Apr. 3, 2014, 1:32 pm

Once again I am participating in the LT Atwood in April group read. This year I choose Cat's Eye by Margaret Atwood. I have had a trade paperback copy of this book for a long time and so had planned to read it for Atwood April. My face 2 face book discussion group also wanted to read a book by Margaret Atwood (it had been several years since we had read one) so I suggested an Atwood April for them. They agreed. I mentioned that I was reading Cat's Eye for another Atwood April and so they decided to follow my lead. It will be interesting to hear what they have to say about this book.

This one was not what I expected. My two previous Atwood's have a strong dystopian element to them so I expected this one to be much the same. It wasn't. It might be because this book was written before either Handmaid's Tale or Blind Assassin. Since it is an early Atwood it is much more realistic but it still retains that detached air that seems to pervade all of her books. It is as if the reader is hearing the book from a long long distance through many layers. This book is about bullying and peer pressure. It is also about art and the artistic process. It is a middle-aged woman looking back on her life and trying to figure out why she allowed herself to be bullied and about the desire to express this participation in her art and subsequent life. I liked the writing and the ideas that Atwood presents in the book, but the main character did not illicit much sympathy from me. The book did make me stop and think about girls and their desire to fit in - to not be different. Current research shows that peer pressure is more important to people than is parental or family desires and influences. This book backs that up.

All-in-all, this is a good book, but it did not capture me like Blind Assassin did. So far that work, remains my favorite Atwood.

34benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Apr. 6, 2014, 1:19 pm

All the activity of the last month addled my brain. Add to that the fact that I have been very busy at work and unable to get to a place where I could add entries to my thread and you get me leaving out reviews of books I have read.

In March I finished two books that were not reviewed but have been on my TBR list forever. The first was Stardust by Neil Gaiman. This one was a break in my rules in that I watched the movie first and then read the book. Usually it is the other way around. As with most movies and books - the book was different. There was much more in it, but the movie did stay close to the book and maintained the spirit of the story. This was probably because Gaiman wrote the screenplay. It was a very good book and I enjoyed listening to it while making my way back to Alabama from my sad week in Kansas. Due to the severity of the snow storm in Kentucky and along the northern boarder of Tennessee I had to drive very slow. This allowed for a longer drive time, which in turn allowed for more listening time enabling me to finish this entire book on the return trip. The book was read by the author and it was a delightful performance.

I finished reading Perilous Gard by Elizabeth Marie Pope soon after my return to Alabama. I had been wanting to read this Newbery Honor Book for many years (ever since my days at Ingalls, Kansas) and finally got around to doing so. This book surprised me as I imagine that back in the 1970's when it was published it was controversial. It deals with the topic of human sacrifice and religion. It also fit into the broader reading I have been doing in Medieval history of England. It seems that so many of the books I have been reading lately have been set in the north of England and this one was no exception. The story is set in Medieval England in the days when Mary I was queen and Elizabeth was a royal heir under suspicion of treason. It is also in the crossroads of religious civil strife between Catholics and Protestants after the religious break with Catholicism under Henry VIII. It is a very interesting take on primitive religion and newer religion and probably was the YA version of Mists of Avalon. It was a good mystery and worth reading.

35Tallulah_Rose
Apr. 6, 2014, 2:25 pm

Hey benita, good to see you back and glad you had some good reading time. I hope it's not too bold to ask how you and your family are?

36connie53
Apr. 8, 2014, 2:42 pm

Good to see you again, Benita!

37Merryann
Apr. 14, 2014, 9:56 pm

I am glad you made it safely back. :)

38benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Apr. 20, 2014, 1:02 pm

Cinder by Marissa Meyer may not appear to be a Cinderella story - but it is. The old fashioned Grimm's fairy tale forms the skeleton of this novel, but the flesh that that author has put on that story makes this novel an outstanding example of the Young Adult Dystopian novel and sets it apart from many of its contemporaries. Set in a future post apocalyptic world, it comes complete with a wicked stepmother, a prince, a glass slipper (sort of), a ball, a coach, etc. etc., but what the author does with these components is a beautiful thing that is wickedly entertaining. You won't be sorry you read this novel.

39benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Apr. 21, 2014, 11:36 am

The second entry in the Lunar Chronicles series Scarlet by Marissa Meyer is another outstanding entry in the sub-genre of Dytsopian YA Literature. It may not appear to be a Red Riding Hood story but it is. Like the first novel in the series, Cinder, the skeleton of the Grimm's fairy tale is all there. There is a big bad Wolf, a grandmother who gets eaten by the wolf, a hunter, and oh yes, a girl in a red hoodie. Make that a girl in a red cloak. The wonderful part of this novel is what the author does with the bones of that old fairy tale, turning it into something new and fresh that quickly drags the reader into the story.

This is a series novel and the author does an outstanding job of tying it into the first novel of the series. Maybe that should be tagging it onto the first novel, Cinder, as the book tags back and forth between the two stories, that of Cinder, and that of Scarlet joining them at the end of this novel into a very nice whole. This provides a neat continuity between the two novels that is always hard for series novelists to do. Meyer definitely maintains the excitement and thrills found in the first novel in this second one, making this reader anxious to read the third in the series.

40Merryann
Apr. 20, 2014, 5:29 pm

Those sound very good!

41Tallulah_Rose
Apr. 23, 2014, 12:01 pm

The two book really sound fascinating!

42benitastrnad
Apr. 24, 2014, 11:51 am

#41
I think these are books that you would really like. The third in the series Cress has just been published. We just got it in our library, so now I will have to make room to read it. The fourth book "Winter" will be published next year. Put this whole series on your to-be-read list.

I also think you would like Daughter of Smoke and Bone trilogy. That book is the first title in the trilogy. This is a series with lots of action and an inventive story line - and magic. There is less magic in the Cinder series and more science. Both series are Young Adult dystopia's but very different in their approach.

43benitastrnad
Apr. 24, 2014, 12:20 pm

I finished listening to the the World War I epic A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin and I can write the review for this book in one word - interminable.

I wanted to read this book because it is about Italy and the Italian Front in World War I and it is highly regarded in some quarters as a good war novel. There is not much written on this subject and I thought this epic novel would fill that gap. It doesn't. I think it is a good paeon to the beauties of Rome, but other than that I couldn't figure this book out. This shouldn't surprise me because I didn't care much for the other book of Helprin's that I read - Winter's Tale. Helprin seems to be a writer of some regard and frankly, after plowing through two lengthy novels of his, I wonder why. This novel might be a farce, but I am not sure. It might be magical realism, but I am not sure. I am sure that it is not a war novel, or historical fiction. I finished it, but I would not recommend this novel.

44Tallulah_Rose
Apr. 24, 2014, 1:33 pm

#42 I will put it on my wishlist. I am very interested in old folk and fairy tales and I am fascinated that modern authors pick them up and weave them into new books. Thanks for pointing me to the trilogy as well!

45benitastrnad
Mai 1, 2014, 7:59 pm

I finished listening to The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister this morning on the way to work. I enjoyed this book. It was interesting, comfortable, clean and straight. It wasn't pretending to be something it wasn't (like the great grand historical fictional epic wannabe I had listened to previously). I think that many people would categorize this book as chick lit, but I think it was really a series of short stories about the various people who were taking a cooking class from a chef. This chef believes in the healing power of good cooking and that the secret to a happy life is found in the essential ingredients of what you are cooking. This book made me want to go home and cook a meal full of the best ingredients and all the love and caring I could put into it. This was a nice little book full of a couple of the essential ingredients of life - joy and love.

46Tallulah_Rose
Mai 1, 2014, 11:49 pm

Wow, that sounds heart warming. You are reading some very fascinating books lately! I am thinking about putting this one on my wishlist as well...

47benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Mai 12, 2014, 10:44 am

I took one of the older books off my to-be-read pile yesterday. Bel Canto by Ann Patchett was a really good book and I don't know why it took me so long to read it. I have had this copy for a long long time (way before my LT days). So long, in fact, that I loaned it to a friend of mine whose book club was reading it. This was back in 2011. I wanted my book discussion group to read it but couldn't convince them to do so. That is their loss.

This book is about terrorism and hostage taking and how that seldom works to any advantage. It is also about Stockholm Syndrome and opera. All of these are an unlikely pairing of subjects and topics but they work together very well providing the reader with a good read and a bang-up ending.

The story starts with a unlucky party at the home of a Vice-President of a third-world country. This country is courting a large Japanese multinational company who is going to build a factory someplace in the world and this disadvantaged country wants it to be built in their country. To get the attention of the multinational company the officials host a party with a world famous diva providing the entertainment because they know that the head of the company loves opera. That night terrorists attack the house and take everybody hostage. The women, except for the opera singer, are let go immediately but all the others, including the opera singer, are kept as hostages. It turns into a long siege. The author does a masterful job of lulling the reader, just as the hostages and the hostage takers are lulled, and then slowly builds the tension to the conclusion.

This book was incredibly popular. There is a reason, as this one is well done.

48connie53
Mai 11, 2014, 1:52 pm

That is a real good review, Benita! You are doing great! Almost 2/3 of your goal reached!

49Tess_W
Mai 11, 2014, 3:05 pm

Sounds like a wonderful book. Have added to my wish list/TBR pile!

50benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Mai 28, 2014, 4:58 pm

Finished listening to Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. This was my second Lehane, and like the first, it was an average book. At first it was a standard police procedural and then it suddenly changed and got too cute for its own good. It reminded me of one of those celebrity immitators who then the celebrity imitates the immitator immitating him. Just too much trying to be something else. It won't keep me from reading another of his books, but this one just didn't quite get above average for me.

51benitastrnad
Mai 29, 2014, 3:41 pm

I am going to include both Graceling and Fire by Kristin Cashore in this entry since they are 2/3's of a trilogy called the Seven Kingdom's. I have had these titles on my TBR list since Graceling was published and just never got around to reading them. A serendipitous visit to the public library provided me with the recorded copy of Graceling. I started listening to it and was interested enough to return to get Fire since I was going to be making another long road trip to Kansas. I managed to get both books listened to on this trip.

I was surprised to learn that while Graceling was published first it is not the first in the series. Fire is actually a prequel. Both of them were good books featuring strong female lead characters with wonderful men who were strong enough individuals to allow these women to be who they were. In Graceling, Katsya is graced with the ability to kill. It is through Po that she learns that her grace is survival. She uses her grace to save herself and Princess Bitterblue. In Fire the Lady Fire has the ability to read minds and make suggestions that are impossible for humans to resist. She is reluctant to use this power even when asked by the King and his brother. She is the last of her kind and she considers herself a monster. The resolution of her inner conflict and then its outward manifestations makes for a wonderful story. Graceling got all the publicity for this trio but I think that Fire is the stronger story. This will make Bitterblue all the more intriquing.

While reading these books I kept wondering why they were classed as Young Adult fiction. They aren't. The heroines of each book may be late teenagers but the subject matter and the way the books are presented scream adult. I believe that these are classed as YA simply for marketing purposes. However, I have to wonder how long this ploy will work. As the numbers of YA books published each year increases it will not be so profitable for the publishers to shove titles to that genre and niche market. Perhaps at that tipping point books like this trio will go to the adult market where they belong.

When I get Bitterblue read I will post my thoughts about it in this post so that all three of the books will be together and I will count them as books off my shelves even though Fire and Bitterblue were added to my shelf only this year after I started Graceling.

52benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Jun. 15, 2014, 7:34 pm

I finished reading Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S. C. Gwynne. This was a book that I had given to my father to read. He was in the process of reading it but stopped about 120 pages into the book. His bookmark was still in the pages.

People have raved about this book, but I think it was a standard historical work. The same kind that is written and published everyday. I think I came into the reading of this book already knowledgable about the Llano Estacado and the Native Americans who lived in that area, so there was nothing revelatory about this work. Having lived in that area put me at a disadvantage becuase I came into the reading with too much knowledge. I was expecting to learn something new and I didn't get it. However, I am sure that for other people this book was extremely intersting and brought them to a new understanding of the lives lead by the Native Americans on the southern short grass priarie.

My biggest gripe with this book is the title. It is misleading. This is not a book about Quanah Parker. It is a book about the Comanches and is a history of the settlement of the high plains of West Texas and the panhandle of Oklahoma, and southwest Kansas. It stretches in time from the 1500's to 1910 when Quanah Parker died. Only the last few chapters are specifically about Quanah Parker. The bulk of the book is about the Indian Wars of Texas from 1830 to 1860. It became clear to me early on that the book was given this title in order to sell the book. It probably accomplished that, so I can't argue with success. However, if one of my friends or relatives from Kansas asked me to recommend a book on Quanah Parker this one would not be my first choice. I am sure that there is a biography out there on Quanah Parker, but this one is not a biography. It is a history of the Indian Wars in Texas and specifically about the Comanches, but not about one man, Quanah Parker.

A much shorter rant is that I don't understand the fascination with Cynthia Ann Parker. I think the author of this book said it very succinctly when he said that she was a very adapatable person and because of that quality was able to live a happy life in the Native American culture. People simply can't understand that - even today. I think the story is blown out of all proportion and for me is one of those interesting sidelights of history but nothing that important. It does not seem to be that way for most of the population.

What I think this book does well is tell the story of what really defeated the Indians. Good tactics and a strong leader in Randal MacKenzie, but most of all the destruction of the buffalo. The numbers of buffalo killed in just five years is staggering and simply defies my modern sensabilities. It is incomprenhesible. All of which makes me think perhaps I should go dig out my copy of Buffalo for the Broken Heart and start reading about modern day ranching.

I also think that this book does a great job of telling how the topography of the land and the climate did so much to slow the white mans advance. The High Plains really is a hostile environment. As was so eloquently told by Timothy Egan in Worst Hard Time, which is set in the same part of the country. Climate and topography are things that often gets short shrift in more romantic tellings of Native American history. I have been to the Palo Duro Canyon and it is beautiful. Who needs to see the overly touristy Grand Canyon with its dammed up river when you can go to Amarillo, Texas and twenty miles south find this huge hole in the ground that is hundreds of feet deep with the most beautiful orange, red, purple, black and ochre rock walls. It is a perfect place for hiking and camping. When you get ready to leave you can go to Capulin Volcano National Monument in northeastern New Mexico and on to Raton and the beautiful Raton Pass. That country out there is simply beautiful and so few people go there that it may not be exactly the same as it was in 1870 but it is as close as any part of the U. S. is likely to be to that time in history.

53benitastrnad
Jun. 2, 2014, 1:09 pm

I listened to a recorded copy of The Uncoupling while driving back from Kansas. This was a short novel so at 6 CD's only took the last part of the trip and a few days longer. I had this book checked out from Gorgas Library for over a year and finally checked it back in this spring thinking that I would never get around to reading it. I found the recorded version at the public library and so grabbed it since I knew that I was going to be spending two days driving.

I wanted to like this book because I think that the Aristophones play Lysistrata was so impressive. However, this book fell flat for me. It may be that the excitement and action of all the YA fantasy I have been reading is to hard of an act to follow, but there really was nothing new in this book. It was a retelling of Lysistrata. At first I thought it was going to be commentary on upper middle class public high schools and the people who teach in them, but even that didn't develope. I listened to this book all the way through but didn't think it was anything extraordinary. It was a retelling of Lysistrata. Enough said about an average book. I may pick up another Wolizer novel someday, but it will be awhile.

54Merryann
Jun. 14, 2014, 1:33 pm

>51 benitastrnad: and 52. When I got back, I wondered if it was just my desire for things to be organized that made me decide to read all the messages I'd missed here while being gone about a month, especially as I know I won't comment on very many because it's been so long. Already I see that's not the case. Clearly, there is no expiration date on really good insights like yours!

I totally agree about the labeling of adult books as young adult! I don't think young adult books should be watered down versions of adult fiction, nor do I think you should slap an age of '16' on a main character who clearly acts '25' just so you can call it YA.

Also, I want to say that the Amarillo, Texas area sounds lovely and now I hope to be able to vacation in that area sometime. Thanks!

55benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Jun. 15, 2014, 7:35 pm

Finished Sarah's Key by Tatiana De Rosnay last night. This is my real life book discussion book for July. I have had this book for ages and did not read it, primarily because I don't like reading Holocaust books. I find it too emotionally trying to read about and prefer to not put myself through that kind of mental anguish when I already know that there is no good outcome in these stories. I was not sure that I would continue to read this book as the first third of it was tough to get through. However, I persevered and it did get more into my comfort zone.

While one of the ladies in my discussion group said that this is one of the best books she has ever read, I found it to be history lite. Essentially it is a book that tries to do too much in a rather trite way. I has nowhere the depth of "Five Quarters of the Orange" or "Suite Francaise." This tries to be a book about collaboration among the French and because it tries so hard not to point a finger or be accusatory it turns everybody in the story into good guys - which we already know can't be the case. It also tries to be a book about the Holocaust and in that is almost succeeds but it ends much to soon and doesn't take Sarah's story far enough in-depth. The modern day story is much more believable and I think it is what made the book a hit. Without it, the book would have been just another Holocaust book.

56benitastrnad
Jun. 16, 2014, 3:33 pm

I listened to the recorded version of the Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin and loved it. I will go purchase the next three of this series as they are great mysteries to listen to. My only complaint and it really isn't a complaint is that they serve as a way to tell the history of Istanbul and the Ottoman Empire - and a not to subtle backdrop for that history. Even so they are good listening.

This book is set in Istanbul in 1837. The Ottoman Empire is changing and trying to start looking outside of itself. This change is unsettling and disconcerting. The main character is Yashim. He is a ennuch and as such as unlimited access to the palace that would not normally be allowed to outsiders or men. This serves as a vehicle for the author to explain about the mores, morals, and ethics of the society as well as the culture and social customs. This makes for wonderful reading. Some of the writing is a little dry, but the setting is so exotic as to make the reader forget all of that for the time being. I suspect that as the author matures into his work this fault will be rectified.

I also have to wonder about these detectives who are great cooks. This book went to great detail to describe the meals that Yashim cooked for himself and his guests. What's up with the food and detective work thing? First I read Aurello Zen books and he is obsessed with food, and now I read this, and I hear about the Montablano books and the food. At least Matthew Shardlake wasn't into food - at least not yet.

57benitastrnad
Jun. 23, 2014, 2:26 pm

Finished reading the third book in the Seven Kingdoms Trilogy Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore. This entry in the series is not as action packed as the previous two but it deals with a much tougher theme - that of collective and individual guilt and who dispenses justice. It also is about a young person learning how to be a leader and make tough decisions.

It is clear that the author of this series is trying to build a world and that this will not be the last book in this series. It is also clear is that she has succeed in laying the group work for a very nice fantasy series for young adult.

This novel takes place in the capital city after Bitterblue has been queen for 8 years. She begins to feel that she doesn't really know what is happening in her kingdom so begins to sneak out of the castle at night. She makes friends and finds out that her advisors have been lying to her about many things. She makes friends with the librarian and begins to learn the long buried secrets of her kingdom and struggles to find ways to make changes in a humane way.

58VivienneR
Jun. 24, 2014, 12:06 am

The Janissary Tree sounds good. I've put it on my wishlist. I enjoy history blended with a mystery, especially if it is set in foreign parts. This sounds like something new (to me).

59Merryann
Jul. 10, 2014, 4:04 am

>57 benitastrnad: She's smart enough to make friends with the librarian, :), so she's probably a pretty good queen.

(That's the first time I ever inserted a little emoticon smiley in the middle of the sentence. I think it worked well, ha ha.)

60benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Jul. 10, 2014, 10:11 pm

I read Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China by Jung Chang for the Librarything biography group read. Since I checked it out in November of 2013 and it took me forever to read it, it qualifies for this Root challenge.

There were times when I couldn't decide if this woman was the most spoiled whiney little brat ever or if she was one of the most observant people to have written a memoir in a long time. Put plainly, at times her attitude was simply insufferable, but she wrote a good story. I also think that because of the dearth of good material about the lives of regular Chinese citizens during the Mao years and the Cultural Revolution this book became very popular. It didn't have much competition. That said, there were certainly astute insights and observations about post-revolutionary China were not available when the book was published. That may be different now and if the book were published today it may not have had the impact that it did back in 1987.

Even with the glaring attitude problems of the author this was a fascinating book to read and I think time well spent for anybody trying to understand where China has been and why it might be were it is today.

It also makes me want to go pick up Louisa Lim's book People's Republic of Amnesia.

61benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Jul. 10, 2014, 10:16 pm

I listened to Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly as my commute book in the car and as always enjoyed it very much.

This is the second in the Mickey Haller Lincoln Lawyer series, which started last year. This series is a very good set of legal thrillers and make good road entertainment.

In this book, Mickey Haller is a recovering from a pain killer addiction that he got started on while recovering from the gunshot wound that nearly killed him at the end of the first book in this series. He is called on by the Court to take over the cases of a murdered lawyer and in the course of prosecuting that case is plagued by self doubts about what he is doing as a defense lawyer. In this book Haller meets his half brother Harry Bosch. Interesting.

62Jackie_K
Jul. 11, 2014, 1:45 pm

>60 benitastrnad: what an interesting review! I read Wild Swans years ago and didn't pick up an 'attitude' at all. It's definitely one I intend to reread at some point, it will be interesting to see how I feel about it (it must be a good 15+ years since I read it).

63Tallulah_Rose
Jul. 20, 2014, 3:20 am

Wow you read some interesting books this year and are near to reach your goal! Congratulations on that already and may your reading go on equally well for the rest of the year!

64benitastrnad
Jul. 20, 2014, 1:32 pm

#63
I have had lots of help. many of the books are recorded books which I listen to while driving. Since I have made many more trips than normal back to Kansas I have listened to more books than in a normal year. That has helped me to finish many of the YA series that I have started through the years.

65benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Jul. 22, 2014, 10:11 am

Spice Necklace: My Adventures in Caribbean Cooking, Eating, and Island Life by Ann Vanderhoof is a book for a neophyte or a novitiate. It is not for the person seeking an in-depth look at the cooking, history, or culture of the islands of the eastern Caribbean. It is a lighthearted romp through these islands done by two people who have chucked their life of working for "The Man" and are spending their middle years traveling by boat around the Caribbean. There are hints of deeper meanings in the book, but these bits will need to be explored by the reader using other books.

I finally got around to reading this book because it was the travel book selection for the year in the book discussion group to which I belong. I like to read travel books, as I find they are an easy way to "visit" another country or place. I thought it was a mark of distinction that my book discussion group makes it a point to read different genres of books each year. (We try to read a Sic/Fi, travel, biography, or classic, along with our regular fiction and non-fiction selections.) This kind of reading forces me to read things that I would not read otherwise. I may not like the books in the end, but I do have to read them so that I can discuss them with others. This stretches me as a reader and as a person. Some of the members of the group didn't want to "waste time" reading a travel book this year because we have a long list of other books waiting for us to read. I was gratified to hear another person in the group say that she would like us to read a travel book because she liked to learn about places that were both impossible and possible for her to visit. She thought it was important for us to use this kind of book as a learning tool. I sided with her and together we convinced the group to read a travel book. Then we decided on this one.

This title was not a bad choice and it provided me with happy moments each night before I went to sleep. It also changed my mind about visiting the Caribbean and making some adventurous choices with my eating habits. I believe that I may try to host an Island party sometime at my house due to the niceness of this book and the ability of the author to provide a small picture of the islands of the eastern Caribbean. Furthermore, due to the inclusion of the recipes, I will have to make room for this book on my cookbook shelf. It isn't easy to find Caribbean cookbooks in my part of the country and because the recipes are chock full of hints and tips they should be easy to follow.

66cyderry
Jul. 23, 2014, 3:30 pm

Congratulations on reaching your goal!

67benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Jul. 23, 2014, 4:46 pm

I guess I did reach my goal. I am about two months early this year. I think it is because of all those recorded books that I listened to while spending so much time on the road this last spring. I didn't know I would be doing all that driving when I set my goal for the year. I guess maybe some clouds do have a silver lining.

68benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Jul. 27, 2014, 11:51 am

Fifth Witness by Michael Connelly is another great entry in the Lincoln Lawyer series. I listen to Connelly's books while doing my daily commute or on long road trips. His books are perfect traveling companions as they keep me interested and my mind engaged so that I don't get bored or sleepy. I loved the narrator and the production. He has a very good voice for this series and the various characters. I hope to get my hands on more of this recorded series and I hope that the producers stick with the current reader. He is doing a great job.

As for the story - it is a police procedural. Or in this case a courtroom drama and as such is fairly standard. The main character shows growth as a person in each installment of this series. That keeps it interesting. I am sure that there will be more to come with this series.

69Merryann
Jul. 27, 2014, 11:47 pm

Congratulations! And audio books are very cool. I really, really need to start listening to all the new ones I got this year.

70benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Aug. 2, 2014, 2:00 pm

I finished reading Ysabel by Guy Gavriel Kay last night in a motel room in Marion, IL. This was a very good book and continued my thematic reading of Young Adult Fantasy novels. This book was not intended to be a YA book and because of all the sexual events in it I would not recommend it as a YA book. That being said, I did find it a frank discussion of the power of sex in our lives and it did not back away from the fact that even young people feel these urges.

The main body of the book is centered around Celtic Mythology and the history of the Celtic migrations from Central Europe into Western Europe and the clash that this bumping and grinding against the Roman Empire caused. I was thrilled to find my old literary friend Gauis Marius in this book. I first met him in the Masters of Rome series by Colleen McCoulloughand it was good to find him as a character in a book once again. I also was happy that this book attempted to explain a little about Celtic Mythology (and here I nod to Neil Gaiman) and the place of the female in that mythology. The prominent strength of the female characters in this novel is something not often found in literature.

Kay is a powerful fantasy author and I hope he writes many more novels.

71VivienneR
Aug. 5, 2014, 11:44 am

>68 benitastrnad: Delighted to read your review of Fifth Witness. I just acquired a couple of Michael Connelly's audiobooks from the Lincoln Lawyer series, an author new to me. Now I'm really looking forward to them.

72connie53
Aug. 6, 2014, 12:26 pm

Just passing and waving HI.

73benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Aug. 9, 2014, 1:22 pm

I finished reading Dark Voyage by Alan Furst. I had started this book when Barnes & Noble was offering there free reading time on the Nook. You could read for two hours for free inside the store. Since this vacation was my reading vacation I went to the public library and checked out the book and finished reading it.

Furst's forte is creating atmosphere and this book is no different than previous books in the Night Soldiers series. This one is about a tramp freighter in the merchant marine. The merchant marine is a vital part of World War II that often gets short shrift. Furst remedies that with this novel. The hero of the story is a Dutch sea captain on a Dutch merchant ship. When Holland is overrun in the fall of 1940 he is suddenly a ship without a country. The British make use of this fact and turn the ship into a dark freighter. This makes for some exciting adventures for the intrepid captain and his crew.

74benitastrnad
Aug. 15, 2014, 1:34 pm

I had been wanting to read Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making by Catherynne M. Valente because I had heard lots of buzz about it here on LT and other places. I found that the public library had a recorded version of it and so requested it from the branch where it was at and took it along with me on the trip. While this was a good enough book I don't really understand the accolades it is getting. Clearly, its intended audience is not young children. The vocabulary is quite advanced and there is no attempt to explain what the words mean. (unlike the Lemony Snickett books). The book is full of literary and folk and fairy tale puns that children simply wouldn't have the knowledge or background to understand. I am sure that I missed half of them and I think I am well read. The illustrations are very good and enhance the book, but they are very adult in look and content. The bottom line is that I think adults like this book and that makes them think it is a great children's book. All of these reasons make me think that this is a book that is intended for adults but marketed as a children's book in order to increase sales. Add to this the fact that the recorded version is not that well done. It is narrated by the author and somehow there is no passion or vocal engagement throughout the entire reading and that makes it boring. I don't think that children would stay with it long enough to complete the book.

This is a book and series that has potential. I just don't think it has reached the levels that I wanted and seek in a book that I spend time listening to or reading.

75benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Aug. 20, 2014, 8:03 pm

I really wanted to like Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson, but I didn't. I admit that there were parts of it that were engrossing but most of the book just did not appeal to me. I found it overwrought and the main character too immature and emotional to care much about what he did. While the main character did show growth and understanding thereby gaining some semblance of maturity he still seemed spoiled and irrational to me. Like most teen-aged boys the continual use of the F word was a put-off as well as a put-down. I don't know people who use that word in everyday speech and don't understand why non-native speakers of English pepper their speech with it. My conclusion about that is that they must be learning English from the movies and not in practical experience, for it is only in the movies that I hear that one word in excess. Out in real life it isn't used that much.

I was very interested in this book because it featured a culture different from Western Culture and had people of other ethnic backgrounds as the heroes. However, the book seems to perpetuate every stereotype that I might have about Middle Eastern men. Perpetuating stereotypes is not why I want to read books set in other cultures. The mythology parts were very interesting and fun to read as I did not know much about Middle Eastern and Islamic folk lore and mythology. There should have been more of that kind of lore and less of the overly reactionary teen-aged boy hero.

This book was reviewed by Nancy Pearl in her podcast done with the author and from hearing that podcast I anticipated a much better read than what I got.

76benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Aug. 27, 2014, 10:31 am

I finished listening to Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs. I was pleasantly surprised by this book. It was better than I thought it was going to be. The author has taken a unique approach with this book. Old photographs served as his inspiration for this story, so to fully understand the novel the reader has to see the pictures. I had fair warning that this was the case so when I checked out the recorded book I also checked out the hard copy. (I do that most of the time I check out a recorded book anyway, but knew it was important that I do this for this book.) From this jumping off point the author has created a time travel story set in World War II that will appeal to YA readers. While I found this to be an easy read, and I suspect that will be the case for sophisticated readers, it is perfect for the author's intended audience. But don't forget to look at the pictures! (Some versions of the recorded book have the pictures on a CD version.)

77Merryann
Aug. 26, 2014, 8:30 pm

I'm intrigued at the thought of listening to Miss Peregrine on audio. I enjoyed the book very much, and know what you mean about the pictures, but I bet it still makes an interesting audio experience. I may see if my library has it on audio.

78benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Aug. 29, 2014, 11:02 pm

I finished reading In Ghostly Japan by Lafcadio Hearn. This author's work is classic. He was born in New Orleans, Louisiana and traveled to Japan. He learned the language and stayed there. He was one of the earliest ethnographers and it is because of him that the Western World knows much about Meji Japan and its customs. The early work of authors like Hearn and Collum is so important and cannot be underestimated. Without them much of the folklore of non-english speaking cultures would have been lost.

I knew about Hearn because he was a famous early author of folk and fairy tales for children. Much of his work was considered to be the type of stories that children would read. About ten years ago a large collection of Hearn material was donated to the Hoole Special Collections Library here at The University of Alabama and a huge exhibit of his stuff was done. There were special lectures as well, that I attended. All of this made the reading of this book more meaningful.

The ghost stories in this book were good, but the best parts were when he told stories about how the people lived and what they did for entertainment and religious purposes.

I started reading this book in March of 2013 in the Nook App on my iPad but I had started reading on my NOOK in October of 2012 for the October Halloween group read here on Librarything. By the time I actually finished this book I had forgotten much of it. However, one of the stories I remember is the one about the games that people played for entertainment at parties and about the importance of incense. This was not a long book, but it did demand some thought to reading, but was so informative.

79Tess_W
Aug. 30, 2014, 9:59 am

Sounds like a lovely book! Am going to add to my TBR list!

80benitastrnad
Sept. 10, 2014, 5:46 pm

I finished listening to Rotters by Daniel Kraus. This was an excellent book! I purchased the recorded version because it had won the Odyssey Award that is given for the best recorded Young Adult book of the year. This one certainly deserved the award. I didn't know it was classed as a horror book and if I did probably would not have purchased it. However, I had it so I started listening to it, and WOW I am glad I did.

This is a book about bullying. Bullying by students on students and bullying done by teachers to students. It is horrifying and terrible. It kept me listening in my car with the motor running while I was sitting in my carport. It was exciting and yet tender. It was full of adventure and quiet moments of respect and honor among a created family of "diggers." It was also about the relationship between a father and his son after the loss of the woman they both loved. It is about family and what that really means. All of this wrapped up in a horror package centered around grave robbing and a monster.

The narrator did a wonderful job of bringing this wonderful horrible terrible story to life. If you listen to recorded books, go find this one and listen to it.

81benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Sept. 16, 2014, 2:12 pm

Finished reading Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox. This is the first in duet and as stated earlier in the reviews should be read as such. It is clear that the book simply ends and that most of the story has not been told. The author does a great job of creating a dreamlike atmosphere in the book and is able to maintain that quality throughout. Evocative atmosphere aside, the author has created a believable world that is clearly some sort of colony of the old British Empire. In this the book reminded me of the work of Libba Bray and Robin McKinley, where it is clear that the protagonists live in this colonial empire. I was impressed with the writing in that the main characters do not always make the right decisions and are clearly struggling to find their way. I have started the second book and so will reserve further judgement until I finish it.

82benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Sept. 16, 2014, 2:16 pm

Finished listening to Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson. I don't know how I managed to not ever have read this book, but that situation is now remedied. I liked this gentle emotionally satisfying children's novel. There are lots of good life's lessons in it told in a way that draws the reader into the world of these children. I also understand why it might be considered controversial by some. But not by me.

This is a book about learning about your strengths and weaknesses and how to deal with the hard knocks that life brings. Set in a rural setting it takes place largely at school and home and is all about learning to love and lose. A process that continues throughout life.

83benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Sept. 16, 2014, 10:47 am

Finished reading Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Medicine, Madness, and the Murder of a President by Candice Millard. This is a very interesting work of narrative non-fiction about a president that is overlooked in the history books. No wonder, he was only president for a matter of months before he was assassinated. The author does a good job of letting the reader come to know the extraordinary man, James Garfield, who became president, and giving us the historical context in which he was elected. The election process back in 1880 was much more exciting than it is today, and the idea that a person who was unknown at the start of the Republican convention could be nominated and then win the election is unthinkable today. The author also managed to turn the assassin into a sympathetic character. I honestly felt sorry for him when he was on his way to the gallows. When an author can turn a villain into a sympathetic character in a story that brings tension to the tale and keeps the reader reading. Even though I don't think this was extraordinary history, it was well worth the reading, just for the information about Garfield. What a fascinating intellectual to have become president of the U. S. I daresay, he wouldn't get elected today. He would be considered to smart.

84benitastrnad
Sept. 29, 2014, 3:32 pm

Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox is the second in the Dreamhunter duet and is a worthy successor. It was a Printz honor book. The author manages to maintain the dreamlike quality found in the first in this series, and adds urgency, dastardly villains, and thrills and daring do to the mix. The author continues to build the world she has created and adds layers to that as well, while managing to maintain the ethereal quality to the setting and the circumstances of the characters, and that is no small feat. The author also maintains the ambiguous relationship between Laura and Nown. His he the person she loves or is he something else entirely? The author also introduces questions of human rights and ecological disaster into the equation making the reader very cognoscente of these elements without using them in any heavy handed statement kind of way, while maintaining the force of the issues and questions raised by their presence in the story.

I liked this series and would recommend it to readers who are ready for it. The series is not the usual fantasy type series and demands that believe not be suspended. This is a book in which there are no easy answers, and each person is responsible for their fate. This is illustrated by the differences between the way Laura and her cousin Rose handle the situations presented to them in the course of events. Rose faces every crises head-on and uses reason and wit to find solutions. Laura is more emotional but also uses her intelligence to make decisions and either meet her fate or create a new fate. Surrounded by the strength of their family the two girls make fate changing choices.

This is not an American style fantasy. I found it to be very European in its outlook. Knox is from New Zealand the land, as described in the book, is not even disguised as being some place other than New Zealand. Her outlook on fantasy and what makes a YA novel is certainly different than that of most American readers. For that reason this book may have a harder go than some of the American fantasy's. The book comes with a powerful message and a satisfying end that doesn't neatly wrap everything up in a nice package but doesn't leave the reader hanging wondering what the heck?

85benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Okt. 1, 2014, 9:13 pm

I completed Ornament of the World by Maria Rosa Menocal and it was a fine read. It created the desire in my to visit the cities of Al-Andulas as a way to celebrate this extraordinary civilization that practiced religious tolerance for almost 500 years. This fine work gives the reader a wonderful picture of that civilization and lets us know that this type of cultural interlocking can happen, and did happen. Knowing the historical record might help in the present day in developing our own system of religious practices and tolerances.

86Tallulah_Rose
Okt. 3, 2014, 3:25 am

Just stopping bye again: It is great that you're getting on still so easily with your Roots! And some quite fascinating ones you have read recently as well. Did you actually manage to reduce your TBR-pile this year?

87benitastrnad
Okt. 3, 2014, 6:45 pm

The Fire Chronicle by John Stephens is the second book in the Books of Beginning series. It is just as magical, fantastical, and amazingly well-written as the first. It is a fantasy series that does not talk down to children, and has good times and bad for the heroes. In this book the Wibberly children face all kinds of adversity, and get beaten and wounded. In short, they learn that life doesn't always have a happy ending. Great stuff for children of all ages. This is also a great read aloud - a quality that parents and teachers the world over will be grateful to put to use. So far this series is as nearly perfect as a children's series can be. Read these books and spread the word to other readers.

88benitastrnad
Okt. 3, 2014, 9:34 pm

#86
I have made a dent in the gigantic list of books to be read, but I have added more books than I have read. I am doing more knitting in the evening than reading, but I enjoy doing both so it is not a loss that I haven't gotten everything read that I wanted to this year. There will come a time when I will be reading more books than I am adding to my collection, but that time isn't now. However, someday that will happen.

89connie53
Okt. 7, 2014, 2:31 pm

Just keep on reading and knitting! It's those things that make us happy.

90Tess_W
Okt. 12, 2014, 7:48 am

LOL, benita! I used to say the same thing, there will come a day when I read more than I add.....still waiting for that day since about 1960!

91benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Okt. 18, 2014, 9:56 pm

I listened to Matched by Ally Condie. This is another series entry in the YA Dystopian literature that I am reading this year. I got the recorded version of this novel free at ALA this last year so decided I would add it to my repertoire. Then I found the second and the third entry in the series at 2nd & Charles in Birmingham so have already started the second book. This series is not outstanding, but it was a big hit in the YA world. At its heart it is a rather insipid romance novel. However, it is interesting enough to keep me reading, so it isn't bad. It is an average read.

92benitastrnad
Okt. 30, 2014, 10:00 am

I listened to Crossed by Ally Condie. This is another insipid entry in the YA Dystopian literature juggernaut that continues to plague YA literature. More teenaged angst, more young love separated by ugly circumstances, etc. The writing does show spots where it is better and the characters are sort of interesting. Because I am invested in this series I will continue to listen to these books, but I don't expect these to be anything outstanding or the type of book that will make me think beyond the next chapter. These are average entertainment.

93benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Nov. 16, 2014, 2:03 pm

I read Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson and loved this swords and sorcerers YA fantasy book. This is the first book in a trilogy and upon finishing book 1 I immediately started on book 2. The heroine is totally unprepared to be a leader and on top of that is not beautiful. She is fat and has spent all of her education in an archive. She is awkward and married off to a man she doesn't know. In spite of that she learns and manages to sometimes bumble and sometimes plan her way to some successes. She is totally believable as a heroine. This is the first in a trilogy, and this is so much fun and so well done that I don't understand why it doesn't have a much wider following.

94benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Nov. 18, 2014, 6:35 pm

I finished listening to the third and final book in the Matched series by Ally Condie. The title of this one was Reached. It provided decent closure of the story and few surprises. The great good heroic girl and the great good heroic boy survive tragedy and stay together. It was good enough for a YA dystopian fantasy series, but not anywhere in the same league as the Daughter of Smoke and Bone series. I will stay with my one word assessment of the earlier books in this series and dub the whole series as "insipid." Good enough but not great. I am sure that YA's will love this series.

95benitastrnad
Nov. 19, 2014, 10:34 am

This volume in the Girl of Fire and Thorns, Crown of Embers by Rae Carson series is just as strong of an entry as is the first book. I raced through this book in five days of reading because once I started I simply could not put it down. Full of adventure, romance, and sorcery, the heroine is a standout character that makes you want to keep reading long after other duties and the rest of your life is calling. The author of this series has managed to put life into a fairly standard swords and sorcery fantasy series by creating a heroine who is believable. While fairly standard fantasy fare in some respects, the author has also managed to include topics of relevance to current real life situations that is not subtle but not heavy handed either. Subjects such as birth control, when and how to use it, are dealt with, as is homosexuality, and the rift that often occurs between mother and daughter and other authority figures in the life of a teen. This series is a great good fun read and this volume is not a weak middle installment in the series.

96benitastrnad
Dez. 5, 2014, 11:16 am

I listened to Seraphina by Rachel Hartman. This was a wonderful recording of a mediocre book. While all the elements of a great story were there and the narrator was engaging and easy to listen to, I simply could never really get involved in the story. It stayed tantalizingly out or reach for me. I understand that this is a debut novel, but if a sequel to this novel is published I doubt if I will be eager to pick it up. I am sure that this novel has legions of fans, and I would encourage younger readers to pick this novel up, but it just didn't grab me the way it should have.

The brightest thing about this novel is the recording. The narrator is very good and I hope to hear more from her in the future. She varied the characters just enough that the listener could figure out the different speakers, but still kept an even tone that was pleasant and warm. The producers should get credit for picking this reader and producing a good recording.

97connie53
Dez. 12, 2014, 1:16 pm

The narrator is important of course but to have a story that doesn't appeal much to you is not nice too.

98benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Jan. 3, 2015, 7:15 pm

I listened to The Diviners by Libba Bray during the month of December and on the drive back to Kansas. This book is an example of a good author throwing everything, including the kitchen sink, into a book with the obvious intent of starting a new series. The result is that the book is 600 pages of bloat. It needed editing - badly. It is clear that the author forgot the cardinal rule that to have a successful series the book has to be interesting. If that first book is interesting - series or not - the readers will come. This reader won't be coming to the next book in this series.

99benitastrnad
Bearbeitet: Jan. 3, 2015, 7:18 pm

I read Angelmaker by Nick Harkaway for my last book of the year. This was a mediocre way to end the year. It took the book 250 pages - half of the book - to get going. That last half of the book was a interesting as the first half was boring. I will probably read more of this author's work, but if I had been following the Pearl Rule with this book I would not have finished it. This was not an auspicious way to end the year.