May 2010Monthly Archives

The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson

Fantastic ending to a thrilling trilogy. I want to talk about my thoughts for the trilogy as a whole in this review, but first – a few things about the book itself.

Sanderson takes about half the book to build up for what is bound to be a spectacular finish. This is something that actually started to bother me a bit in this book because it’s hard work to restrain the impulse to look ahead in the book and figure out how it all works out!

As I read this third installment of the Mistborn trilogy I could hear the clicks in my mind, checking off each confusing element, fusing together bits and pieces given in the first two books – basically making the story one that was very plausible and fantastic. The ONLY real complaint I had was I thought it was completely unnecessary to give a name to the final being – especially a name that holds so many meanings for many people. But in a way, I guess it makes sense. It just took away the fantasy element for me and made me go “hrm”. Read the book – you’ll understand (possibly!). If not, then just ignore this!

So on the trilogy as a whole – it’s fantastic. I’d heard of Sanderson only when I learned he was to finish the Wheel of Time series started by Robert Jordan. So I decided to check him out. I now know that those final two books should be pretty damn good and.. dangit I’m going to have to go through some of the boring ones again and get caught up when they come out.

Sanderson creates a very intricate, very believable and VERY fascinating set of magic rules. His world is incredibly immersive – to the point where I felt as if I was watching a movie; my imagination was stimulated that much. I blew through these books and was unable to put them down, I even walked around the house with my nose buried in them.

I am already making plans to own the trilogy and I plan to recommend it to fellow fantasy lovers – my dad included. If you are a fantasy lover and have not read these books put them on your list!

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Lydia

31 May, 2010

Fantasy, reviews

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Giveaway & Author Interview – Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt has been one of my favorite books to read this year. The story is charming, full of fun, lively characters and the setting is one that seemed so real I felt myself relaxing into it and fully enjoying myself.

Lydia

31 May, 2010

Author Spotlights, Giveaways

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It’s Monday, what are you reading?

Sheila from One Person’s Journey through a World of Books hosts this meme and I love to participate in it! Head on over and check out her blog and the great participants there. While you are here, check out my giveaway of Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman!

Books I’ve read this week (links are to my reviews):

The Irresistible Henry House by Lisa Grunwald
Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
Dead End Gene Pool by Wendy Burden
Angry Conversations with God: A Snarky but Authentic Spiritual Memoir by Susan E. Isaacs
Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson
The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson
The Hero of Ages by Brandon Sanderson (Review up on Monday)

Books to read this week:

The Well of Ascension by Brandon Sanderson

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I know some folks have said this book is not as good as the first, and I agree and disagree. Here’s why:

The first book was a bit confusing for me (although not nearly as much as other fantasy magic systems have been). I felt as if I spent a lot of it learning how things work and figuring out how to picture the descriptions. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy it, because I did, but by the end of the book I was ready to dive into the second book because I knew that, now that I had the magic system down, I’d be able to jump into the story itself.

It’s easy to forget throughout the first book that Vin is just a girl – she’s a teenager, she’s young, she hasn’t had any sort of female influence in her life (except for a warped view of her dead mother). She’s confused, scared and she’s been thrown into a very impossible circumstance that’s demanding that she actually stand up and make herself heard and seen – which goes against everything her existence as a thief and a girl has taught her. For that very reason I loved the bit of romance thrown in and the triangle created between Vin, Eland and Zane. I loved that it showed her insecurities and that it reminded us that, although she’s a fierce assassin and a person who carries the majority of the weight of this story on her shoulders, she is still a teenage girl with the same teenage insecurities. That’s a big portion of why I loved this second book so much.

Another reason is that, in spite of knowing more about the factions and the characters (although still not as much as I would like), Sanderson continues to surprise me with very rationale reasons for the way things work and with twists and turns in the political structure of the world he’s created. Simply put, I never stop guessing. I LOVE that.

Now, what I didn’t like – it’s a short list and some pretty minor stuff actually. I want to know more about the actual characters surrounding Vin and Eland. I know those two pretty well by this point, but I was sad to see some of them dying off before I really got to know who they are. (Seriously? You had to take one of my FAVORITE dudes, Sanderson?) The book is long enough that more depth could be explored with these characters but I still feel as if I hardly know them and that they are pretty one-sided.

I’m looking forward to the third book, in fact, I’m forcing myself to write this review before I go pick it up. Very excited to see how this trilogy ends and I have already placed these books on my wishlist- unheard of for me when I haven’t read the entire thing yet.

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Mistborn by Brandon Sanderson

Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson

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Oh my goodness this was a fun book. I read the first chapter and had chills going up and down my arms while just sensing that I was in for quite a ride.

I was completely drawn into the world Sanderson created for Vin. (Bravo for strong female leads!). Sanderson uses a very different, unique method of magic in Mistborn and, I won’t lie, it took me a bit to get used to the pulling and pushing and soothing and rioting and such.. but once I got it, oh boy did things get good.

This is basically the story of a slavery system uprising against a cruel Lord Ruler. There’s political intrigue, massive battles, assassinations, lies, truths and every character is unique and carries a very specific task through the story until seeing it through. I loved the twists and turns and found myself reaching for the book any time I had a few minutes free.

If you love fantasy and haven’t read this book I am telling you now.. go check it out. So much fun!!

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Angry Conversations with God: A Snarky but Authentic Spiritual Memoir by Susan E. Isaacs

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This book came along at the perfect moment in my life.

First, this is the second memoir I’ve read this week and this one, by far, stands out as combining all of the elements of what makes good reading. Humor, thoughtfulness, anger, honesty – it’s all contained along with a good dose of humility and, of course, faith.

I laughed out loud at several portions of this book. Basically, Susan has decided that her marriage with God is in serious jeopardy and she takes him to couples counseling with a pastor, Rudy. Rudy encourages Susan to give voice to God and Jesus (She believes the Holy Spirit just.. is around), so she can work through her perceptions and beliefs in an environment that is there to aid her in her faith.

Susan struggles (as I myself have struggled) with finding a good church, a good body of Christ to worship with, to be strengthened and encouraged by. And she does find some doozy’s, I’ll tell you that right now. She struggles with finding a mate, a man who fulfills her needs both spiritually and physically (and by this, she really struggles with finding someone who wants her sexually but is willing to wait until, as Beyonce says, “he puts a ring on it”).

SUSAN: Just say it: I’m angry and no one will like me.

GOD: No. I will not say that. But don’t you think we ached for you to find a lover you could share your whole life with? I used your teachers to encourage you creatively when the church could not. I used Georgina to build structure in your life when you had none. I used the Rock’n'Rollers to heal you, and Pedro to wake you up. I worked with whatever I got my hands on. Can you see that?

SUSAN: The church terrified me to live.

GOD: The church healed your wounds. The church introduced you to me. And you’re ungrateful because I didn’t adhere to your timetable?

It’s easy to get carried away with things and then, while repenting from them, blame God for not putting the right people in your life, blame Him for seemingly allowing temptation to step forward and take hold of you.

SUSAN: Well, you know who got the joke? You know who got me? You know who appreciated me and made me feel like I mattered? Heathens and drunks and potheads and Jews.

GOD: I sent whomever I could get!

SUSAN: That was you? You put those people in my life? Then why were you so upset when I fell in love with David?

GOD: Don’t boink the messenger.

JESUS: (To God) At least David was a Jew. She could have fallen for a pothead.

Through humor Susan takes us through her life, the ups and the downs. And how does it all end? .. Well I encourage you to check this book out and see for yourself.

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Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

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I’ve read several books centered around India over the past year and one thing I’ve learned from them is there is really no middle ground. It’s either an interesting story or not. Too much focus on the hopelessness can make it difficult to pick up the story and keep moving forward.

That’s not to say that I don’t understand that the slums in places like Mumbai are horrifying. I’ve read about them, watched them at the movies – I get it. But even famous stories like The Slumdog Millionaire take that hopeless situation and focus in on the relationships. Shilpi Somaya Gowda did much of the same in Secret Daughter.

There is such a contrast of lifestyles in this book. The story shifts between two mothers. One forced to give up her baby daughter and another unable to have children of her own and, as a result, adopting the little girl that had been given up. Each set of parents have their own issues, their own dysfunctional relationship but what really fascinated me was, despite their poor surroundings and the horrific acts of her husband, Kavita (the birth mother) has a more healthy, strong and enviable relationship with her husband in spite of their low status in life. Somer and her husband struggle with culture barriers, the strain of being unable to carry a baby to term and, eventually, the strain of watching their very independent daughter come into her own.

But it’s not a story of hopelessness. Gowda touches on the children and mothers living in the slums of India, but also portrays a beautiful Mumbai. Both sides portray love for their parents, respect for elders and ultimately, close family bonding.

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Lydia

27 May, 2010

Contemporary, reviews

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Dead End Gene Pool by Wendy Burden

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Bravo to Wendy Burden for writing what was seriously the most messed up, psychotic memoir I’ve read to date.

For those who don’t know, Wendy Burden is the Great-great-great-great Granddaughter of Cornelius Vanderbilt. Yes, that Vanderbilt. Between reading about the morbid fascinations Wendy had growing up, suicidal dogs, alcoholic mothers, sexual deviancy… the list literally goes on and on.

As I read through the book I had two main threads of thought going on. Number One was: how much of a spoiled brat was this girl. Number Two was: Good lord, this book is way too long.

It just rambled and rambled. The last half of the book I really had to force myself to focus in on what I was reading because, at times, it felt as if I were just reading the same thing over and over, just in a different time and place. Too much.

I will say this for the writing though – Burton pulls of the snarky, wickedly funny humor with quite a bit of pizazz. I snorted with laughter quite a few times and it was only for those moments that I actually felt any desire to finish the book.

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The Irresistible Henry House by Lisa Grunwald

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Did you know from about 1917 until the 1960′s universities like Cornell used orphan babies for women to “practice” mothering?

That’s what The Irresistible Henry House’s story is centered around. Henry House is a young baby brought from the orphanage and placed in a “practice” house at the University. He is raised over the period of a year by six practice mothers, each taking their turn for a week before the next steps in to take over. Meanwhile, they are all supervised by the instructor, a woman named Martha Gaines who does not have any children of her own.

Every child that comes into the program is named an H name. All are given the last name of “House”. Every child gets placed with a family after the practice mothers have completed the course. That is.. every child but Henry.

Henry remains with Martha, because she “loves” him. Henry grows up in the sterile environment of the practice house, surrounded by practice mothers and suffocated under Martha’s desire to possess him. He has his best friend, Mary Jane, and because of a childhood spat he affects her life in a shattering way.

I found it fascinating to read the story of his life. So surrounded by so many mothers, so many different types of “love”, all but a few regularly taken away from him. Seeing babies come and go as a child, getting attached and then seeing them taken away. Then, as an adult it’s no surprise how he treated women who came in and out of his life. His lack of respect for women was not at all surprising, but his journey through it and his ongoing friendship with Mary Jane was.

One thing I did not like about the book (although I understood it due to the analogies between his life and what he was doing), were the references to famous people. For being an uneducated jerk, Henry sure succeeds career-wise and it was just too far-fetched for me.

But otherwise it was a fascinating look at what the life of a “practice” baby could possibly be like.

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Lydia

26 May, 2010

reviews, Social Issues

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Two-Sided Tuesday: May 25, 2010

Two-Sided Tuesday is a day where I take a more popular read that people are familiar with and offer another book that’s similar and (in some cases) better, in my own opinion.

Fairly certain you’ve been living under a rock somewhere if you haven’t read this book, or watched the movie (I used to get so creeped out by the movie, I must say!) The story of the little girl going to live in the big, scary house with a mystery is one that captivated me as a young girl and the book still remains on my bookshelf today (the copy I had as a girl even!). So if you loved this story, sorry, if you LOVE this story you should definitely check out Kate Morton’s:

In Amazon’s Q&A session with the author the very first question and answer is this:

Q: The Forgotten Garden has some marvelous parallels with Frances Hodgson Burnett‘s The Secret Garden, and Burnett even makes an appearance in your book as a guest at a garden party. Did her book inspire portions of your story?

A: The Secret Garden was one of my favourite books when I was a little girl. Along with stories like The Faraway Tree and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, it’s one of many classic childhood tales in which children escape from the adult world to a place in which their imagination is allowed free rein. However, it wasn’t my intention to reference The Secret Garden when I first started writing.

In fact, The Forgotten Garden (which was called The Authoress until the final draft!) began with a family story: when she was 21, my grandmother’s father told her that she wasn’t his biological child. Nana was so deeply affected by this knowledge that she told no one until she was a very old lady and finally confided in her three daughters. When I learned Nana’s secret, I was struck by how fragile a person’s sense of self is and knew that one day I would write a story about someone who experienced a similar life-changing confession.

When I began to write about Nell, I knew that her mystery was going to lead her to an English cottage, but the other details were hazy. It was while I was auditioning English locations for my book that I came across mention of the Lost Gardens of Heligan in Cornwall. My interest was piqued, and I began reading everything I could find about this place: a grand country estate with astounding gardens that had been locked and forgotten after its gardening staff were killed during the first world war and the owners moved away.

When it was rediscovered in the late 20th century, nature had reclaimed the estate, but the bones of the garden lay deep beneath the overgrowth. This story really fired my imagination and I knew that I’d not only found my location–Cornwall–but that I would also need a forgotten garden in my story!

I was also eager to play with 19th-century gothic conventions in The Forgotten Garden. I adore books like Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, and I wanted a gloomy old house, wicked aunts, secretive servants, hidden identities, mysterious whisperings–the lot. But when my garden grew walls, I suddenly remembered The Secret Garden, and with my theme of fairy tales and storytellers and the vital role that such things play in a child’s imagination, I couldn’t resist introducing parallels (including a walk-on role for Frances Hodgson Burnett). It was a way of referencing my own childhood influences–Enid Blyton and the Famous Five get a couple of nods throughout, too!–and was a lot of fun.

I really can’t say more about this book then to tell you to read it and enjoy the similarities (and the differences as well) and fully enjoy the journey.