Summer Reading

“What a thing to go through life without books.”  Truth

What is it about summer?  You think there is nothing to do but be hot and thus lounge by the pool and read, right?  That is what I thought I was in store for this summer, but no… I had to move, and visit family, and socialize.  Not much reading going on, and so I have managed to finish a whooping six books this summer.  Of course, it doesn’t help that the last two were kind of stinkers and so I was left wanting to do anything other than reading.

21.13 Etiquette & Espionage

Great Cover! Great Title! Great Blurb!  Not such a great book. 

This YA should have sucked me in and lasted about two days - a perfect summer read – instead it became a total chore for two weeks.  It reminded me of summer reading for school, at times honestly doing nothing was more entertaining than reading some of that dredge.  The main character is interesting and the school seems wonderful but I felt like I should have cared much more about it all by the end of book one.  We will just have to see how the series progresses.

20.13 Ratlines

This was a dude book disguised as historical fiction.  There was far too little history, and far too many fisticuffs and too much torture and killing.  Blah.  Not good.

As I said, it was a sad summer reading season, but right now I am going to pick up a book based on the Luther series, and on September 3^rd BBC will start showing Series Three.  So summer be damned! Bring on fall, Luther, and, let’s not forget, Alice.  Yippee!!!

The Quote Maker

“Catnapping is a skill everyone should have.” Truth.

40.12 Angelmaker

I love little things. I marvel over the hands that can take such small items and make them function. How can they see and touch with such delicacy? From doll house furniture to mini erasers to jewelry, I have had this fascination for as long as I can remember. So immediately upon meeting Joe in his clock repair shop, I was in love.

What a book!  It is impossible to describe: part steam punk, part spy versus spy, part good versus evil.  All fun!  The names, the devices, the amazing female characters - those “woman of consequence” - and the quotes.  My god the quotes!  I have never found so may funny, thoughtful quotes that I had to stop and read twice all in one place.  

“Particularly now, when thirty years of age is visible in his rear-view mirror and forty glowers at him from down the road, now that his skin heals a little more slowly than it used to from solder burns and nicks and pinks, and his stomach is less a washboard and more a comfy if solid bench.” Page 6

“Glass mirrors are green, and make your image look sick and sad.  He doesn’t want to be the person he sees reflected in a glass mirror.” Page 7

“He tries no to reflect on the nature of a life whose high point is an adversarial relationship with an entity possessing the same approximate reasoning and emotional alertness as a milk bottle.” Speaking of a cat on Page 9

“Bastion’s owner is called Edie Banister, and she is very small, and very wiry, and apparently goes back slightly further than the British Museum.” Page 13

“His cheeks are wide and fatty, so that, if Mr. Cummerbund were a deer or a halibut, they would excite pleasurable anticipation in those fond of rich foods.” Page 21.

“He considers himself the wrong side of thirty-five and no closer to being who he wanted to be, if he ever knew who that was.” Page 87

“It makes the world better, just by being. Isn't that wonderful?” Page 95

“It would be very nice if someone would hug him, just for a minute.” Page 178

Beautiful little pieces of art aren't they? Well done Mr. Harkaway.

Such Fun

"When one is promised sandwiches and there is nothing but watercress, well, one must simply take matters into one's own hands."  Truth.

27.12 Soulless

From the first page I knew this book was going to be fun. I mean, vampire slaying with a parasol - What? What!  This is the real Pride and Prejudice with Zombies - except in steampunk Victorian London with no zombies...  Anyway, hopefully you get my meaning. It is ridiculous, super fun!

This is categorized as a paranormal romance and it is safe to say that, paranormal or not, romances are not my thing. I just don't need to go there, but otherwise this was fun and funny. There are excessive descriptions of clothing and food, but I found the steampunk creations much more interesting than those in Boneshaker, the other only book from the genre that I have read.

Alexia is a pretty great character. She has a bit of a Cinderella thing going on, but you never sense that she couldn't take care of everything on her own. Lord Maccon is a beast of a man, literally, but I loved that he liked her for who she was. They didn't suddenly become different people, or make each other better, they just fit.

Here is my issue...  I seem to always have one... The mystery reveal was ridiculously obvious and kind of felt like it was tacked on.  It was frustrating to see these two otherwise whip smart characters kept in the dark so that the plot could be pushed along and filled in with more - literal! - bodice ripping. I guess I read the book more for the mystery aspect than the romance and I found it lacking. But have I  mentioned that it was a lot of fun?  Because that is important too.  This is far from a perfect book but sometimes a little fun is all anyone needs.

We Interupt Your Reading...

for all sorts of crap lately!  I was all stoked about this book, and suddenly real life seems to think that I shouldn't be able to read for longer than 5 minutes.  I hate this, and what I hate even more is that this book fell apart and left me less than thrilled.  Part of its failure could have been my fractured reading, but blaming it solely on that would be less than honest.

21. Boneshaker

So this book started out great.  The set up to the main action had good characters, a cool back story with just the right hint of intrigue, and a steampunk version of Seattle with pirates, zombies, and a mad inventor.  All good right?  Not so much.

In this version of history, which is only different because we are told not really shown, has a portion of Seattle sealed off due to poisonous gas that either kills you or turns you into a "rotter".  Even without being told I would assume this is a place to avoid, but our heros have to go there so that makes sense, but the people who live there willingly make zero sense and at no point is that addressed.  Why the hell are they there?  Don't know, never will...

Shifting points of view is trendy, it is the thing, I get it; but it needs to be done with skill, not just because you need to have someone else doing something to make a story.  What was particularly annoying was the fact that the two story lines start out during different times, and you never know if that changes and thus you don't know how some of the action is flowing.

Then we have the ending.  Yuck.

Here is the thing, if you write a book, take some time with it, develop the plot and characters beyond what you plan to publish, have friends and strangers read it and ask questions.  Stop trying to write the next successful movie franchise. This book had a lot of potentially successful elements that were left to languish and that is too bad.

Dream Shaker

It has been a long time since I dreamed about a book.  I don't mean dream that I am reading it, but dream that I am actually a character in it who is taking part in the action.

Last week, my friend and I spent a few hours wandering around Borders and when we passed by this book, Boneshaker, she picked it up and said it was a "great story" and it had to be the book I bought. We were in the Science Fiction section, and I have never bought anything from the Science Fiction section, but I respect her opinion so much, and it has a great cover, so I bought it.  When I got home I realized that it was one of those books that if I didn't read it before I put it up on one of my many shelves it would never again see the light of day.

I read the first three pages and am completely hooked.  The characters are very vivid for me and the story very accessible.  Now I am only about 50 pages in but I am loving it.  I have never read anything steampunk before, so it may be that people who are in to that won't think this is so great, but I am certainly having a great time so far!