2009 June » Birdbrain(ed) Book Blog

TSS: June 28 (A utopia that doesn't suck)

Posted by Anastasia on June 28, 2009 No Responses »

Jun 282009

So I’ve finished reading all the available Sookie Stackhouse books. Wow! I haven’t enjoyed reading a series so much since, like…the Dresden Files a few years ago! Unfortunately by reading them all at once they’ve started to blend in my mind and so my reviews are going to be one long post instead of eight little ones. Um.

Anyway, I got Drood and The Hunger Games out from my (public) library last Wednesday, but I haven’t started either of them. Drood is enormous! 700-ish pages all encased in a gigantic hardback, sheesh. I can’t lug it back and forth to work/class/home with me, so it’s going to have to stay here. And yeah, the size is kinda intimidating. The Hunger Games is less intimidating, but I just don’t feel like reading it at the moment?

So I’m reading There Will Be Dragons instead. Turns out the paper version is 700+ pages, too, but since I’m reading the ebook I don’t worry about the weight! Ha. Based on the cover (and the title) you may think There Will Be Dragons is an epic fantasy adventure kind of book, but actually it’s a futuristic sci-fi with “fantasy” creatures (they’re actually genetically engineered humans). It’s set in a utopian world, where no-one has to work and everyone is pretty happy, if a little bored. And then! War breaks out. And things start going awry. Suddenly everyone who survived the Fall is thrown back into a pre-industrial world, practically unable to fend for themselves and ignorant of basic things like menstruation and suturing. All they have to rely on is the few reconstructionists (as in, the people who go to Renn faires) to show them how to survive– and that’s the lucky ones. It is really good so far (I’m about 62% into it).

I took a class on utopias and dystopias last fall, and the books we read– especially the utopian ones– were kinda boring and pretty much what you’d expect (Fahrenheit 451, 1984, Woman on the Edge of Time). I didn’t like any of the utopias we read about (though the dystoptias were more interesting), mostly because everyone in them were so smug and “look at how much better we are than you. We live in a UTOPIA and you crawl around in the dirt! Ha!” Or else it was written with a more academic kind of tone and thus was boring. There Will Be Dragons comes from a sci-fi/fantasy writer’s perspective, and even when the characters are talking about heavy things like war or birthing babies, it doesn’t come off as preachy or teach-y. Instead, it sounds just like people who didn’t have to think about those things before would talk about them. Plus there’s all sorts of interesting futuristic things in there, like people having lifespans of 500+ years, elves (which aren’t the fantasy elves you’re thinking of), transporters, a computer that controls the entire Earth plus a bit of outer space as well, etc.

I will admit it’s kind of ridiculous that the doctor character doesn’t even know how to stitch someone up after they’ve been cut (yet the blacksmith reconstructionist does?), but I suppose it likens to our doctors not knowing how to place leeches in the optimum spots on a human body. (Doctors two thousand years in the future hardly even touch their patients, instead doing a kind of virtual reality, nannite-filled…uh, thing?) I’m having a lot of fun with the world in There Will Be Dragons, and I wish we had read that in my class instead of the other stuff.

Books read this week:
130. Definitely Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries #6) – Charlaine Harris [rating: 4/5]
131. The Princess Diaries (Princess Diaries #1) – Meg Cabot [rating: 3.5/5]
132. Princess in the Spotlight (Princess Diaries #2) – Meg Cabot [rating: 3.5/5]
133. Princess in Love (Princess Diaries #3) – Meg Cabot [rating: 3.5/5]
134. All Together Dead (Southern Vampire Mysteries #7) – Charlaine Harris [rating: 4/5]
135. From Dead to Worse (Southern Vampire Mysteries #8) – Charlaine Harris [rating: 3.5/5]
136. Not A Girl Detective – Susan Kandel [rating: 3.5/5]
137. Shakespeare’s Landlord (Lily Bard #1) – Charlaine Harris [rating: 3/5]

Books reviewed this week:
The Dealer (CHERUB #2) – Robert Muchamore [rating: 3.5/5]
Magic Kingdom For Sale– Sold! (Landover #1) – Terry Brooks [rating: 4/5]
Merchant of Death (Pendragon #1) – D.J. Hale [rating: 3.5/5]
The Undomestic Goddess – Sophie Kinsella [rating: 3/5]
Well Witched – Frances Hardinge [rating: 4.5/5]

Mini Reviews: The Undomestic Goddess, Merchant of Death, Magic Kingdom For Sale– Sold!

Posted by Anastasia on June 27, 2009 No Responses »

Jun 272009

The Undomestic Goddess by Sophie Kinsella
Publication: The Dial Press (July 19, 2005), ebook
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating:
Find @ Amazon or Fictionwise or the Sony store
First sentence: I am intending to begin a regular regime of swimming. When I have time. Work’s been busy lately, it’s a blip.

In one sentence: Disappointing book from one of my favorite authors.

See, here’s the thing. Nearly the entire premise of the book seems impossible to me, and so I didn’t really enjoy reading it. Grown woman who can’t even do her own laundry? Can barely make toast? I mean, it’s one thing entirely to be too busy at work to have time to do any of that stuff (which is Our Heroine’s case), but what did she do in college? Surely she didn’t just send her clothes to the cleaners every time she needed them, er, cleaned? How could she have afforded it? I’m normally better at setting aside my disbelief than this, and the truth is that I was kind of able to once she met her future love interest, but the situation was so absurd plus I didn’t really like Samantha (the woman in question) anyway. So it was really tough to get through the book and arrive at the happy ending, and so I was really disappointed with The Undomestic Goddess.

Merchant of Death (Pendragon #1) by D.J. Hale
Publication: Simon & Schuster (January 7, 2004), ebook
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating:
Find @ Amazon or Fictionwise or the Sony store
First sentence: I hope you’re reading this, Mark.

In one sentence: Decent start to a series with some really interesting ideas, but suffers from lack of je ne sais quoi.

I’ve been seeing the Pendragon series on book store shelves for a few years now, but the covers put me off it so much I didn’t even try to read them until I got the first book for free about a month ago. I assumed it had something to do with the King Arthur legend because of the whole “Pendragon” thing, but, er. Apparently not. At least not from anything I read in this first book! (It’s actually one of the main characters’ last name. His first name is Bobby. Seriously.) It’s a time-travelling, space-travelling, world-travelling kind of book, with plenty of adventure and action and not at all any knights or reincarnation business. The characters are okay, the story was exciting and interesting, but it lacked that sparkle that I need in my YA fantasy books. I don’t think I’ll be reading any of the other books in the series, and I still have no idea what that Pendragon business is about.

Magic Kingdom For Sale– Sold! (Landover #1) by Terry Brooks
Publication: Del Rey (December 17, 2008), ebook
Genre: Fantasy
Rating:
Find @ Amazon or the Sony store

In one sentence: Pretty good fantasy, though lacking in decently likable characters.

Really interesting idea– a magic kingdom buyable by anyone with a million bucks. And then that buyer gets to be king! Except, uh, there’s some problems, namely that the kings don’t last so long, the land is falling apart, demons and witches and dragons are aiming to usurp him, and no-one except the court wizard actually believes the new king will stick around. This first book sets up the basic storyline, and get the new king on his way to rebuilding the kingdom, and it’s a good start to the series. I didn’t particularly like the characters, but I didn’t hate them, either. The writing was fine, except it got a little preachy and over philosophical in parts. All in all, it’s a pretty typical fantasy with some interesting parts to it, and I might read at least the next book. I won’t be rushing out to buy it, though.

It’s currently for free practically everywhere, but the formatting is HORRIBLE. It looks like it was created through OCR, and then someone neglected to go through and correct things like “FU” for “I’ll” and characters’ names being rendered nearly unrecognizable. The book is still readable (though sometimes confusing due to the errors), but it might be more enjoyable in paper format.

Thursday Tea: June 25

Posted by Anastasia on June 25, 2009 No Responses »

Jun 252009

Thursday Tea is a weekly meme hosted by yours truly. To play along, all you need is some tea, a book, and the will to answer some very simple questions: what tea are you drinking (and do you like it)? What book are you reading (and do you like it)? Tell us a little about your tea and your book, and whether or not the two go together.

Sorry this is rather late in the day, folks, but I got caught up in homework and forgot to write my post! And I forgot it was Thursday today as well, actually.

The tea: Still haven’t managed to crack open my Blood Orange black tea, so I relied instead on one of my favorites: Chai Spice Black Tea. Yum!

The book: I spent most of yesterday afternoon reading Not a Girl Detective (when I wasn’t doing homework, of course). It’s a super cute cozy mystery featuring a spunky nearly-40ish woman who loves clothes and researching weird stuff and Nancy Drew. It’s part of a series (I think #2?), and since my library had two more besides this one I’m going to spend my evening reading them.

Here’s a summary:
Not a Girl Detective

Besides her beloved collection of vintage designer clothing, there is nothing Cece Caruso cherishes more than her childhood memories of Nancy Drew. Her near obsession with the fictional teenage sleuth led her to become a professional biographer of classic mystery writers. And now that she’s working on a book about Nancy’s pseudonymous creator, “Carolyn Keene, ” Cece’s in heaven.

At the L. A. home of another rabid Drew-ophile, Cece finds a treasure trove of useful memorabilia, including one unique and somewhat shocking collectible. Later she finds a dead body — and a puzzle that would sorely test the skills of her spunky girlhood heroine. Now she’ll have to channel her former idol and unmask a murderer, and the killer may be coming for Cece next.

Do they go together? Sure! I always associate cozy mysteries with warm tea (and fireplaces), even if they’re set in California during the summer.

What are you drinking/reading this Thursday?

Review: The Dealer (CHERUB #2) by Robert Muchamore (2004)

Posted by Anastasia on June 24, 2009 No Responses »

Jun 242009

The Dealer (CHERUB #2) by Robert Muchamore
Publication: Simon Pulse (August 30, 2005), Paperback, 309 pages / ISBN 0689877803
Genre: Action, Thriller, YA
Rating:
Find @ Amazon or IndieBound
First sentence: Billions of insects fizzed about in the sunset.

In one sentence: Disappointing installment of a series that I otherwise rather like.

I was hoping this second CHERUB book would be at least as good as the first book, The Recruit, but alas it was not.

Summary from Amazon:

CHERUB agents are all seventeen and under. They wear skate tees and hemp, and look like regular kids. But they’re not. They are trained professionals who are sent out on missions to spy on terrorists and international drug dealers. CHERUB agents hack into computers, bug entire houses, and download crucial documents. It is a highly dangerous job. For their safety, these agents DO NOT EXIST.

James is on his most daring mission yet: to smack down the world’s most powerful drug lord. It means hitting the streets, where the dealers work. It’s a vicious business. But James is going to take it down…from the top.

Eh, I didn’t really enjoy this book. If it wasn’t so short (and part of a series) I don’t think I would have finished it. The constant teasing between the characters got annoying fast, James was acting like a jerk most of the time, and there was no character development or growth (though there were a few personal revelations that I honestly didn’t see the point of unless it comes up later in another book).

The plot was pretty exciting, though, especially near the end. I think that is what kept me reading, honestly, and why I’ll end up reading book number three, too– though hopefully that one is more enjoyable.

Other reviews: Bart’s Bookshelf

links for 2009-6-22

Posted by Anastasia on June 22, 2009 No Responses »

Jun 222009

Tor.com / Science fiction and fantasy / Blog posts / Genre Police

“By demanding a genre stick to the established rules, I believe the life gets slowly sucked out of it. Using the same elements will eventually provide only the same story over and over again. Sure, it will happen to different people in different places, some of which may very well be intriguing, but essentially you’re reading the same book you’ve read before or seeing the same movie you’ve already watched countless times.”

(tags: books)

Review: Well Witched by Frances Hardinge (2008)

Posted by Anastasia on June 22, 2009 No Responses »

Jun 222009

Well Witched by Frances Hardinge
Publication: HarperCollins (May 27, 2008), Hardback, 400 pages / ISBN 0060880384
Genre: Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, YA
Rating:
Find @ Amazon or IndieBound
Challenges: Support Your Local Library Challenge (#21)
First sentence: For a wonderful moment Ryan thought Josh was going to make it.

In one sentence: Beautiful, exciting story with an underlayer of super-creepy.

I discovered a previously overlooked section of my library last month, where I found some really good books (well, one really good book, two so-so books, and one dud). Well Witched was one of them (the good ones, that is), and it’s turned me into a Frances Hardinge fan for life.

Summary from Amazon:

Ryan and his friends don’t think twice about stealing some money from a wishing well. After all, who’s really going to miss a few tarnished coins?

The well witch does.

And she demands payback: Now Ryan, Josh, and Chelle must serve her . . . and the wishes that lie rotting at the bottom of her well. Each takes on powers they didn’t ask for and don’t want. Ryan grows strange bumps—are they eyes?—between his knuckles; Chelle starts speaking the secrets of strangers, no matter how awful and bloody; and Josh can suddenly—inexplicably—grant even the darkest of wishes, the kind of wishes that should never come true.

Darkly witty, wholly unexpected, and exquisitely sinister, Frances Hardinge’s Well Witched is one well-cast tale that readers didn’t know they were wishing for.

It’s really hard for me to write reviews about books I really love, so this’ll be short. Well Witched is superbly written, with some of the best characters and story and sentences that are on par with Diana Wynne Jones and Neil Gaiman. Once I started reading it I was immediately sucked into the world and didn’t emerge until several hours later, when it ended. I had a grand time, though it was scary at times (both in the supernatural and changing-relationships-due-to-growing-up sense) and sad at others.

I really, really liked the writing.

It’s a fantastic book, and I can’t recommend it enough. Like the Brothers Grimm’s stories? You’ll like this. Like Diane Duane and Susan Cooper? You’ll like this. Like awesome YA fantasy with creepy non-humans characters that nevertheless have hearts, with kids that have to deal with the supernatural as well as puberty and parents, with a detailed world worthy of an Emma Bull novel? You’ll like this. Get it. You won’t regret it.

Other reviews: Books & Other Thoughts | read. watch. blog. (audiobook) | Courtney Milan’s Blog

Bloggiesta wrap-up

Posted by Anastasia on June 21, 2009 No Responses »

Jun 212009

Well, Bloggiesta is over, and while I didn’t do as much as I hoped I still had loads of fun.

I wrote seven reviews, updated two pages, fiddled around with my blog’s set-up (mostly to no avail), and fixed my Gravatar. I participated in five mini-challenges, commented not nearly enough, spent about 12-ish hours actually doing Bloggiesta, and got distracted by a lot of book reading.

I think I’m most happiest on getting some reviews knocked off my list. I still need to work on getting more written, of course, but huzzah for getting something done, at least! How was your Bloggiesta? Get everything done you wanted to do?