Stella Matutina

Cinder by Marissa Meyer

Tue, 15 May 2012 02:36:25 GMT

Title: CINDER
Author: Marissa Meyer
Series: book one of the Lunar Chronicles
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication Date: January 2012
Pages: 400
Status: library

LibraryThing Info

Cinder for purchase on The Book Depository

Marissa Meyer’s much-lauded debut novel recasts Cinderella in a far future world where tensions run high between the Earth and the Moon, and between full humans and cyborgs. Cinder is an Earthan cyborg whose talents have made her one of the most well-regarded mechanics in New Beijing. Not that she ever sees any of the profits--her legal guardian keeps the lot, treating Cinder as barely more than a possession. But when the handsome Prince Kai stops by her booth to ask her to fix his favourite old android, he and Cinder form an instant connection that will change her lot in life forever.

I do like me a good fairy tale retelling, and Meyer does a lovely job with this one. The core story remains the same: a downtrodden girl with an unhappy home life gets the opportunity to hobnob with the heir to the throne. The novelty comes from the way Meyer shifts and changes this story and its characters so they fit into a science fictional world.

Cinder’s downtrodden status comes not from the standard stepmother-hates-her-husband’s-brat approach but from the fact that Cinder is a cyborg and thus considered less than human in New Beijing. Her mechanic’s booth at the market stands in for the original Cinderella’s domestic toils. She’s a girl with guts, too; a girl who hasn’t lost her spunk, despite the hardships she endures. She has a well-developed sense of humor that veers towards the snarky, and she’s fully capable of fighting her own battles. I loved her.

Cinder has a wonderful relationship with Kai, her Prince Charming. Their romance develops organically over a series of meetings that give them plenty of opportunity to get to know one another. Their chemistry is immediately apparent, but it takes them a believable amount of time to go from, "Hey, I maybe sort of like you" to "There must be snogging! There must! There must!" What’s more, Kai has his own story, his own stake in everything that’s happening outside of his developing romance with Cinder. He’s not just a pretty boy who shows up when the heroine’s story demands it.

The other characters also settle into familiar-yet-different roles. Iko, Cinder’s quirky android friend, effectively fills the same place as the animal companions from the Disney movie. Adri, Cinder’s legal guardian/owner, makes a sufficiently vile wicked stepmother. The doctor who performs medical experiments for the Emperor isn’t an exact fairy godmother analog, but his research has an arguably magical impact on Cinder’s life. And Levana makes a most excellent and creepy evil queen. (Yeah, I know there’s no evil queen in Cinderella. Just roll with it.)

And oh, how I loved Cinder’s connection with Peony, her younger adoptive sister! Y’all know I’m a total sucker for a good sibling relationship. Give me two siblings who care for and support one another, and I’m a happy girl. Peony and Cinder’s relationship is so damned sweet.

Some potential downsides now: I knew exactly where the story was headed at all times. There were a couple of minor surprises here and there, but I had the basic shape mapped out from quite early on, and I was right on all counts. I’m never sure whether this sort of thing is down to my wicked-mad guessing skillz or legitimate predictability, but in this case, I imagine many other readers will find themselves in the same boat.

I was also iffy on the way the text deals with grief. CINDER takes place during a plague outbreak, and several characters lose loved ones. They seem to bounce back from it awfully quickly. There’s the expected "they're gone and it's awful" scene, then it’s business as usual for all involved. The deaths don’t have a demonstrable impact on anyone’s worldview, or on the way they react to subsequent events. I wish there had been more emotional resonance to it all.

Finally, this is very much the first chunk of a larger story. It introduces the characters, their worlds, and the central conflict, then ends on something of a cliffhanger. Readers who find this sort of thing annoying may wish to wait until at least one more book has been released.

All in all, though, I had a wonderful time with CINDER. Meyer has done some great things with the original fairy tale, and I had a wonderful time meeting her heroine. I’m already looking forward to the sequel.

3.5 stars – really liked it

Other Reviews:

Popular book is popular. You can find a couple dozen other reviews on the Book Blogs Search Engine

Back In the Day:

One Year Ago: nada

Two Years Ago: nada

Three Years Ago: Burning Water by Mercedes Lackey

To NYC I go I go, to NYC I go

Wed, 09 May 2012 17:17:55 GMT

Friends, I'm going to New York for the first week of June!

There was a while there when I didn't think it was going to happen. The friend I'd planned to travel with had to bow out due to some family issues. It was understandable, but it still threw my budget out the window.

I've managed to find a new roomie for part of the trip, though--hi Grace!--and I've decided to go ahead and pay for a solo hotel the rest of the time. This does mean I have less cash for touristy stuff, but I did most of that last year. This time, I want to roam the streets and look at the free and cheap things I missed before, like the Brooklyn Bridge and the wooden escalators at Macy's. I might splurge and go to Madame Tussauds, too, since I've got a total thing for wax museums.

Of course, I'll also hit up as many bookish locales as I can find. That goes without saying.

Any suggestions on what I should see? Where I should eat? And, most importantly, who among you wants to get together and Do Stuff? I believe there was talk of Pinkberry at one point...

I'd also appreciate any advice on buying a SIM card in the US. They were super easy to find and use in NZ, but they're a bit more complicated here in Canada. How do they work south of the border?

Back In the Day:

One Year Ago: The Bermudez Triangle by Maureen Johnson

Two Years Ago: nada

Three Years Ago: nada

Empire State by Adam Christopher

Tue, 08 May 2012 14:18:53 GMT

Title: EMPIRE STATE
Author: Adam Christopher
Series: a sequel is forthcoming
Publisher: Angry Robot Books
Publication Date: January 2012
Pages: 448
Status: electronic (ARC)

LibraryThing Info

Empire State for purchase on The Book Depository

Review copy provided by the publisher via the Angry Robot Army.

Surely y’all have heard of EMPIRE STATE. It garnered widespread acclaim seemingly from the moment Angry Robot announced its impending publication. Interest in this alternate history with superheroes and private eyes ran high, and I certainly wasn’t immune to the book’s siren song. I knew I had to seek it out.

A wee bit of summary: Rad Bradley is a private detective in the Empire State, a fog-shrouded island city mired in Wartime. He’s down on his luck and desperate for cash when a hot dame brings him a job: find her missing lover at any cost. Easy and lucrative. But what seems like a straightforward case soon grows thorns as Rad becomes involved with the Empire State’s leaders, a pair of warring superheroes, and a mysterious place called New York City.

I enjoyed EMPIRE STATE for its allusiveness, above all else. Christopher knows his stuff. He blends crime fiction tropes and science fiction standards with great aplomb, tweaking each to suit his story’s needs and to remind us that this ain’t your standard crime novel. The hot dame who wanders into the hardboiled PI’s office is a lesbian, not a potential love interest. Rad himself is an older, overweight, bald dude¹, not some uber-sexy hunk whose rugged exterior mirrors the damage in his soul. The superheroes are the crux of the problem, not its solution.

Christopher also works in some allusions to comic book history (THE SEDUCTION OF THE INNOCENT being a particular favourite; I’ve always wanted to get my hands on that book), to Doctor Who, and to the pulp fiction that flourished throughout the ‘20s and ‘30s. And on top of that, he juggles some fascinating ideas about such tropes as alternate worlds, doppelgangers, gender issues in crime fiction, and the dividing line between the good guys and the bad guys.

It’s pretty damned interesting.

I very much enjoyed the book as a dialogue with crime fiction and the superheroic tradition, but I fear I had a little trouble connecting to the plot. I have no doubt that this was due primarily, if not entirely, to personal circumstances. Shortly after I began EMPIRE STATE, I entered one of those frustrating periods where I could not read more than a few pages at a time. I read no more than fifty pages per day--a glacial pace, for me--and proceeded to limp through the book in fits and spurts. It took me over a week to finish.

I rarely get as much as I should out of shorter books with which I spend protracted periods of time. I lost momentum, and my reaction to the denouement suffered for it. Christopher pulls everything together quite nicely, with fair conclusions for all involved, but it struck me as the sort of thing that’s best read at a rapid-fire pace. No limping allowed.

Alas, I broke that rule.

Please don’t take this to mean I disliked EMPIRE STATE. I liked it very much, both as an allusive text and as a cracking story. I’d recommend reading it at a fairly brisk pace, though, if you possibly can, so you’ll maintain the momentum that I failed to sustain.

3.5 stars – really liked it

Other Reviews:

Remember how this one's got a lot of hype behind it? Hype translates to lots and lots of reviews, which you can find via the Book Blogs Search Engine.

Back In the Day:

One Year Ago: The Sunday Salon: Break Time!

Two Years Ago: nada

Three Years Ago: Born to Exile by Phyllis Eisenstein

In the interview in the back of the book, Christopher states that he had Chi McBride in mind when he wrote Rad Bradley. I love Chi McBride, but I’m kind of glad I didn’t know this until afterwards, since I’d have had a hard time not equating Rad with Emerson Cod from PUSHING DAISIES. Emerson Cod rocks my socks (he’s one of my favourite Obligatory Grumpy Characters), but he’s got totally different mannerisms from the Rad I pictured as I read.

Somewhere Beneath Those Waves by Sarah Monette

Mon, 07 May 2012 19:11:29 GMT

Title: SOMEWHERE BENEATH THOSE WAVES
Author: Sarah Monette
Publisher: Prime Books
Publication Date: November 2011
Pages: 336
Status: library, alas

LibraryThing Info

Somewhere Beneath Those Waves for purchase on The Book Depository

SOMEWHERE BENEATH THOSE WAVES is that rare beast: a book I loved and want to praise to the rafters, but can’t quite manage to write about.

I really want y’all to read it, though, so I’ll muddle on through in the hope I can convince you to seek it out. Because really, short fiction collections as good as this one deserve a wide readership.

So, anyways, SOMEWHERE BENEATH THOSE WAVES is Sarah Monette’s first nonthemed collection. (THE BONE KEY, a collection of her Kyle Murchison Booth stories, first appeared in 2007 and was recently reissued.) The stories are diverse in both content and genre. There are secondary world tales, contemporary fantasies (some of them decidedly urban), ghost stories, historicals, alternate world stories, science fiction pieces, sorta-kinda mainstream bits... the works. Whatever genre of SFF you most enjoy, you’ll find something to strike your fancy.

They’re also diverse in terms of length. I was surprised to find a great deal of flash fiction in amongst the longer pieces. I read many novels, novelettes and novellas, but I’ve had limited experience with flash (which is fiction of absolutely no more than 1000 words, and usually far less). The form fascinates me, nonetheless. It’s compact, by necessity, with never a word out of place. The author has limited time to introduce characters and a situation, and to make us feel for them. Monette is exceptionally good at this. Many of the flash pieces lingered with me for days afterwards, despite their brevity.

I was pleased, too, with the number of stories about people who are somehow Other, whether they embrace non-hetero sexuality, belong to a marginalized gender, or face the troubles that come when one is part of a low socioeconomic bracket. As Elizabeth Bear states in her introduction, Monette adopts an inclusive approach to fiction. There’s room in her stories for everyone, no matter their identity. I was particularly happy to come across a trans story, which emerged as my favourite in the collection. I shan’t tell you the title, since Monette conceals the character’s status until quite far in (presumably so readers disinclined towards trans folks can form a connection independent of any preconceived notions), but I urge you to keep an eye out for it. It’s lovely.

If you’re at all interested in short SFF, you must check this out. I’m biased and all, Monette being my very favourite author, but I truly believe you’ll enjoy it too.

4 stars – loved it

Other Reviews:

Brit Mandelo for Tor.com
So Many Books, So Little Time

Did I miss yours? Please let me know so I can link to it.

Back In The Day:

One Year Ago: nada

Two Years Ago: nada

Three Years Ago: A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf and Cover Love: Jody A. Lee

April In Review

Tue, 01 May 2012 22:50:42 GMT

Y'all, April kicked my arse. I read exactly four prose books. Everything else on the list you're about to peruse is either audio fiction or comics, and most of the latter were read in a glut at the tail end of the month.

Sigh. I hate reading slowly. I can't enjoy things properly if I limp through them. My reading speed dropped so sharply that I decided to put the kibosh on my regular April rereads. I couldn't bear it if I failed to love my favouritest books in all the world, so they'd best wait until June.

Anyways, here's ze breakdown, with stars beside the books with forthcoming reviews:

Books I Read

Empire State by Adam Christopher - electronic (ARC)*

Brook Street: Fortune Hunter by Ava March - electronic (ARC)

Graceling by Kristin Cashore - seller*

Cinder by Marissa Meyer - library*

The Magicians and Mrs Quent by Galen Beckett - keeper

Fire by Kristin Cashore - seller*

Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson - keeper

The House On Durrow Street by Galen Beckett - keeper

The Long Way Home by Joss Whedon and Georges Jeanty et al - keeper*

No Future For You by Brian K. Vaughan, Georges Jeanty and Joss Whedon et al - keeper*

Wolves At the Gate by Drew Goddard, Georges Jeanty and Joss Whedon et al - keeper*

Time of Your Life by Joss Whedon, Karl Moline & Jeff Loeb et al - keeper*

Predators and Prey by Joss Whedon et al - keeper*

Retreat by Jane Espenson, Georges Jeanty and Joss Whedon et al - library*

Twilight by Brad Meltzer, Georges Jeanty and Joss Whedon et al - library*

Last Gleaming by Joss Whedon, Georges Jeanty and Scott Allie et al - library*

The Long Way Home by Joss Whedon and Georges Jeanty et al - keeper*

No Future For You by Brian K. Vaughan, Georges Jeanty and Joss Whedon et al - keeper*

Wolves At the Gate by Drew Goddard, Georges Jeanty and Joss Whedon et al - keeper*

Why yes, I did start rereading BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, SEASON EIGHT the moment I'd finished it. I've never, ever, ever done that before¹, but I'm so bloody sick of not enjoying things that I figured I'd dive right back into the only thing I genuinely loved in April. I've gone a little more slowly this time, looking for all sorts of evidence and such to help me process the WTFery near the end (which really does get easier to deal with when you've read it a few times).

Places I Visited

New York City and the Empire State. 1820s London. The Seven Kingdoms. New Beijing. Invarel and the countryside. The Dells. New York City again. Invarel again. Scotland, Sunnydale, Cleavland, London, Tokyo, New York City again, Los Angeles, Italy, the wilds of Europe, and Tibet.

Pages So Far

21,471. By some miracle, I'm still on track to hit my goal for this year.

American Reading

My great and wondrous plan to reread many of my favourite American fantasies died a quick death. I only managed to read two of them, plus four other American novels and the Buffy comics (which have lots and lots of American contributors).

I did so poorly with the whole reading American books thing that my reading list is still 80% non-American. Which, okay, fits perfectly into my long-term goals, but it's a disappointment nonetheless.

Short Fiction

Urgh. Let's catch up next month instead, mmkay?

The Best of April

Well, I exclude rereads, and I only read three new-to-me books last month: EMPIRE STATE, FORTUNE HUNTER, and CINDER. They were all 3.5ers; that is, books I really liked, but didn't love. FORTUNE HUNTER and CINDER entertained me about the same, so let's call it a tie.

Back In the Day:

One Year Ago: The Sunday Salon: Leaving New Zealand

Two Years Ago: nada, because I was traveling to New Zealand

Three Years Ago: The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror, Eighteenth Annual Collection, ed. by Ellen Datlow and Kelly Link & Gavin J. Grant and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Well, except for this one time in first year uni. I sped-read THE HANDMAID'S TALE within a couple of days of finishing it, since I had big, important universityish things to do with the text and I wanted a complete refresher. It worked because I didn't much care about the book (yes, I know that makes me a cretin with no taste whatsoever) and was revisiting it purely for academic reasons. I've never, ever, ever done it before with something I read for pleasure. Look at me, expanding my horizons and all.

Women In SF&F Month, plus other notes

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 18:25:30 GMT

It seems I've taken an impromptu blogging break, but never fear! Today I'm guest posting at Fantasy Cafe as part of Kristen's Women In SF&F Month. Pop on over there if you'd like to hear about the women who helped me become a fantasy fan.

Be sure to check out the many other Women In SF&F Month guest posts, too, if you haven't already done so. They make for some great reading.

A couple of brief housekeeping things, now:

I've received several dozen pornographic spam comments over the last week, so I've had to put Captcha on all anonymous comments for the time being. I don't think this will affect anyone who comments via a LiveJournal account or OpenID, but please be in touch via Twitter or e-mail if you're having problems.

Also, the friend who'd planned to accompany me to Book Expo America no longer can, which means trouble on the budgetary front. If you still need a BEA roomie, we know each other reasonably well, and you like the idea of staying in a tiny, nautical-esque bunk room in an awesome hotel (with a girl who's happy to take the top bunk), please be in touch.

Back In the Day:

One Year Ago: The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

Two Years Ago: The Trouble With Demons by Lisa Shearin

Three Years Ago: The Sunday Salon: Reading Speed and TBR Additions

Read-a-Thon: Hour 19

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 05:57:43 GMT

Currently Reading: THE HOUSE ON DURROW STREET by Galen Beckett
Pages So Far: 230
Books Finished: none
Mini-Challenges Completed: the intro meme; Reading In Translation; Turn To A Page; Book Appetit!; E-Reader Survey; Literary Companions.
Albums Listened To: Tori Amos's Abormally Attracted To Sin; Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown; Streetlight Manifesto's Somewhere In the Between; The Offspring's Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace.
Food and Drink Consumed: one glass of chocolate Instant Breakfast; lots and lots of glasses of water (I always lose track, since I drink a lot); four cups of creamed Earl Grey; four cups of Lake of the Woods herbal tea; a Dairy Milk chick, plus all the chocolate buttons in its belly; a few croutons; a bowl of my delicious turkey chili; a large mug of coffee with chocolate soy milk; two scoops of Wunderbar ice cream; six Double Stuf Oreos; two chicken sausages; two hashbrown patties.
Episodes of Buffy Watched: six. I told you, I have a problem.
Other Tasks Completed: breakfast; ablutions; book market; canine upkeep, including extensive ear-scratching and a game of persuade-the-puppy-to-eat-his-breakfast; lunch; many Pottermore duels; Buffy-watching; supper; mini-challenge organization.

I've switched back to THE HOUSE ON DURROW STREET. I even read a little bit of it, though most of the last reading session went to watching another episode of Buffy (I'm such an addict) and looking at mini-challenge entries.

Huge thanks to all who participated! Your pictures were great. I've contacted the winner, so y'all should check your e-mail to see if it was you!

I think I'll make it through another hour or so, but I'm not sure if I'll endure any longer than that. It's getting pretty hard to put words in the right order. I've got the feeling I'd drop right off if I closed my eyes, too; a pretty good sign that it's time for bed.

We'll see what happens. If you don't hear from me again until tomorrow, I fell asleep.

Read-a-Thon: Hour 17

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 04:11:22 GMT

Currently Reading: SUITE SCARLETT by Maureen Johnson
Pages So Far: 221
Books Finished: none
Mini-Challenges Completed: the intro meme; Reading In Translation; Turn To A Page; Book Appetit!; E-Reader Survey.
Albums Listened To: Tori Amos's Abormally Attracted To Sin; Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown; Streetlight Manifesto's Somewhere In the Between
Food and Drink Consumed: one glass of chocolate Instant Breakfast; lots and lots of glasses of water (I always lose track, since I drink a lot); four cups of creamed Earl Grey; four cups of Lake of the Woods herbal tea; a Dairy Milk chick, plus all the chocolate buttons in its belly; a few croutons; a bowl of my delicious turkey chili; a large mug of coffee with chocolate soy milk; two scoops of Wunderbar ice cream; six Double Stuf Oreos; two chicken sausages; two hashbrown patties.
Episodes of Buffy Watched: um. Five.
Other Tasks Completed: breakfast; ablutions; book market; canine upkeep, including extensive ear-scratching and a game of persuade-the-puppy-to-eat-his-breakfast; lunch; many Pottermore duels; Buffy-watching; supper.

BIG REMINDER TIME! I'm hosting a mini-challenge. It's all about pictures. You have until the end of Hour 17 to enter, so hop to it, please and thanks.

Moving on:

I switched to my audiobook during this most recent session, since I wanted to read and cook sausages at the same time. I've done it with print books, sure, but I find it hard to make it more than a couple of pages through them before the sausages are done. I'm a cautious sausage-cooker, so I fiddle with them quite often, and that usually requires taking my eyes off the page. This time, I opted for the audio approach so I wouldn't have the option of taking my ears off the book.

SUITE SCARLETT is a reread for me, and it's just as enjoyable the second time through. I have such a brother-crush on Spencer. He's my ideal big brother, even though he's younger than me (and fictional). I've got to admit, I don't get those people who have snogging-crushes on him. He feels so brotherly to me that I couldn't even contemplate it.

I haven't yet decided whether I'll listen to more during this upcoming session. I may return to print, or I may, um, squeeze in another episode of Buffy. I'm currently in character heaven, since Anya's being all generally wonderful and Andrew's such an awesome dork and Buffy and Spike are just settling into their mutual support pattern, and have I ever mentioned how much I love generally wonderful people and awesome dorks and mutual support patterns? 'Cause I do. I really, really do.

Read-a-Thon: Picturiffic Mini-Challenge

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 01:51:05 GMT

Well, friends, we're now on Hour 15 of Dewey's 24-Hour Read-a-Thon. We've passed the midpoint, but we've still got a fair ways to go.

Time for a wee break, yes?

I want you to step away from your current read just long enough to find a picture that somehow relates to the book. Find an image that makes you think of the story, the characters, the book's theme, a vital element... whatever works for you.

You don't have to create the image yourself, though you're welcome to do so if you'd like a longer break. Something you've found via Flickr's Creative Commons archive or a Google image search is fine. Just remember to credit the person who took the picture or did the painting (or collage, or sculpture, or whatever).

The only images that don't count are a) the book's cover art or b) film stills, if the book has been adapted for movies or television. That'd be a little too easy. :)

Write a sentence or two to tell us which book you're reading and what the picture has to do with it. You can post it to your own blog, tweet it, put it up on the Read-a-thon Facebook wall, or leave it in the comments here.

If you post it somewhere else, please comment with a permalink to your post or tweet.

An example:

I'm currently reading THE HOUSE ON DURROW STREET by Galen Beckett. The central character has a magical bond with the sentient trees of her native country. These trees feel pretty vengeful towards the folks who've beaten them down, so I found a picture of a slightly evil-looking tree:

Image by Mark Hillary

Your turn! One participant will be randomly selected to receive a set of vintage (ie, 1950s-1970s) postcards. The challenge is open worldwide and will close at the end of Hour 17.

Read-a-Thon: Hour 13

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 00:05:21 GMT

Read-a-Thon: Hour 11

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 22:08:05 GMT

Currently Reading: season seven of Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Pages So Far: 182
Books Finished: none
Mini-Challenges Completed: the intro meme; Reading In Translation; Turn To A Page; Book Appetit!; E-Reader Survey.
Albums Listened To: Tori Amos's Abormally Attracted To Sin; Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown; Streetlight Manifesto's Somewhere In the Between
Food and Drink Consumed: one glass of chocolate Instant Breakfast; seven glasses of water; four cups of creamed Earl Grey; four cups of Lake of the Woods herbal tea; a Dairy Milk chick, plus all the chocolate buttons in its belly; a few croutons; a bowl of my delicious turkey chili; a large mug of coffee with chocolate soy milk.
Episodes of Buffy Watched: none, though that's set to change pretty soon.
Other Tasks Completed: breakfast; ablutions; book market; canine upkeep.

Oh, friends. The Moomins kicked my arse.

I began this reading session all, "I will immerse myself in children's literature, with its large type and its easy readability!"

I finished it all, "Moomins are hard."

Okay, that's not quite true. The Moomins aren't difficult, they're just puzzling, what with their inhuman worldview, and my brain isn't quite up to puzzley stuff right now. I may not have read as much as some of y'all, but I've still been focused on books for eleven hours. That takes a lot out of a girl.

So I'm going to read Buffy Season Seven next session. And by "read," I mean "watch and pretend it's semi-literary because I want to reread Season Eight and I can't do that until I finish S7. Plus, I'm almost up to 'Conversations With Dead People' and part of that episode takes place in a library, which means there are books all over the place. See? It's book-related!"

I may drink some more coffee, too.

Oh! After the Moomins kicked my arse, I listened to some ska and contemplated the differences between Canadian punk shows and kiwi punk shows! Wanna hear?

Punk shows in Canada involve metal detectors and pat-downs and a total moratorium on anything that might either a) be used as a weapon (up to and including umbrellas) or b) somehow hold alcohol and/or poison.

Punk shows in New Zealand involve someone waving you in at the door without so much as checking your bag, no matter how suspicious it is (my friend brought a grocery bag containing some chocolate and his wallet. They didn't bat an eye). There's probably a water station open and exposed on the bar so you can pour yourself a drink whensoever you please. Nobody even thinks you might spike (or poison) it with all that alcohol and/or arsenic you brought along.

Multi-band punk festivals in New Zealand involve hanging out with a bunch of polite people in a park behind the outdoor venue because if you sit well away from the gigantic air conditioners, you can hear pretty well and you don't have to pay the $120 entry fee.

Maybe the folks who took the alternate (er, ethical?) route had to go through metal detectors and weapon/umbrella confiscations, but I'm not thinking it was much of an issue.

Read-a-Thon: Hour 9

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 20:04:31 GMT

Currently Reading: MOOMINVALLEY IN NOVEMBER by Tove Jansson
Pages So Far: 160
Books Finished: none
Mini-Challenges Completed: the intro meme; Reading In Translation; Turn To A Page; Book Appetit!
Albums Listened To: Tori Amos's Abormally Attracted To Sin; Green Day's 21st Century Breakdown.
Food and Drink Consumed: one glass of chocolate Instant Breakfast; seven glasses of water; four cups of creamed Earl Grey; four cups of Lake of the Woods herbal tea; a Dairy Milk chicken, plus all the buttons in its belly; a few croutons. I should probably eat some real food...
Episodes of Buffy Watched: zero, though I'm pretty sure that'll change soon. I'm starting to get the shakes.
Other Tasks Completed: breakfast; ablutions; book market; canine upkeep.

Well, I decided not to go to that author event I mentioned earlier. I've got some good momentum here in my reading cave, and I don't want to spoil it with a trip to the outside world.

I read my fifty pages during my last session, in and amongst other things, so yay! Only two hundred more pages and I'll have finished THE HOUSE ON DURROW STREET. Good times. I want to take a little break before I dive back in, though, so I've switched to reading MOOMINVALLEY IN NOVEMBER for the time being. Finnish children's literature ahoy! Here's hoping I can finish it so I'll be able to say I completed at least one book during the 'thon.

Oh! Exciting news! I weighed the copy of A DANCE WITH DRAGONS I bought this morning, and it's heavier than Murchie! He's 3.1 pounds, compared to the book's 3.21.

I'm always absurdly pleased when I encounter books heavier than my dog--a weird reaction, since I hate how difficult such books are to hold and haul around. At least the hardcover was much, much cheaper than the e-book I was planning to buy. It's got that going for it, right alongside its amusing heavier-than-Murchieness.

Read-a-Thon: Hour 7

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 18:12:40 GMT

Currently Reading: THE HOUSE ON DURROW STREET by Galen Beckett
Pages So Far: 110
Books Finished: none
Blogs Visited: six
Comments Left: five
Mini-Challenges Completed: the intro meme; Reading In Translation; Turn To A Page; Book Appetit!
Albums Listened To: Tori Amos's Abormally Attracted To Sin.
Food and Drink Consumed: one glass of chocolate Instant Breakfast; one glass of water; four cups of creamed Earl Grey; four cups of Lake of the Woods herbal tea; most of a Dairy Milk chicken, plus all the buttons in its belly.
Episodes of Buffy Watched: still none. I am so the queen of not watching TV.
Other Tasks Completed: breakfast; ablutions; book market.

I think I've finally found my rhythm with THE HOUSE ON DURROW STREET. Those of you who're already acquainted with me will know that I've spent the last month or so in slow-reader mode. No matter how hard I've tried, I haven't been able to get through more than fifty pages per day.

I hate reading this way. More on that in a few days (unless I forget to write about it).

But hey, I've already read 110 pages today! I hope to read another fifty or so during my next reading period, after which I'll probably switch to something short, just so I can have the satisfaction of finishing a book.

Before I dive back into the story, I've decided to participate in the Book Appetit! mini-challenge at Book Journey, since it sounded too fun to ignore. We're supposed to design a meal one could eat during a book club discussion of our current read.

Since THE HOUSE ON DURROW STREET is a fantasy of manners set in a Regency-inspired, our meal would be mannerly and restrained. We'd have plenty of tea, of course, plus hot chocolate in a fancy silver pot. The meal itself would consists of small sandwiches with the crusts cut off--cucumber, for sure, plus corned beef with mustard, cream cheese and cherry, and egg salad. (None of those are period-appropriate, but that's okay. I'm going for a feel, not for historical--or pseudo-historical--accuracy!) We'd finish with an assortment of cakes, including Neenish tarts, Nanaimo bars, and miniature Jeannie's cakes with shortbread crusts.

Read-a-Thon: Hour 5

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 16:14:10 GMT

Currently Reading: THE HOUSE ON DURROW STREET by Galen Beckett
Pages So Far: 50
Books Finished: none.
Blogs Visited: five
Comments Left: four
Mini-Challenges Completed: the intro meme; Reading In Translation; Turn To A Page;
Albums Listened To: none
Food and Drink Consumed: one glass of chocolate Instant Breakfast; one glass of water; four cups of creamed Earl Grey.
Episodes of Buffy Watched: none. Willpower = I haz it! (It has nothing to do with the fact that I was out of the house for the last hour and a half. Really.)
Other Tasks Completed: breakfast; ablutions; book market.

Well, I took the last hour and a half off so I could attend the Children's Hospital's annual Book Market. Alas, their fantasy section was pretty disappointing this year; there were only a handful of paperbacks out on the tables, plus a near-equal number of hardcovers. The science fiction selection was better, but I'm not particularly looking for any SF right now, and I'm trying not to buy random books. Hopefully they'll have a few more set out when I go back on Monday.

I did come away with a couple of prime titles, though! I now have my very own gorgeous copy of THE MAP OF TIME by Felix J. Palma, plus my preferred edition of A SONG FOR ARBONNE by Guy Gavriel Kay. The former was $4; the latter was $2. Both are in perfect condition. I also bought a copy of A DANCE WITH DRAGONS by George R.R. Martin, since it was only $4 and I figure I'll want it if I love the first three as much as everyone else does. I plan to start the series when I'm ten people away from the top of the library list for GAME OF THRONES (the TV show). I'm currently #74, so it'll be a little while before I hunker down with them.

Now: back to reading.

Read-a-Thon: Hour 3

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 14:11:30 GMT

Currently Reading: THE HOUSE ON DURROW STREET by Galen Beckett
Pages So Far: 50
Books Finished: none.
Blogs Visited: two
Comments Left: two
Mini-Challenges Completed: the intro meme.
Albums Listened To: none
Food and Drink Consumed: one glass of chocolate Instant Breakfast; one glass of water; four cups of creamed Earl Grey.
Episodes of Buffy Watched: none, because my willpower endures.
Other Tasks Completed: breakfast; ablutions.

That's the first two hours done. I made decent, if not spectacular, progress through my current read. Rihgt now, I plan to keep going until I've finished another hundred pages, then take a break to complete MOOMINVALLEY IN NOVEMBER by Tove Jansson. It'll fit nicely into Reading In Translation Mini-Challenge over at Reading Through Life.

The challenge itself asks us to blog about a book in translation we'd like to read in its original language. I'd love to peruse any of the Moomin books in their original Swedish. Jansson-in-English uses a distinct sentence structure, and I'd like to see how closely that matches the way she actually wrote.

Here's the original cover and the cover of my English copy, as per the challenge's guidelines:

Read-a-Thon: Hour 1

Sat, 21 Apr 2012 12:10:39 GMT

Currently Reading: THE HOUSE ON DURROW STREET by Galen Beckett
Pages So Far: none. The 'thon just started.
Books Finished: nothing. The 'thon just started.
Blogs Visited: what do you think?
Comments Left: eleventy billion! Or none. Guess which.
Mini-Challenges Completed: hmmm. I sense a standard answer approaching.
Albums Listened To: insert expected answer here.
Food and Drink Consumed: one glass of chocolate Instant Breakfast; one glass of water; one cup of tea.
Episodes of Buffy Watched: none, because I have WILLPOWER. Also, I've only been up for 20 minutes and it takes roughly 42 to watch an average episode of Buffy. (Hey, that's probably why the answer to life is 42!)
Other Tasks Completed: breakfast.

And so begins another read-a-thon. If you're not interested in such matters, please feel free to mark my feed as read today, or to scroll on past my posts on your friends list.

Me, I always look forward to the 'thon. I love hunkering down to read as much as possible. It's fun to focus on a single task for an entire day, especially when that task is as enjoyable as binge reading.

This time around, I do expect a few interruptions. The Children's Hospital Book Market begins today, so I plan to take a break midway through Hour 3 so's I can try to snag me some cheap books. I'd particularly love to find titles by Tove Jansson, Maud Hart Lovelace, Daniel Abraham, and Moira J. Moore. You can bet I'll report back.

I'd also like to attend the Robert J. Sawyer event at McNally Robinson during Hour 8, though that may depend on whether I can find a way to get there. We'll see what happens.

Finally, I'm right smack-dab in the middle of my Great Buffy Re-Watch of 2012. I'll try to steer clear of the TV in favour of readerly pursuits, but I don't think I can go an entire day without the Slayer. I mean, I just started Season 7. The last time I watched S7, I finished it in three days. (I should add that only one of those days was a weekend. The others were regular old 10-hour workdays.) Me = addict.

Although, I suppose one could argue that I watch BtVS in much the same way I'd read a book, since I treat each episode like another chapter in the text, so it's like an honorary book. Honorary books qualify for read-a-thon piles, right?

Okay. Maybe not so much.

BUT ANYWAYS. I'm gonna go read now. Here's a beginning-of-the-event meme for you:

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? The very middle of Canada.
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? I'm having a winging-it sort of day, but I am eager to listen to more of my audiobook, SUITE SCARLETT by Maureen Johnson.
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? My Dairy Milk confection shaped like a baby chicken.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! Uh... Xander used to be my second-favourite BtVS character, but Willow recently supplanted him. (Spike is my favourite. In fact, he's my favouritest of favourites, when it comes to fictional TV people.) (I may or may not have TV on my mind right now.)
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to? Hmm. I'm drawing a blank on things I'll do differently. Oh! Wait! I'm currently in the middle of a chunkster, so I'll probably jump back and forth between books instead of reading monogamously, like I usually do.

Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 13:36:02 GMT

Title: MADAME TUSSAUD
Author: Michelle Moran
Publisher: Broadway, a division of Random House
Publication Date: February, 2011
Pages: 480
Status: seller

LibraryThing Info

Madame Tussaud for purchase on The Book Depository

Review copy provided by the publisher in support of the paperback release.

A thing about me: I’m a French Revolution addict (provided one can claim an addiction to a terrifying, bloody period of history). I’ve read and watched and listened to any number of things about both the Revolution itself and its aftermath (which: Napoleon). It’s been a while since I was thoroughly steeped in it, so I can no longer claim to know the period inside and out; however, it’s fair to say I’m more than somewhat familiar with everything that went down between 1789 and 1794.

MADAME TUSSAUD takes place squarely in this period. Marie Grosholtz and her family run a wax museum on the Boulevard du Temple, Paris’s entertainment centre. Business-minded Marie is ever-keen to expand the salon and explore additional sources of revenue. This means adding new, relevant tableaux that capture the most important people of the day, whether they’re the King and Queen of France or the members of the Estates General who convene to decide the country’s fate. But when the Revolution comes, Marie’s position grows perilous as she fights to stay true to her beliefs without sacrificing her livelihood or her life.

This was my first foray into Michelle Moran’s highly regarded body of work, and it was a pleasant one. As a long-time scholar of the French Revolution, I appreciated Moran’s careful, detailed depiction of events. She’s crafted a novel that works equally well as a fictionalized survey text; something interested parties new to the period can use to discover the key players and the basic timeline while still enjoying a good story.

She’s also presented a fairly balanced account of what happened. It’s easy to distill the Revolution down to “aristocrats bad, peasants good… well, until they start killing everybody,” but Moran takes a different tack. She writes the royal family as less decadent and disinterested than ill-informed. Her versions of Marie Antoinette and Louis XVI care about their people, but are so out of touch with the needs of the commoners that they can’t possibly relate. They’ve distanced themselves from all but a select few advisors who have a vested interest in keeping Versailles a spendthrift paradise for their own personal gain¹.

Similarly, Moran shows the early corruption among the men who stepped forward to remake France, right alongside their more laudable achievements. This isn’t exactly a unique attitude towards the situation, but it’s not the one you hear about ad nauseum. That makes it feel fairly fresh and interesting, even to a well-informed reader like myself.

Moran also does a great deal with the idea of late eighteenth century entertainment as news. The papers that played such a pivotal role in the Revolution² receive ample page space, but Marie’s attempts to document current affairs in her wax museum receive far more attention. (And rightly so, in a book called MADAME TUSSAUD!) I’d never particularly thought of wax museums as members of the 18th-century press, but now it seems obvious. Even today, it’s a big freaking deal when the various Madame Tussauds³ locations around the world decide to admit a new public figure to their collection. It means the person in question is important, and has had a lasting impact on society. I loved seeing Moran explore how this would’ve played out back in the day.

On the downside, I wasn’t quite as enamored with Marie’s personal life as I was with the setting. I liked her quite a bit, and I cried for her when the Revolution got into full swing, but I never quite felt the connection I needed between Marie and Henri, her fiancé. Try as I might, I can’t put my finger on why. They’re good together, certainly, and their relationship is based on friendship and mutual respect as much as physical love. And yet, I never really managed to join them together in my mind. Given the response I’ve read from other reviewers, though, I suspect this is a personal quirk that may not affect other readers.

All in all, I’m most pleased with my first Michelle Moran novel. I’ll certainly seek out her backlist, and I’ll look forward to THE SECOND EMPRESS, her novel of Napoleon’s replacement wife.

3.5 stars – really liked it

Other Reviews:

The blogosphere loves Michelle Moran, so you'll find tons and tons of alternate viewpoints on the Book Blogs Search Engine.

Back In the Day:

One Year Ago: Room by Emma Donoghue

Two Years Ago: The Sunday Salon: My Top 7 Fictional Dream Jobs and TBr Additions

Three Years Ago: Sixteen Gatrillion Read-a-thon posts

I haven’t done a whole lot of research in this area, but I wonder if Louis XIV’s creation of a bureaucratic system of government didn’t have something to do with the subsequent monarchs’ distance from their country’s affairs.

Until Louis XIV came along, French monarchs were supposed to actually govern. Running a country is a huge-ass job, so Mr. Sun King made a bunch of his courtiers into bureaucrats and started delegating. He still oversaw everyone and had final say, but it’s clear that Louis XVI didn’t handle things the same way. He let other people run his country for him, with the odd exception.

And gave rise to the Fourth Estate. Originally, there were only three possible stations in life: Clergy, Nobility and Commoners. The press played such a vital, intense role in the French Revolution that they were dubbed the Fourth Estate, a designation that still holds today.

The Fifth Estate, which has cropped up in the centuries since then, is any media that stands in opposition to the Fourth Estate. Some folks argue that blogs, which generally operate outside of the mainstream press, are part of the Fifth Estate.

Can I just say that the missing apostrophe annoys the hell out of me? I have similar feelings towards Caesars Palace. It’s not a palace full of Caesars, or a wax museum full of Madame Tussauds. The palace belongs to Caesar and the wax museum belongs to Madame Tussaud; therefore, an apostrophe is essential.

Humpf.

The First Quarter In Review

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 14:49:54 GMT

Can you believe the first quarter of 2012 is over and done with? Holy cats. That went by fast.

We're now far enough into things that I can share my first Best Of list for the year. The following five books are my favourites from the ones I read in January, February and March, in reading order rather than order of preference:

SERAPHINA by Rachel Hartman – 4.5 stars

Oh, how I loved this YA fantasy about a young musician with a dangerous secret. It’s a glorious feast of character-centric goodness, seasoned with some durned delicious worldbuilding. You want to get your hands on it as soon as it’s out. Don't worry, I'll remind you of it early and often.

THE BEST SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY OF THE YEAR, VOLUME 6, ed. by Jonathan Strahan – 4 stars

Y’all know I love me some short fiction, and Strahan’s selections for the Best of 2011 are fine indeed. I was pleased to see a few of my own favourites included, plus a whole host of other delectable tales. A must-read for those who'd like to take the pulse of contemporary SFF.

SOMEWHERE BENEATH THOSE WAVES by Sarah Monette – 4 stars

Short fiction is awesome. Lots and lots of short fiction by one’s favourite author, all in one place, is super-mega-amazing-awesome. I fear I haven’t reviewed this yet, but I loved it to bits and totally want you to read it. It’s a genre-diverse collection with plenty of flash fiction in the mix, so you're bound to find something to love. Maybe you'll even love (almost) everything, like I did.

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green – 4 stars

I haven’t reviewed this one either, and I’m not sure I ever will. No great loss; the blogosphere is already full of that’ll tell you just why you should seek this out. My oh-so-brief take is that it’s one of those books where you know exactly how it has to end (because there are only two possible conclusions and John Green won’t take the uber-obvious one), but you get so wrapped up in everything that passes between the characters that you make yourself forget what’s going to happen. Because otherwise, you’ll just cry the whole time.

Oh, hell. I cried the whole time anyways. I’m that kind of girl.

ELFLAND by Freda Warrington – 4 stars

My fifth and final selection also lacks a review, but never fear! One is forthcoming. I buddy-read this with Kelly of The Written World, so we'll have a joint review for you at some point in the future. Until then, let me say I found Warrington’s characters realistically flawed, and I adored the ways they fit together. Tears were shed, y’all. Lots of ‘em.

What were your favourite books from the first quarter?

Back In the Day:

One Year Ago: Ode To Kirihito, Part I by Osamu Tezuka

Two Years Ago: Sailing To Sarantium by Guy Gavriel Kay

Three Years Ago: My Read-A-Thon Pool

A Bride's Story by Kaoru Mori

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 20:28:10 GMT

Title: A BRIDE’S STORY
Author/Artist: Kaoru Mori
Translator: William Flanagan
Series: this review covers volumes 1-3 of A Bride's Story
Publisher: Yen Press
Publication Year: 2011 for volumes 1 and 2; 2012 for volume 3
Pages: 192, 192, 208
Status: library

LibraryThing Series Info

A Bride's Story, volume 1 for purchase on The Book Depository

You recall how I love comics but am utterly wretched at keeping up with new releases? My ill-informedness strikes again. Until Ana of things mean a lot reviewed the first two volumes of A BRIDE’S STORY, I had no idea that any more of Kaoru Mori’s work had been translated into English. I loved EMMA, Kaoru's story of an English maid and a rich dude who fall in love, so I knew I had to read more from her.

A BRIDE’S STORY isn’t quite night-and-day different from Kaoru’s earlier series, but it comes close. It takes place on the Silk Road at some point in the 19th century (if we ever learn the year, I missed it). Amir, a twenty-year-old woman, enters a large family as a bride to twelve-year-old Karluk. Volumes one and two deal with her first few weeks (months?) as a wife, while volume three follows the family’s European friend, Mr. Smith, as he travels further afield as part of his linguistic research.

I found it a strange story; episodic, to a certain degree, with a throw-the-reader-in-at-the-deep-end approach to characterization and little in the way of a concrete plot. Kaoru explains almost nothing about this large family and the reasons behind Amir’s arrival in their midst. We’re expected to pick it all up as we go along. And I did, to a certain extent, but I never felt comfortable enough to kick back and enjoy the story as a story.

The structure, too, made it difficult for me to fully settle in. Y’all know I don’t necessarily need a plot, so long as the characters and their day-to-day adventures are interesting enough, but I think I could’ve used one here. I mean, there’s an obvious arc, what with Amir being a newcomer who’s just settling in, but I didn’t feel like each individual scene necessarily contributed to her journey. There were a lot of (admittedly interesting) diversions about household life and woodcarving and baking bread, but I couldn’t read them as more than vignettes. They didn’t coalesce for me, even when Kaoru introduced a larger subplot involving Amir’s birth family’s attempts to get her back.

I also had a major, and admittedly ethnocentric, problem with the marriage itself. Karluk is twelve--and Amir makes it pretty clear that she’d like them to be married in every sense of the word. Intellectually, I know this is more about her desire to be a good wife who produces children than any paedophilic tendency, but it still creeped me out. He’s twelve, and he’s clearly not ready to have the sex. Stop pressuring him.

That said, I did like Amir very much. She’s a capable, enthusiastic person who takes matters into her own hands but still maintains a period-appropriate attitude towards her role as a wife and family member. She’s not a 20th century lady in antique clothes; she’s a product of her time and a testament to the amount of research Kaoru must have done. Her extended family, too, are fascinating people with a wide range of interests and preoccupations. I also got a kick out of Pariya, the young girl who always looks and sounds like she’s angry, no matter how happy she is.

Volume three, in which we left Amir and Karluk behind for a while (though rest assured, they make a guest appearance) was easily my favourite of the books. It has more of a plot, as Mr. Smith falls into a romance with a young widow (who looks to be at least twenty, to his late twenties or early thirties. No squickiness here!). Kaoru still treats us to the fruits of her intensive research, including an absolutely wonderful set piece about eating in the marketplace, but I also found more of a reason to care about these people in amongst the details of everyday life.

I should note, too, how realistically Kaoru handles these everyday details. She’s clearly fascinated with this region, but she doesn’t romanticize it. These characters adhere to a particular social code that sometimes disallows sentiment. The widow Talas’s family troubles are a case in point, as are Amir’s attitude towards animals and the roles women fill in and out of family life. The books contain a lot of honest emotion within a culture that is often radically different to what we in the west are used to.

I’d be remiss, now, if I didn’t mention the art. Holy hell, can Kaoru Mori ever draw! Each panel is spectacularly detailed, evocative, and a true pleasure to gaze upon. Kaoru excels at depicting those moments when one is alone and focused on a particular task. There’s a lot of liminal space here, a lot of transitions from one state to the next. The gorgeous covers, which I’ve pictured throughout this post, are just the tip of the iceberg. Even if the story means nothing to you, the books are well worth picking up for the art alone. It’s a visual treat.

I don’t yet like this series as much as I liked EMMA, but it’s growing on me. The artwork enchanted me from the first page, and the characters have slowly become a pleasure to know. I’ll certainly seek out the fourth volume when it’s released.

3 stars all around – liked it

(NB: the artwork deserves a 5, hands down, but I can’t claim to have more than liked the overall story, so I’ve gone with that rating.)

Strange Asides:

I’m utterly in love with Amir’s outfit, as seen on the covers to volumes one and two. If I were at all into costuming, I’d try to recreate it. Then I’d go to random anime and manga conventions just so I’d have an excuse to wear it around people who might actually get it.

Other Reviews:

Talizmyn's Treasures (covers volume 1)
things mean a lot (covers volumes 1 and 2)

Did I miss yours? Please let me know so I can link to it.

Back In the Day:

One Year Ago: craploads of read-a-thon posts

Two Years Ago: craplods of read-a-thon posts

Three Years Ago: Wolves At the Gate by Drew Goddard, Joss Whedon and Georges Jeanty

Brook Street: Fortune Hunter by Ava March

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 20:19:46 GMT

Title: BROOK STREET: FORTUNE HUNTER
Author: Ava March
Series: this is the second book in the Brook Street Trilogy
Publisher: Carina Press
Publication Date: 9 April 2012
Pages: 176
Status: electronic (ARC)

LibraryThing Info

Fortune Hunter for purchase on the Carina Press website

Review copy provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

FORTUNE HUNTER may be the second book in the Brook Street trilogy, but rest assured: you don't have to read THIEF first. (Although why you’d want to skip it is beyond me. It’s durned good.) One of the protagonists from the earlier book plays a secondary role in this one, and there are a few totally guessable spoilers about how his romance ends up, but the two stories stand alone.

This installment focuses on Julian, an expat determined to find himself a rich wife in London, and Oscar, a wealthy young man who welcomes Julian into his home. One might think their burgeoning relationship would deter the Julian from his hunt for a bride; not so. Julian is sure a fortune is the only thing that can make up for his unhappy childhood and secure the social position he so richly craves. Never mind that he's gay, or that he's formed such a deep attachment to Oscar; the money will make a life of denial worthwhile. It isn't until a betrayal throws everything into perspective for both men that Julian truly realizes how much he has to lose.

Ava March always manages to deliver two heroes who complement one another perfectly, and FORTUNE HUNTER is no exception. Julian and Oscar fit together so well that I couldn’t help but root for their eventual happiness. They’re a lot alike, most notably in terms of their desire to be accepted for themselves, first and foremost, despite the baggage they carry. Julian fears his father’s wastrel reputation will follow him throughout his new life in London, while Oscar worries his massive fortune will erect a barrier between him and the rest of society. Both are lonely and unhappy with their current station. It’s easy to believe they’d fall together as they do.

Both men have concrete motivations for behaving as they do towards one another, too, and they're as complementary as they are tension-inducing. While their similar emotional backgrounds create a point of connection between them, the way they react to their circumstances generates conflict. Oscar is so worried about alienating people that he’s overly generous, making it all too easy for his acquaintances to either feel beholden to him or take advantage of him. Julian lets his desire for social standing blind him to everything else. Neither means to hurt the other, but the results are inevitable given the way they proceed.

The resulting story is sweet and sexy, leavened with a measure of heartache and plenty of room for both characters to grow. I had a wonderful time with it and can’t wait to read ROGUE, the final book in the Brook Street trilogy. It’ll be out next month, and you can bet I’ll have a review for you. In the meantime, I really ought to read some more of March’s backlist. OBJECT OF HIS DESIRE is already on my e-reader, so I do believe I’ll start there.

3.5 stars – really liked it

Strange Asides:

Julian is one of my very favourite names.

Other Reviews:

I couldn't find any. If I've missed yours, please let me know so I can link to it.

Back In the Day:

One Year Ago: nada

Two Years Ago: The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

Three Years Ago: No Future For You by Brian K. Vaughan, Joss Whedon and Georges Jeanty

The Sunday Salon: American Reading

Sun, 08 Apr 2012 14:02:54 GMT

My UK March was much more successful than Antipodean February! I read eight novels and novellas from UK writers, plus an assortment of short stories. Good times.

Now April is upon us--that wondrous, happy month when I reread my favouritest of favourite books. Since they’re by an American writer, I figure I’ll go all out on the American front this month. I want to reread some (but by no means all) of my favourite American fantasies. It’d be nice if I could knock a few American titles off la TBR, too.

Here are my pools, as per usual, beginning with potential rereads:

Sarah Monette’s Doctrine of Labyrinths series. These are my favourite books in the history of ever, and I’ve been dying to dive into reread #5. They're definites; I’ll reread them even if it means I can’t read anything else.

THE MAGICIANS AND MRS QUENT and THE HOUSE ON DURROW STREET by Galen Beckett. That thing I just said, about potentially not reading anything else? Sort of a lie. I've begun the month with Beckett’s Ivy Lockwell books, since the final installment has just been released and I need to see how everything turns out for these characters.

MISTBORN and THE WELL OF ASCENSION by Brandon Sanderson. I’d like to read THE HERO OF AGES, at long last, and the library should give me THE ALLOY OF LAW sometime around the middle of the month. Seems like a good time to revisit the first two books.

THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER & CLAY by Michael Chabon. I'm almost afraid to revisit this one. It's one of my rare 6-star reads.

Something by Anne Rice. Probably CRY TO HEAVEN, even though it's just a straight historical, since it's somehow been twelve years since I last read it and that's just wrong.

Robin Hobb’s Realm of the Elderlings books. This probably won’t happen, since the series currently stretches to twelve hefty tomes, three of which are new-to-me, but a girl can dream.

Every single book on that list is a chunkster, so I'm not sure whether I'll be able to squeeze much else into April. My reading speed is still slow as molasses. If I manage to recover my mojo, though, I'll dip into these selections from la TBR and my ever-expanding store of e-books:

THE MASTER OF HEATHCREST HALL by Galen Beckett. This is my most anticipated book of the year. I’m all aflutter to sink into it.

THE HERO OF AGES and THE ALLOY OF LAW by Brandon Sanderson. As mentioned above.

A FIRE UPON THE DEEP by Vernor Vinge. Everyone seems to love it, and I got an ARC of the sequel at BEA, soooo...

THE SNOW QUEEN by Joan D. Vinge. I bought this one because Kristen of Fantasy Café loves it.

THE FOX WOMAN by Kij Johnson. Johnson’s short fiction rocks my socks. It’s past time I read one of her novels.

THE GREYFRIAR by Susan & Clay Griffith. Another BEA leftover. I will finish my stack of review copies before this year’s event (assuming I go; more on that when I get my thoughts in order).

YOU ARE MY ONLY by Beth Kephart. Ibid.

CODEX by Lev Grossman. I adored his fantasies, so I’m eager to see what his general fiction is like.

CAT’S TALE by Bettie Sharpe. This retold fairy tale looked like a lot of fun.

And some audiobooks from la biblioteque’s electronic reserve:

GRACELING by Kristin Cashore. I just finished rereading this, via the full cast audio production.

CINDER by Marissa Meyer. I loaded this one onto my iPod last night, on the strength of the many positive reviews that've sprung up throughout the blogosphere.

SUITE SCARLETT by Maureen Johnson. Another reread. I loved it so.

LEVIATHAN by Scott Westerfeld. And yet another reread. I probably won’t go with this one, since I got such a kick out of the pictures in the print version (and I’m not quite ready to reread the other two in the trilogy), but it’s an option.

Once again, I have so many books on my plate that I daren't ask for recommendations, but I'd still love to hear about your favourite American novels. Which do you love most?

Back In the Day:

One Year Ago: The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham

Two Years Ago: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

Three Years Ago: The Long Way Home by Joss Whedon and Georges Jeanty

Stuff From Books: The Ugliest Rug In All The World

Sat, 07 Apr 2012 13:45:46 GMT

Ugly rug is ugly (unless you're really into yellow and brown).

When I was a little kid, my cousin gave me a book called FUN WITH WOOL. It was mostly about knitting, with a few other yarncrafts thrown in for good measure.

The book has always stayed with me, not because it lived up to its title--though it so totally did--or because I spent hours upon hours with it, but because of one particular line from the introduction. The author encouraged discerning young crafters to begin knitting because, and I'm paraphrasing here, "When you knit, you create cloth, and that's an exciting thing."

You know what? Creating cloth is exciting. I think of that line every time I knit something.

I didn't knit the ugliest rug in all the world. It began life as a 1970s latch hook kit. Same difference. I still turned a bunch of yarn (and a loosely-woven canvas) into a piece of functional cloth.

And y'all? It was hella exciting.

No, really. This is a sarcasm-free zone.

I had so much fun working on it, ugliness and vintage yarn fuzz aside, that I just had to share it with you. Never mind that the pattern didn't originate in a book. A book first introduced me to the wonders of yarncraft (and by "introduced," I mean "kind of bolstered my love of, but I need an excuse to post about the rug as part of my Stuff From Books series"), so this post is totally book-related.

Why, you ask, did I make such an ugly latch hook rug in the first place? Because latch hook is fun and exciting (see above) and nobody donated a pretty latch hook kit to the thrift shop. In fact, I'm not sure such things exist. I even asked around on Twitter, and nobody had ever seen one.

I will now inflict the rug on my grandma, who will surely pretend to like the happenin' colours of the 1970s. I already tried to pawn it off on my father, but he'd have none of it. I guess that was asking a bit much.

Back In the Day:

One Year Ago: Burma Chronicles by Guy Delisle

Two Years Ago: March In Review; and, the First Quarter

Three Years Ago: Whiskey and Water by Elizabeth Bear

Fat Girl In A Strange Land, ed. by Kay T. Holt and Barry R. Leib

Fri, 06 Apr 2012 15:51:16 GMT

Title: FAT GIRL IN A STRANGE LAND
Editors: Kay T. Holt & Barry R. Leib
Publisher: Crossed Genres
Publication Date: January 2012
Pages: 172
Status: electronic (ARC)

LibraryThing Info

Fat Girl In A Strange Land for purchase on The Book Depository

Review copy provided by the publisher via LibraryThing’s Early Reviewers program.

FAT GIRL IN A STRANGE LAND is a collection of fourteen short stories about larger women who have adventures. The stories range from fantasy to heavy science fiction to horror to mainstream-with-a-speculative bent. Their protagonists' similar dress size forms the only concrete link between them, and even then, these women are many and varied.

I found the anthology’s choice of focus interesting and most worthwhile. I’m not sure that larger womens’ stories are never told, as the jacket copy claims, but they’re certainly rare. Looking at my reading list from the past couple of years, I spot few larger protagonists of any gender, and almost all of them are male. Society treats size as shameful, and the derision is all the more pronounced when one is a larger woman. It’s refreshing to see some editors branch out and promote stories about a segment of the population that often goes unremarked upon, unless someone’s cracking tasteless jokes at their expense.

That said, I should warn you that the anthology isn’t entirely fat-positive (or fat-neutral). There’s one story in which the protagonist out-and-out hates her body, and a couple of others where weight gain is recent and unwanted, if not explicitly railed against. Most of the pieces, though, are about people who’ve accepted their bodies and are comfortable with who they are. They acknowledge any limitations they may face, physical or otherwise, but they don’t let that stop them from living the lives they want to live. Often, weight-centric concerns are a non-issue. Other characters may judge the protagonists, sometimes in societally-sanctioned ways, but the protagonists don’t judge themselves.

Protagonists' body types aside, this is a strong anthology overall. There are some great stories herein. These women face challenges both physical and mental. They rise to the occasion. Sometimes, they learn the only way to move forward is to let go.

They’re people; strong or weak, as people tend to be, with realistic limitations and plenty of baggage. The contributing authors do a wonderful job of showing how their protagonists change and grow in response to the story’s events. I didn’t love every story, but I found much herein to delight over. Sabrina Vourvoulias’s “La Gorda and the City of Silver” remains a particular favourite, and I can't seem to get AJ Fitzwater's "Cartography, and the Death of Shoes" out of my head.

I most certainly recommend the anthology to anyone in search of good short fiction. It’s particularly worth seeking out if you’ve been longing for more stories with female protagonists.

3.5 stars – really liked it

Other Reviews:

I couldn't find any. If I've missed yours, please let me know so I can link to it.

Back In the Day:

One Year Ago: Tigana Read-Along: Part IV - The Price of Blood

Two Years Ago: Liar by Justine Larbalestier

Three Years Ago: One Final Television Review: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season Seven

March In Review

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 14:04:45 GMT

My reading mojo returned for a brief period last month. I managed to read a decent number of books in March. Granted, that was mostly because I managed to ditch a few titles that just weren't working for me, and because I discovered the Moomins, but we're just going to pretend I finished a couple dozen chunksters from the literary canon. Okay?

I've linked to the books I've already reviewed and starred those for which reviews are (probably) forthcoming. I've also included star ratings, since it's entirely possible that I won't discuss the others in any depth. Here's a reminder as to what my star ratings mean:

4 stars - loved it
3.5 stars - really liked it
3 stars - liked it
2 stars - disliked it
DNF - didn't finish it (NB: I only count DNFs if I made it at least one hundred pages in before I bailed)

As always, feel free to ask for my somewhat more detailed opinion on anything that interests you, even if a review is in the works.

Books I Read

Beauty In the Beast by Christine Danse - 3.5 stars - electronic (ARC)

A Song For Summer by Eva Ibbotson - 3 stars - seller

Keys to the Kingdom by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez - 3.5 stars - library*

The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray - 2 stars - library

Brook Street: Thief by Ava March - 3.5 stars - electronic (ARC)

The Merlin Conspiracy by Diana Wynne Jones - DNF - seller

The Fault In Our Stars by John Green - 4 stars - library

Narziss and Goldmund by Hermann Hesse - DNF - seller*

Elfland by Freda Warrington - 4 stars - keeper*

The Complete Moomin, vol. 1 by Tove Jansson - 4 stars - library

Muffled Drum by Erastes - 3.5 stars - electronic (purchased)

Looking For Jake and Other Stories by China Mieville - 3 stars - seller

On To Genesis by Mike Carey, Peter Gross and Vince Locke - 3.5 stars - library

The Complete Moomin, vol. 5 by Tove Jansson - 4 stars - library

Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris - 3.5 stars - loaner

The Complete Moomin, vol. 2 by Tove Jansson - 4 stars - library

The Complete Moomin, vol. 3 by Tove Jansson - 4 stars - library

The Complete Moomin, vol. 4 by Tove Jansson - 4 stars - library

A Brush With Darkness by Erastes - 3 stars - electronic (ARC)

Vanishing Acts, ed. by Ellen Datlow - 3.5 stars - seller

Madame Tussaud by Michelle Moran - 3.5 stars - seller*

Outpost by Adam Baker - DNF - seller*

A Bride's Story, vol.1 by Kaoru Mori - 3 stars - library*

Finn Family Moomintroll by Tove Jansson - 3.5 stars - library*

A Bride's Story, vol. 2 by Kaoru Mori - 3 stars - library*

A Bride's Story, vol. 3 by Kaoru Mori - 3 stars - library*

Places I Visited

The English countryside. (My, but I spend a lot of time there.) The Austrian countryside, and London. Lovecraft, MA. Spence Academy, London, and the Realms. London again, this time in the 1820s. Various places around England and Wales. Indianapolis and Amsterdam. A Medieval German monastery. Cloudcroft. Moominvalley. Some small Prussian towns, and Berlin. Brooklyn and Manhattan and the bowels of literature. Moominvalley again. Florence. Paris during the Revolution, with plenty of side trips to Versailles. An oil refinery in the Arctic. A small city along the Silk Road. Moominvalley, again. The Silk Road, again.

Pages So Far

16,444. My handy-dandy reading spreadsheet tells me this puts me on track to exceed my goal for the year. Whee!

UK Reading

I tried to focus on authors from the UK throughout March, with decent results. I read eight novels and short story collections solely by UK authors, plus a few UK-authored short stories. I didn't manage to reread anything, alas, but I'm sure I'll get to a few old-to-me titles during my next UK month.

After I take March into account, I'm sitting at 83% non-American reading for the year. Go me!

Short Fiction

I feel like I read relatively few short stories last month, but my tally says I got through 67. (I should note that I counted each individual Moomin story arc as a short story, since they effectively work as such.)

This brings me to 254 for the year; so, just over halfway to where I need to be if I want to read 500 short stories in 2012.

I'm gonna go ahead and declare that yep, I'm gonna make it.

I've settled into a particular pattern with my short fiction consumption. Every time I finish a novel (or comic, or novella published as a discrete book), I read another short story from my current anthology or collection. When I'm around halfway through said anthology or collection, I designate it my primary read and blow straight on through to the end. It's worked pretty well for me so far.

I'm not sure I can pinpoint an absolute best story of the month for March. The Moomin comic strips were all awesome, but none stood out from all the rest.

The Best of March

THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green and ELFLAND by Freda Warrington were equally wonderful. The Moomins also rocked my socks, but that was more a matter of cumulative effect than of any one book.

Back In the Day:

One Year Ago: I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

Two Years Ago: The Sunday Salon: Names

Three Years Ago: The First Quarter In Review

The Unwritten by Mike Carey, Peter Gross and Vince Locke

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 14:00:44 GMT

Titles: TOMMY TAYLOR AND THE BOGUS IDENTITY; INSIDE MAN; DEAD MAN'S KNOCK; LEVIATHAN; ON TO GENESIS
Author: Mike Carey
Artists: Peter Gross, Vince Locke,
Series: books one through five of The Unwritten
Publisher: Vertigo Comics
Publication Years: 2010, 2010, 2011, 2011 and 2012, in collected form.
Pages: 144, 168, 160, 144, and 144
Status: library

LibraryThing series info

Tommy Taylor and the Bogus Identity for purchase on The Book Depository

Y’all, I’m a bad comics fan. I know a great deal about the history of the medium, and I have a pretty good handle on the classics, but I’m awful about keeping up with new series. If it weren’t for the blogosphere, I’d have little to no idea of what’s going on with comics today.

Thankfully, people like Clare and Jenny are around to steer me towards the good stuff. A couple months back, I finally gave in to their urging and requested TOMMY TAYLOR AND THE BOGUS IDENTITY, the first volume of THE UNWRITTEN, from the library.

The results, they were good.

Tom Taylor has always lived in the shadow of his father’s greatest creation: Tommy Taylor, Boy Wizard. Fans confuse him with the character, due in large part to their shared name and the fact that Tom stands in for his long-vanished dad at every major convention. He’s rolling along, making a decent (but not spectacular) living on the fandom circuit, when a young woman hijacks his latest Q&A period with a query that challenges his very sense of self. The barriers between fiction and reality warp as Tom searches for the truth about who he is--and his father’s true purpose in writing the Tommy Taylor novels.

THE UNWRITTEN is a sprawling, sweeping epic of the sort that’s difficult to pin down as it unfolds. The series has been divided into story arcs (ie, the individual volumes), but they’re more like chapters in a novel than tales in their own right. The overarching story is very much a work in progress, with additional clues coming to light with each new issue. Five volumes in, there’s still a great deal that’s only been hinted at (though damn, are those hints ever enticing).

What is clear so far is that this is essentially a story about stories, for which reason it’s been lauded as THE SANDMAN’s successor. The books are allusive in the extreme. Harry Potter references abound, of course, as do allusions to such classic texts as Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN, Herman Melville’s MOBY DICK, and Beatrix Potter’s PETER RABBIT. The central character’s staunchest supporters are a woman and a redheaded dude. Children’s toys have surprising ties to side stories. Literary characters step out of books, not always of their own volition, while real people enter fiction. Comic books change the world. Random half-siblings appear out of nowhere. Vampires clash with puppeteers. Philosophical debates abound.

And so on and so forth. It’s a basically great big smorgasbord of literary allusiveness.

Please don’t take that to mean that the series simply plays with these themes, though. Yes, it’s fun, especially if you’ve read a lot of the sources, but it goes deeper than that. Carey, Gross and Locke are concerned with the very nature of fiction; with the ways in which we use stories to construct reality, and the fallout that comes when those stories fail us.

This is never more apparent than in the Choose Your Own Adventure issue, in which we weave our way backwards and forwards through Lizzy Hexam’s origin story. The issue is at once an homage to children's literature, a hat tip to the superheroic tradition, a quirky means of experiencing a narrative, and a pointed question as to what is or isn’t “real.” How much of our own sense of self is true? What roles do invention and wishful thinking play as we become the people we’re destined to be?

Yep. It’s interesting stuff, all right, and it jives beautifully with the rest of the narrative.

Let’s talk about some potential downsides, now. Character-wise, THE UNWRITTEN is very much a white boys’ club. There are precious few people of colour--Wilson Taylor's editor is the only one who springs instantly to mind--and Lizzy is the only central female character. Furthermore, the narrative slots her into the expected role: she and Tom become lovers.

(I trust I’m not spoiling much there. I mean, y’all have read lots of books. You know how these things work.)

I was actually quite pleased with how the creators handled this--it’s clearly a source of joy for both characters--but it does work against my personal desire for more platonic friendships in fiction. One could argue that it’s essential for a book about literary traditions to embrace tropes; however, it still came as something of a disappointment to me that The Girl naturally had a romantic interest in The Hero.

Most of the secondary female characters also fill romantic/sexual roles. (And by "most of," I mean "three out of the four who've stuck in my mind over the course of this rather protracted series read.") The evil puppeteer lady seems to be unattached, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to learn that Pullman's her old flame or something.

But despite these not inconsiderable issues, I’m keen to continue on with the series. I can’t claim to love it quite yet, but I think it’s pretty durned cool. It touches on a lot of my favourite topics--constructed identities, the many uses of fiction, redheaded people, random half-siblings, etc.--in an entertaining way, and the overarching story is such a hook that I get chills when I think of where it might be going. If you’re also a fan of stories about stories, you want to check it out.

3.5 stars all around – really liked it

Strange Asides:

I read all but the fifth volume in those dark days before I became a Moomin fan, and I've only just realized that Pauley Bruckner's lover was the Snorkmaiden. (Or a Snorkmaiden analog, at least. I believe Carey calls her the Quark Maiden.) I'm still not crazy about the way that all the female characters have been romantically paired with men seemingly by default, but this does fit. The Snorkmaiden is forever falling in love with dangerous guys (at least in the comics; I've just started on the prose books), so it's a valid allusion.

Hmm. Just thinking about it in those terms has got me considering how allusion and the literary tradition work against female agency (or female agency outside of the "oh, you must land yourself a man or you'll be a sad failure of a woman" model). My thoughts are somewhat jumbled at this stage, but I may return to the topic in a later post.

Different topic!

Mingus, Tommy Taylor's little winged cat, is one of the characters who crosses from fiction into reality. We don't see a whole lot of her, but I can't help but squee whenever she appears because she's so clearly a Cornish Rex. I used to live with a Cornish Rex (and a Devon Rex), so I have a soft spot for them.

Other Reviews:

There are lots, so I'll be a lazybones and send you over to the Book Blogs Search Engine for alternate opinions on all five volumes.

Back In the Day:

One Year Ago: nada

Two Years Ago: TBR Additions, in Vlog Form! Plus, the Bookworms Carnival

Three Years Ago: Television, Again