By Jonathan Stroud (501 pp.)
This is book 3. I read Book 1 in 2011 and Book 2 also in 2011. Not sure why it took so long to get to this one. It's about a young magician, who is complex but also a jerk and his relationship with a djinni, Bartimaeus who is a hilarious smart ass. Also, a common girl named Kitty is involved. A bunch of bad stuff happens in London with scheming government officials and a magical attack. These three have to try and save the day. Another good one.
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
16. Fear of Landing: You Fly Like A Woman
by Sylvia Spruck Wrigley (93 pp ebook)
This is a non-fiction book about a woman who didn't intend to get a pilot's license but then sets out to get one anyway. And it's not easy for her. I am fascinated by people who get a pilot's license. It seems impossibly scary to me. I have a recurring dream about flying a plane and being terrified that a giant hunk of metal can stay in the air. Fun book.
This is a non-fiction book about a woman who didn't intend to get a pilot's license but then sets out to get one anyway. And it's not easy for her. I am fascinated by people who get a pilot's license. It seems impossibly scary to me. I have a recurring dream about flying a plane and being terrified that a giant hunk of metal can stay in the air. Fun book.
Sunday, April 28, 2013
15. Tenth of December
By George Saunders (251 pp)
I love these stories. I think every one has a moment that fills the reader with dread. I think "Escape from Spiderhead" is my favorite although the title story is great, too. If you ever want some cheap entertainment, go read the one star reviews of this book. Hilarity for days.
I love these stories. I think every one has a moment that fills the reader with dread. I think "Escape from Spiderhead" is my favorite although the title story is great, too. If you ever want some cheap entertainment, go read the one star reviews of this book. Hilarity for days.
Friday, April 26, 2013
14. Wide Open
By Deborah Coates (320 pp)
I can't remember where I heard about this book. I gave it to my sister and she liked it so when the tor.com offered the ebook for cheap I bought another copy. It's set in South Dakota and is about a woman who returns from Afghanistan after her sister dies. Also, she sees ghosts. The story comes from the speculative bits but it feels like a real world story with this crazy unexplained stuff going on. The setting and the tone are different and I never felt like I knew where it was going. There were a couple of sections that went slow for me but over all I liked it.
I can't remember where I heard about this book. I gave it to my sister and she liked it so when the tor.com offered the ebook for cheap I bought another copy. It's set in South Dakota and is about a woman who returns from Afghanistan after her sister dies. Also, she sees ghosts. The story comes from the speculative bits but it feels like a real world story with this crazy unexplained stuff going on. The setting and the tone are different and I never felt like I knew where it was going. There were a couple of sections that went slow for me but over all I liked it.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
13. We Live in Water
By Jess Walter (171 pp)
Short stories that are so, so good. It's a small collection and a few are a little iffy but the good ones are so good. My favorites are "Helpless Little Things" and "Statistical Abstract for My Hometown of Spokane, Washington." Recommend.
Short stories that are so, so good. It's a small collection and a few are a little iffy but the good ones are so good. My favorites are "Helpless Little Things" and "Statistical Abstract for My Hometown of Spokane, Washington." Recommend.
Sunday, April 14, 2013
12. Seraphina
By Rachel Hartman (451 pp)
This morning I said, screw it, I'm going to stay in bed until I finish this book. Otherwise I probably won't finish it until next weekend. It is terrific. It's hard to say much without spoilers. It's fantasy in a world with a tenuous peace between people and dragons. It's about a talented young musician who goes to live at the castle and becomes involved in the investigation of a royal murder. I recommend. I did a have a bit of a problem with character fatigue: too many names and nicknames, titles and informal titles. Over halfway through the book I was thinking: if a book ever needed a directory of characters, it's this one. And then I flipped to the back and there it was. Now you know.
This morning I said, screw it, I'm going to stay in bed until I finish this book. Otherwise I probably won't finish it until next weekend. It is terrific. It's hard to say much without spoilers. It's fantasy in a world with a tenuous peace between people and dragons. It's about a talented young musician who goes to live at the castle and becomes involved in the investigation of a royal murder. I recommend. I did a have a bit of a problem with character fatigue: too many names and nicknames, titles and informal titles. Over halfway through the book I was thinking: if a book ever needed a directory of characters, it's this one. And then I flipped to the back and there it was. Now you know.
Tuesday, April 9, 2013
11. Shakespeare Wrote For Money
By Nick Hornby (131 pp)
I'm doing something I never normally do and I've started at least 7 books. In general I prefer project to process. I like beginning, middle, end. I don't like unfinished things. But I here I am in the middle of 2 books of short stories, a YA fantasy novel, a regular novel and 3 non-fiction books. I finally put everything aside to focus on this so I could finish one thing. This is the third and final collection of Hornby's Believer columns. I read The Pollysyllabic Spree in 2005 and Housekeeping v. the Dirt last year. He makes everything he reads sound terrific and it's hard to resist the urge to start a list and plan a trip to the library immediately, except, I'm already in the middle of 7 books and have a groaning to-read stack. But I'm going to get to these some day.
I'm doing something I never normally do and I've started at least 7 books. In general I prefer project to process. I like beginning, middle, end. I don't like unfinished things. But I here I am in the middle of 2 books of short stories, a YA fantasy novel, a regular novel and 3 non-fiction books. I finally put everything aside to focus on this so I could finish one thing. This is the third and final collection of Hornby's Believer columns. I read The Pollysyllabic Spree in 2005 and Housekeeping v. the Dirt last year. He makes everything he reads sound terrific and it's hard to resist the urge to start a list and plan a trip to the library immediately, except, I'm already in the middle of 7 books and have a groaning to-read stack. But I'm going to get to these some day.
Sunday, March 31, 2013
10. Half A Life
By Darin Strauss (205 pp)
This book is tough, but really, really good. Two months before he graduated high school, Strauss was out with friends and a bike swerved in front of his car. The bicycle rider was a classmate and she died from the accident. He was not at fault. This happened in 1988. The story is about him dealing with it for the rest of his life, so far. It is, at times, completely heart-breaking. There are a lot of ways a book like this could go wrong but this one does not. It does not tie up in some neat conclusion. Recommend.
This book is tough, but really, really good. Two months before he graduated high school, Strauss was out with friends and a bike swerved in front of his car. The bicycle rider was a classmate and she died from the accident. He was not at fault. This happened in 1988. The story is about him dealing with it for the rest of his life, so far. It is, at times, completely heart-breaking. There are a lot of ways a book like this could go wrong but this one does not. It does not tie up in some neat conclusion. Recommend.
Friday, March 15, 2013
9. Confessions of a Shopaholic
By Sophie Kinsella (269 pp ebook)
Another light reading book for travel. A young woman can't stop buying things and it catches up with her. There was a part of me that experienced severe anxiety about her spending. "You don't need that," I wanted to shout at the book. But there was another part of me that understood her rationale. "I should get that white coat. I would be known as that girl with the white coat." Hilarious and fun to read.
Another light reading book for travel. A young woman can't stop buying things and it catches up with her. There was a part of me that experienced severe anxiety about her spending. "You don't need that," I wanted to shout at the book. But there was another part of me that understood her rationale. "I should get that white coat. I would be known as that girl with the white coat." Hilarious and fun to read.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
8. On The Island
By Tracey Garvis Graves (281 pp ebook)
After I finished the Twilight series I figured I'd never again find a book that I enjoyed as much as I thought it was awful. I was wrong. On the Island is the story of a 17 year old boy recovering from a serious illness and his 30 year old tutor who get stranded on a island in the Maldives. Don't worry, nothing happens until he's legal. The writing is weak and cliched. Implausibility builds upon implausibility. I completely enjoyed it during a long day of travel.
After I finished the Twilight series I figured I'd never again find a book that I enjoyed as much as I thought it was awful. I was wrong. On the Island is the story of a 17 year old boy recovering from a serious illness and his 30 year old tutor who get stranded on a island in the Maldives. Don't worry, nothing happens until he's legal. The writing is weak and cliched. Implausibility builds upon implausibility. I completely enjoyed it during a long day of travel.
Sunday, March 3, 2013
7. Footnotes in Gaza
By Joe Sacco (418 pp)
Last year I decided I would read more graphic novels and this is the first one I've managed to read since then. It's a journalistic account of a couple of incidents in Gaza in the 1950's. It's also a journalistic account of the author researching and interviewing to tell this story. It's dense and lost me in a couple of spots. It's a tough story but really well done.
Last year I decided I would read more graphic novels and this is the first one I've managed to read since then. It's a journalistic account of a couple of incidents in Gaza in the 1950's. It's also a journalistic account of the author researching and interviewing to tell this story. It's dense and lost me in a couple of spots. It's a tough story but really well done.
Friday, March 1, 2013
6. Jagannath
By Karin Tidbeck (111 pp. ebook)
I go through these phases where I try to support small presses and look for books I might normally not read. I think if you call yourself a writer you should do your best to support all kinds of reading.
I had a credit at Weightless Books and this is the book I tried. These are short stories with odd speculative elements. Tidbeck is Swedish and her voice and perspective are original and sometimes disturbing. Definitely recommended for folks who like strange with their stories.
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