Becky has
2055 books
(94 selected)
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| # | cover | title | author | isbn | isbn13 | asin | num pages | avg rating | num ratings | date pub | date pub (ed.) | rating | my rating | review | notes | recommender | comments | votes | read count | date started | date read |
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date purchased | owned | purchase location | condition | format | ||
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94
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| B00B53IW9W
| 4.24
| 1,377
| Jan 01, 2013
| Jan 25, 2013
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[Edited this review because I was being mean and unfair right about this area here, and it was, rightly, called to my attention. My apologies.] Stephen...more [Edited this review because I was being mean and unfair right about this area here, and it was, rightly, called to my attention. My apologies.] Stephen King and I differ in regards to our stance on policy, in that I would be wholly and completely in favor of banning all guns outright. However, since that's unlikely to happen, I would be happy with some sort of action being taken to prevent further tragedies like Sandy Hook. I think that King laid out his opinion well, and provided a fair account of the issue. Stephen King only proposes moderation - ban automatic weapons and limit clip size so that only a certain number of rounds can be shot before having to reload. Do thorough background checks. Have a longer waiting period. It makes sense to me, it's not an all-or-nothing proposal, but still there are some who think ANY regulation is a violation of their unassailable rights. I just don't see why compromise is such a hard concept to grasp. (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Feb 28, 2013
| Feb 28, 2013
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Feb 27, 2013
| Kindle Edition
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91
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| 0465016073
| 9780465016075
| 3.59
| 49
| May 12, 2008
| May 13, 2008
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None
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0
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| not set
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Nov 19, 2012
| Hardcover
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92
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| 0765333104
| 9780765333100
| 3.98
| 466
| Oct 02, 2012
| Oct 02, 2012
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I read and discussed this one with a couple friends, and though all three of us have very different reading personalities, we pretty much all felt the...more
I read and discussed this one with a couple friends, and though all three of us have very different reading personalities, we pretty much all felt the same way about this book: It had potential, but was ultimately just a mess. There was just too much going on in this book, and not nearly enough story to support it. It felt manic, like the author tried to cram every cool idea he had into it, but didn't explain anything in a way that felt natural or even coherent. Everything was just presented, world-building, magic system, characters, plot, investigation, resolution... All just told, and the reader has to accept it because we have nothing else to go on. Everything that happened in the book was like this and it was frustrating. We don't get to know why something happens, or the significance of an event, or how anything works, or what the point is, or even what IS happening until after the fact, or until the very end when the epilogue tells us everything that couldn't be followed in the story, point by point. One of my friends said it felt Holmesian, except that Sherlock Holmes will explain HOW he came to the conclusions he did, not just that he came to them. There was a lot of cool stuff in this book. A lot of fantastic ideas that, more carefully formed and better presented, could be amazingly good. But this book felt unfinished. Just when I'd expect to learn something, about the magic system, for instance, I'd see WHAT it can do, but not how or why, which is the basic building block of creating something that feels real. You can tell me something until the cows come home, but until it's presented in a way that allows me to KNOW it, it doesn't stick - it's not real. I'll give you two examples: 1) Alt Couloumb(sp?): (The fact that I'm not even sure how to spell the setting even after finishing the book, is a bad sign.) As I was reading this, I kept picturing AC as a kind of old gothic town, lots of high and dark church steeples, narrow alleyways, cobbled streets, a port, steam-powered... You get the picture. There were centers of activity - the church of Kos Everburning, and the vampire/Craftsperson's club, but otherwise, this city in my head was practically empty. In my head it was population 5,000 maybe. So imagine my surprise when I read the book description after finishing and see that this city, this "metropolis" actually has 4 million residents. FOUR MILLION. I don't know where they all were. The city I live in has less than a million residents, but I see people all the time. Walking down the streets, going about their business, doing what they do. I see them. I am one of them. But Alt Couloumb was filled with driverless carriages and not much else from what I could tell. It just wasn't real. It was like an impressionist painting where the onlooker can get the idea of what's being presented, but the detail isn't there. In art, I'm OK with that. In world-building for a book series, I'm not. If I'm going to invest my time and energy into a series of books, I want to LIVE in that world. Tolkien is a master world-builder. I'm not just reading about Middle Earth, I'm there. That is how a fictional world should be. I shouldn't have to fill in an author's gaps to make it work. 2) Craft: This is the magic system in the story, and from the little that I learned of how it works (regarding starlight and soulstuff), I will admit that it was pretty cool. However, and this is a BIG however, there was no rule set or limitations to the way it could be used that I ever saw. Craftspeople learn how to use it, and then they're off! Apparently anything they can imagine is possible. I can't recall seeing a single limitation. Not one thing that couldn't be done with Craft. Yet at the end of the book, one of the characters mentions that she's surprised that an engineer wouldn't cotton to the rules of Craft... Which left me a little mind-boggled, because it doesn't seem that there were any until it was convenient to say there were to tell another character (and the reader) how certain things happened. Blah. I need structure. I don't enjoy "Anything Goes" magic systems. It's uninteresting to me... there's no danger if all you have to do is imagine your way out of a pickle. "Anything Goes" magic systems are built in deus ex machina devices, and that's just unimaginative. I don't want to see a character succeed at everything simply by using magic. Which is exactly what happens in this book. No really. Our main character is newly-graduated/evicted from school (no idea why the eviction, though), and is hired on a trial basis for a hugely important trial regarding deicide, and then she's made responsible for the investigation, the trial proceedings, and other stuff besides. Yup. This untried rookie is made lead in a murder case for a GOD. Nopressure. But never fear, Tara's here! There's never any chance she'll fail, because she'll always just Craft her way out of anything. She's got a backdoor or a trick up her sleeve, or the perfect solution for every fucking situation imaginable. Gah. This is getting long. I'll wrap this up quickly. The first trial: Ridiculous. Evidence? Who needs evidence! This is a cage-match. The second trial: No need for proof or evidence here either. Pure conjecture allowed. Pronouns when dealing with default or unknown persons: This was really annoying to me throughout the entire book. Almost always, the pronoun used for someone whose gender or identity is unknown was feminine. Being a woman, you'd think that this would be refreshing, but instead it was just baffling, because there seemed to be no reason for it. This wasn't a matriarchal society. There wasn't anything feminist that I could tell. There wasn't even a greater number of women in the story. The only thing I can think is that the author was trying to score brownie points with female readers. But it was inconsistent. ALMOST always it was feminine, but not every time, and not consistently depending on whose POV we were seeing either. Likewise with Craftswoman (usually), Craftsman (sometimes), Craftsperson (occasionally). It was just random. The Plot: I really have no idea. I asked my co-readers what the firm was even hired for (still can't remember the name of the firm either, despite seeing it maybe 20 times), and that's just really not good. The plot was just so convoluted, and there was so much that the reader just had to accept and keep track of, that what seemed straightforward in the beginning ended up just wandering around for a while until everything just magically (Craftily?) came together at the end, and then the reader was told the missing pieces we couldn't know. *sigh* Like I said at the beginning... This had potential to be great. But it wasn't anywhere close. The execution just wasn't good enough to make this a coherent, enjoyable story. Maybe the second book will fill in more of the history and world-building and magic system rules and character personality... but I need that stuff to draw me into the series. It's not enough to try to hook me with mysteriousness. I need substance, not smoke and mirrors. (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Nov 17, 2012
| Nov 28, 2012
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Nov 17, 2012
| Hardcover
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90
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| 0451462564
| 9780451462565
| 4.42
| 28,279
| Apr 07, 2009
| Apr 07, 2009
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3.5 Stars This book was a little... predictable, in my opinion. Maybe not the supernatural threat in this book, because that was new, but quite a few d...more 3.5 Stars This book was a little... predictable, in my opinion. Maybe not the supernatural threat in this book, because that was new, but quite a few different things were extremely predictable, and I figured out the whodunnit way, way early. I almost never put all the pieces together before Harry does, but in this one, I did... over and over. That's not to say that I didn't enjoy the book. I really did. Harry is his usual snarkrageous self, and I loved him. Things got dicey here, and the tension was pretty palpable, especially because I was listening to the audio. The voices were very different than I'd heard the characters in my head, but I still enjoyed the reading quite a lot. Very interested to see where the next one goes. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Nov 03, 2012
| Nov 05, 2012
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Nov 03, 2012
| Hardcover
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86
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| 0451461401
| 9780451461407
| 4.39
| 33,901
| Apr 03, 2007
| Apr 03, 2007
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Another exciting addition to the series, and my oh my aren't things getting dicey! I love this world, and I love Harry and I 'specially love Thomas an...more
Another exciting addition to the series, and my oh my aren't things getting dicey! I love this world, and I love Harry and I 'specially love Thomas and Mouse. I love how intricately plotted these books are, and I immensely enjoy them. I don't really have much more to say than that. Oh, except YOU DON'T MESS WITH THE TOE-MOSS. He make you silky-smooth and maybe make sticky with you. Maybe. ;)(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Aug 27, 2012
| Sep 04, 2012
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Aug 27, 2012
| Hardcover
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84
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| 0451461037
| 9780451461032
| 4.39
| 34,402
| Feb 01, 2006
| Feb 06, 2007
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Another great edition in this series. I'm terrible at writing reviews of in-progress series books, and I think I'm running out of ways to say that I l...more
Another great edition in this series. I'm terrible at writing reviews of in-progress series books, and I think I'm running out of ways to say that I love Harry Dresden, because I just finished this book and I'm completely at a loss as to what the heck to say about it. Except that I love Harry Dresden. But we knew that, didn't we? I did really enjoy coming back to Harry's world, and despite the 2 1/2 month gap between finishing Dead Beat and starting Proven Guilty, I picked up right where I left off without any trouble. I like the development of the characters, especially Charity (who, I admit, was really starting to grate on my nerves in the last few books). Now her attitude makes a lot more sense, and I can understand and... well, understand it. Thomas is quickly becoming one of my favorite characters too. I love his unobtrusive strength and steadfast loyalty to Harry. I'm really enjoying seeing them test the grounds and borders of their relationship with each other, though, being men, it's a little frustrating too. The plot in this one was a bit all over the place, as usual, but it came together and then some. Things are starting to really pick up steam in the greater supernatural world, and there's mischief afoot. I really cannot wait to see where the story goes next. (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Aug 22, 2012
| Aug 25, 2012
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Aug 22, 2012
| Mass Market Paperback
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88
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| 0316228532
| 9780316228534
| 3.27
| 72,765
| Jan 01, 2012
| Sep 27, 2012
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 JK Rowling was not even fucking around when she said that this book was for adults. This is about as far removed from a story for kids as it's possibl...more JK Rowling was not even fucking around when she said that this book was for adults. This is about as far removed from a story for kids as it's possible to get. There's no pigeonholing the mighty JK Rowling, that's for sure. She's like an authorial ninja... she comes out of nowhere, lays the smack down in a style of awesomeness you would never expect, and then goes about her business, leaving you reeling.  BLAMMO! Even though I was expecting an "adult" book... I don't think it really hit me how different it really would be. I mean, like most other Potterheads, I've read the books dozens of times and I'm used to the worst language from JKR being mudblood, git, and bitch. So to see words like fuck, whore, and cunt being thrown about like it ain't no thang, I admit that it was a little bit of a surprise. But it's fantastic. Really. It's a book that I feel like I'll need to read again (rather than just wanting to, which I do), because Rowling is so skillful with her pen that I'm not sure I caught every reference, every nuance or intended meaning. It took me a long time to read this book. Longer by far than it should have taken, because I have a lot going on in the world outside of books. That scary place called "reality". *shudder* I'm in the midst of packing for a move so reading has been pushed to the back-burner. But even so, whenever I picked up the book, be it hours or days later, I was right back in Pagford as if I'd lived there all my life. There's no main character in this story. It's told in constantly shifting points of view from several key members of the Pagford community. And at this juncture, I'd like to offer a little comparison. While reading this book, I had to take a break to read my real life bookclub selection The Time Traveler's Wife. Both books are told from multiple POVs, but Time Traveler's Wife abruptly changes back and forth between Henry and Clare's POV. The Time Traveler's Wife's POV switches are clearly delineated by a paragraph break (at the very least), and a header with the new narrator's name. Every time. But there were times reading The Time Traveler's Wife that I had no idea which person was narrating and would have to go back and check. There just didn't seem to be enough difference in their voices to really follow the narration switches without the headers available for reference when needed. This is not the case with The Casual Vacancy. TCV doesn't abruptly change narrators, instead the narrative flows effortlessly among them all. Sentence to sentence the POV can change, but I never, not one time, had any difficulty following it. In fact, I'd read about 1/3 of the book prior to seeing JK Rowling in New York for her interview and signing, and this aspect was mentioned by Ann Patchett. It was like a lightbulb went off in my head, because I felt that there was something a little different about the narrative, but couldn't put my finger on it. After it was identified (Seriously, thank you Ann Patchett!), I could watch the narrative changes in action, and it was really amazing to see the shifts happen but at the same time forget that they were happening at all because it was just so easy to keep up with. If I had one complaint about the narration style, it would be the use of parentheses. There were often asides notated in parentheses, and I really didn't think they were necessary at all, given the flowy almost stream-of-Pagford-consciousness style of the narration. The parentheses broke up the narrative and felt like an interruption to me. The info was necessary, but I wish it would have been worked into the text more seamlessly. A little bit about the characters. First... Oh my. I would NOT want to live in Pagford, that is for damn sure. It may seem idyllic and homey and welcoming... until you actually talk to the residents. There was only one really likeable character in the whole story, and he's the one Rowling killed off about 3 pages in. Everyone else is a complex jumble of neuroses and anger and manipulation and selfishness. It's interesting to me that the teenagers in the story, though having their own set of issues semi-intertwined with the adults' issues, were actually the more civilized among the parish. And that's taking into account the bullying, the ostracizing, the usual teen drama stuff that happens everywhere. Which, I think, should tell you something about this town. One of the characters had this kind of affectation of being "authentic". He'd pretty much just do and say anything at all that he wanted, thinking that each action (or non-action) was the "authentic" one of the moment. But there were times when his "authenticity" seemed so staged and planned that I couldn't help thinking that maybe there was a page missing in his dictionary between "Asshole" and "Authentic" and he got them confused.  I really could mention something about every character - about how they lie to themselves as naturally as they lie to each other, about how they have more faces than Janus, about... well, many things. But I don't want to ruin it for anyone. There are many themes in this book, most pertaining to pain of some sort. Mental illness, depression, addiction and dependency, abuse - both physical and emotional, death, etc, and the way that they were handled was pretty much spot on. Idealism has no place in Pagford, and we rarely get happy endings in the real world. This was a sad story, in a lot of ways, but never manipulative. One of the parts that made me cry was so unexpected that I had to laugh at myself for it, because usually my waterworks are fairly predictable. My favorite character (what? I can like unlikeable characters!) is, of course, the one struggling so much against the current of Pagford's selfish will. I always root for underdogs. But, in this case, it was painful. It was heartbreaking to watch, because each scene kept escalating things, and the two forces (the character and Pagford) were at odds with each other, though not really directly and every time a step forward would be made, there would be two pushes back the other way. Honestly at times I wanted to reach through my nook to slap people... but it only would have made me feel better temporarily and wouldn't have helped the situation. It was just so frustrating! But I loved it. There were moments of humor, but more often I was reading with a grimace of disgust at the horrible things that people can say and do to each other. But then, the mark of a great story is its ability to affect the reader, and this one definitely affected me. Highly recommended. (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Oct 15, 2012
| Oct 30, 2012
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Jul 28, 2012
| Hardcover
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79
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| 1595142967
| 9781595142962
| 3.51
| 779
| Sep 30, 2010
| Sep 30, 2010
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I picked this book up on a whim a while back, when it was on offer at a favorite discount store here. I'd never heard of it before, but thought that i...more
I picked this book up on a whim a while back, when it was on offer at a favorite discount store here. I'd never heard of it before, but thought that it looked interesting, and for $2.99 I'm willing to chance it. So now I've read it, and... well... There were some things that I liked, and some things that didn't work for me. I liked the interweaving of fairytale characters into the story. I thought that the way it was done was pretty neat. But I felt like they were all just kind of name-dropped, with the exception of just a few, and I wanted to know more about their alternate existences. Like Detective White, who is a tough, take-no-guff cop, who got to be so tough by fighting off the seven men she lived with... What? In what way? Sexually? Were they drunken abusers? This little tidbit raises a lot of questions, because in my mind, the Seven Dwarfs took Snow White in in her hour of need, and sheltered her, and helped her. They weren't creepy old men crawling into her bed at night, or abusers, which is what the reference in this book makes me think. Yet there's zero additional information given, nothing to clarify the statement. It's true that the characters we see in this book aren't the characters we'd expect, but... dang. I liked the way fairydust was depicted... I liked the way it was used, and exploited, as if it's a drug (which is pretty much accurate). I really liked the way the City is kind of modernistic, with a big, name brand thaumaturgical (read: pharmacological) industry, complete with loose morals and even looser principles... and advertising, too. I also liked the concept of the divisive nature of the City and its inhabitants... Hominids vs. Animalia. Just shows that we'll latch onto anything to keep from being too accepting of the neighbors. They're different! THE HORROR! I didn't much care for or about any of the characters here... I thought they weren't developed well enough. (This is in addition to wanting more evidence regarding the libel perpetrated on seven innocent until proven guilty dwarfs.) I thought Henry was atrociously bad at investigation... I mean, jeez, he strolls into the Bad Guys' Lair and proceeds to ask said Bad Guys where they hide their Evil Doings. "Is it behind that curtain over there that says 'Keep Out! Bad Guys Only!'? Mind my own business? OK." For realsies?? Ugh. I thought that this had a good concept, but I just didn't think that anything was developed enough. The characters felt flat, they weren't even described except in the barest terms, there really wasn't anything to identify with, and I certainly didn't understand Henry's motivation for anything... It was like he was just doing things to progress the story rather than having any actual purpose in doing them. "I'm gonna go left now." "Why?" "Uhh... Because that's what I have to do in order to be in place for Chapter 6." "Umm... OK." That's really all. Good concept, not so great execution. (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Jun 29, 2012
| Jun 30, 2012
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Jun 29, 2012
| Hardcover
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78
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| 0316204072
| 9780316204071
| 3.77
| 426
| Oct 17, 2011
| Oct 17, 2011
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Interesting, but short, prequel to Leviathan Wakes. I really enjoyed this story, and the way it was told in flashback form intermixed with present eve...more
Interesting, but short, prequel to Leviathan Wakes. I really enjoyed this story, and the way it was told in flashback form intermixed with present events. I liked seeing more of Fred's backstory here, and I enjoyed seeing how he got to where he was in LW. Good stuff.(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Jun 29, 2012
| Jun 29, 2012
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Jun 29, 2012
| ebook
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77
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| 3.99
| 371
| 2008
| unknown
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This is my second book by Steven Brust, and, unfortunately, I had a lot of the same complaints that I had with the first one. Which was also, now that...more
This is my second book by Steven Brust, and, unfortunately, I had a lot of the same complaints that I had with the first one. Which was also, now that I think of it, a situation in which Brust wrote a story around someone else's work (in this case Joss Whedon's Firefly/Serenity world and characters, and in the other book, the Bible). I just don't think that his style is for me. Which is a shame, because I think the stories are good. I just get annoyed while I'm reading them. His style is too choppy. Too many staccato sentences, too many interruptions and cut off sentences, too much dialogue and not enough exposition. Too many POVs, too many scene changes, too much left for the reader to fill in whenever there are gaps, and there are too many gaps. I want to know what a character is doing, and who, not just that something is being done by someone. For example: "Sorry, ma'am. I'm in kind of a hurry. And you're not going to be able to reach your seÂcuÂrity peoÂple anyÂway. So, if you'll just let me . . . ugh. Which one of these . . . ? Okay, that's the diÂrect link to the CorÂtex, so one of these must be, ah, I see. I don't know if I have the right conÂnecÂtion here. Okay, this ought to—there. Yes. A guy named MisÂter UniÂverse showed me how to do this. Weird name, huh? Not half as weird as the guy is. We met in flight school. Worst pilot you ever . . . okay, that should do it. Just give me half a secÂond to make sure the cross-load worked. Yep. Okay. You can have your desk again. Thanks."It was like reading a story that's been cut up into sentence fragments on little pieces of paper, put into a box, and then drawn out one by one. And almost every single time there's a scene change, we're in for a good chunk of time not knowing whose POV we're reading until there's a hint or clue, or occasionally, someone else comes in the scene and gives it away. That's not enjoyable to me. I want to be drawn into the story and have it feel effortless to read. I want to just be with these characters again, and not be irritated by them. I know Zoe says "Sir" a lot, but this book is only 168 pages long, and there are 206 sirs in it. I know, because I counted. Or worse than being irritated by them is not understanding them at all, and had I not watched Firefly and Serenity before reading this book, I really don't think I would have. There just wasn't enough there. And combine that with the interruptions and everything else, and I just don't see how a person without full Firefly/Serenity experience would get much out of this book. But, all that being said, I DO think that Brust did a good job matching the world and the characters, and the story itself was good. I just wish that his writing didn't make it hard for me to enjoy it. (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Jun 24, 2012
| Jun 25, 2012
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Jun 24, 2012
| ebook
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73
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| 0399158413
| 9780399158414
| 3.82
| 1,635
| Nov 14, 2011
| Nov 21, 2011
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I decided to make mini fruit skewers for the office potluck tomorrow, so, being the multi-tasker that I am, I decided to listen to an audiobook while...more
I decided to make mini fruit skewers for the office potluck tomorrow, so, being the multi-tasker that I am, I decided to listen to an audiobook while I shoved sharp sticks through unsuspecting and defenseless fruit pieces. It was kind of an apt activity, listening to this particular audiobook, because there was pretty much nobody that Bill skipped taking a jab at.  Yeah, yeah... It's bedtime. Whatever, Grammar Cat. Anyway, Bill Maher is a funny, irreverent fucking guy. I don't agree with everything that he says, but I do appreciate the humor, regardless and I enjoyed this book. That is all. (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Jun 04, 2012
| Jun 04, 2012
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Jun 04, 2012
| Hardcover
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80
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| 1439176671
| 9781439176672
| 4.06
| 6,693
| Jun 11, 2004
| Sep 29, 2009
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If I could give this book negative stars, I would.  It's been a long time since a book has made me as angry as this one did. I don't think I'm the over...more If I could give this book negative stars, I would. It's been a long time since a book has made me as angry as this one did. I don't think I'm the overly critical sort. I have expectations, and I want them to be met, but I think that I'm willing to compromise. If a book isn't the best written but has a good story, or if the writing is gorgeous, but the story is kinda "meh", I can appreciate the book for what it is and move on. But this was just painfully, ridiculously bad. This book's gimmick is that it's the daily journal entries of a person who is trying to survive the zombie apocalypse. That's it. The journal format is what's supposed to make this book different from all the other zombie lit out there. The book kinda hinges on that aspect, so it's important to do it right. And right there, that hinge-y part, is where the author failed to tighten the screws, and the whole thing fell apart almost as soon as I opened it up. Here's why: Writing in the style of journal entries is not the same as 1st person narration. They aren't interchangeable. Similar, sure, but again, NOT the same thing. I feel like I need to make this clear: Journal style ≠First person. A journal is where we write our own thoughts, for ourselves, so we don't need to explain things to ourselves that we already know. Writing in journal form is tricky, because the reader DOESN'T know what the journal writer does, so info needs to be conveyed in a subtle, indirect way by context. Not like these: 1. "My friend in Groton, CT called today. Bryce is a Navy submarine officer. He really helped me out on a great deal on salvage parts off the old diesel boats when I was installing those panels in my house a few years back." (Pg. 5)Who is he telling? Doesn't he know who Bryce is? Obviously he remembers the help that good ol' Bryce gave him, so why explain it to himself in his own journal? And WHAT panels? If we're all gung-ho about explaining everything to ourselves, let's explain what the hell the panels are. I seem to have forgotten... 2. "I miss my sisters, Jenny and Mandy. [...] I called my dad's house and spoke to Jenny, the youngest." (Pg. 7)Again, doesn't he know who Jenny is? Or that she's the youngest? Why is he telling himself this? 3. "I installed the bars using a tape measure, pencil, 5/32 drill bit, and a square head screwdriver (proprietary screwdriver that came with the bars and it's supposed to be difficult to get the screws out without using a drill.)" (Pg. 10)I would like to point out here that this is the beginning of the fucking inane shit that seems to take over this book. The ONLY reason I can think of to list out the tools used for installation of anything is so that it can be taken back apart later. But this would only really apply to those tools needed later. Why would anyone (including Sir Journalist) need to know that a tape measure and a pencil were used specifically? No really, I want to know. This is not a rhetorical question. Well, yes it is, because nobody needs to ever know that. It's fucking pointless drivel inserted for "authenticity" that needs none. You installed security bars. Bam. Done. I don't need to know if they are black or silver, who manufactured them or what the weather was like as they were being installed unless that has some actual bearing on the story. FFS!! 4. "I finally got through to my Mother and Stepfather (Dad). Mom was hysterical. I had to talk to dad to get any words in. He told me that things were fine and that they were as safe as possible. They hadn't seen any signs of the disease, but told me that there were reports in town of possible outbreak (10 miles away)." (Pg. 16)Really. REALLY?! Again, WHO IS HE RELAYING THIS TO?? Look, here's how you do this: "I finally got through to mom. She was hysterical and I had to talk to my stepdad in order to get any words in edgewise. Thank God they are safe - dad said the nearest reports of outbreak are at least 10 miles away from them." At this point, I lost patience and flipped ahead to a random page to see if it got any better, where I read this: 5. "I slammed the garage door type shutter down and immediately thought of a way to secure it. I held the shutter down with the bottom of my boot just as the first creature started beating on the metal. They would attract more. The plastic zip ties in my pocket would do no good, as I had nothing on the ground to secure the door to. I glanced over to the corner of the room where I found a mop and some nylon string. Walking over to the corner, I kept my right foot along the lip of the door, and my left for balance. Grabbing the mop, I wedged it between the rollers that made the door slide up smoothly. Using the twine I secured it in place. There was a heavy box on the shelf full of plastic bottles of mouthwash. I sat the box on the lip of the door where my foot was. This wouldn't work forever, but it would have to work for now." (Pg. 126-127)So, not only has the writing not improved 110 pages later, but there's even more of it now! The guy is fighting for his life against an undead horde... Exactly when does he have time to take notes on his daily activities? When does he find the time to put them in essay form? Just for fun, let's re-write this one too... "I slammed the garage door just before the first creature started beating on it and started looking for a way keep it shut. I looked around the room and found a mop and some nylon string. Keeping a foot on the door to hold it closed, I edged over to the mop, jammed it into the door rollers, and tied the string around it to keep it in place. I weighted the door down with a heavy box for good measure. Probably won't last, but better than nothing." The sentences I quoted are just plain awkward, and would be in ANY piece of writing, in my humble opinion. I get that it's hard to write fiction in journal entries. There's a lot of info that only the person writing the journal would know, like who Bryce is, or Jenny, or that the stepfather isn't the same "Dad" as "Dad", and somehow that information needs to be conveyed realistically to the reader. But that's the challenge you take on when you go for that style. It's NOT the same as epistolary fiction using letters or other correspondence, because those are intended to be read by someone else, and therefore the explanation works, is even necessary. The fact is that if Bourne had specified that the journal was being kept for posterity, much of my issues would not even exist. If you're purposefully writing a journal for someone else to read at some point, it makes sense to write it with explanations for them. But unless the purpose of the journal changes at some point, that's not the case. (And honestly, even if it DID, it doesn't explain the explanations in the part that came before the decision to explain to future readers.) What it boils down to is that this book was a huge disappointment, and I couldn't even make it 10% into it. You can be the "[...]king of hardcore zombie action" as the quote by Brad Thor says on the cover, but if you can't write a decent sentence, it doesn't matter at all. 1 Decapitation.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Jul 2012
| Jul 2012
|
May 14, 2012
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
93
| 
| 1616960922
| 9781616960926
| 4.33
| 4,606
| Nov 01, 2012
| Oct 11, 2012
|
At this point, I really think that Brandon Sanderson is up there among my favorite authors. I've yet to read anything of his that I disliked; even sto...more
At this point, I really think that Brandon Sanderson is up there among my favorite authors. I've yet to read anything of his that I disliked; even stories he writes around topics that aren't interesting to me are enjoyable to read. There's just something about the way that Sanderson draws you in and shows you the world through a character's eyes. I just love it. This story was interesting to me because of the uniqueness of the magic system, and the way everything has a history, desires, expectations, and a soul, as well as how those things can be changed by a keen observer with a skill to do so. I really liked that aspect, and it makes me wonder if people who repurpose garbage into art aren't a kind of Forger themselves. I mean, if you think about it, everything wants to be appreciated and useful. Nothing wants to fall into disrepair or decay and be tossed aside, so someone who sees potential in an old item, and is able to bring that out... well that's a little bit like magic, I think. I'm not really great at that. I'm so mundane and boring. I appreciate when other people are skilled in ways that I'm not though, and so in that respect, Gaotona's actions at the end were satisfying, because I was a little bothered by how he couldn't see the beauty in Forging. Anyway. I really enjoyed this book, and seeing the Elantris world again was a little thrilling. And then in the afterword, where he mentioned the Stormlight Archive, my heart started beating, because I loved love loved The Way Of Kings, and I cannot WAIT for the next book. MOAR PLS, BSANDS! :D(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Dec 15, 2012
| Dec 21, 2012
|
May 12, 2012
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
71
| 
| 0451458923
| 9780451458926
| 4.28
| 41,324
| Sep 01, 2002
| Sep 03, 2002
|
4.5 Stars I don't like fairies/faeries/fae. I just wanna get that out there up front. I think they are boring and oh-so-scurry with all their dancing a...more 4.5 Stars I don't like fairies/faeries/fae. I just wanna get that out there up front. I think they are boring and oh-so-scurry with all their dancing and laughing and pipe-playing blah-de-blah. The current trend where fairies/faeries/fae are all the rage and everyone is trying to "re-think" them? Not my thing. Pass. I'm good on that. Now I know that maybe lots of people will probably rush to defend the fairies/faeries/fae and say "They aren't all like that! Read [book] -- the fairies/faeries/fae in that one are AWESOME!" so let me clarify more. I think one of the things that makes all of the fairies/faeries/fae stories that I've read so mind-numbing to me is all of the tedious description of the eternal merrymaking. Too much of anything is a bad thing. Too much merrymaking for a mortal who is forced into it is bad... and too much of making me read about it is also bad... *cough* Susanna Clarke. (But in all fairness, I'm not big on those kinds of descriptions anyway. I don't like reading through descriptions of parties, or fairs, or carnivals or festivals or anything like that in ANY book. The more variety the author tries to show to let me know how great a time the merrymakers are having, the more bored I get.) The magic is another thing. I like rules to my magic. I like to understand the basis of the power that fairies/faeries/fae have, and how it works. What its limitations are. Too often in the fairies/faeries/fae stories I've read, there's none of this. It's just whatever imagination can conjure and that's that. Blah. And for the love of Pete, no long walks in the woods (Ash). "Oh, look the magical woods are magical! Ooooh!" BO-RING. Nothing but filler and Ambien to me. All that being said, Jim Butcher's faeries are ones that I can appreciate. They actually are dangerous and tricksy and alluring and... most of all, they are actually interesting. Butcher kept the dancing and whatnot to the barest minimum. He showed that's one of the reasons fae are dangerous, but didn't feel like he had to describe every single detail of the party. The magic had understandable parameters and rules, and there was not one single long walk in the woods. A+ Jim Butcher. You rule. :D Plus, for extra credit, Jim threw in the CUTEST teensy faerie troops, with ranks like Caption and Star Jump and Loo Tender. A++dorable. :D Moving on... I really enjoyed this book in the series. There was a lot of fae/Nevernever/Red Court politics, and I didn't really follow completely, but there was quite a lot jammed into this book to enjoy. I loved the brokenness of this book, and how just going on when we're hurting allows us to keep going on to help heal the hurt. There was a lot of, I dunno, philosophical wisdom that just felt so obvious coming from Harry, but is true nonetheless. I love when an author can make the important stuff come out in a realistic way, without feeling holier than thou or stuffy. Can't wait to read the next in the series. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| May 02, 2012
| May 05, 2012
|
Apr 29, 2012
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
72
| 
| 1852424672
| 9781852424671
| 4.02
| 44,149
| Jan 01, 2003
| May 09, 2006
|
I've started this review 6 times now, and each time, I've deleted it because it doesn't quite convey the right thing. I think the problem is that I'm...more
I've started this review 6 times now, and each time, I've deleted it because it doesn't quite convey the right thing. I think the problem is that I'm not sure just what that thing is. But one thing I do know is that I love books that make me feel like this... that "I don't know what I need to say but I need to say something, to talk about this with someone because this book won't keep quiet in my mind" feeling. I guess it's lucky that this was chosen for our latest group read then, because I filibustered there with every jumbled, messy, half-formed thought that my tired-because-I-stayed-up-until-nearly-2am-with-this-book-then-worked-a-full-8-hours mind could think of... Because this book won't keep quiet in my mind. I finished it last night around 1:30am, tears streaming down my face, hurting for everyone and furiously heartbroken over something so unnecessary and so seemingly unavoidable as what was depicted. Then I slept, and I dreamed about this book, with hazy, distant figures without names or faces, but bigger than life aspects. It's rare that I dream about books. It doesn't matter if I read it up until the minute I drop off; I only dream about a book I'm reading, or have read if it pulled me into its world first. I dream about the books that touch my soul. *cue dramatic music* This book was just... wow. If I were to nitpick anything, it would be that Eva's pen wandered a tiny bit too much into the outside world. I wanted to see her world, the world of her family, or her lack thereof. It took a little bit to get there, and for a while, there were hints but the narrative meandered along in its own time. But oh my, once it got going, it really got going. I don't think it was just my last minute mad dash to read this the day before my bookclub meeting that helped me to read 75% of this book in one night after work... it was unputdownable. Once I glimpsed this family's world, I couldn't look away. There is... so much to talk about in this book. And I don't think that I could even attempt to do the topics or themes any justice (as I didn't in my bookclub, not for lack of trying). This is a book that begs to be turned around to the beginning again and immediately re-read. It's like one of those optical illusions. At first, the picture is simple, but then once you see the hidden picture within it, you gain a new appreciation for the whole. This book was beautifully written, insightful, questioning and heartbreaking. It was nothing at all like I expected, and even guessing the things that I guessed (which turned out to be true), it didn't make the impact any less. This book was so incredible at making me sympathize and empathize with each person's perspective, though we only see these through Eva's brutally honest memory, that it was impossible for me to lay blame anywhere, even though the potential for assigning blame was huge. This was expertly executed (pun intended), and it is not one that I will forget any time soon. (less) | Notes are private!
| Jen
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1
| May 21, 2012
| May 22, 2012
|
Apr 25, 2012
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
83
| 
| 0805066691
| 9780805066692
| 4.18
| 25,874
| 1970
| Jan 23, 2001
|
Unlike Fox News, this book doesn't claim to be "Fair and Balanced", though it still manages to come closer to that mark than Fox does. This isn't a bo...more
Unlike Fox News, this book doesn't claim to be "Fair and Balanced", though it still manages to come closer to that mark than Fox does. This isn't a book intended to be fair or show the big picture of the American political climate or whatever, this is a book intended to give voices to those who were victimized and murdered, over and over and over again. As I listened to this book, I kept thinking back to that old adage that history is written by the victors. And it's true. Look at all the old Western movies showing Native Americans as wild, bloodthirsty, unpredictable threats to innocent and defenseless settlers. Look at my Jr. High history class. I kept thinking of how people always try to color that which they don't understand as "the enemy", and try to color their actions against that "enemy" in positive light. And I kept thinking of how pervasive that perception has been. And it's heartbreaking to me. And it's a lesson that we still, over 100 years later, haven't learned. But what's to learn when we're the victors? Nevermind hundreds of thousands of innocent, peaceful lives lost in a show of astounding greed and ignorance and hatred. Nevermind the thousands of years of history and culture lost forever. Nevermind all that. We can haz all the things! We are white! Sometimes I'm so fucking ashamed of America's history (and present, let's be honest) that it's sickening. Needless to say, this book made me angry and sad. I couldn't even take solace in the fact that it's fiction, because it's not. I tried to think of how it could have been different, how we might have learned to live together... but we're unable to be at peace. We don't know how. The events depicted in this book were inevitable from the moment we landed in the New World. I'll step off my soapbox now and talk about the book a bit. I thought that the writing was pretty good, though non-fiction does tend to be a little dry. But my main issue was that it felt a little heavyhanded, whacking me over the head to make sure I get the point. The subject matter is cyclical: Whites need land, whites try to bargain with Indians for it, Indians cede land to whites for trinkets and pennies, whites then decide they need more land, steal the rest of it and massacre the Indians who dare try to fight back... and even those who don't. Move to new land and repeat. And while this does serve to show how relentless the Americans were in lying, stealing from and in general just plain harassing the Indians, and the passages are powerful and heartfelt, I just couldn't help thinking that a bit more skill and subtlety would have served it better. The reading by Grover Gardner was a little dry, and I wish he would have brought a little more to it. But still, overall, it was a decent performance. I definitely think that this is a book that should be required reading. I can't say that I enjoyed this book, because I don't generally enjoy listening to repeated accounts of cold-blooded murder, but it was worth it, if only to remind myself of what we're capable of, and to shore up my resolve to stand against atrocities whenever possible... even if - especially if - my government is the one perpetrating them. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Jul 30, 2012
| Aug 19, 2012
|
Mar 06, 2012
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
70
| 
| 145632781X
| 9781456327811
| 4.14
| 50
| Jan 01, 2004
| Dec 05, 2010
|
I admit to being mostly unfamiliar with the Oedipus myth before I read this book. My knowledge was pretty much limited to "man kills father then marri...more
I admit to being mostly unfamiliar with the Oedipus myth before I read this book. My knowledge was pretty much limited to "man kills father then marries his mother". I didn't know any of the details or nuances to the story. So I can't really say whether this is an accurate retelling or portrayal of the myth. I can only really discuss this story on its own, and in that light, it was good. I had three major issues with this book (and incest wasn't one of them). First, I didn't much care about Jocasta as a teen in the beginning of the book. I didn't dislike her, I just didn't care about her at all, which is in my opinion worse than dislike. She lived in ancient Greece, in a time where arranged marriages were common and expected, and yet her attitudes seemed out of place and far too modern. She rebels against a switch in her marriage plans after the first one becomes impossible, on the grounds that she's never even met the man she's now supposed to marry. So? Throughout history, women and girls have been married off to men (usually much older men) that they'd never met. In a society where almost everything is at the will of the gods, and prophecy holds sway over all, why should one girl feel like she's being mistreated by her father handing her off to a different man to become her husband? Why should she expect anything else? This just seems like a more modern mindset than I would expect from a girl who lived then, as if she was expecting a marriage for love and respect instead of one arranged for power, alliances, or "the will of the gods". Also, there was insta-love. Not a fan the insta-love. Probably this was due to the prophecy, which stated that she would love her husband and bear him lots of little Thebans, but it just felt like modern teen behavior to fall in love with the first attractive, powerful man to show her some attention. Finally, the terms "my lady", "my lady queen", "my lord", and "my lord king" used throughout the book felt out of place to me. In a conversation with Victoria Grossack where I brought this up, she said, "[Regarding] Lord/Lady – Bronze Age Greece definitely had both nobles and kings/queens. We decided on these terms as the most accessible, giving the correct flavor without having readers stumble over unfamiliar terms such as wanix and spartoi." While I can understand this decision, for me, it didn't work. Every time I would see "my lady queen" or the like, I would feel as if I was in England rather than Ancient Greece. Rather than helping immerse me in the world, they kick me right out of it. I'd personally rather "wanix" and "spartoi" be used if those were appropriate. As long as I'm given an explanation for an unfamiliar word, either outright or by context, then I'll acclimate to their use. But those complaints aside, I did eventually begin to gel with the writing, and once Jocasta was out of her teens, I definitely began to like her more. There was a lot of political maneuvering and religious practices that give us an idea of what living back then might have been like. I liked how things were hinted at, and left interpretable. I liked also how the more fantastic elements of the story, the prophecies and the Sphinx, were brought into the realm of the real world, and it was shown how these things could have really happened. Overall, this was a good book. I would have liked a little more information pertaining to what happened after, but I thought that the ending was appropriate. Two things to remember: 1) Never ask the Tiresias to dinner. 2) Thebes is fickle. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Apr 06, 2012
| Apr 07, 2012
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Mar 01, 2012
| Paperback
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69
| 
| 1588365409
| 9781588365408
| 4.01
| 53,545
| 1994
| Oct 24, 2006
|
I really had no idea what to expect as I started reading this book. This was one of those books that I read with a group, and wasn't sure if I'd like...more
I really had no idea what to expect as I started reading this book. This was one of those books that I read with a group, and wasn't sure if I'd like it or not. But after the first chapter or so, I found myself completely engrossed in this story and almost unable to put it down. This was like a Sherlock Holmes story, only instead of Holmes solving the (usually single) crime based on the particular type of mud tracked in on the perpetrator's shoes that is only found in remote regions of Mongolia, and the minty-fresh odor of toothpaste which obviously points to the Dental Hygienist in the Den with the Fireplace Poker, this was based on newly emerging behavioral and psychological studies and theory. And it was great. Someone is killing young male prostitutes in 1890s New York, and pretty much nobody cares; "such boys were their own men" and deserved what they get for doing what they do, after all. Dr. Laszlo Kreizler cares though, and sets out to find out who's behind the murders, and stop them. He enlists the help of a police beat journalist from the Times, a female secretary from police headquarters, and two brilliant forensics expert brothers, and with the furtive approval of Police Commissioner Teddy Roosevelt (yes, THAT Teddy Roosevelt), they set about investigating and trying to stop the murders. And what an investigation it is. Gruesome, harrowing, and mind-boggling, but immensely fascinating. I was glad that this story was told from the perspective of the reporter because we're able to learn all the psychological and psychiatric theory along with him. Or at least as much as we need to know, really. And there were still things that were hard to follow, technical and physiological terms and processes that made absolutely no sense to me, but would be explained, or shown at some point, so that it all came together and made sense. This book was almost perfect, except for three little gripes that I have. First, I was disappointed that this was told as a kind of reminiscence. I understand why some authors will use this technique, but it bothers me, because it ruins the sense of urgency and fear that I have for the character, knowing that they made it through their ordeal. I couldn't really feel fear for these characters because of that. The fact that there are honest-to-goodness real historical people (whose histories I should know) depicted in the book notwithstanding, I would have been more engaged in the story had I been able to worry more about the characters. I feel like this method did the story a disservice, and I didn't really understand the point of using it. It was like framing a piece of art... It's not necessary for the art to be what it is - it's only adding a little something around the edges. And if the frame detracts from the art itself, it's doing something wrong. Secondly, and this is a sort of extension of the first, I felt that the foreshadowing was a little heavy-handed. Because this was told in the way it was, as a man looking back on a part of his life, he was able to hint at things to come in the story, or add little tidbits of knowledge that he wouldn't have had at the time (like Teddy Roosevelt's presidency). While this did add a kind of realism to the story, which I enjoyed, it felt a little forced as far as the tension in the story went. It felt just the tiniest bit manipulative, and I hate that. This is a thriller, and a damn good one, so it didn't need the foreshadowing to help it along. It just felt unnecessary to me. Finally, the ending felt a little rushed and just the littlest bit weak. There was so much build-up to the story that I wanted a big payoff... and then what we got was a lot of "Just as I suspected..." and that's pretty much it. But still, overall, this was a great book, and one that I'm very glad I read. There were great characters, a very interesting and perplexing series of horrific murders, and reasonable theories used to solve them. Add in the awesome detailing of 1890s New York city and its inhabitants, and their mindsets, appalling as they may have been, and this was definitely well worth reading. (less) | Notes are private!
| OSGA
|
1
| Mar 30, 2012
| Apr 2012
|
Feb 26, 2012
| ebook
| ||||||||||||||
65
| 
| 0547225490
| 9780547225494
| 3.79
| 4,181
| Dec 31, 2005
| Apr 20, 2009
|
*sigh* Yet another highly recommended book that I just didn't enjoy. I thought that the beginning of this book, the history leading up to the formatio...more *sigh* Yet another highly recommended book that I just didn't enjoy. I thought that the beginning of this book, the history leading up to the formation of the Republic, was the best part. It was realistic and plausible and real. This is why I'm giving this two stars instead of just one. The rest was, well... just really not doing it for me. The methodology here, telling the story in oral exam format, made for some excruciatingly dry, boring reading. It was just fact/interpretation/philosophy, fact/interpretation/philosophy. There was no LIFE to this story, no humanity (see what I did there?). I felt nothing for Anax, nothing for Pericles, nothing for Adam, nothing for any of the characters at all. There was nothing to really make me care... and so I didn't. Which, of course, meant that the twist at the end (which, really wasn't all that shocking) was ineffective and pointless. I had to force myself to finish all 120 measly pages, and that only because I was hoping that the ending would redeem the rest. It didn't. Speaking of pointless, I have to raise a question here. And this does pertain to the end of the book, and the twist, so feel free to stop reading at this point if you don't want to be spoiled, even though I'll try to keep it vague. Maybe I'm missing something here, I admit to being very tired, and that my mind was practically begging for something shiny to occupy it by the end... but what the hell WAS the point of the Exam? No, really. I want to know. OK, so, there's The Secret That Shall Not Be Spoken. Got it. So, The Academy then sends out scouts to find students with the kind of aptitude for history and analysis that could lead them to potentially stumble onto The Secret That Shall Not Be Spoken. OK. With it so far. Carry on... The scout finds said student candidates... and then tutors them and guides them into a situation where they'd be MORE inclined to discover The Secret That Shall Not Be Spoken, which leads to the Exam, which is a gigantic waste of everyone's time (including mine), because at the end of it, they reveal The Secret That Shall Not Be Spoken, and then just "disconnect". So I ask again... What's the point? Why go through all that trouble? (view spoiler)[Why not just search and destroy? (hide spoiler)](less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Feb 11, 2012
| Feb 11, 2012
|
Jan 09, 2012
| Hardcover
| ||||||||||||||
61
| 
| 0345391802
| 9780345391803
| 4.15
| 516,875
| 1979
| Sep 27, 1995
|
I really enjoy this book. It's witty, funny, and a little ridiculous and absurd. But I like that. It's really best when reading the entire series toge...more I really enjoy this book. It's witty, funny, and a little ridiculous and absurd. But I like that. It's really best when reading the entire series together. I highly recommend the omnibus - that's how I originally read this and I loved it. This time around, just reading this one book, I thought it was great, but not the same. I do highly recommend it for those looking for something a bit different and quick and fun. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Dec 30, 2011
| Dec 31, 2011
|
Dec 17, 2011
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
82
| 
| 0345421450
| 9780345421456
| 4.10
| 2,078
| Jul 21, 1998
| May 29, 1999
|
So... This book. I'm gonna go with 2.5 stars here. I started this book a month and a half ago, give or take a couple days. It felt like I was reading...more So... This book. I'm gonna go with 2.5 stars here. I started this book a month and a half ago, give or take a couple days. It felt like I was reading it forever and ever... and there were times when I thought it would never end. To be fair, there was a lot going on in my life that made reading take a back-burner, but even when I did pick this book up, it just... didn't grab me. And in general, I think that's the problem I had overall - I just kept waiting for this book, this story, to grab me... and it never really did. I never felt any connection with the characters, I never really cared about what happened to them... it was just... a story. A good one - well written and plotted and whatnot, I'll admit that, but from the rave reviews of some of my friends, I expected to pick this book up and be unable to put it back down until it was over. I think my expectations were... pretty high on this one. I just think that maybe this one wasn't for me. Not a bad book, and I'm sure many will love it, but not for me. *shrug* On to the next one. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Jul 06, 2012
| Aug 18, 2012
|
Jun 28, 2011
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||
63
| 
| 0679740678
| 9780679740674
| 3.84
| 28,633
| 1962
| Jun 30, 1992
|
Preface: I chose this book for my very first real life bookclub meeting ever. There was also much drinking (by me) at this meeting, so... if my review...more
Preface: I chose this book for my very first real life bookclub meeting ever. There was also much drinking (by me) at this meeting, so... if my review is less than coherent, well, actually, I think that's fitting, isn't it? So, right. I chose this book blindly. Never read PKD before, although I have seen a few of the movies based on his work, and they are all interesting, to say the least. Having just read the amazetastic 11/22/63 by the King, I was in something of an alternate history mindset, and so TMITHC was chosen. Nerves were on edge while I anxiously awaited the meeting to see what people thought. Hell, to see what I thought, even, because I finished it literally minutes before the meeting. Because I'm a slacker procrastinator who barely started it this week and read 90% of it between last night and today. So, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed this quite a lot, even though "enjoy" isn't really the word that comes to mind first... maybe "pondered"? Let's try that one out: "I pondered this quite a lot." Yes. That works. I pondered, and I discovered that I arrived at many more positive feelings than negative, and thus the term "enjoyed" enters into my vocabulary. I'm pleased to announce that my bookclub-mates also arrived at ponder-positive assessments. Bookclub choice #1: Success! I feel like this is the type of book that begs to be re-read. I don't feel like I really "got" very much of it... or maybe I do/did and I'm just overthinking it? I don't know. Parts of it really frustrated and unnerved me, and I found myself angrily typing notes on my nook, like how "Lotze can go screw himself the shit" and "yay!! Baynes - show that shit what fear is!" and "seriously?!??!" (These are actual notes that I made while reading. That last one makes sense in context, I promise.). Parts of it were disturbingly unnerving in a "can't look away from the train wreck" kind of way. Fascinating and horrific at the same time. There were some very interesting concepts in this book, and I thought that PKD did a fantastic job at capturing the different cultural nuances of both the Japanese and Germans. At first I was concerned that I wouldn't like the book because the writing was off-putting. Clipped sentences. No connecting words. Interrupted thought proc--. Then I realized that this was on purpose, after it switched for a bit, and I was actually really impressed. It worked well. The concept of Place was interesting to me, though not because I'd want to live with it. I would be Place-fucked because I can't be bothered to constantly worry about the formality of every single situation. Seriously, who has time to worry about whether the random person on the street is judging you for carrying your own bag, or walking when you could take a cab? Not me. No Place Becky, that's what they'd call me. But hey, at least I know my Place. Zing! Anyway... I really enjoyed this book, and I'm looking forward to reading more PKD in the future. Yes indeedy. :)(less) | Notes are private!
| Me
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1
| Jan 23, 2012
| Jan 26, 2012
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Jun 26, 2011
| Paperback
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57
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| B003YL4LYI
| 4.19
| 116,682
| 2011
| Jul 12, 2011
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Whew... OK. Wow. I'm done. Finally. I've been reading this book for over 3 weeks, and that's a LONG ASS TIME for me to be reading any novel. Short sto...more
Whew... OK. Wow. I'm done. Finally. I've been reading this book for over 3 weeks, and that's a LONG ASS TIME for me to be reading any novel. Short stories, eh, I pick 'em up and put 'em down, but novels I read. This one, like A Clash of Kings, had a WHOLE LOT of build up and detail and fill-in-the-gaps stuff. Even more than Clash, I think, because it had to address stuff that A Feast for Crows didn't include. The second half went much much quicker, and progressed the story along, but there are a LOT of things I wanted more of. I won't list them here because that would be a spoiler, but I'll just say that Winds of Winter better effing have what I want. *shakes fist* In true GRRM style, he fucks with my head and plays with my emotions and breaks my heart... sometimes all at one time. It's incredible that he's able to write something that can do that, that has me so invested in the story that I dream about it and feel as though I'm living it through the pages, and that I physically hurt when bad things happen... And I love him for that. But fuck it pisses me off, too. I used to think that Stephen King was the King of the Kill Off - I could never trust him with my favorite characters (still don't), but GRRM has usurped that throne for sure. I read every chapter with my heart in my throat waiting for the sword to fall. And that, my friends, is the mark of a good fucking story. *sigh* Now the wait begins for the next book, and I'm finally one of you kneelers. (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Jul 21, 2011
| Aug 13, 2011
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Apr 21, 2011
| Kindle Edition
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54
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| 0061161535
| 9780061161537
| 3.82
| 9,071
| 2006
| Nov 07, 2006
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3.5 Stars This is my second book by Allende, and I can understand why people love her writing so much. She is a beautiful storyteller and her writing i...more 3.5 Stars This is my second book by Allende, and I can understand why people love her writing so much. She is a beautiful storyteller and her writing is so evocative and lovely and honest without being flowery or overdone. I love that quality in a writer - it's one of my favorite things about Colleen McCullough as well, especially in Tim. That book was my introduction to McCullough and it made a deep impression on me and instantly became one of my favorite books. Crap. Now I want to read it again! Anyway, I was talking about Allende. The first book I read of hers was The House of the Spirits, and I really enjoyed it a lot more than I thought that I would. You see, I don't really care for magical realism and generally steered clear of it whenever I could. I'm gradually coming to the conclusion that, like anything else, there's good and bad magical realism, and I'd only read astoundingly bad examples of it... or read good examples of it and didn't recognize them as MR. But it took Allende and my friend Jackie recommending her books for me to see it. Allende's books are beautifully written, and whatever mystical or magical or ethereal otherworldliness there might be is subtle and adds a little "Did you see that?" nudge in the ribs, but doesn't overtake the story, doesn't throw the narrative into confusion like some magical realism books I've read and hated with the fires of a thousand suns. I'm not going to name titles. You know who you are. >_> Beloved. So, this was another Jackie choice, and again I really enjoyed it, although I feel that this one lost something in the audio version. I wish that I had read this rather than listening to it. *sigh* Blair Brown did a passable Spanish accent, but quite often it was distracting. It just seemed to lack a fluidity and smoothness that native speakers have. Quite often, she'd hesitate for just a moment before pronouncing a word. It might actually only be a half second, but to me, it was a distraction. This is the kind of story that you need and want to just climb into and live for a while - and every one of those stutters pulled me out of it. I may not pronounce the Spanish correctly in my head, but reading for myself would have been smoother, since I probably wouldn't know it was wrong. The second reason that I wish I'd have just read the book myself was that there were a whole lot of Spanish names in this one. People names, place names, historical names and Chilean native tribe names, and honestly, it was really hard to keep track of who was who when I had no visual link to the sound of the words being spoken. It didn't help much that, being told as a memoir type story, the narrative was less than linear. Wikipedia helped a lot here, and Google for being a good guesser at what I was misspelling. For instance, I'd type "Atawapa" and it would return "Did you mean Atahualpa?" Yes. Yes I did. THANK YOU GOOGLE! (And before any of you break out the ladder to get on your high horse, it's been a while since World History class, OK?) So anyway, Wikipedia helped a lot to keep the names and places and tribes and so on straight, so that I could enjoy the story and actually know who was being referred to. I found this story fascinating. I don't really know much about Chilean history, but I feel like I know quite a bit more now. Because I was on Wikipedia and Google so much, I feel like I actually may have learned something. This was a story about Spanish conquests and it was appropriately brutal. There were massacres and tortures and mutilations and subjugation of the indigenous people. All of that was to be expected. But there was also a softer quality to this story, a kind of empathy and understanding that Ines lent it. She claimed to not understand the 'indians' of Chile, but her description of them, and their customs and ceremonies and beliefs said otherwise. I thought several times while listening to this that she was confusing understanding with agreement. I think she understood them just fine. They wanted to live and be free and content in their lives just as she wanted to live and be free and content in her own. She could have said to the Mapuches "We're not so different, you and I." Too bad she wouldn't have gotten the Austin Powers reference. *sigh* I really appreciated the religious aspect of the story, both from the Catholic standpoint and the Native standpoint. Allende represented both fairly, I think. Although, it seemed that there was a bit of the mystical on the side of the Christians, at least in Ines's eyes. I love that there was a little bit of that here, but also that it's interpretable. Was it a miracle that broke the rope and saved the man from hanging, or was it simply that the rope was frayed or weak? A comet, or a sign? One thing I particularly loved regarding the religious aspect of the story was Ines, at 70, talking about how she sometimes forgets and calls God "Ngenechen", which is the Mapuche's name for their god or sometimes prays to the Earth Mother rather than the Virgin. It's such a throwaway reference, an old woman confused and mixing things up, but to me it signifies how similar beliefs can be, and how silly it is to try to force a "right" religion on someone else. What's in a name? Isn't what you believe and how you live and act more important? I think so, and I think that Ines did too. She worked for her people all her life, striving to make sure that they were as well looked after as it was in her power to do. She founded churches and hospitals and helped feed the poor and hungry, and defended the defenseless. She was definitely an awesome, if underappreciated, person. I enjoyed this one, and might just have to read it for myself one day. I think it is a book that definitely deserves my full attention, and I couldn't give it that with the audio. But regardless, this was very good, and I'd definitely recommend it. (less) | Notes are private!
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| Jun 10, 2011
| Jun 12, 2011
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Apr 14, 2011
| Hardcover
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51
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| 1904859623
| 9781904859628
| unknown
| 4.29
| 7
| Nov 01, 2007
| Nov 01, 2007
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Pretty good stuff here. Jello Biafra (the frontman for the Dead Kennedys if you're not familiar with him - I'm not a fan of punk music, but I think he...more
Pretty good stuff here. Jello Biafra (the frontman for the Dead Kennedys if you're not familiar with him - I'm not a fan of punk music, but I think he's brilliant politically) basically talks about a lot of stuff that we should all know but usually don't for various reasons - media doesn't report it, American Idol is on, fear, whatever. Biafra's got an amazing, analytical mind. Even if you don't agree with him, listening to what he's got to say is worthwhile. It'll make you think, and hopefully at least make you want to find out more for yourself. (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Mar 18, 2011
| Mar 19, 2011
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Mar 18, 2011
| Audio CD
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89
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| 030726999X
| 9780307269997
| 4.14
| 262,522
| 2007
| May 25, 2010
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It was worth the wait. (I know you were all dying to know, so I started with that first. You're welcome.) Fair warning: It's 2:46am and I am up way pas...more It was worth the wait. (I know you were all dying to know, so I started with that first. You're welcome.) Fair warning: It's 2:46am and I am up way past my bedtime because I could not leave this book unfinished. Therefore, this review will probably be very random and disorganized. Here we go. The final installment of the series was, as per the norm, super intense and unstoplistenable. That, of course, is a perfectly valid word that will be found in all modern dictionaries. Just trust me. You don't have to look. I'm honestly thinking of raising my ratings for these books all to 5 stars (well, except maybe this one, for the simple fact of just a teensy implausibility) because I truly enjoyed the shit out of them. It's kind of tempting to start all over from book one and listen to Simon Vance seduce me with his Blomqvist voice again. Damn this no re-read rule! Anyway, sleep deprivation fueled weirdness from me aside, I honestly did love this series from start to finish. It is a shame that Larsson was not able to finish the series. I would love to see more of these characters most definitely. Blomqvist only got to have sex with half of Sweden, and I'm sure, had Larsson been able to finish the series, he'd likely have got through Sweden and into Norway. Blommy gets around, if ye catch me drift. *wink wink, nudge nudge* Not that I'm complaining, actually. It's quite refreshing to see sex treated as something fucking normal for once, rather than something that has to be hidden or shameful. I very much enjoyed the discussion of sexual proclivities that occurred in the court proceedings, from Lisbeth's side, anyway. The other side was a right fucking hypocritical prude. How he was imported from the US to Sweden for Lisbeth's trial, I'm not sure, but I hope they extradite him back for his own. BAM! Take that, sucker! Speaking of the trial... I was very baffled for a good chunk of the proceedings because apparently in Sweden, you don't have to ask questions if you're a lawyer, you don't have to answer questions if you're a witness, you can question as many people as you want at one time (as long as they all fit at a table), and you can bust into an Opening Argument at any time you choose, not to mention recommend to the judge what he (or she, presumably) should decide in addition to stating your arguments. I am used to Law & Order style trials where objections are raised before questions are finished and "Badgering The Witness" is an official sport. It was quite different. They only scored Badgering on a scale of 1-5 and I'm used to 1-10 scales. These international differences are just too confusing! Oh jeez... This is what happens when you let me stay up past midnight. At least I haven't been fed. O_O Anyway, the story was great, and I really loved seeing everything unfold. I did think that Lisbeth's recovery was a little too quick, a little too perfect to be entirely plausible. I mean, yes, I can see recovering to the extent she did, but so quickly? It's just very convenient. But I like her, so I'll accept it. I'll finish this up quickly: These are fantastic books, and I highly recommend reading them, or preferably listening to Simon Vance read them.(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Oct 31, 2012
| Nov 02, 2012
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Feb 27, 2011
| Hardcover
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66
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| 0060733497
| 9780060733490
| 4.27
| 6,779
| 1995
| Jun 28, 2005
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This book has come highly recommended by almost all of my friends, and so naturally, I was very excited to read it. This was my first experience with...more
This book has come highly recommended by almost all of my friends, and so naturally, I was very excited to read it. This was my first experience with Kay, and the consensus seems to be that this is his best work. Certainly the Goodreads average rating bears that up. Lions of Al-Rassan currently has a an average rating of 4.27 of 5. Pretty impressive, and the highest of all of his books. It just didn't quite get there for me. Maybe it was the expectation of greatness that let me down, but I don't know. Maybe the fact that I don't have much knowledge of the history of the Iberian peninsula, but again, I don't think so. By all accounts, it's not really necessary to have external knowledge prior to reading Lions. It's not that this was bad, or that I didn't like it... In fact I'm having a hard time putting my finger on just how I'm feeling about it, now that I'm finished. On the one hand, I liked it quite a bit, but on the other, I felt like there was just something missing or off about it, and I had several issues that I can't ignore. So this is going to be something of an itemized review... Characters: This was by far my favorite thing about this book. I am a character reader, and I need characters that I can identify with in order to enjoy a story. This one was full of brilliantly real characters. There was quite a cast, as shown by the full character list at the beginning of the book, but I never felt confused by who was who. I loved the four main characters: Ammar, Rodrigo, Jehane and Alvar. (I also loved Rodrigo's wife Miranda, who was awesomely bad-ass. I would have loved to see much more of her.) Ammar and Rodrigo kind of represent their people and cultures in the book, although not well at all. Most of their respective cultures are caricatures of pious intolerance and hatred, whereas Ammar and Rodrigo are both good, honorable, and open-minded men, who are willing to accept and trust based on character, not purely on belief in the "right" god. So while Ammar is an Asharite and Rodrigo is a Jaddite, they still find a way to work together. There were quite a few emotional moments while reading this, and though I feel like they could have been better written (which I will get to in a bit), I still felt for the characters and the things that happened to them. I did feel like some of the follow-up with some characters left something to be desired, but the characters themselves were well done and fleshed out and real. Worldbuilding: The worldbuilding here was one of the aspects that I struggled with the most. At times it was overwhelming in the amount of information given at once, but still I felt like there was still more I wanted to know. There were places named that we never got to see, but were clearly important to the history, like Aljais, or Soriyya. The descriptions were gorgeous, and I could see everything clearly, but I wanted to know more about the places that were important but never shown. Religion: The religious aspects of this book were well done, and the dividing lines between the three different religious groups were drawn clearly, but I wanted to know more about what each believed in, not just who they hated and wanted dead because they believed in something different. Not knowing what they actually believed in, it was hard for me to identify with either the Asharites' or the Jaddites' beliefs. Are these gods so bloodthirsty that the only valid form of worship is saying that you do and then killing those that don't? Was there no other form of worship? The Asharites abstain from alcohol, but unless I missed it, I don't see anything at all that differentiates them other than the name of the god they worship and whether or not they'll have some wine with dinner. The Kindath were different though. I don't know much about their beliefs either, but it seems to me that they were to be equated with Jews, at least in the way that they were treated and persecuted. They at least seemed peaceful, wanting nothing more than a place to live peacefully. This apparently equates to baby-killing monsters to the bloodthirsty Asharjaddites, who both hate the Kindath. Because who better to persecute than the people who aren't allowed weapons? That being said... it was realistic and believable that different religious sects would want to kill each other. Not logical, but religious belief rarely is. Writing: For the most part, I liked the writing. I thought that it was readable and in general, the prose was beautiful. There were some unexpectedly funny parts, and overall I liked it. But I did have a big problem with the writing in one aspect, which was that anytime there was a moment of suspense, Kay would write the scenes in such a way as to draw it out to unnatural lengths. For instance, the one that bothered me the most was a scene in which a character died. For nine pages, we were left wondering who it was, theorizing, trying to determine who it could be. By the time the name was finally given (and it was an unexpected one), I was more annoyed with the delay tactics and manipulation than I was distressed about the character's death. I was upset about the death, but it was kind of overshadowed by a feeling that I was being manipulated. I felt that it cheapened the loss, and took away from the emotional impact it should have had. This was done in different ways and in different situations all throughout the book, and it was incredibly frustrating. Another issue that I had was Kay's tendency to skip action, and then tell us about it later. I can sort of understand the decision for doing this. It allowed him to not only tell us what happened in condensed form, but gave us insight into some of the characters as well. I just didn't like it. I want to see the action. I want to be part of the story, not an outsider being filled in on the details later. Pacing & Plot: At around the 75% mark, I started wondering where this story was going and how it would possibly be resolved in the remaining pages. We've been with these characters for a while, and there's been a lot of build-up and pieces moving into position, little battles and maneuverings, but nothing has really happened yet. The huge campaign (view spoiler)[to reconquer the disparate peninsula lands and reunite them into one large kingdom of Esperana (hide spoiler)] hasn't even started. Of course, the epilogue sorts out what happened and fills us in on the important details. All the build-up and then the climax felt rushed and almost like an afterthought. Disappointing. I wanted to love this book. Maybe if I'd read it before reading some of the amazing epic fantasy I've read in the last year, I would have. But the writing here just felt like it got in the way of the story. Yes, it was beautifully written at times, but the need to be mysterious and drag out the suspense, and circle back to tell us about the action or important events rather than just showing them to us to begin with really didn't work for me. TL;DR Review: I liked it, but thought parts could have been better. (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Feb 26, 2012
| Mar 10, 2012
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Feb 20, 2011
| Paperback
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67
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| 1841499889
| 9781841499888
| 4.03
| 9,129
| 2011
| Jun 02, 2011
|
Confession Time: I'm very bad at categorizing genres and sub-genres, so it didn't dawn on me that Leviathan Wakes would be considered a "space opera"...more
Confession Time: I'm very bad at categorizing genres and sub-genres, so it didn't dawn on me that Leviathan Wakes would be considered a "space opera" until I saw it in the genre listing on the book's Goodreads page. I still don't really know what that is (space opera, not a Goodreads page), despite having read the Wikipedia page and stuff. I think of "space opera" and this comes to mind:  Probably not the same thing. But I did realize that my last attempt at reading a "space opera", The Warrior's Apprentice, left me distinctly underwhelmed. So, if not for Audible, this book was probably a Lifer. By that I mean a book that will just sit on my radar forever, but never actually get picked up and read -- at least not for a long, long time. I have lots of these, unfortunately. There are just too many books, and too little time in the day. (If only my job would stop being so insistent that I show up!) How did Audible, that evil (MWAHAHAHA!) Amazon company, factor in you ask? Well, not only did they give me a $10.00 credit for my 1 year anniversary of having an account with them (woohoo! free money!), but then they also put this audiobook on sale for $4.95. So Audible bought me this audiobook. And it rocked. Thanks, Audible! So let's get down to business and talk about how much I loved this book.  Wait, wait... no... I was right before. This much: Because I loved The Fifth Element, and I loved Leviathan Wakes. This book had everything. Great, believable, and realistic characters, an interesting plot, fantastic scope and worldbuilding, just the right amount of plausibility to make it terrifying, brilliant humor that was perfectly timed and hit just the right notes to make me laugh out loud, and it had what were awesomely called 'vomit zombies'. In fact, the only thing I can find to criticize, and it's more of a nitpick, is the overabundance of saids peppering the narrative. Holden said, Miller said, Naomi said, Fred said, Amos said, etc etc etc. Listening to the many saids being read was a little tedious, but only occasionally; it was mainly noticeable during long stretches of pure dialogue. Otherwise, I loved everything about this book, and the reading. The reader did a great job at letting the story do the talking, and despite only getting to listen to this in small chunks at a time, I was engrossed in the story. I loved the characters, and especially enjoyed the way that the two main characters, Holden and Miller, interacted with each other. They are from different sides of the personality spectrum, with two completely different ways of handling a situation, but when the shit (or the zombie vomit) hits the fan, they effortlessly slip into "Let's discuss this when we aren't dead" mode, and just kick ass. I loved it. I thought they complemented each other wonderfully, and the arc of their working relationship was realistic and understandable, from both sides. Which brings me to the dual narrative. This story is told by alternating viewpoint chapters, and I thought it worked perfectly. We get to see things from two different perspectives, and it allows for so much more story information to be conveyed without huge info-dumps. I liked the noir detective story feel of Miller's chapters, and it contrasted nicely to the more high-tech, adventure feel of Holden's chapters. And then when they run into each other and become a sort of hybrid, I loved that, too. Speaking of the technology, I thought it was brilliant. We've colonized other planets, and moons, and we can mine ice from Saturn's rings, and travel through space at 7+ Gs. The methods of combating nausea and blackouts during travel at these speeds is interesting, and plausible. The technology that allows us to live on little rocks millions of miles away from the sun is fascinating. But it's still familiar, in a way. RADAR and LADAR are things I've heard of. It's not too much of a stretch to get from where we are now, to where this story shows us in just a few short centuries. The Protogen project is also plausible, and frankly terrifying, as is the reaction to it. I was totally Team Miller on this one, despite usually landing on Holden's side of the opinional axis. I shudder to think of situations like the ones depicted in this book, and can't help but think that it would happen exactly like this if it were to one day come to pass. I would hope that we've learned from past mistakes... but we don't. This is not-too-distant-future, where we've colonized the solar system, but we're still human. Racism and bigotry is larger scale, because our bodies have adapted to living off-earth, but our minds are still stuck in the 'us vs them' small-town mode, and now we just have more differences to divide us. But I digress. I loved this book. I loved the world(s), and the characters, and, well, everything. This worked perfectly as a stand-alone novel, but I definitely cannot wait to read more of this series. (less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Mar 11, 2012
| Mar 25, 2012
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Feb 09, 2011
| Paperback
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49
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| 0060530065
| 9780060530068
| 4.17
| 51,379
| 1980
| Feb 04, 2003
|
3.5 stars. (Review of audio version only as it is different from the book.) I enjoyed this quite a bit. I found a lot of it to be interesting, and I re...more 3.5 stars. (Review of audio version only as it is different from the book.) I enjoyed this quite a bit. I found a lot of it to be interesting, and I really enjoyed the personal perspectives shown in the book through statements and interviews, etc. This doesn't show the US through rose-colored glasses. It definitely shows the people in power or authority in the US as greedy, manipulative, unethical, cruel and conniving sheisters... People who do not scruple to use and abuse and kill for more power and profit. And I don't doubt that's the case one bit. True, this is one-sided with a left-leaning slant. But it doesn't claim to be otherwise, unlike a certain faux *cough* "news" organization. This is exactly what it claims to be - a people's history of events that shaped America throughout the 20th century. 'People' meaning the little guy, the one without the power or authority to make the rules or enforce them. This shows the perspective of those people who are affected by the people who do have the authority to make the rules and enforces them strictly. Do I think that what is communicated here is 100% truth and nothing but? Hardly... This is a collection of impressions from people who were there, bound together by a man with a pretty clear agenda. But nevertheless, I found it interesting and pretty informative. I would love to see the other side of these events, to see the thought-process behind some of the decisions and choices that the people in power made... but you know, the funny thing is that they are shockingly mum regarding that... It seems to me, at least from what I've seen in my lifetime, that what "they" tell us is a combination of spin and buzzwords and fear-mongering. I doubt truth enters into the equation very often, if at all. Does saying so make me a "bad American?" Probably to some. But I love my country... I'm just ashamed of its actions a lot of the time. Anyway. I would have liked for this to be a little more in depth, even for just the highlighted segments that were included in the audio. I would have liked it to be a bit more clearly defined regarding the sections (Civil Rights, Women's Lib, Vietnam, Native American Rights, etc). Many of the sections bled into each other, or came around to address points again from a slightly different position, but I think that this muddied the waters a bit, and it could have had a bit more impact had it been better organized. I also think that Matt Damon could have been a bit more... animated as a reader. I enjoy his voice, it was soothing and nice to listen to, but considering the subjects, and the fact that he's reading people's stories, I think that he could have brought them to life a bit more. Maybe he didn't want to step on their toes, so to speak? To disrespect these people who speak for themselves? I'm not sure... it just sounded dispassionate at times to me. All in all, I really enjoyed this and I will be reading the full text at some point. I can't advertise for this to be included in school curriculum, but it is something I would recommend for anyone looking for a change in perspective. As with all things, take it with a grain of salt.(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Feb 2011
| Feb 14, 2011
|
Feb 01, 2011
| Audio CD
| ||||||||||||||
55
| 
| 0553582038
| 9780553582031
| 3.99
| 153,874
| 2005
| Oct 30, 2007
|
This book was fantastic. These books are so amazingly good. I love them. I can't wait until after I read A Dance with Dragons. Then I can join the hor...more This book was fantastic. These books are so amazingly good. I love them. I can't wait until after I read A Dance with Dragons. Then I can join the hordes of people standing outside GRRM's house, looking at their watches and tapping their feet impatiently while they wait for the 6th book in the series. I haven't experienced that wait yet. I will be one of you soon... Squeee! Anyway... so, A Feast for Crows. I was talking about the awesomeness. So here are some things, in random order, that I found awesome: New characters introduced New character POVs The sheer brutality and badassity of some of the characters The changes in some of the characters The unexpectedness of the strange twists that come about The plot The history The everything. Crap, just read these already! :D(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Jun 30, 2011
| Jul 16, 2011
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Jan 09, 2011
| Paperback
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