false 21 235 193 true 5686459 read 3 true 704918 currently-reading 39 true 704917 to-read 111 false 2939866 fiction 60 false 2927071 shakespeare 52 false 2939888 the-classics 50 false 2939901 drama 41 false 5438532 sci-fi-fantasy 34 false 2939879 childrens-young-adult 32 false 2939925 folklore-fairy-tales-mythology 24 false 2939863 non-fiction 22 false 2939990 graphic-novels 13 false 3078874 magical-realism 13 false 2939955 vampires 12 false 2939869 literary-criticism 12 false 3079524 essentials 11 false 2939872 poetry 9 false 3078742 film 5 false 3079875 comedy 3 false 4673084 baseball 2 false 2939909 philosophy 1 false 3078938 doorstoppers-project 1 false 3078770 art <![CDATA[MKat is on page 272 of A Clash of Kings ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68517119 MKat is on page 272 of 1009 of A Clash of Kings ]]> <![CDATA[MKat added 'A Clash of Kings']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68517119 A Clash of Kings (A Song of Ice and Fire, #2) by George R.R. Martin
bookshelves: currently-reading, fiction, sci-fi-fantasy
]]> <![CDATA[MKat added 'Fables: The Dark Ages']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68514649 to: Fables: The Dark Ages (Fables, Volume 12) by Bill Willingham
bookshelves: folklore-fairy-tales-mythology, graphic-novels
To geek out completely, this issue reminded me a lot of the beginning of the 9th season of "Stargate: SG-1". The Big Bad (i.e. The Adversary) was defeated by the end of Volume 11, and now comes the addition of a new Big Bad for the characters to fight. It's a lot of setting up of the chess pieces for the story lines to come. Two or three major things happen, but much more is alluded to which should unfold in the coming issues and volumes.

Basically, it's a stepping stone volume, whereas mostly every other volume in the series has a self-contained story, which is my main disappointment with it. This issue almost feels like the first in a trilogy or something similar. I just hope they take it to the heights we've seen with the other volumes thus far. ]]> <![CDATA[MKat added 'A Game of Thrones']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63279441 to: A Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire, #1) by George R.R. Martin
bookshelves: fiction, sci-fi-fantasy
A book I admire much more than enjoy. There's a distance inherent for me, perhaps due to the setting, perhaps the atrocities that happen to the characters, perhaps the infrequent breaks for comic relief; who knows? In any case, it wasn't quite all it was cracked up to be for my taste, but I do think it was a very good book, just not necessarily for me. I might end up reading the rest of the books (so far) in the Song of Ice and Fire series, but I'm definitely not hooked in the way the rest of my friends have been.

However, I do think the proposed HBO miniseries could prove brilliant, if it ends up anything near as amazing as Rome. There are definite similarities in the two projects (honestly, the only real difference is setting), and I think if anyone could do this right, it's HBO. ]]> <![CDATA[MKat is on page 542 of A Game of Thrones ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63279441 MKat is on page 542 of 835 of A Game of Thrones ]]> <![CDATA[MKat added 'Tuck']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64321688 to: Tuck (King Raven, Book 3) by Stephen R. Lawhead
bookshelves: fiction, folklore-fairy-tales-mythology
The ending might have been a LITTLE sentimental, but, honestly, I'm happier for it. A happy ending, especially when the characters genuinely deserve it, is always fulfilling. And that's exactly how the wonderful King Raven Trilogy comes to its end.

Stephen R. Lawhead has done a brilliant job of blending history, legend, and his own fictional world to bring this Robin Hood story to life in a way that seems completely believable and tangible. His story explains where the majority of the Robin Hood legend could have originated, but it never feels forced. Nor does this retelling go post-modern on you. The whole series is more a love letter to the wonderful legends we all grew up with, while still grounding it firmly in a Britain in transition at the end of the 11th Century. Breezy, exciting, full of adventure, and all those wonderfully memorable characters, Hood King Raven Book 1, Scarlet King Raven Book 2, and finally Tuck King Raven Book 3, create a entertaining and satisfying action adventure saga for the kid in all of us. ]]> <![CDATA[MKat added 'Scarlet']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62638335 to: Scarlet (King Raven, Book 2) by Stephen R. Lawhead
bookshelves: fiction, folklore-fairy-tales-mythology
I didn't love it as much as the first one, but it was still fun and exciting. The lines between Goodies and Baddies are more cut and dry in this one, which made it a little less interesting than Hood King Raven Book 1, and the relationship between Bran and Mérian resolved itself a little too easily for me (considering the ending of the last book!). Perhaps Lawhead portrayed Bran as a more idealized version of the same character from the first book because this story is told through Will's eyes, and Will simply loves his lord so thoroughly that he simply doesn't see Bran's faults. Whatever the reason, there's still lots to enjoy, and I especially adore Will Scarlet. He's a forthright and honest bloke, caught between all three worlds in England of the late 11th Century - Norman, Anglo-Saxon, & Celtic, but he finds a home with Rhi Bran y Hud and his band of outlaws. ]]> <![CDATA[New Update::UpdateArray update]]> <![CDATA[MKat added 'Hood']]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/62636923 to: Hood (King Raven, Book 1) by Stephen R. Lawhead
bookshelves: fiction, folklore-fairy-tales-mythology
Perfect summer/beach reading. An exciting adventure yarn which resets the Robin Hood legend in Wales during the reign of William Rufus (about 25 years after the Battle of Hastings and 100 years before Richard the Lionheart). With more political intrigue than most Robin Hood retellings, it also works more as a Cambellian "Hero with a Thousand Faces" style epic. Almost all of the familiar characters are here as you remember them, but with some little twists and turns thrown in that both fit the Celtic setting and add some interesting dimensions. Fun and exciting, I'm already onto the next in the Trilogy: Scarlet King Raven Book 2. ]]>