Shelfari 50 Book Challenge discussion
Cora R.'s 2017 Book Challenge
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1. Tales of the Hidden World - Simon R. Green - 4 stars - 1/2/17
Sharp - Alex Hughes4 stars
Sharp is the second book in the Mindspace series by Alex Hughes. The series takes place in a world where there are many people with telepathic powers. The telepaths saved the world during the Tech War, where technology evolved to the point where computer viruses morphed into a form that they could attack people. With everyone connected to technology in some way, a lot of people died. The telepaths were able to stop the tech, which is now illegal. The main character, Adam, was a member of the telepath guild. However, he became addicted to a drug called Satin and that addiction resulted in him damaging the minds of some of his students. Adam was thrown out of the guild. After he eventually got off of the drug, Adam began working as a contractor with the "normal" police in Atlanta. This second book begins with the murder of a woman that had been the victim of domestic abuse. Still suffering the after-effects of the end of book one, Adam must use all of his skills to help with the investigation.
I enjoyed the second book in this series. Adam is a realistic character dealing with addiction and recovery who finds himself an outsider in both the world of telepaths and the world of normals. The mystery was interesting enough to keep my attention and the solution was not too obvious nor did it seem to come out of left field. Adam continues to grow as a character and the author continues to develop the world she has created. I am looking forward to continuing the series.
3.Smaller and Smaller Circles - F.H. Batacan
4 stars
When the mutilated body of an adolescent boy is found in the garbage fields northeast of Manila’s Quezon City, two Jesuit priests (one a forensic anthropologist and the other a psychologist) are asked to help find the killer. I enjoyed reading this Filipino mystery. The two priests are great characters and I enjoyed reading about another culture. Although the different cultural institutions (police, politicians, the church, etc.) are full of corruption and power hungry individuals, there were good people in all of them too who gave the reader hope for the future of the community that the story takes place in. The mystery was interesting, although the answers were not too surprising. If the author every wrote another novel featuring these characters I would definitely read it.
4.
Ink and Bone - Rachel Caine
4 1/2 stars (rounded down on my shelf)
Ink and Bone is a young adult alternative history/steampunk/fantasy novel. It takes place in a world like ours, but where the Great Library of Alexandria survived the fire that threatened to destroy it and all its knowledge. The library becomes powerful throughout the world and controls books and therefore knowledge. It is illegal for anyone to own an "original" book other than the library. In this story the printing press was never invented (due to efforts of the library to protect its power) so all original books are hand copied and rare. Regular people have blanks that are blank books that are magically connected to the library where they can see the text of any book the library makes available to them (they are kind of like ebooks). The main character, Jess, is the son of a man who runs a book smuggling organization. His father has him take the test to become a librarian scholar in order to have an inside man. Once accepted, Jess meets a bunch of other teens in the library training program and must figure out where his loyalties lie.
I really enjoyed reading this book. I liked the characters that Jess meets at school and the adventures that endure in the name of earning a place at the library. The world has an interesting premise, especially to someone that loves books and reading. I also liked the politics of the world that Caine created and look forward to reading the next two books in the trilogy.
5.
The Way of Kings- Brandon Sanderson
4 1/2 stars (rounded up to 5)
The Way of Kings is the beginning of a huge series. This book was 1001 pages and it is the first book in a planned 10 book series. And if you want to take it further, this series is part of Sanderson's Cosmere of inter-related series. If that doesn't scare you off, it is a great book. Sanderson excels at world building and magic systems and this series is no exception. The book introduces the world and its history. However, like in our world, what really happened thousands of years in the past is lost to rumor and legend. That means that the reader is a bit lost about what happened in the World's history, but so are the characters so that is OK , Sanderson has thousands of pages left in the series for it all to become clear. If that scares you, maybe you should start with a different Sanderson series. That said, I loved the characters and how they are developing. Kudos for some strong, independent female characters. If you like your fantasy epic in scope and aren't afraid of deep, complicated worlds, I definitely recommend this series.
6.
Swamplandia! - Karen Russell
3 stars
Swamplandia! is the story of a family that runs an alligator tourist attraction in the Thousand Islands of Florida. When Hilola Bigtree, the main attraction at Swamplandia, passes away her husband and children struggle to keep the park open and the family together. This book had a lot of potential. The setting is wonderful and the author does an excellent job of setting the scene and describing the swamp. I had no problems at all imagining myself there with Ava (one of the main characters). The characters are also great. The teens/children seemed to act and think like real teens/children would. They were interesting and quirky, just as you would expect of a family that lived and worked at their family-run swamp park. Unfortunately the author took these great characters and this great setting and just dumped one horrible thing after another on them. There was no whimsy or hope in the book. I don't need a lot of light in the books I read. I am known to appreciate a dark book, but this one was too much. As I read the book I could feel the dread from anticipating what the next bad thing that was going to happen would be. Then when it happened it would be even worse than I imagined. The author does a great job of making me feel that dread and anticipation, so she is a talented writer. I just felt like reading this book was watching children getting destroyed and it left me feeling depressed myself. I would have loved to read about about Hilola's life. She sounds like an interesting and many layered character.
7.
The Rest of Us Just Live Here - Patrick Ness
4 stars
This book is a young adult book that is about a group of friends about to graduate from high school. They live in a world that could be drawn from a number of popular young adult books now a days. Ones where the end of the world is approaching (from a number of bad things) and only the special, chosen ones (think Bella from Twilight) can save it. This book is not about those kids, it is about the kids that inhabit that world but are not involved in the world saving stuff. These are regular kids with real world problems (anorexia, OCD, dysfunctional families, etc.) who just want to reach graduation without another vampire outbreak or the school blowing up. While the parody parts of the book are fun, they are just a back drop to the realistic issues kids face when they see that their life is about to change forever. When you graduate and go off to college and don't know if your high school friendships will survive the distance and changes that will happen as they leave childhood and become adults. These kids are struggling with the types of feelings and problems that a lot of kids their age struggle with in the real world. I was a great young adult read. It could have been told without the fantasy elements and still been a great story.
8.
Half-Resurrection Blues - Daniel José Older
3 1/2 stars (rounded down on my shelf)
I really wanted to love this book, but somehow it just didn't click for me. It is a paranormal novel about a man that is half dead/half alive who works as a ghost assassin for the governing body of the ghost world. It has a great, gritty feel to the world and some great characters, but I found myself zoning out while I was reading it (I tried both reading the kindle book and listening to the audible version). My biggest problem with the book was the relationship between the main character (Carlos) and his love interest. It seemed very shallow to me and I had a hard time buying the connection they claimed to have. Overall, it was OK for the first book in a series. I will continue with the series because I love the world and the supporting characters. It has a lot of potential as a series. I hope that my connection improves as we see the POV of other characters (which seems to be the case in other books in the series).
9.
Gunpowder Girls - Tanya Anderson
4 stars
Gunpowder Girls is a nonfiction account of three tragedies at ammunition arsenals during the U.S. Civil War. Since many of the men were away fighting, the arsenals were staffed mostly by women and girls who worked in dangerous conditions. In the three disasters described in this book, the materials used to make the ammunition was accidentally set off resulting in explosions that took many lives and injured many others. This book is written for a middle school audience. It gives great information about the role of these women and their work places in our history. The author refers to primary sources and census records for much of the information and includes asides about related subjects such as Abraham Lincoln, the role of African Americans in the Civil War and how ammunitions are built. I would have liked more information about some of the women mentioned, but perhaps such information is not available. I would recommend this book to kids interested in history.
I received a copy of this book free from the Library Thing Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review.
10.
The Hum and the Shiver - Alex Bledsoe
4 stars
Bronwyn Hyatt has returned to her small town in the mountains of Tennessee a hero. She was the only survivor of an Ambush that killed most of her fellow soldiers. She killed many of the enemy soldiers before being rescued on live TV and becoming a celebrity. But Bronwyn's small town is different than others. She is a full blooded Tufa. The Tufa are a people that are their own ethnicity. Legend says that the Tufa were living in the mountains of Tennessee before any other people came there. Bronwyn must now adjust to life back in the small town with the obligations of being a first daughter of her people, an obligation that she went to war to escape.
I really enjoyed this book. It is a bit of urban fantasy (without the urban part) and a bit of magical realism. The Tufa may have their special magic, but they come across as real people with small town problems rather than magical beings. It is really about a young woman chafing from the responsibilities of her family and her small town life being forced to return and face the constraints that drove her to leave in the first place. It is a human story with a bit of magic and fantasy. I look forward to reading more books about the Tufa.
The Photographs of Gordon Parks - Gordon Park, 3/25/17, 3 1/2 stars
Behind the Mask - Tricia Reeks & Kyle Richardson (eds), 4/1/17, 4 stars
City of Blades - Robert Jackson Bennett 4/9/17, 4 1/2 stars
Where'd You Go Bernadette - Maria Semple
4 stars
I really enjoyed reading this book . It was a bit over the top, but that was OK for me. I think it made a lot of interesting satirical points about the culture of a certain type of elite. Bernadette was not exactly a likeable character, but she seemed to be a caricature made up of the exaggerated traits of different people that I do know. The same can be said of Elgie and the parents at Bee's school. I really liked the format of the book and think that it contributed to how well it kept my attention.
Bear and the Nightingale - Katherine Arden
Staying Dead - Laura Anne Gilman
3 1/2 stars (rounded down on my shelf)
Back of Book Description:
It starts as a simple job — but simple jobs, when you're dealing with the magical world, often end up anything but. As a Retriever, Wren Valere specializes in finding things gone missing — and then bringing them back, no questions asked. Normally her job is stimulating, challenging and only a little bit dangerous. But every once in a while... Case in point: A cornerstone containing a spell is stolen and there's a magical complication. (Isn't there always?) Wren's unique abilities aren't enough to lay this particular case to rest, so she turns to some friends: a demon (minor), a mage who has lost his mind, and a few others, including Sergei, her business partner (and maybe a bit more?). Sometimes what a woman has to do to get the job done is enough to give even Wren nightmares
My Thoughts:
This was a fun read. I really like the world that Gilman has created. The magic system makes sense and is used in interesting ways. I liked the characters and the relationship between Wren and Sergei. There was a lot of potential in the secondary characters that could become more prominent in subsequent books in the series. That said, something kept me at arms length from both the characters and the story. That could be because this was the first in the series setting the stage for later books, or it could be a flaw in the writing. It is too soon to tell. I will definitely continue reading the series to see if the characters continue to grow and to see if it manages to draw me in more than this one did.
23. The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness - Paula Poundstone4 stars
In this humorous memoir, Paula Poundstone examines what leads to happiness. It is set up to read like scientific experiments where she tries different things, such as getting fit, getting organized, and driving a race car to see if they bring her happiness. She also tells the reader about her life raising her three kids and many pets over the course of seven years while conducting her experiments. I was very entertained by the book and even found myself chuckling out loud as I related to some of her stories - especially her struggle working with a professional organizer and the difficulty raising teenagers. Her chapter on having an all night movie marathon with her kids was very familiar to me. Especially the struggle to find movie selections that no one would throw a tantrum about watching. If you are looking for something light and humorous, this book might fit the bill.
Shelfari 50 Book Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Girl with Ghost Eyes (other topics)Brown Girl Dreaming (other topics)
Bone Gap (other topics)
A Wrinkle in Time (other topics)
The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Jacqueline Woodson (other topics)Laura Ruby (other topics)
M.H. Boroson (other topics)
Madeleine L'Engle (other topics)
Caitlín R. Kiernan (other topics)
More...
1.Tales of the Hidden World - Simon R. Green - 4 stars - 1/2/17
2. Sharp - Alex Hughes - 4 stars - 1/5/17
3. Smaller and Smaller Circles - F.H. Batacan - 4 stars - 1/8/17
4. Ink and Bone - Rachel Caine - 4 1/2 stars 1/16/17
5. Where is Mount Everest - Nico Medina, 4 stars
6. The Way of Kings - Brandon Sanderson - 4 1/2 stars, 2/9/17
7. Swamplandia! - Karen Russell - 3 stars - 2/16/17
8. The Rest of Us Just Live Here - Patrick Ness - 2/18/17 - 4 stars
9. Half-Resurrection Blues - Daniel José Older - 2/22/17 - 3 1/2 stars
10. Gunpowder Girls: The True Stories of Three Civil War Tragedies - Tanya Anderson - 2/18/17
11. The Hum and the Shiver - Alex Bledsoe - 3/1/17, 4 stars
12. The Dubliners - James Joyce, 3/16/17, 4 stars
13. The Photographs of Gordon Parks - Gordon Park, 3/25/17, 3 1/2 stars
14. Behind the Mask - Tricia Reeks & Kyle Richardson (eds), 4/1/17, 4 stars
15. City of Blades - Robert Jackson Bennett 4/9/17, 4 1/2 stars
16. Where'd You Go, Bernadette - Maria Semple, 4/15/17, 4 stars
17. The Bear and the Nightingale - Katherine Arden, 5/13/17, 4 stars
18. Staying Dead - Laura Anne Gilman, 5/25/17, 3 1/2 stars
19. Agents of Dreamland - Caitlín R. Kiernan, 5/26/17, 4 stars
20. Alcatraz Versus the Evil Librarians - Brandon Sanderson, 5/28/17, 3 stars
21. Every Heart a Doorway - Seanan McGuire, 5/29/17, 5 stars
22. Roses and Rot - Kat Howard, 6/3/17, 4 stars
23. The Sorcerer of the Wildeeps - Kai Ashante Wilson, 6/6/17, 3 1/2 stars
24. The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness - Paula Poundstone, 6/7/17, 4 stars
25. The Girl with Ghost Eyes - M.H. Boroson, 6/8/17, 4 stars
26. Brown Girl Dreaming - Jacqueline Woodson 6/9/17, 5 stars
27. A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle, 6/11/17 (reread) 5 stars
28. Bone Gap - Laura Ruby, 6/19/17, 4 stars