What are you currently reading?

[Hazel]

I got a copy from Amazon through the other sellers for about 9 dollars including shipping. the company was "Better World Books" I think they had more than one copy. Mine is an ex-library one but it's hardback and in really good condition.

[Emily :)]

i havent started my book yet. i have just been so busy since i just got off vacation.:) i wish i could comment on the books you are talking about but i have never read them ;)

[Hazel]

That's okay, Emily, I'm juggling reading and writing and several other things ;)

I finished Death Cloud I liked it, but I still stand by my opinion of Holmes. It was good enough for me to want to read the sequel though.

Now I started The Prisoner of Zenda I love it already. This is going to be a great book!

[Mara]

Is that the second "Young Sherlock" book? Wow; I can't believe you found "Frontier Wolf" for that cheap! That's totally awesome!

Finished: It was really good. The Author did extensive research and portrayed things fairly. So many Authors who write about the Romanovs try to make it out like Tsar Nicholas was not a bad guy, but this Author didn't do that. Since it was completely told from the girls' point of views, the Author wrote their opinions and presented it as exactly that.

Now reading: The writing style is less than enchanting and the names . . . Oh dear. Hopefully the storyline will make up for all of that.

[Hazel]

No Prisoner of Zenda is a classic adventure novel written by Anthony Hope. I've been wanting to read it for a long time and finally found a copy. Yes! I was really excited about finding it so cheep as well. That's why I had to buy it.

[Mara]

*slaps forehead* Don't I feel stupid. I really did know that, I honestly did. ;) Powell's had a paperback copy of "Outcast" yesterday; I almost, almost got it, but Alibris has a hardcover copy right now for only a couple more dollars, so I'm waiting.

[Hazel]

That's okay ;) Hehe, it's mainly because of Rosemary Sutcliff my shelves are filling up because I can't get a lot of her books from the library, but it doesn't really matter because usually hers I want to re-read as well ;)

[Mara]

I try to snatch up one of her books whenever I see it; never know when they'll go out of print, and she's definitely an Author worth buying.

[Hazel]

That's why I've been buying so many of hers lately because I just see them turning into ebooks *shudder*

[Mara]

Horror of horrors! I suppose I can always coerce my dad into buying her ebooks if I ever get desperate.

Finished: It was good. Some of the character names were out there, but the writing style got better as the story went on, I got used to the names, and I totally loved Lochinvar. He was awesome, and I totally supported the romantic relationship between him and Persephone.

Now reading: Positively enjoying it already, and I'm only 50 pages in. Sage is funny.

[Hazel]

Don't get that desperate, there is still the Motherland! ;)

False Prince was good, and Sage was a great character, there were some things in the execution of the plot that didn't work for me, so I'm interested to see if you spot the same things.

[Mara]

*laughs* Always. ;)

Finished: I did see the parts that you talked about in your review, and it actually didn't bother me as much as I thought it would. There are a couple of important thefts that I think the Reader ought to have been allowed to read about (like the fool's gold and the vial of poison), but I think if the Author had let the Reader read about every single thing Sage pinched, the Reader would have spent a lot of time wondering what the point of that was. And I totally called the twist waaaay before it happened (I still liked it, though). And it actually didn't bother me that Sage kept it secret from the Reader. I thought the Author did a fair enough job in revealing it to excuse it. I really look forward to sequel - especially with how things go between Sage and the mute girl - I forgot her name. I see a future romance, but I love the two characters so much that I don't think the romance will actually be annoying.

Now reading: Amazingly good, and I'm about halfway through it. The Author has clearly done a LOT of research about WWII and the circumstances Jews fond themselves in in both Germany and those who evacuated to England.

[Hazel]

The only reason I had a problem with the revelation in that book was that it just seemed really random to me when it happened even though I had pretty much figured it was going to. If there had been just a little more foreshadowing to it, I wouldn't have minded at all. Besides that though I did enjoy the book, and I really liked the characters. I think the second one will be better because you already know the secret and we can get on with the story ;)

I finished Prisoner of Zenda and it was amazing! Now I just started

Blood And Sand and I'm liking both so far.

[Mara]

Yeah, I agree that the Author could have done a bit more foreshadowing. If I hadn't been looking for it, the twist probably would have seemed more abrupt to me than it did. But a part of me was also kind of glad that there was so little foreshadowing because this is a twist that's been done over and over and over and over again, and it was nice to not catch it right off. But I think if the Author had tried a little harder, she could have found just the right balance of foreshadowing to make it a little less . . . "Surprise! Totally didn't see that one coming, did you, because I barely even hinted at its possibility!" And it would not have felt a cliche twist.

[Hazel]

There are so few plots that have not been done before ;) After you mark off all the classics and Shakespeare and all, there's very little left. But I do hope she gets the next book out before long, I'm curious to see what's next.

[Mara]

I don't usually count classics when I think of plots done before because at their time, the plots were new. But, yeah, I'm very excited about Book Two.

[Hazel]

Haha, yes, I agree on that. But this did remind me of Man in the Iron Mask kind of thing, but it's a classic plot, and you have to love it. It never really gets old.

[Emily :)]

finished:


i am rereading:

it is the only book that i have reread without having to. i was going to read something else but i just had a feeling i had to read this one. i told my friends that it just called to me. :)

[Hazel]

Sometimes you have to re-read your favorite books.

Brass Legionnaire is really good. I'm enjoying it alot!

[Mara]

So the steampunk is working? It's not just too weird?

Finished: 4 stars. It was very good.

Now reading: So far, not terribly impressed. I cannot get over the heroine's name: Tiki. Her realy name is Tara, and I don't know why the Author couldn't just call her that. Tiki is just almost too much . . . Also, Tiki's break-in into Buckinham Palace feels far-fetched; the Author is not convincing me that it could possibly, just possibly, happen. And then the relationship between Tiki and Rieker . . . It feels like Tiki and Rieker have known each other for a long time, but the characters keep saying that they haven't known him long. It doesn't seem like that. And Rieker is also very likable; so likable that I get frustrated with the characters for not trusting him.

[Hazel]

Steampunk and Romans work really well. I really think he has something new going here and I like it.

That WWII book sounds good, I'll have to add it to my list. By the way, I got my Powell's order finally! I got a weaponry encyclopedia (I'll tell you the title later because I seem to have misplaced it) but it's a good one. It doesn't have as many swords as I wanted but it works for other things. I wanted to get an actual sword encyclopedia anyway.

[Mara]

Hopefully another Author doesn't come along and ruin the idea, because that's just awesome that a writer actually got the idea to work.

Awesomeness! Weaponry encyclopedias are a must; definitely send me the title when you locate it. I need a good weaponry encyclopedia.

Finished: 3 stars. Rieker was a good character, and the romantic relationship between him and Tiki isn't annoying. Tiki herself is a fine character, too - I just don't like her name. She also seemed a little . . . lacking in depth. Not necessarily cardboard; but I didn't get all that attached to her. I got REALLY tired of her jumping to all of these conclusions and acting on the accompanying impulse, which led to even greater perilous predicaments that could have been avoided if she had chosen to trust her friends rather than the enemy. *roll eyes*

Now reading: So far, very strange. But I was expecting that, which is why I picked it up. It's got quite a bit of language, unfortunately, but if the story continues in the vein that it's following, I can easily blot the language out when I buy my own copy. It's intriguing. And the vintage photographs just make it all the more eerie.

[Hazel]

It's called "Weaponry, An Illustrated Encyclopedia" by Chuck Wills. It's actually very inspiring for coming up with cool steampunk weapons. Know any good ones for just swords?

[Emily :)]

finished:


now reading:


i should get one of those it might help me a lot in my writing.

[Hazel]

I love them. It's totally fun to fit weaponry to certain types of people. I wrote a blog post about that a while back called "Hack and Slash or dash" ;)

[Emily :)]

nice title. i have read books where each person has a specific weapon. like the thin nimble ones get the bow and arrows and the big stocky ones get the sword or a bigger weapon like an ax.

[Hazel]

And that's typically becauce it takes a low grounded person to be able to use an axe properly. (I. E. Legolas and Gimli from LOTR. Legolas carries the bow and Gimli carries the axe) Same with swords. The thin people are more likely to carry a lighter sword while the big strapping broad shouldered guys have better luck with a broadsword.

[Mara]

It's funny, though, that people seem to assume that a well-muscled person would be clumsy with a bow, since bows take a lot of arm and shoulder strength to draw (depending on the poundage, of course, but war bows had strong poundage).

Unfortunately, Hazel, I don't know of a good encyclopedia for swords. I've been trying to find one for a long time.

[Hazel]

Well, if I find one, I'll let you know. I've been looking around because me birthday is in August :P

Bowmen are definitely muscled, they're just the more wiry types. Except the Mongols though they are naturally stockily built.

[Mara]

Comes from riding horses all the time, I imagine. ;)

Oh, I don't know if you noticed, but the third "Brotherband Chronicles" book - "The Hunters" - is coming out in October.

[Hazel]

No way! Yay! I didn't even see it :P I've been so busy with other things, I haven't checked on my favorite authors (who are still living) for a while. ;)

[Emily :)]

i have made a mistake. i get my books from the library and i wanted to start reading a followup series and i accidentally placed a hold for the second book instead of the first. i have been waiting for the wrong book to come out for a few months at least. :)

[Hazel]

Oh no! I've done that before. Actually what usually happens to me is that I will order a book because it is not in my library and then when I get it, I find it on the shelves the next week :P

[Hazel]

Anyway, now I'm reading Or "Rebel Fire" as it's called in America. I always wonder why they change titles when books go Over the Pond? It doesn't make any sense to me. I think I'm enjoying this more than the first one because Holmes is starting to think for himself like he would normally now.

[Emily :)]

it sounds interesting and i wouldnt know why they change titles it would be easier to keep them all the same.

[Mara]

It always irritates me when they change titles once they've gone Over the Pond. Especially since the UK and the rest of Europe seem to always get the awesome titles. And the awesome covers, for that matter.

Finished: 3 stars. It had tons of promise, but didn't go in the direction I was hoping it would. Still, I liked a few aspects and will read the sequel.

Also finished 3 stars as well. You'll have to read my full review to gather what I thought about it, because I have an equal amount of complaints as I do praises.

Now reading:

[Hazel]

I have always liked UK covers better. I think the AUS covers for Ranger's Apprentice are amazing.

Well for whatever reason, I couldn't really get into Blood And Sand I was a little skeptical as to the fact that the main character would have converted from Christianity to Islam so quickly. There was too much religious internalizing in this book for me right now. I'm not saying it isn't a good story, it's just not what I feel like reading at the moment so I'm just going to move on to other things. And I've got several research books coming from the library so I'll be very busy soon! I only have about a quarter of my new novel left to write!!!

[Mara]

I actually like the US covers for "Ranger's Apprentice" better, but that's because I don't like it when they have people on the fronts that are supposed to be the characters.

Finished: 2 stars. It wasn't the best in the series. The Author had a good idea going, but I HATE it when the villains goes all remorseful and turns good. Ugh.

Started reading but gave up 100 pages in. It was trashy and the writing was awful, and the heroine was completely unlikable.

Now reading:

[Hazel]

Haha, I'm actually reading a book about writing mystery novels right now, and the author said that writing stories where the villain turns remorseful is a bad idea. And that's why. It doesn't give the reader the satisfaction. A typical mystery is supposed to be written like the old epics, the hero must defeat the villain in the end. Don't worry, in my mystery, my baddie is going to meet a particularly nasty end ;)

[Mara]

Oh good. :) If a villain repents, not only is it unsatisfactory, but it immediately destroys their evilness. An evil person who is able to feel remorse isn't very evil - or at least not evil enough to be the mastermind in the story. While I don't kill all of my villains, they all meet some sort of unpleasant fate. One hangs himself, while his wife takes poison, leaving her daughter alone in the streets; the other is shipped off to a prison colony, while another escapes to my version of France, where he is arrested for a petty crime and imprisoned for life. And the other . . . well, I don't know what happens to him.

[Hazel]

But that's still seeing justice done,. Sometimes death is the easy way out for some villains and if that's the case, you need to choose a different tactic =)

[Mara]

Or a villain is too clever to be killed. But I think with my "arch" villain, having him disappear, never to be heard from again, will work. He's evil, to be sure, and has not a speck of remorse in him - every action is soley governed by self-interest, - but he also isn't going to be the villain that the Reader will end up hating to death. That one definitely gets a gritty ending.

[Hazel]

Sometimes, the villain and the hero come to respect each other and are willing to let each other go. I was talking about this with someone else the other day about how sometimes you can introduce another worse villain in with the hero and his main arch enemy and in the end they might end up having to work together in order to stop the even eviler guy :P

[Mara]

A circumstance like that, if done right, can be perfectly fine. I actually love it when the hero and villain respect each other, because then that means that they both see something in one another that is similar. It's like the setup with Sherlock and Moriarty (BBC does a great thing with that in Season 2 of "Sherlock"). They were essentially the same person; only one chose to be criminal and the other solved crimes. And the villain working with the hero to stop an even worse villain can work too, if done properly, of course. No good villain is going to allow another villain usurp their position, after all; why not use the hero by "teaming up" with him?

[Hazel]

The enemy of my enemy is my friend ;) An old series I was writing had a plot line like that, whether it was well executed or not back then, I can't remember ;)

[Emily :)]

i once read a book and it is killing me that i cant remember it where the hero and the bad guy or the thief i think it was team up together and fight the true bad guy. i liked it a lot.

[Hazel]

Ooh, if you do remember what it was, let me know, it sounds like a good one =)

[Mara]

That sounds awesome.

Finished: (4 stars) and (4 stars). The latter was very, very interesting, but definitely not a "quiet afternoon" read. It's a true story about a kid who survived the Killing Fields in Cambodia when the Khmer Rouge took over. It's a very sobering read.

Now reading: Not sure how good it's going to be. 100 pages in, and so far it's okay. I don't have much feeling for the protagonist, though.

[Hazel]

I'll have to read "Never Fall Down" sometime, though I have to be in the right mood to read that sort of thing.

I finally started to get my research books from the library! The Book of Poisons is amazing. Anyone who writes mystery novels and uses poisons really needs this book.

[Mara]

"Never Fall Down" is a very fast and easy read; it's just sobering. Definitely have something light-hearted to read afterward. And maybe have some tissues on hand if you're the type who cries while reading real life stories.

I'm going to have to add that to my list of to-buy books.