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Summer Reading 2012
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Summer Reading 2012 - Between the Covers
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. JamesThis book was horrendous. If it weren't for the fact that I felt like I had to read it so I could give an honest assessment for it at the library in case someone complained about it, I never would have finished it. The writing is typical fan-fiction fare, and it was atrocious. Also, the sex scenes weren't all that explicit (maybe it's because I just watched Spartacus: Blood and Sand, which is pretty graphic, so this pales in comparison). I hated the main characters. They had their witty moments, but Christian is an ASS. I get the whole Dom/Sub thing in the bedroom, but I had a hard time when Christian would punish her outside of sex/foreplay. I'm thinking especially the part where he spanked her for rolling her eyes at him. To me, that's a half-step away from domestic abuse. I really couldn't tolerate his need to humiliate and control her. And Ana was irritating, just because she could never make up her mind and she had this brilliant idea to "fix" him. She would vacillate between finding Christian the most fascinating man in the world and hating him for the things he would do to her. Who would want a relationship like that? Oh, yeah. A Bella Swan knock-off.
This book is also perfect for a drinking game. Everyone was "murmuring" in here. "You look sexy," she murmured. "I want to control you," he murmured. "Let's order a pizza," she murmured. Seriously. It was like that. I think the record was three times on the same page. And if they weren't murmuring, they were muttering. Also, the phrase "holy crap" and its variations were also overused. "Holy crap, this is hot." "Holy jeez, he looks mad." "Holy Steve, where is my pizza?" Holy crap, I really wish I could poke my eyes out and regain the time lost while reading this tripe. (And yes, I did murmur that!)
I really disliked this book, not because it's "shocking," but because it's poorly written. This book also has the dubious distinction of being the first book I've wanted to chuck across the room since 2008.
1 star
Memory Wall: Stories by Anthony DoerrI'm not usually a fan of short stories, but these are FANTASTIC. Doerr is very lyrical and engaging. I'm having a hard time picking my favorite of his stories: it's a toss-up between four. In several of them, I became very attached to the characters, which I think is sometimes hard to do in short stories, just because there's not enough time to be able to connect. Doerr, however, was able to create characters that not only were interesting, but were also relatable. I once had the pleasure of hearing Doerr speak at an Idaho Library Association conference, which sparked my interest in his work. I look forward to reading his other works.
5 stars
From the Depths (1993) by Victor MilanI was hoping for more from this one, I really was. The cover painting is a bit misleading, with Michael Dorn's character Worf standing in for Captain Kirk's adversary.
Unfortunately, author Victor Milan runs Kirk through his stereoptypical paces: Kirk puts the moves on a socially stunted woman, who runs away, then runs back to him, then runs away to his Klingon adversary. Tired and unnecessary. And then we trot out the standard hackneyed Gene Roddenberry "but wait, there's more" plot thread scenario.
Move along. This isn't the Star Trek you're looking for... unless you like it *really* old school and mysogynistic.
June 4, 2012.
The Final Nexus by Gene DeWeese Overall, *much* better than Victor Milan's From the Depths (1993). All of the characters were much better drawn by DeWeese. A few stereotypical incidents in which Captain Kirk does his own thing instead of obeying direct orders from Starfleet, but this story is also heavily driven by Spock and the other characters.
Part of the suspense is of the, "How will the Enterprise get out of *this* situation?" ilk, but fortunately, DeWeese keeps the characters at the forefront of the story. The Final Nexus (1988) qualifies as meaty Trek for the reader to sink his or her teeth -- and imagination -- into.
June 4, 2012.
The Door Into Summer by Robert HeinleinI hadn't read this one in several years, and dug it out for a re-read. I still enjoyed the opening and closing with character Daniel Davis' cat Petronius the Arbiter (or just "Pete" for short). In the rest of the story, Heinlein paints a picture of a guy who's an engineer without a lot of business smarts, who "Just Wants to Build Stuff."
Our Hero manages to Make Good, and even Does the Right Thing (in the long run) to take care of an 11 year old girl who needs his help.
The Door Into Summer (1957) has a few dated references (the price of gold, the population of Earth), but it was a nice change from the rest of my recent reading fare. At only 200 pages, I burned through this one in only four hours, and hit the sack satisfied with the story I'd read.
June 4, 2012.
13 Great Stories of Science-Fiction by Groff Conklin (Editor)This collection contains one of my favorite science fiction short stories, Algis Budrys' "The War Is Over" (1957), which has haunted me in the positive sense for a very long time. Other stories include Poul Anderson's "The Light," Wyman Guin's "Volpla," and the very cute "The Available Data on the Worp Reaction" by Lion Miller.
A well-rounded baker's dozen of finely crafted stories published between 1946 and 1957.
June 4, 2012.
Mod
I love Kristin Cashore! She writes so well, and keeps my attention. I am always wanting more! This is a sequel to Graceling and it has been so long since I read it, that I did have a little bit of a hard time following certain parts, but overall, Cashore does a good job of explaining what is needed from the first book.
Bitterblue becomes queen at the age of 10 and her father had a "grace" of lying to people. This grace allowed him to control people and he made them do terrible things. Bitterblue has come to an age that she is starting to figure out how to be a queen. She also has to figure out who is her allies and who are her enemies.
There is a small love story and I really liked how that was put into the plot. If you liked Graceling, this one will not disappoint.
3 1/2 stars
Mod
Conclusion to the series. This book tells us about Gillian, the oldest daughter of Wren and Ian Brierley. The family is settled in SLC and Gillian helps around the house, helping to take care of the 7 other children that are at home. Gillian has to choose between two men, Hugh Montgomery, who is a family friend and well established in the community and Jamie McBrier, who just moved to SLC from Scotland. Jamie is a rebel and stirs Gillian's heart, unlike Hugh. Who does she choose?
3 stars
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie SocietyIn this book, Juliet, an author, writes and receives letters from her editor, life long friend, and new found friends on the island of Guernsey. It speaks of the love of reading. The people of Guernsey used books as an escape from their own lives during the Occupation of WWII. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters through their letters. I especially enjoyed Isola's observations at the end of the book. I could definitely see myself being friends with her.
The Carpet People by Terry PratchettI enjoyed this book for what it was, a revised first novel by a beloved author. There were parts that made me laugh just as much as I laugh during Discworld. It's not a great book, but I think it's definitely worth reading if you are a Terry Pratchett fan. Also encouraging for any up and coming authors to realize that first books aren't always the greatest books in the world.
Mod
Another satisfying read from Furst. He does such a good job of painting the scene of Europe prior to WWII - both with the details of setting and with characterization - that I actually enjoyed picking up the book to read. Morath, like most of Furst's main characters, is not quite a hero, though he's being thrust into it at times. His vague sense of morality also works well during pre-war Europe, since he must choose who he will actually help and who he will betray - of course, knowing that the same people would betray him in a minute.
It helped me to get more of a sense of the pre-war period from the point of view of some of the Eastern European perspectives, something we don't always get. Can't wait til Mission to Paris comes in for me!
The Hunger Games by Suzanne CollinsI've been needing to read this book for several years, and I finally got around to it, mainly because I want to see the movie but I wanted to read the book first. I really enjoyed it, even though it includes teenagers killing each other (but then, who hasn't at one time wanted to kill a teen?). The action never let up, and I really liked Katniss. Although she's a little emotionally stunted, she's smart and quick on her feet (both in terms of what to do next and escaping death). I'm looking forward to reading the rest in the series and to watch the movie.
4 stars
The Ones Who Hit the Hardest: The Steelers, the Cowboys, the '70s, and the Fight for America's SoulAs a Steelers fan, I'm a sucker for anything about the 70s dynasty. This book started with great promise -- I liked the parallel storylines about the Steelers, Cowboys and the steel industry. Then, three-quarters of the way through the book, that structure seemed to fall apart. I knew or had heard or read before most of the stories about the Steelers in the book, but learned some things about the Cowboys franchise and the steel industry. I was especially disappointed in the ending of the book, it wrapped up quite quickly and anti-climatically with the Steelers defeating the Cowboys for a second time in SB XIII. Most reading the book already knew the outcome of that game... give us some more, something meatier to wrap things up. There were several instances where the authors could've used a better editor or fact checker as well - historical errors that were obvious to those who know NFL history. This was a decent history of football read, but a bit disappointing in the end.
River of Secrets by Lynette EasonI won't bore anyone with the summary you can read on the back but will give my opinion on the story itself.
A nice christian romance but was really predictable. A light fluffy read but not real deep. I had great hopes for it but was a bit dissapointed.
read June 7th
Heart of Stone: A Novel (Irish Angel, #1)by Jill Marie Landis (Goodreads Author)
This has a lot of drama in it and some super sad parts. It drags on a bit and is kind of preachy for my taste. I really liked the story itself though and how she overcomes so many trials in her life. It does deal with some tough issues but doesn't linger on details too much to make it even more sickening. I'm looking forward to reading the next in this series.
Read June 11
Destined (Wings #4) by Aprilynne Pike
This book is fabulous! I just need to say WOW! A perfect ending to this series. Even with some post notes to give a bit more... still WOW and a perfect ending! All authors writing a series should take note from this. The book was action packed, funny, romantic, and just all around wonderful! A full 5 stars in my opinion!
read June 12
Wicked Lovelyby Melissa Marr
I really liked this one. A quick read. It talks about teen sex but isn't descriptive. A couple "F" bombs but not much language besides that. It was kind of hard to follow at first but then came together well. This even made the fairies seem fairly tough and scary. Good to do if we need to like the fairy men!
read June 17
The HelpThis book is excellent! It treats the theme of racism and black/white relationships intelligently and compassionately. There was no falsely contrived happy ending, but it was not depressing either. Give this book a try; you will not be disappointed!
QuatrainThis book is comprised of four shirt stories, all by Sharon Shinn. Shinn is a fairly prolific writer whose works could be categorized as fantasy (because she deals with magic, angels, etc.) but are not the traditional type of fantasy (there are no dragons, elves, trolls, etc.) If you are wondering whether you might like to read something of Shinns, just check out Quatrain. Each of the stories comes from a different "world" she has created in each of her larger book series'. I personally found that she is a captivating writer with a great imagination. Her books are probably geared more toward women, but I believe men can enjoy them, too.
Mod
A different take on the Jewish experience prior to WWII from a man whose parents belonged to the Kulturbund, a cultural refuge of sorts. Goldman intersperses a history of his family (and what he can piece together of the missing parts) with the history of the Kulturbund, resulting in a slower-paced, but still fascinating look at an aspect of Nazi Germany that I hadn't encountered before. The view into the machinations and propaganda that actually supported the artists (including musicians, dancers, actors, and singers), as well as a description of what happened with the St. Louis (the ship of Jewish refugees that was refused landing by Cuba and the U.S.), was worth the time spent.
Mod
I tried to like this one, but it just didn't work for me. The idea was interesting - what happened after the disaster of the Titanic - but what followed had about as much life as those who went down with the ship. The main character was supposed to be "plucky", but after her initial plucky move, she devolves into just another, rather boring, character. The only character that seemed to have a bit of verve was Pinky - a secondary character that had to basically drag Tess into anything that might require a bit of pluck. (Okay - now I'm sick of that word.)
The author's use of real people as main characters (Lady Duff Gordon and Cosmo Gordon) tied her literary hands; I think more could have been made from the Senate hearings if Alcott had had a bit more freedom with the story. So, I skimmed the last 3/4 of the novel, not caring about Tess's romances with the two men she met onboard or if she actually kept her job.
Mod
I was pleasantly surprised by this book. I mean, I had read glowing reviews, but it's a YA book, and I'm not necessarily the biggest YA fan. So, I was a bit wary.
I shouldn't have worried. The two main characters, Verity and Maddie, have unique voices (Verity's is strongest, of course, but a majority of the book is told from her pov). The plotline is rather clever, without being obviously so, and the story of two young women helping in male-dominated activities during WWII is interesting and exciting.
At the heart of the story, essentially, is the friendship between the two, and about how that friendship makes a difference when they're behind enemy lines.
One of my favorites of the year, so far.
Mod
This is really a 2 and 1/2 stars book, but I'm feeling generous today. I rather enjoyed Noble's first Blue Raven book, Revealed, but the second and third were just too tedious for words (I actually didn't make it through the third). So, my expectations for this one were low.
Which, I guess, is a good thing, since this one was slightly better than its predecessor. The story of the Blue Raven "returning" was the best part of the whole thing. The character of Jack was interesting, but I didn't think Sarah was all that spectacular (and unfortunately, the romantic/sexual tension between the two was pretty much nonexistent).
One big glaring error was the use of the word "teenager". I realize I'm a nit-picking-English-language-Nazi, but wouldn't you think someone who writes historical fiction, albeit romance, would know that "teenagers" didn't truly come into existence until the 20th Century? The word was in a throwaway line, but it just stuck in my mind for the rest of the book, which probably added to my lack of enthusiasm. Oh, well.
Mod
I loved this book. I could not put it down. The main character is Marianne, who when her mother died was sent by her father to live with her Grandmother in Bath. Her grandmother is trying to get her to be a lady but Marianne has a hard time conforming, because she can't give up things like twirling when she is happy. She is sent to Edenbrooke to learn to behave like an elegant lady, and if she does she will inherit her Grandmother's fortune.
There is a small mystery and a very pure romance involved in this book. It is so good!
4.5 stars.
Overseas by Beatriz Williams - 4 starsOverseas is a love story that transcends space and time and is truly an amazing story of just how powerful true love can be.
Kate and Julian are seemingly different people who come from completely different backgrounds but once they meet they fall head over heels in love. It's as though they already know eachother and have this strange connection. The story weaves itself well and never seems to get boring or mundane. There's enough mystery and twists that it keeps you guessing and begging for the next chapter. Unlike most stories that bounce back and forth between different times, this one never gets old and never got on my nerves. The time shifts weren't distracting and they provided the keys to piecing the story together without giving too much away.
The color of Rain by Michael and Gina SpehnAmazing book about how two families came together through tragedy. I loved how both Michael and Gina were candid in their telling of their struggles, triumphs, and faith. All in all I think it was a great book. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys faith books.
The fifth Vial by Michael Palmer. Although it took me a while to get into the book I thought this book was great. It kept me on my toes, wondering how everything was connected and what was going to happen next. I thought it was well written. I was even surprised at the ending, I wasn't expecting it.
Everneath by Brodi AshtonThis is a nice easy YA read. It was hard for me to hate the bad guy in here because he really isn't all bad, kinda sweet actually. It is a bit predictable but still nice. The ending is just as you wold expect for the first in a series.
Mod
Owen and Annie Allen are being raised by a tyrant Aunt. Michael is also being raised by an uncle who beats him regularly. Owen is sailing on the Titanic, to join a different Aunt and Uncle in New Jersey where he will help their gardening business and make enough money to send for Annie.
Michael tries to escape his awful uncle and ends up stowing away on the Titanic. Owen discovers the stow away and takes pity on him. Owen, Annie and Michael's lives are all intertwined through the sinking of the Titanic (I hope I didn't ruin that for anybody!) and World War I.
I really enjoyed this book, I have been on a Titanic fiction kick lately and this was one of the better ones. The sinking of the ship is actually not the main focus of the book, but it ended up working well. I liked the character development and the twists in the plot.
4 stars
Twilight by Stephanie MeyersI can see how so many people have been sucked into this series. I love it! It's even a fairly clean read!
The characters are easy to understand for the most part but it is very heartfelt. A great YA read!
Titanic Remembered: 1912-2012 by Beau RiffenburghThis is a fascinating look at all things Titanic, from how the ship was built to its legacy today. I really enjoyed it, although it could have used a good editor. There were several mistakes that should have been fixed before printing (i.e., when talking about Father Browne, the author spelled it both "Browne" and "Brown" in the same sentence). The book included a lot of photographs that I hadn't seen before, which were really cool. There were also some "facsimile documents" in pouches throughout the book. Most were interesting, but the pouches made the book hard to close (and irritated the cataloger at my library because she had to make spine labels for all 45 pieces!). All in all, a really great book, especially for anyone who likes history or Titanic.
4 stars
Leviathan Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld(Leviathan, Behemoth, Goliath)
I love alternate history and steampunk, so this young adult series was right up my alley. Set at the dawn of the first world war in 1914, this trilogy tells the story of Deryn, a 16 year old girl masquerading as a boy so that she can fulfill her dream of becoming a British Airman, and Alek, the rightful heir to the Austrian throne who is exiled from his homeland by the events that begin the war. The series follows the two characters, the adventures they get into and their relationship with each other. A fun, quick read that I polished off over the weekend.
Ink Exchange (Wicked Lovely #2) by Melissa Marr3 1/2 stars for this. This is a good adult/YA novel. It has a lot of dark in it for just a YA. This one deals mostly with Irial, Niall and Leslie. It is very thought provoking and deals with tough issues. I found myself liking the "bad" guy Irial because he begins to change along with the healing that Leslie does. I also liked Niall just because he is so strong and tries to do good in even in bad situations. The ending kinda caught me off guard and I'm glad I have the 3rd one here to start reading right now... can't wait to see how this series is going to end!
Mod
A rather strange little book. I'm a bit torn - there were elements that drove me crazy (somewhat happy ending, a precocious Edwardian child), but the book itself was a surprise in that it didn't fit into my preconceived notions. It was a fast read, and overall enjoyable, so I suppose I'll be happy with that.
I enjoyed the character of Emerald the most - she comes across as a young woman with a good head on her shoulders - and has had to "make do" in a number of circumstances since her mother is obviously a flake. She's practical without losing a sense of joy, which is relatable to readers. The only thing that seemed out of character was the rapidity with which she fell under Traversham-Beechers spell. But I suppose it had to happen for the plot.
Finally, the only thing that slowed the book down was the pages long scene of getting the horse down the stairs. Wore me out - should have been a few pages shorter.
Mod
First off, I read this book in one sitting, which isn't hard to do because of its length. But the relative shortness of the book wasn't what made me read it fast - that is all due to the incredibly dense characters that Morrison creates ( She can do in 150 pages what some authors cannot do in thousands.)
Here, she breathes life into Frank and Cee, but doesn't forget to make sure others are well-rounded - and that's what makes her one of the greatest writers of her generation. The way she crafts this tale - quickly but carefully - highlights the intensity with which these characters inhabit their world. Such a small but delicious literary meal.
Mod
Another great entry for the Dido Kent series. In fact, I think I liked this one better than the last (I can barely remember that one). Anyway, this one has a slightly better mystery, and the cast of suspects was more intriguing, as well. Again, Dido's character is the strongest (of course), and I enjoyed her inner debate between being true to her self and wanting to make adjustments to fit a man into her life. The sad thing is, Dean makes that all too real - I constantly feel for women of that era, who had to sacrifice their own independent streaks in order to have peace within marriage.
The mystery was set at just the right pace - and although I always love to think I'm guessing who-dun-it, I probably enjoy it more when I don't (and I didn't figure this one out - kudos to Dean). Good fun, with a hint of a cliffhanger.
New Moon (Twilight Saga #2)by Stephanie Meyers
I am listening to this series as an audiobook on my ipod. I still really like this series. In this book we see how compassionate Jacob is towards Bella. Plus your normal amount of romance and action. Sigh. Just love it! I'm anxious to start Eclipse (TS #3).
Star Wars: Tales from the Empire edited by Peter SchweighoferI generally felt this collection was fairly weak. The best stories seemed to be about established characters and that might have been because they were written by established authors. The stories about random people in the EU didn't capture my attention as much. Some of them felt like they were stories that had been written and then modified by adding a few keywords such as "Stormtroopers" so that they fit into the Star Wars universe. I would only recommend this for people who want to read every Star Wars book.
Mod
Hope to see you at Book Club - July 12 - 7 PM...
Fragile Eternity (Wicked Lovely #3)by melissa MarrThis one barely kept me interested for the first half of the book. About then I decided to stop reading the whole thing and just read the conversations. Not at all my favorite but at least I know what happens in it. I'm going to read a few more reviews of the rest of the series books before I decide to actually read them. Sad dissapointment.
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. WredeI loved this series when I was a kid, so I'm glad to see that not much has changed. I really enjoyed rereading it, and I hope it's one I can pass on to my kids. I like the humor and the play on fairy tales. Most enjoyable.
4 stars
Mod
At times, this book was almost four-stars. When I first started the book, it read at a pretty hectic pace, which kept me interested. But about halfway through, even though I wanted to know how everything was going to turn out (i.e. how the whole time-travel thing worked), I began to get bored.
First - and I know that this is ultimately a love story - the whole lovey-dovey relationship between Kate and Julian rather bogged down the story. In the beginning, the characters actually had some depth, but once they kicked off their relationship, the story nearly ground to a halt. There are only so many times I can hear Kate ruminate that Julian is gorgeous, and how often did he need to tell her he loves her and that he's waited his whole, unnaturally long, life for her. Plus, like another reviewer mentioned, Kate's protestations that she wasn't being able to live up to her career potential seemed more bark and less bite.
Second - the story was too long, and Julian was too perfect. Practically a virgin (Kate is his only partner?), wealthy, smart, and sensitive to what a woman wants (although that's "blamed" on his era - as if Edwardian men were so in-tune with women). Come on!
If the book had been trimmed down - less perfection and more depth to the characters (including the too short scenes in Amiens) - it would have kept its four stars. Maybe with Williams' next book.
Eclipse (Twilight Saga #3)by Stephanie Meyer
I enjoyed this one less then the first two. There's a giant newborn vampire army preparing to attack wich was good action. But that was really the only thing going for this one. Bella was really whiny and Jake was a little mean (with good reason though) and Edward was too much of a guilty push over. We'll see how the last one is the series pans out.
Mod
This is a tough book to review - all I can say to those who thought they couldn't finish it (and I was one of those) - is that it all makes more sense in the end.
For much of the book, you get to know the narrator, Laurel, who is a social worker at a homeless shelter, and who has survived an attempted rape. The story held my interest at the beginning, as we're introduced to those around her and find out that a man with a possible connection to Jay Gatsby (yes, that Gatsby) has died. Laurel's task of looking through the photos the man left behind becomes very important to her, and here's where the story bogs down.
The ending has a twist, and is (mostly) worth the trouble of reading the whole book, even if the lead character begins to drive you crazy
In the Forests of the Night (The Den of Shadows #1)by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
This was a really different book. No romance, not much action, some drama. I just kept reading, waiting for something significant to happen and all of a sudden I was at the end... still waiting.
**MAJOR SPOILER ALERT**** TOTAL SPOILER ALERT***
It's about a girl who was turned into a vampire-ish thing against her will (while her brother is supposedly killed), gets into a fight with the one who turned her, then finds out her brother is alive and also has turned into a vampire hunter witch. That's the WHOLE story. Only 2 stars for this one.
Demon in My View (The Den of Shadows #2)by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes
This one was better than the first. Dark but not bad. Hard to make a "good guy" out of a bad guy though. I'm not really fond of this author so far. She writes as if we should know more about the story, like it's a given that everyone in the world is up to date on Egyptian gods. 3 stars for this one.
Breaking Dawn (Twilight Saga #4)by Stephanie Meyers
5 stars. Sigh, oh my. Excellent series and great ending too!
Mod
Jason Walker gets sucked into another land through a hippos mouth. He meets up with another Beyonder, Rachel to try and find a way back to their homes. He has to battle an evil dictator to do it. A great adventure!
3 stars
Mod
19 year old Ellie has to flee home in Tennessee to escape a mean bootlegging stepfather who killed a federal agent in cold blood. When she reaches her destination in Wabash, Indiana, she discovers her great aunt has died and she has no place to go. She sees a sign for a man looking for a wife of convenience to help take care of his home and his children. She ends up marrying him and the adventure begins.
4 stars
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TFPL Book Posse
Books mentioned in this topic
Mr. Monk and The Blue Flu (other topics)Increase In Learning: Spiritual Patterns For Obtaining Your Own Answers (other topics)
44: Book Four (other topics)
Learned Optimism: How to Change Your Mind and Your Life (other topics)
Janitors (other topics)
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Remember, if you read an official TFPL Book Club book, you'll get two entries!
In June, we'll read The Inextinguishable Symphony by Martin Goldmsith. In July, we'll read The Fifth Vial by Michael Palmer.