My 4th challenge for 2009:
TBR Challenge
Well, folks, the 2009 year is fast approaching! Sorry that I've been remiss in putting up a new post for the new year! I've not really even thought of it until today -- while realizing there's only really 2 weeks left of the year! Yikes!
So, ARE YOU READY TO SIGN UP FOR 2009??? If so, please add your name to the Mr.Linky below! Please make sure that your blog link is to the actual post where your list is...not just your main blog link. (so, for example, instead of just //tbrchallenge.blogspot.com, it would be something more like //tbrchallenge.blogspot.com/2008/12/18/my-list-here.html --only it'd be YOUR blog addy! LOL). If this is still unclear, feel free to email me and ask more! ;P
To remind you of the rules:
* the challenge is to read 12 TBR books in 12 months -- you can read those all in one month if you want, or one a month, or however you wanna do it.
* you need to have a list posted somewhere for others to see (even if it's in a comment here)
* you CANNOT change your list after January 1st, 2009!!!
* you can create an Alternates list of MAXIMUM 12 books, if you want, in order to have options to choose from (you can read these in place of books on your original list).
* audiobooks and e-books ARE allowed
* re-reads are NOT allowed, as they aren't TRUE "TBRs"
* you CAN overlap with other challenges
* OPTIONAL: you can join the Yahoo! Group created for participants of the TBR Challenge, if you want to have a place to keep your list, or just to share with others about how you're doing! :)
Okay! The countdown is on!!! Get your list(s) ready, and make sure you post the link to it in the Mr. Linky! ;)
So, here are my lists:
Primary:
1. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller
2. The Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie
3. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
4. The Secret History by Donna Tartt
5. East of Eden by John Steinbeck
6. All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
7. Out by Natsuo Kirino
8. The Snow Queen by Joan Vinge
9. Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl
10. Orlando by Virginia Woolf
11. A Sudden Country by Karen Fisher
12. Stardust by Neil Gaiman
Alternates:
1. The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson
2. The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle by Haruki Murakami
3. The God of Animals by Aryn Kyle
4. Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson
5. Eragon by Christopher Paolini
6. The Deed of Paksenarrion by Elizabeth Moon
7. The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft
8. The Sacrifice: The First Book of the Fey by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
9. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
10. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert
11. Candide by Voltaire
12. A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
What's in a Name 2 Jan 1-Dec 31 2009
My 3rd challenge for 2009:
What's In a Name 2
I guess it's finally time to announce the "What's in a Name 2" reading challenge, with all new categories. Very similar to this year's challenge, with a few exceptions.
*This is a challenge that anyone can join, no matter what types of books they like to read. You should be able to find books from any genre that will work.
*Dates: January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009
*The Challenge: Choose one book from each of the following categories.
1. A book with a "profession" in its title. Examples might include: The Book Thief, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Historian
2. A book with a "time of day" in its title. Examples might include: Twilight, Four Past Midnight, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
3. A book with a "relative" in its title. Examples might include: Eight Cousins, My Father's Dragon, The Daughter of Time
4. A book with a "body part" in its title. Examples might include: The Bluest Eye, Bag of Bones, The Heart of Darkness
5. A book with a "building" in its title. Examples might include: Uncle Tom's Cabin, Little House on the Prairie, The Looming Tower
6. A book with a "medical condition" in its title. Examples might include: Insomnia, Coma, The Plague
*You may overlap books with other challenges, but please don't use the same book for more than one category.
*Again, there will be some small prizes scattered throughout. No set schedule, so just be sure to check in once a while. There will also be a prize awarded at the conclusion to one participant who completes the challenge.
*You don't need to decide exactly which books you will be reading ahead of time, though you're certainly welcome to. Either way, I'd love to see your lists of possibilities, and I'll bet everyone else would love to read them as well. To join in, simply leave a link here. Or, if you don't have a blog, simply leave your name (and feel free to share your list in the comments if you'd like).
My initial choices are (subject to change of course):
1. The Constant Gardener by John LeCarre
2. Midnight Mass by F. Paul Wilson
3. Daughters of a Coral Dawn by Katherine Forrest
4. Men at Arms by Evelyn Waugh
5. Napoleon's Pyramids by William Dietrich
6. The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams
What's In a Name 2
I guess it's finally time to announce the "What's in a Name 2" reading challenge, with all new categories. Very similar to this year's challenge, with a few exceptions.
*This is a challenge that anyone can join, no matter what types of books they like to read. You should be able to find books from any genre that will work.
*Dates: January 1, 2009 through December 31, 2009
*The Challenge: Choose one book from each of the following categories.
1. A book with a "profession" in its title. Examples might include: The Book Thief, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Historian
2. A book with a "time of day" in its title. Examples might include: Twilight, Four Past Midnight, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
3. A book with a "relative" in its title. Examples might include: Eight Cousins, My Father's Dragon, The Daughter of Time
4. A book with a "body part" in its title. Examples might include: The Bluest Eye, Bag of Bones, The Heart of Darkness
5. A book with a "building" in its title. Examples might include: Uncle Tom's Cabin, Little House on the Prairie, The Looming Tower
6. A book with a "medical condition" in its title. Examples might include: Insomnia, Coma, The Plague
*You may overlap books with other challenges, but please don't use the same book for more than one category.
*Again, there will be some small prizes scattered throughout. No set schedule, so just be sure to check in once a while. There will also be a prize awarded at the conclusion to one participant who completes the challenge.
*You don't need to decide exactly which books you will be reading ahead of time, though you're certainly welcome to. Either way, I'd love to see your lists of possibilities, and I'll bet everyone else would love to read them as well. To join in, simply leave a link here. Or, if you don't have a blog, simply leave your name (and feel free to share your list in the comments if you'd like).
My initial choices are (subject to change of course):
1. The Constant Gardener by John LeCarre
2. Midnight Mass by F. Paul Wilson
3. Daughters of a Coral Dawn by Katherine Forrest
4. Men at Arms by Evelyn Waugh
5. Napoleon's Pyramids by William Dietrich
6. The Plague Dogs by Richard Adams
Reading Your Name Jan 1 - Dec 31 2009
My 2nd challenge for 2009:
Reading Your Name
Anyhoo, the challenge is to read your name in book title first letters, ultimately spelling out your name. That means:
1. Using your first name, or blogger name, or your pets name, or even your favorite literary character's name; whichever you like, choose books with first title letters that spell out your name. (Audio books and eBooks are also okay.) Such as my name: Victoria. the first book's title would start with the letter V, then the next book title begins with I, etc. Make sense? (I hope so!) :p
2. Bloggers and non-bloggers alike are free to join. If you do not have a blog and would like to post your reviews/titles that spelled your name somewhere, you may do so here at the group blog. Just send me an e-mail (phantombibliophile [at] gmail [dot] com), or leave a comment letting me know you'd like to use this blog.
I'll be using my real name *gasp*. :) All of these are from my TBR pile (and there might have to be changes).
C - China Mountain Zhang by Maureen McHugh
H - His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
R - Renfield by Barbara Hambly
I - I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
S - Seeing a Large Cat by Elizabeth Peters
T - To Marry Medusa by Thedore Sturgeon
I - In Conquest Born by C.S. Friedman
N - Next by Michael Crichton
A - American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Reading Your Name
Anyhoo, the challenge is to read your name in book title first letters, ultimately spelling out your name. That means:
1. Using your first name, or blogger name, or your pets name, or even your favorite literary character's name; whichever you like, choose books with first title letters that spell out your name. (Audio books and eBooks are also okay.) Such as my name: Victoria. the first book's title would start with the letter V, then the next book title begins with I, etc. Make sense? (I hope so!) :p
2. Bloggers and non-bloggers alike are free to join. If you do not have a blog and would like to post your reviews/titles that spelled your name somewhere, you may do so here at the group blog. Just send me an e-mail (phantombibliophile [at] gmail [dot] com), or leave a comment letting me know you'd like to use this blog.
3. If you have your own blog, come back here every month and leave a comment containing the link to your challenge page containing the books you've read or each review you've written for books that count for this challenge. (Crossovers with other challenges are okay.) I will make a new post for this on the first of every month.
4. The challenge runs from Jan. 1st 2009, to Dec. 31st 2009. You may join at any time.
5. Last but not least, be sure to sign up using Mister Linky Below! & Leave a comment with what name you're going to use, and the name itself of course! Oh, and don't forget to link back to the challenge from your blog (if you have one of course) to show you're participating!I'll be using my real name *gasp*. :) All of these are from my TBR pile (and there might have to be changes).
C - China Mountain Zhang by Maureen McHugh
H - His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik
R - Renfield by Barbara Hambly
I - I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
S - Seeing a Large Cat by Elizabeth Peters
T - To Marry Medusa by Thedore Sturgeon
I - In Conquest Born by C.S. Friedman
N - Next by Michael Crichton
A - American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Friday, October 31, 2008
Whitcoulls Top 100 list Nov 15 08 - Nov 15 09
From here:
Whitcoulls challenge
Read Your Way Through The Whitcoulls Top 100 List.
Time:
* From November 15th, 2008 to November 15th, 2009.
The Rules:
* Pick one of the 4 "Top 100" lists linked below and decide how many books (at least 4) you want to read from that list.
* The initial 4 have to be 'new' reads (new to you, that is).
* Books beyond the initial 4 may be rereads.
* All books may be cross-overs for other challenges.
* Audio-books are A-OK :)
* You may change your list at any time.
* If you read enough books to actually complete one of the "Top 100" lists, I'll make a post in your honour!
The Lists:
1998, 2002, 2006, 2008
I chose the 2008 list and picked my first 4 reads plus the ones I want to read after the minimum. I already own all of these books except 3 and I have not read any before.
Initial 4:
Whitcoulls challenge
Read Your Way Through The Whitcoulls Top 100 List.
Time:
* From November 15th, 2008 to November 15th, 2009.
The Rules:
* Pick one of the 4 "Top 100" lists linked below and decide how many books (at least 4) you want to read from that list.
* The initial 4 have to be 'new' reads (new to you, that is).
* Books beyond the initial 4 may be rereads.
* All books may be cross-overs for other challenges.
* Audio-books are A-OK :)
* You may change your list at any time.
* If you read enough books to actually complete one of the "Top 100" lists, I'll make a post in your honour!
The Lists:
1998, 2002, 2006, 2008
I chose the 2008 list and picked my first 4 reads plus the ones I want to read after the minimum. I already own all of these books except 3 and I have not read any before.
Initial 4:
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
- Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
- The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
- The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
- The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
- Into the Wilderness by Sara Donati
- The Bone Garden by Tess Gerritsen
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon
- Perfume by Patrick Suskind
- The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullogh
- London by Edward Rutherford
R.I.P. challenge complete
I finished the R.I.P. challenge already with 4 books from my list:
Ghost Story by Peter Straub
The Turning by Jennifer Armintrout
The Haunting by Shirley Jackson
Shapeshifter by J.F. Gonzalez
2 really good books, 1 ok book and 1 really bad one. However, I will definitely do this again next year as I still have alot of books in my TBR pile that fit the Halloween genres.
Ghost Story by Peter Straub
The Turning by Jennifer Armintrout
The Haunting by Shirley Jackson
Shapeshifter by J.F. Gonzalez
2 really good books, 1 ok book and 1 really bad one. However, I will definitely do this again next year as I still have alot of books in my TBR pile that fit the Halloween genres.
The Graveyard Book
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
copyright = 2008
pages = 312
source = purchase
date completed = 10/26/08
Of course I read this in 2 nights. It was a very quick read but thoroughly entertaining. I'm sure everyone knows the story by now so I don't need to go into it. But this is definitely a keeper.
copyright = 2008
pages = 312
source = purchase
date completed = 10/26/08
Of course I read this in 2 nights. It was a very quick read but thoroughly entertaining. I'm sure everyone knows the story by now so I don't need to go into it. But this is definitely a keeper.
A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny
A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny
copyright = 1993
pages = 280
source = library
date completed = 10/23/08
This was a delightful book! It's written from a dog's point of view, Snuff, who is companion to Jack the Ripper. Other notorious characters appear: Dracula, Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes, etc. Each chapter is a day in the month of October detailing Snuff's adventures which include preparations for the return of the Elder Gods. That threw me for a loop, but pleasantly. In the course of the month, Snuff has to work with the other animal companions, most closely with Graymalk the cat. They have to obtain certain items for the ritual, spy on the other humans and companions, and try to figure out who is going to be working as an opener of the gate to the Elder Gods and who is a closer. They also have to keep an eye out for who might be trying to kill their humans.
I read this in 2 nights so it's definitely a quick read, but mostly cause I found it so entertaining. Definitely recommended.
copyright = 1993
pages = 280
source = library
date completed = 10/23/08
This was a delightful book! It's written from a dog's point of view, Snuff, who is companion to Jack the Ripper. Other notorious characters appear: Dracula, Frankenstein, Sherlock Holmes, etc. Each chapter is a day in the month of October detailing Snuff's adventures which include preparations for the return of the Elder Gods. That threw me for a loop, but pleasantly. In the course of the month, Snuff has to work with the other animal companions, most closely with Graymalk the cat. They have to obtain certain items for the ritual, spy on the other humans and companions, and try to figure out who is going to be working as an opener of the gate to the Elder Gods and who is a closer. They also have to keep an eye out for who might be trying to kill their humans.
I read this in 2 nights so it's definitely a quick read, but mostly cause I found it so entertaining. Definitely recommended.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
The Haunting by Shirley Jackson
The Haunting by Shirley Jackson
copyright = 1959
pages = 246
source = purchase
date completed = 10/20/08
In this book Dr. Montague leases Hill House, a known haunted house, for the summer. He invites several people to join but only two respond--Theodora and Eleanor. He is also required to have a member of the family that owns the house there--Luke. The Doctor's intention is to scientifically examine the psychic phenomenon that occur in the house. However his method is mainly just to have the inhabitants observe and take notes.
I found this story pretty spooky but short. It almost seems unfinished even though the house does claim it's victim. The interactions among the characters were strange--like they already knew each other, but they had just met. And I could never figure out if there was some tryst going on between Theodora and Luke, Eleanor and Luke, or Theodora and Eleanor. Perhaps it's just because of the decade it was written in--they all seemed too friendly. Overall I liked the story and put the original movie on my Netflix list to see how it compares.
copyright = 1959
pages = 246
source = purchase
date completed = 10/20/08
In this book Dr. Montague leases Hill House, a known haunted house, for the summer. He invites several people to join but only two respond--Theodora and Eleanor. He is also required to have a member of the family that owns the house there--Luke. The Doctor's intention is to scientifically examine the psychic phenomenon that occur in the house. However his method is mainly just to have the inhabitants observe and take notes.
I found this story pretty spooky but short. It almost seems unfinished even though the house does claim it's victim. The interactions among the characters were strange--like they already knew each other, but they had just met. And I could never figure out if there was some tryst going on between Theodora and Luke, Eleanor and Luke, or Theodora and Eleanor. Perhaps it's just because of the decade it was written in--they all seemed too friendly. Overall I liked the story and put the original movie on my Netflix list to see how it compares.
Shapeshifter by J.F. Gonzalez
Shapeshifter by J.F. Gonzalez
copyright = 2008
pages = 323
source = purchase
date completed = 10/18/08
This novel is the story of Mark Wiseman and how he has to deal with being a werewolf. He gets caught on his company's security cameras shifting and the CEO just happens to see it. He uses the tape to blackmail Mark into killing other members of the company board to prevent a merger. And that's about as complicated as it gets.
I always look forward to finding a werewolf book because they seem scarce these days. But I shouldn't have wasted my money on this one. The CEO is typical--embezzling money, doing his secretary, arrogant and thinks money can buy anything. There is no explanation at all for Mark being a werewolf--just one day he gets mad and suddenly he's a wolf. He's had "control" over the condition for years and one day at work he just shifts for no reason. Mark conveniently ends up hooking up with the CEO's secretary (gorgeous blond rumored to be sleeping her way to the top but she's really a smart, caring woman underneath--again, typical). She finds out about the blackmail and the killing and stays with him! She repeatedly says she will never leave him. Hmmm...killer, werewolf, no control--sure, stay. Beyond that, the writing was terrible in some cases and full of cliches. Here are some examples:
"They were like two kids in a candy store."
"When it passed again he regarded the body with bated breath..."
"His body still felt like it had been put through the ringer."
"The road ran before him like a long, black tongue."
"John Wayne Airport in Irvine was a quick hop, skip, and a jump away."
"There had been a short, pregnant pause."
Overall, not worth full price. Snag it used if you want to try it.
copyright = 2008
pages = 323
source = purchase
date completed = 10/18/08
This novel is the story of Mark Wiseman and how he has to deal with being a werewolf. He gets caught on his company's security cameras shifting and the CEO just happens to see it. He uses the tape to blackmail Mark into killing other members of the company board to prevent a merger. And that's about as complicated as it gets.
I always look forward to finding a werewolf book because they seem scarce these days. But I shouldn't have wasted my money on this one. The CEO is typical--embezzling money, doing his secretary, arrogant and thinks money can buy anything. There is no explanation at all for Mark being a werewolf--just one day he gets mad and suddenly he's a wolf. He's had "control" over the condition for years and one day at work he just shifts for no reason. Mark conveniently ends up hooking up with the CEO's secretary (gorgeous blond rumored to be sleeping her way to the top but she's really a smart, caring woman underneath--again, typical). She finds out about the blackmail and the killing and stays with him! She repeatedly says she will never leave him. Hmmm...killer, werewolf, no control--sure, stay. Beyond that, the writing was terrible in some cases and full of cliches. Here are some examples:
"They were like two kids in a candy store."
"When it passed again he regarded the body with bated breath..."
"His body still felt like it had been put through the ringer."
"The road ran before him like a long, black tongue."
"John Wayne Airport in Irvine was a quick hop, skip, and a jump away."
"There had been a short, pregnant pause."
Overall, not worth full price. Snag it used if you want to try it.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
The Turning by Jennifer Armintrout
The Turning by Jennifer Armintrout
copyright = 2006
pages = 379
source = purchase
date completed = 10/11/08
This is the story of Dr. Carrie Ames' transformation to a vampire. Her change is quick and impersonal--done by a a John Doe she thought was dead in the morgue. After she posts online about being attacked by a vampire, she hooks up with Nathan, another vampire in the city who owns an occult store. He informs her of The Movement, an organization that seeks to kill other "bad" vampires and tells her she has to join or die. She negotiates some time to think it over and ends up meeting her sire. The rest of the novel is about her conflict of staying with her sire or going back to Nathan and The Movement.
This was a very quick read but I didn't enjoy it all that much. There wasn't much depth to the characters and Carrie was very weak. One minute she's a doctor, trying to save lives, and the next she's just plain fine with vampire violence and killing. She gave the impression that as long as SHE wasn't doing it, all was ok. Overall, it was an ok book but the characters need more development. Since this is a series, maybe that starts happening later. I might read book 2 just to see what happens, but it's not on my priority list.
copyright = 2006
pages = 379
source = purchase
date completed = 10/11/08
This is the story of Dr. Carrie Ames' transformation to a vampire. Her change is quick and impersonal--done by a a John Doe she thought was dead in the morgue. After she posts online about being attacked by a vampire, she hooks up with Nathan, another vampire in the city who owns an occult store. He informs her of The Movement, an organization that seeks to kill other "bad" vampires and tells her she has to join or die. She negotiates some time to think it over and ends up meeting her sire. The rest of the novel is about her conflict of staying with her sire or going back to Nathan and The Movement.
This was a very quick read but I didn't enjoy it all that much. There wasn't much depth to the characters and Carrie was very weak. One minute she's a doctor, trying to save lives, and the next she's just plain fine with vampire violence and killing. She gave the impression that as long as SHE wasn't doing it, all was ok. Overall, it was an ok book but the characters need more development. Since this is a series, maybe that starts happening later. I might read book 2 just to see what happens, but it's not on my priority list.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Ghost Story by Peter Straub
Ghost Story by Peter Straub
copyright = 1979
pages = 567
source = library
date completed = 10/07/08
Ghost Story is a spooky tale of some residents in the town of Milburn. Sears James, Ricky Hawthorne, John Jaffrey and Lewis Benedikt are a group of old men who sit around telling ghost stories every couple of weeks, calling themselves The Chowder Society. A previous member of the society died the year before and they've spent the last year suffering nightmares and hallucinations which they haven't told each other about. Finally when it comes out, they decide to write to the dead man's nephew, Don Wanderley, who is an author of a book which apparently explains some of the spooky things happening to them. Don comes to town which sparks a whole series of events--mysterious animal deaths, people committing suicide, strange deaths--that the society men now find themselves entangled in.
I really enjoyed this book. It's a slow start, but I got hooked and couldn't stop reading. One night after reading I was so weirded out I had to read a magazine afterwards to try and get the images out of my head. The story is a bit hard to follow sometimes being that Straub switches between calling characters by their first and last names and there are just so many different characters to follow. There are also alot of hallucinations that get kind of confusing, but overall, it's a good story and very creepy.
copyright = 1979
pages = 567
source = library
date completed = 10/07/08
Ghost Story is a spooky tale of some residents in the town of Milburn. Sears James, Ricky Hawthorne, John Jaffrey and Lewis Benedikt are a group of old men who sit around telling ghost stories every couple of weeks, calling themselves The Chowder Society. A previous member of the society died the year before and they've spent the last year suffering nightmares and hallucinations which they haven't told each other about. Finally when it comes out, they decide to write to the dead man's nephew, Don Wanderley, who is an author of a book which apparently explains some of the spooky things happening to them. Don comes to town which sparks a whole series of events--mysterious animal deaths, people committing suicide, strange deaths--that the society men now find themselves entangled in.
I really enjoyed this book. It's a slow start, but I got hooked and couldn't stop reading. One night after reading I was so weirded out I had to read a magazine afterwards to try and get the images out of my head. The story is a bit hard to follow sometimes being that Straub switches between calling characters by their first and last names and there are just so many different characters to follow. There are also alot of hallucinations that get kind of confusing, but overall, it's a good story and very creepy.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
copyright = 2007
pages = 509
source = library
date completed = 09/16/08
Set in London 1886, this is the story of Lady Julia Grey and the death of her husband. She is approached by a private investigator, Nicholas Brisbane, who indicates her husband was murdered. A year later, she comes across some threatening letters that had been sent to her husband and she implores Nicholas to take up the case again. Julie herself assists in the investigation and finds several key clues that help solve the case. In the interim, she is faced with the "facts of life" in a way--poverty, prostitution, race relations, homosexuality--and is forced to lose her naive outlook. I found it a very compelling read (ask the boyfriend--I couldn't put it down!) and will definitely read the next one (just after I finish my current TBR).
copyright = 2007
pages = 509
source = library
date completed = 09/16/08
Set in London 1886, this is the story of Lady Julia Grey and the death of her husband. She is approached by a private investigator, Nicholas Brisbane, who indicates her husband was murdered. A year later, she comes across some threatening letters that had been sent to her husband and she implores Nicholas to take up the case again. Julie herself assists in the investigation and finds several key clues that help solve the case. In the interim, she is faced with the "facts of life" in a way--poverty, prostitution, race relations, homosexuality--and is forced to lose her naive outlook. I found it a very compelling read (ask the boyfriend--I couldn't put it down!) and will definitely read the next one (just after I finish my current TBR).
Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips
Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips
copyright = 2007
pages = 292
source = library
date completed = 09/12/08
This is a wonderfully amusing book about the Greek gods living in modern London. They have lost most of their powers from their golden age and live in a run-down house that none of them will either fix up or clean. They have new jobs--Artemis is a dog-walker; Apollo a wanna-be TV psychic; Aphrodite a phone-sex operator, etc. To liven things up, Aphrodite talks Eros into casting an arrow at Apollo and he falls in love with Alice, the mortal woman who eventually becomes their housemaid. Alice however, has feelings for someone else and when Apollo can't have his way with her, he has Zeus (kept in the attic as a mental case) take revenge. The rest of the book is about how Artemis finds Neil (Alice's real love) and how he has to be a hero to save Alice. In the meantime, the gods also figure out why they are losing their powers and how to fix it. Overall it was a very fun, quick read.
copyright = 2007
pages = 292
source = library
date completed = 09/12/08
This is a wonderfully amusing book about the Greek gods living in modern London. They have lost most of their powers from their golden age and live in a run-down house that none of them will either fix up or clean. They have new jobs--Artemis is a dog-walker; Apollo a wanna-be TV psychic; Aphrodite a phone-sex operator, etc. To liven things up, Aphrodite talks Eros into casting an arrow at Apollo and he falls in love with Alice, the mortal woman who eventually becomes their housemaid. Alice however, has feelings for someone else and when Apollo can't have his way with her, he has Zeus (kept in the attic as a mental case) take revenge. The rest of the book is about how Artemis finds Neil (Alice's real love) and how he has to be a hero to save Alice. In the meantime, the gods also figure out why they are losing their powers and how to fix it. Overall it was a very fun, quick read.
Roma by Steven Saylor
Roma by Steven Saylor
copyright = 2007
pages = 555
source = purchase
date completed = 09/11/08
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was very readable and entertaining. I wasn't sure what to expect; I just knew it was a Roman epic spanning about 1000 years. There was sex, violence, war, mythology, politics--basically everything about Roman life. It didn't follow a specific family per se, but followed the passing down of a particular pendant of a winged phallus representing the god Fascinus to son and daughter through the years. This really makes me want to read some Livy or other works written during the rise of Rome.
copyright = 2007
pages = 555
source = purchase
date completed = 09/11/08
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was very readable and entertaining. I wasn't sure what to expect; I just knew it was a Roman epic spanning about 1000 years. There was sex, violence, war, mythology, politics--basically everything about Roman life. It didn't follow a specific family per se, but followed the passing down of a particular pendant of a winged phallus representing the god Fascinus to son and daughter through the years. This really makes me want to read some Livy or other works written during the rise of Rome.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Current Book challenges - R.I.P.
R.I.P. challenge
September 1 - October 31
I'm going for the first challenge which is to read 4 books from your pool. Definitely much better than sticking to a hard list.
Here's my pool:
2. Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead
6. The Nightwalker by Thomas Tessier
7. Midnight Mass by F. Paul Wilson
8. Renfield by Barbara Hambly
9. Sweeney Todd by Robert Mack
10. Kitty Takes a Holiday by Carrie Vaughn
11. The Call of Cthulhu by H.P. Lovecraft
12. The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe
These are all already in my possession so I need to read them anyway.
Current Book challenges - Historical Fiction
Historical Fiction
April 1-October 1
Books chosen:
1. The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel*
2.Roma by Steven Saylor
3. The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki
4. Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson Replaced withSilent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn
5.The Agony and the Ecstacy by Irving Stone
6.The King Must Die by Mary Renault
* = currently reading
April 1-October 1
Books chosen:
1. The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel*
2.
3. The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki
4. Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson Replaced with
5.
6.
* = currently reading
Sway by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman
Sway: The Irresistible Pull of Irrational Behavior by Ori Brafman and Rom Brafman
copyright = 2008
pages = 199
source = library
date completed = 09/04/08
copyright = 2008
pages = 199
source = library
date completed = 09/04/08
This was a quite interesting book on how humans are swayed toward irrational behavior. It's really a very short introduction to the psychology though. Mostly it is contained of anecdotes that explain the concepts and the anecdotes lead into other ones to explain the first ones. It gets kind of confusing--but it's interesting. I would really have preferred to read something with a little more depth though. This is like a prologue for a psychology book.
Bone Song by John Meaney
Bone Song by John Meaney
copyright = 2008
pages = 370
source = library
date completed = 09/01/08
Plot reviews can be found on amazon.com so I just wanted to point out a few things. First, I liked the premise and the setting. But the author should have taken more time explaining these things. There are wraiths, witches (not Wiccans, but witches with super-powers), zombies—I think—these are never explained. Are they zombies or just un-dead? And yes, there’s a difference. And why would they need to re-charge themselves? (One scene shows a zombie/un-dead plugged into the power outlet??) There is something called necroflux which apparently provides power to the city and is supplied by using the bones of dead people. How? It’s mentioned that bones contain the memories of the dead person, but how does this provide power? But in another city, power is supplied by live children connected to a network?? I didn’t get this at all. I also have a peeve about books that use magic, but don’t define it or have no rules for it. The main scene with a witch in it manages to calm some annoyed animals while at the same time talking to the protagonist telepathically. There’s also the mention of something called hexes—not like a hex on someone, but hexes that are used as alarm systems on buildings and traps for unsuspecting people. It didn’t really make much sense especially since it seemed that just anyone could detect and undo them with meditation techniques (this one’s mentioned a lot).
It is implied that wraiths (mainly used as slaves for electronic equipment—elevators and such) are discriminated against as well as the zombies/un-dead. The main character goes out of his way to make nice with them, but only one person in the whole book makes a snide comment about them. It seems overdone. There’s also a whole side-plot about one of the officers on the task force getting kidnapped. It just seemed completely out of place. The resolution assisted in finding out who the bad guys were, but too much time was spent on it.
The end was abrupt and incomplete—why did that one person have to die?? But come to find out, there will be a sequel. I really don’t think there needs to be a sequel to this particular story. Maybe it will just be books set in the same universe. At least I hope there will be more explanation next time. That’s why I might read the next one—if my library has it.
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