April Reading
May
05
2010

Well, we managed to move our stuff in the 2 days we had (less than 2 actually since we could only move after work on Monday and were moving until 9:30 at night). Now to deal with all the stuff we had to just throw wherever we could find a spot since we didn’t have that much time to move in… And try not to think about the fact that we just have to do it all over again in 2 months.

Yesterday we got our Internet back finally – sort of. I gave up on it last night because it wasn’t working that well. I thought today was going better, but this is now my fifth try at using the Internet tonight as it keeps going down. So we’ll see how it goes…

April was the worst reading month I’ve had in a long time with only three books read. Almost made it to four, but the fourth book was finished a couple of days ago so it will have to be part of the May pile. Just like March, I haven’t yet reviewed any of them (but at least I have reviewed all the books from March now). I’m hoping after we move for the second time things will calm down a little.

Books read in April are:

17. The Praxis by Walter Jon Williams
18. The Poison Throne by Celine Kiernan
19. The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

Favorite book of April: I liked all of these, but this is still a no brainer – The Queen of Attolia. It’s my new favorite book read so far this year.

What did you read in April and what did you think of the books you read?

The Leaning Pile of Books
May
02
2010

I need to go start cleaning and packing up for moving tomorrow, but first I decided to write this up for Sunday while getting caffeinated so I have energy to do all that (especially since I won’t be able to put it up Sunday night due to lack of Internet). Next weekend I’m hoping to be able to make more progress on reviews because I’m afraid it’s not going to be possible this weekend.

This week brought three review copies. I was terribly tempted to go pick up The King of Attolia, but since I’d already started reading Magic Burns by the time I was able to go to the store for it, I decided to wait. After that, I’m probably going to stick to some longer books in order to get caught up on reviews and The King of Attolia isn’t all that long.

The Last Page by Anthony Huso

This is a debut novel. The author contacted me about reading it and when I heard it was dark fantasy tinged with steampunk, how could I resist? It’s the one that sounds the most interesting to me from the books received this week, and I just love receiving personalized galleys signed by the author. I’m looking forward to this one. It will be released in hardcover on August 17.

The city of Isca is set like a dark jewel in the crown of the Duchy of Stonehold. In this sprawling landscape, the monsters one sees are nothing compared to what’s living in the city’s sewers.

Twenty-three-year-old Caliph Howl is Stonehold’s reluctant High King. Thrust onto the throne, Caliph has inherited Stonehold’s dirtiest court secrets. He also faces a brewing civil war that he is unprepared to fight. After months alone amid a swirl of gossip and political machinations, the sudden reappearance of his old lover, Sena, is a welcome bit of relief. But Sena has her own legacy to claim: she has been trained from birth by the Shradnae witchocracy—adept in espionage and the art of magical equations writ in blood—and she has been sent to spy on the High King.

Yet there are magics that demand a higher price than blood. Sena secretly plots to unlock the Cisrym Ta, an arcane text whose pages contain the power to destroy worlds. The key to opening the book lies in Caliph’s veins, forcing Sena to decide if her obsession for power is greater than her love for Caliph.

Meanwhile, a fleet of airships creeps ever closer to Isca. As the final battle in a devastating civil war looms and the last page of the Cisrym Ta waits to be read, Caliph and Sena must face the deadly consequences of their decisions. And the blood of these conflicts will stain this and other worlds forever.

The Ambassador’s Mission by Trudi Canavan

This is the first book in the Traitor Spy trilogy, which is set in the same world as the Black Magician trilogy. It takes place a generation after the previous series. I’ve never read anything by Trudi Canavan, but it sounds like it could be interesting. This book will be available in hardcover on May 18.

Sonea, once the despised commoner in the Magicians’ Guild, is now a Black Magician of Kyralia. Though she is now part of the establishment, she comes to find that the past is not so easily left behind…

Lorkin, Sonea’s rebellious son, has volunteered to join the formidable Lord Dannyl in his new post as Guild Ambassador to Sachaka – a land ruled by cruel, slave-owning black magicians. There is suspicion that some of the Sachakans still harbor dreams of conquest, so when word comes that Lorkin has gone missing, Sonea is desperate to find him. However, Guild law states that if a Black Magician leaves the city he or she will be exiled forever.

As she fears for her missing son, Sonea dedicates herself to helping her old friend Cery. For some time, there has been fear and paranoia on the streets of Imardin. Leading thieves have been dying under irregular circumstances. The need to discover who has been picking off the leading thieves of the city is now a very personal crusade – one that Sonea must aid, for the killer appears to be using magic.

Either a member of the Guild is leading a double life as a hired killer, or there is – once again – a rogue magician on the streets of Imardin . . .

A Breath of Magic by Tracy Madison

This is the third book in the Magic series of paranormal romance, following A Taste of Magic and A Stroke of Magic. It just came out in mass market paperback on April 27.

Chloe Nichols is holding her breath. All her life, finding true happiness with a family has seemed as easy as…well, snagging a bubble off the wind—a bubble that her current boyfriend seems dead set on bursting. Yes, every time Chloe mentions her one true desire, Kyle shoots down her hopes. But he hasn’t reckoned with the awesome power of Gypsy magic, or with loyal kith and kin. One way or another, Chloe’s going to get her happily-ever-after. One could sometimes be found after you’d convinced a man he loves you, right? All Fate needs is a little puff in the right direction…
Covers
Apr
29
2010

After looking through one of those blogs that is dedicated to bad book covers (and seeing a few that I’ve read as well as the one I am currently reading), my husband pointed out that we had some books with covers that were quite possibly worse than any of those other covers (personally, I think that is debatable although I think they are right up there among the worst). So he took a photo of them, which should be clicked to enlarge and fully appreciate the awfulness.


I’ve read these once years ago and actually liked them to my surprise since I did indeed judge them by their covers, but since my husband has read them far more than I have, I asked him to write up some commentary more intelligible than “Why?”:

These are, I think, the worst covers of any books in our collection. First is the bizarre-if-intriguing choice of pen name. Then one inevitably notices the skateboarding blonde that appears on all three covers in the series, though it should be pointed out that there is no actual skateboarding blonde in the books…I’m not entirely sure where that came from. Of course, you can’t miss the dragons, two of which I suspect are mainly Crayolavores. In the actual story those two are supposed to be gold dragons, so the cover is off base here too. Disturbingly, the one item on any of the three covers that actually bears any resemblance to the story inside is Sherlock Holmes standing on a street corner in modern New York City. The interesting thing about these covers are that the quality of the book is inversely proportional to the ridiculousness of the cover.

It can be difficult not to judge a book by its cover at times, or at the very least avoid reading it in public. I was actually going to start Catherine Asaro’s Diamond Star a little while ago and ended up putting it back on the shelf because I had a dentist appointment the following day and needed something to read while waiting… And I just could not bring myself to be seen reading a book with such a horrifying cover in public (it is one of the Baen books, infamous for its cover art).

Once my husband asked me what he should read and I handed him a copy of one of my favorite books ever, Transformation by Carol Berg. Before I even handed it to him, I told him to ignore the cover. He took one look at it and told me there was no way he was reading it and to pick out something else.

What books do you have that have covers too embarrassing to be read in public? Are there any books that have covers so horrible that you refuse to even pick them up?

The Leaning Pile of Books
Apr
25
2010

This week I got some books ordered off my wish list that didn’t arrive on time for my birthday and two review copies (one ARC). One of the review copies is actually a duplicate copy of a book I received the end of last week so I won’t be including it again. However, this does mean that around the time I read The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker, I will be giving away my second copy.

I haven’t made much progress on reviewing lately and suspect that may be the case for a little while. It’s been busy lately, and next weekend I’m going to be moving instead of writing. Since I have already read one of these books, though, I did talk about what I thought of it a little.

Lord of the White Hell by Ginn Hale

I loved Ginn Hale’s Wicked Gentlemen so I was very excited about this book. It’s the first of two books that will be released only one month apart. Book 1 will be out on August 15 and the second book will be out on September 15, but there is a 15% discount for pre-ordering the first book and a 25% discount for pre-ordering both books by June 15. There is an excerpt available online.

Kiram Kir-Zaki may be considered a mechanist prodigy among his own people, but when he becomes the first Haldiim ever admitted to the prestigious Sagrada Academy, he is thrown into a world where power, superstition and swordplay outweigh even the most scholarly of achievements.

But when the intimidation from his Cadeleonian classmates turns bloody, Kiram unexpectedly finds himself befriended by Javier Tornesal, the leader of a group of cardsharps, duelists and lotharios who call themselves Hellions.

However Javier is a dangerous friend to have. Wielder of the White Hell and sole heir of a Dukedom, he is surrounded by rumors of forbidden seductions, murder and damnation. His enemies are many and any one of his secrets could not only end his life but Kiram’s as well.

The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner

I’ve heard so much about this series from Angie of Angieville and Ana from The Book Smugglers that I just had to read them. And I’ve already finished this one since I was unable to stop reading it today until I got to the end. The Thief was good, but this one was something special and now holds the spot of favorite book I’ve read so far this year. The first thing I did when I finished was look up if it was supposed to be in stock at my local bookstore, and it looks like it is so I just may have to pick it up this week because I really want more. Now.

It was one of those that I really wanted to finish but I also found myself going back and rereading a lot of parts I’d just read because they were just so good. I loved the characters and the dialogue and the way every little thing seemed to have significance. This is one I can definitely see myself rereading. (Leaving out the blurb since there would be huge spoilers for The Thief in any plot description.)

Hand of Isis by Jo Graham

I really enjoyed Black Ships so of course I wanted to read Jo Graham’s second novel. This one is set in Egypt and is about Cleopatra’s handmaiden.

Following her acclaimed debut, Jo Graham returns to the ancient world with a novel that will captivate lovers of fantasy, history and romance. Set in Ancient Egypt, Hand of Isis is the story of Charmian, a handmaiden, and her two sisters. It is a novel of lovers who transcend death, of gods who meddle in mortal affairs, and of women who guide empires.

A Brother’s Price by Wen Spencer

This is a new-to-me author I’ve been wanting to read. After looking through her books to pick one to start with, I thought this one sounded the most interesting, probably because I’m a sucker for a plot involving gender reversal.

In a world where males are rarely born, they’ve become a commodity-traded and sold like property. Jerin Whistler has come of age for marriage and his handsome features have come to the attention of the royal princesses. But such attentions can be dangerous-especially as Jerin uncovers the dark mysteries the royal family is hiding.
Review of Tsunami Blue
Apr
21
2010

Tsunami Blue
by Gayle Ann Williams
290pp (Paperback)
My Rating: 3/10
Amazon Rating: 4.5/5
LibraryThing Rating: N/A
Goodreads Rating: 3.82/5

Tsunami Blue is a debut paranormal romance by Gayle Ann Williams. There will be a second book set in the same post-apocalyptic world that takes place six years after the end of this one with a different pair of main characters.

In the year 2023, the world has been completely changed due to tsunamis that have transformed the larger land masses into islands. Kathryn O’Malley, better known as Tsunami Blue for her ability to predict these giant waves, lives alone on one of these islands in the Pacific Northwest with her dog Max. From here, she broadcasts on her radio and warns people about any approaching tsunamis whenever the sea notifies her about them. She is also hiding from the Runners, pirates who would find it very advantageous to possess the woman who knows when the tsunamis are coming.

One night when walking along the shore, Max finds a man’s body. At first, Blue believes him to be dead–to her great chagrin, since he is the most beautiful man she’s ever seen. Soon she realizes he just appears deceased due to hypothermia so she has her big dog pull him back to her house where she must of course strip off all his clothes and lay naked next to him to warm him (although she does take the precaution of handcuffing him to her stove first). In the morning, Blue finds a knife he has dropped that has the mark of the Runners on it and sees several Runner ships approaching in the distance – and determines to kill the man she just saved.

Instead, she gets back to her home to find he has recovered so well that he was able to lift the cast-iron stove and slip the other end of the handcuff off it so he was no longer restricted. When Blue tells him his friends are coming, he tells her they’re leaving and drags her along against her will. They encounter some Runners, who seem to think he has captured Tsunami Blue for someone named Indigo, but he helps Blue fight them off and takes her to his boat. He seems different from the other Runners and Blue is certainly attracted to him – but can she really trust anyone in this lawless world in which survival often depends on looking out for oneself first?


Tsunami Blue is an entertaining, fast-paced book, but in spite of that, I had a few problems with it. One is that it could be quite cheesy and too convenient. When Blue first encounters the man on the shore she initially believes to be dead, she thinks of him as a dark, beautiful angel. Later she discovers his name fits this description perfectly – Gabriel Black. (I do find it a bit amusing that they are Black and Blue, though, when there is so much violence and bruising that goes on when these two are around.) And there are so many excuses for two people who are not actually together to get naked, such as saving someone from hypothermia.

Suspension of disbelief was also necessary. The tsunami premise was a bit difficult to believe. Also, I found it rather incredulous that a man who was unconscious from hypothermia just a few hours before was able to lift a cast-iron stove, drag Blue out of the house to the shore and then fight off a bunch of men. Even Blue made the observation that she wouldn’t have expected him to suddenly turn into Hercules after his ordeal, but having the main character barely able to believe what happened only made it more apparent just how preposterous it all was.

Although it was great to see a heroine who was not at all passive and saved the hero at least as often as he saved her, Blue’s abrasive personality did get on my nerves repeatedly. It’s understandable that she wouldn’t be trusting and would be exceptionally argumentative with the rough world she’s grown up in and the harsh life she’s had – her parents and twin brother were all killed by a tsunami and she was raised by her uncle, a Runner who was not always pleasant to be around and taught her not to be soft. Considering the novel was told from her first person point of view, it did get very annoying as she sniped and made smartass comments, though. Also, she was far too arrogant about how tough she was, particularly with it came to her abilities with a knife:

I twirled the knife into a blur, which was a habit. I realized it probably looked hokey, but what the hell; I didn’t get many chances to show off my knife skills, and he was a captive audience. Literally. “Depending on what I hear,” I continued, “if I like your answers, I’ll decide if you live” — twirl — “or die.” Twirl. Man, I’d just impressed myself with this knife act, set a new speed record, even. I was such a badass. [pp. 27]

And the old knife-between-my-teeth-trick? A guy named Rambo, who the older Runners idolize, may have been famous for it, but I did it better. [pp. 213]

It was hard to see what Gabriel saw in her, but then, he was too perfect, understanding and thoughtful to be true. He was pretty sympathetic toward her no matter how much she bitched at him.

That’s not to say Blue was all bad as she did have motivations for her actions, fondness for children and a desire to save people the best she could. The lengths she took to give up swearing so much in hopes that there were children listening to her on the radio was sweet. Blue was definitely brave, but her courage sometimes seemed like overconfidence and folly even if it was often for a good cause.

The ending was very rushed, and I was rather surprised how much was still left to be wrapped up by the time I was getting close to the end. It was all resolved by the time the last page was turned, but it was all over in very few pages.

Even if I did find the reasons for the changing structure of the world a bit far-fetched, the resulting culture was very interesting to read about. The lack of most of the modern technology we’ve come to depend on, the chaos and lawlessness and the development of a rather immoral band of pirates did make for some entertaining reading.

Tsunami Blue was somewhat enjoyable even if I did roll my eyes a few times while reading, but I found it less and less diverting as I got closer to the end. After finishing it, it became apparent there were a lot of problems that an intriguing premise and fast pace did not make up for – an irritating heroine, a nearly perfect hero, lots of cheesy parts and dialogue, a hurried conclusion and too many circumstances that were just too difficult to believe in.

My Rating: 3/10

Where I got my reading copy: It was a review copy from the publisher.

Other reviews:

The Leaning Pile of Books
Apr
18
2010

This week I got a couple of book orders (one made because I had a gift card and found something cheap; the other because I saw a book in a series I like was no longer available new on Amazon and wanted to get it in case it completely disappeared) and 3 review copies. So it was a pretty good week.

But first, a little about what will be coming up… Yesterday I wrote up a review of Tsunami Blue so that will probably be up Tuesday or Wednesday. I haven’t started the review of The Praxis yet, but that’s up next and I’m still reading the book that will be after that (The Poison Throne by Celine Kiernan).

Lord of the Changing Winds by Rachel Neumeier

Lord of the Changing Winds is the first book in the Griffin Mage trilogy. It is coming out on May 1 (or April 27 if ordering through Amazon) and the second book is coming out a month later. The entire trilogy is supposed to be released this year so no long wait! It sounds pretty interesting (it has griffins, yay!), and it is always great to start a series knowing the rest are not far behind it.

Griffins lounged all around them, inscrutable as cats, brazen as summer. They turned their heads to look at Kes out of fierce, inhuman eyes.

Little ever happens in the quiet villages of peaceful Feierabiand. The course of Kes’ life seems set: she’ll grow up to be an herb-woman and healer for the village of Minas Ford, never quite fitting in but always more or less accepted. And she’s content with that path — or she thinks she is. Until the day the griffins come down from the mountains, bringing with them the fiery wind of their desert and a desperate need for a healer. But what the griffins need is a healer who is not quite human . . . or a healer who can be made into something not quite human.

Feed by Mira Grant

Some of you may remember I already mentioned getting this one – that was an ARC and this is the actual finished copy (and thus the one I’ll actually read). Feed is the first book in the Newsflesh trilogy and it is has zombies, which means I normally wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole. However, I have been planning to read it sometime soon for a few reasons. Mira Grant is also known as Seanan McGuire and I’ve really enjoyed both her novels in the October Daye series. Plus I read the first paragraph and found it was actually quite humorous, and I found what Seanan McGuire had to say about it in the comments when I first mentioned it made me even more curious about it, particularly when she said it was more political scifi than horror (which is far more my genre). It’s officially out on May 1, although Amazon has it starting April 27.

The year was 2014. We had cured cancer. We had beat the common cold. But in doing so we created something new, something terrible that no one could stop. The infection spread, virus blocks taking over bodies and minds with one, unstoppable command: FEED.

Now, twenty years after the Rising, Georgia and Shaun Mason are on the trail of the biggest story of their lives-the dark conspiracy behind the infected. The truth will out, even if it kills them.

The Darkly Luminous Fight for Persephone Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber

This is the second book in the Strangely Beautiful series, following The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker. I enjoyed the first book (which was recently optioned to be made into a stage musical) and will definitely be reading this one sometime soon.

With radiant, snow white skin and hair, Percy Parker was a beacon for Fate. True love had found her, in the tempestuous form of Professor Alexi Rychman. But her mythic destiny was not complete. Accompanying the ghosts with which she alone could converse, new and terrifying omens loomed. A war was coming, a desperate ploy of a spectral host. Victorian London would be overrun. Yet, Percy kept faith. Within the mighty bastion of Athens Academy, alongside The Guard whose magic shielded mortals from the agents of the Underworld, she counted herself among friends. Wreathed in hallowed fire, they would stand together, no matter what dreams or nightmares—may come.

The Ruby Dice by Catherine Asaro

As I’ve loved several books in the Skolian series, I’ve been slowly collecting them all. Once in a while, I find one of these books is no longer easy to find and panic and try to find a copy. This is one of the most recent books in the series so I was shocked to see it was no longer available on Amazon – and not just temporarily out of stock, either. So my husband found me a copy on Alibris and now I can breathe a sigh of relief. Now there’s only one book I’m missing, although maybe I should try to snag it sooner instead of later just in case (this is the third book in the series that’s happened with now). I do need to get reading so I can get to this one, which is one of the two in this series I’m looking forward to the most.

Warning: Depending on which of the books you’ve read, there are spoilers in the following blurb. I’m not sure which of the ones I haven’t read yet explain some of this, but if you’ve not read Ascendant Sun yet there are spoilers for that one.

Two men, two empires. Jaibriol ruled the Eubian Concord: over two trillion people across more than a thousand worlds and habitats. Kelric ruled the Skolian Imperialate. War had come before-and it might come again, devastating vast swathes of the galaxy. Neither Jaibriol nor Kelric wanted war, but neither was complete master of his realm. And each hid a secret that, if revealed, might be his downfall. Jaibriol was a secret psion, with telepathic abilities, and to be a psion in the Eubian Concord was to be a contemptible slave, eventually to be tortured for the pleasure of the slave’s owner. Kelric, years ago, had disappeared for nearly two decades.He had been a prisoner and slave on the planet Coban, part of neither empire, until he had managed to escape. And if the Skolian Imperialate knew of his captivity, there would be demands for vengeance, ravaging Coban-and killing the wife and children Kelric had left behind when he escaped. Neither man knew how much longer he could keep his secret-nor how much longer they could hold back the threat of a war that could incinerate hundreds of inhabited worlds.

Silver Borne by Patricia Briggs

Ever since the Mercy Thompson series has started coming out in hardcover, I’ve had a dilemma. See, I really like to have matching books and I already had the first three in paperback. When Bone Crossed came out, I decided to wait for paperback so my books would match. I love this series, so waiting was HARD. I’d just about convinced myself to wait for this one, too, but then I decided maybe I’d get the e-book to read on the iPad and then just get the physical book when it came to paperback. It turned out the e-book was $9.99 and Amazon had the hardcover version for $11.69. So I decided if it was that close in price, I may as well just get the hardcover, caved and bought it.

Warning: There are spoilers for previous books in this blurb as well.

Coyote-shifting garage mechanic Mercedes Thompson, now mated to Adam, the Alpha of the local werewolf pack, embarks on her exciting fifth dark fantasy adventure (after 2009’s bestselling Bone Crossed). Three subplots—Mercy’s attempt to return a magical book to a fae friend-of-a-friend, her difficulties integrating into Adam’s pack, and her roommate Samuel’s misery over being a lone Alpha—come together seamlessly, and excitement builds as Mercy and her loved ones go through ever more intense experiences, including a house fire, a suicide attempt, a death sentence, and a reunion between long-ago loves. Briggs creates both well-rounded characters and a complex mythology, resulting in a rich read that’s far more than a series of action adventures strung together. Fans of the series will be thrilled; new readers should start at the beginning or risk drowning in the immersive world-building.

Beauty by Sheri S. Tepper

Is it possible to order from Amazon without adding on a couple of books for free shipping? I don’t think so. Beauty is a book I’ve had my eye on for a while ever since it first caught my eye in a bookstore. It’s supposed to be a science fiction/fantasy hybrid and a fairy tale retelling which sounds like my type of bibliocrack.

It’s close to 20 years old so I couldn’t find an official blurb – can’t even find the book on the publisher’s website.

The Bone Doll’s Twin by Lynn Flewelling

This is another one I’ve had my eye on for awhile, both because it’s dark fantasy and because I’ve heard good things about the author. So when perusing my wishlist for books to use to get free shipping, I ended up adding this one. It’s the first book in the Tamir trilogy.

Sometimes the price of destiny is higher than anyone imagined….

Dark Magic, Hidden Destiny

For three centuries a divine prophecy and a line of warrior queens protected Skala. But the people grew complacent and Erius, a usurper king, claimed his young half sister’s throne.

Now plague and drought stalk the land, war with Skala’s ancient rival Plenimar drains the country’s lifeblood, and to be born female into the royal line has become a death sentence as the king fights to ensure the succession of his only heir, a son. For King Erius the greatest threat comes from his own line — and from Illior’s faithful, who spread the Oracle’s words to a doubting populace.

As noblewomen young and old perish mysteriously, the king’s nephew — his sister’s only child — grows toward manhood. But unbeknownst to the king or the boy, strange, haunted Tobin is the princess’s daughter, given male form by a dark magic to protect her until she can claim her rightful destiny.

Only Tobin’s noble father, two wizards of Illior, and an outlawed forest witch know the truth. Only they can protect young Tobin from a king’s wrath, a mother’s madness, and the terrifying rage of her brother’s demon spirit, determined to avenge his brutal murder…