Reading Meme – Day Sixteen

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Nov 162010
 

Day 16 – Your guilty pleasure book

This is a pretty tough choice, since I don’t consider any book “guilty”, no matter how pleasurable it may be.

Although I suppose that I must say that audio books in general are my “guilty” pleasure, as I enjoy listening to them at my job while I’m working.

Two of the audio books that I like the best are Jim Butcher’s Dresden series, as well as JK Rowling’s Harry Potter.

If I had to choose a “guiltier” pleasure, then it’d have to be Harry Potter. You see, I managed to get my hands on the British versions and I love the reader’s accent and the differences in language.

Sometimes, after spending 6 or 7 hours listening to this series, I end up with a bit of an accent. So if you see me start to call things ‘git’, then you know I’ve been reading Harry again.

And that’s my guilty little reading pleasure. What’s yours?

Reading Meme – Day Eleven

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Nov 112010
 

Day 11 – A book that disappointed you

I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from the publisher. The fourth time I fell asleep within the first 50 pages, I gave up trying. Since I don’t review books I can’t finish, I never posted anything about it.

Something about this book just didn’t grab me. I couldn’t figure out why the main character would take a call in the middle of the night from her ex-boyfriend, let alone why she’d care if he disappeared. Maybe that’s just my perspective – I sure didn’t mind when my last ex left town.

I always feel vaguely guilty when I don’t enjoy a book, but ultimately I had to decide that my TBR-pile is much too large to keep trying with a book that doesn’t grab me.

Reading Meme – Day Ten

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Nov 102010
 

Day 10 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving

I thought when I picked up this very pink-themed book with its decidedly romance-y back cover blurb that there was a very good chance that I’d be disappointed. Especially with how much the book had been hyped in reviews and by the publisher.

Luckily, I was very pleasantly surprised by plucky heroine Alexia Tarabotti and her werewolf beau. Click to read my reviews of books one, two, and three.

Reading Meme – Day Nine

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Nov 092010
 

Day 09 – Best scene ever

Geez, this one is a really, really hard choice. There are a ton of books who could qualify for “best scene”. Like:

  • The battleground scene of Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Dart, where Phedre is nearly skinned alive and Joscelin nearly performs the terminus.

  • The climactic scene of Rob Thurman’s exciting Trixa novel: Trick of the Light. This ending is twistier than a bag full of soft pretzels.

  • The startling imagery of Anne Bishop’s Queen of the Darkness. Specifically, the scene where Saetan, Daemon, and Lucivar keep Jaenelle from returning to the Darkness.

  • The final, mind-boggling, jaw-dropping scene of Jim Butcher’s Changes. I may die of suspense before the next book, Ghost Story, is released next spring.

I honestly don’t know if I could choose. Each of these scenes is unique and intriguing in it’s own way. And all of these books are recommended by me!

Reading Meme – Day Eight

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Nov 082010
 

Day 08 – Your favorite work in translation

I’m embarrassed to say that, besides some work by English and Australian authors (which don’t really need to be translated at all), I haven’t read anything that fits into this category.

But I do have this on my to-be-read shelf & I will get around to reading it some day:

Reading Meme – Day Seven

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Nov 072010
 

Day 07 – A writer you don’t like

I’m going to interpret this in a different way, since I don’t know any authors well enough to dislike them personally.

I’ll talk about an author whose work I dislike. One can be critical of an author’s work without being critical of the author themselves. Sadly, sometimes an author cannot separate the two – and I believe that’s a sign of an amateur writer (regardless of whether they’ve been commercially published or how long they’ve been writing).

I’m not the only Anita Blake fan to become disillusioned at what many perceive to be a drastic change in the character’s … well – character. I also think the quality of the books has gone down. In several of the last books I read (Disclaimer: I stopped reading the series at around book 13 or 14, I think) the copy-editing seemed poor. There were enough misspelled, misused, or missing words to throw me out of the story, which is always a shame.

I won’t argue on the character change part. In my opinion, the author is god – at least in regard to their own world and words – so if that’s the path Hamilton wanted to take with her character, then that’s her choice. She obviously lost some readers, and just as obviously still has enough of them left to continue to put her on the best-seller list.

With that said, each reader makes a choice on what they want to read and what they don’t. And this is one series that I don’t.

Note: I’m closing comments on this article, because I don’t want it turned into a forum for author-bashing. Each person is entitled to their own opinion, but – for the sake of harmony & my peace of mind – I don’t want them displayed here.

Reading Meme – Day Six

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Nov 062010
 

Day 06 – Your favorite writer

I have lots of favorite writers. I love Kim Harrison, Anne Bishop, Jacqueline Carey and David Eddings, among many others.

If I had to choose one of those legion, however, I’d choose:

Jim Butcher has managed to write urban fantasy with elements of noir, epic fantasy with Roman legions and Pokemon, short fiction, and even Spider-Man. His work has also translated well into graphic novels and role-playing games. Butcher is a great author who isn’t afraid to drag his characters straight through the wringer, over a barbed wire fence, and into a bed of coals.

Reading Meme – Day Five

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Nov 052010
 

Day 05 – A book you hate

There are tons of books out there that I read, or tried to read, and didn’t like. I’ve had trouble, though, coming up with one that I actually hate.

Until I remembered that I was forced to read quite a few books in my Advanced Placement English course that I wasn’t very fond of. And the top of that pile is…

This book/play is supposed to be a work of literate genius. I appreciate the fact that some people think so.

I don’t.

For such a short story, it’s an eternity of torture. Maybe I’m bourgeois, but I like my tales to have a plot. I find things like having a beginning, a middle, and an end to be essential to a good book.

Reading Meme – Day Four

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Nov 042010
 

Day 04 – Your favorite book ever

I don’t honestly know if I can answer this question. I have lots of favorite books, and most of them are part of a series.

So I guess I’ll talk about my favorite volume among the books that I own.

You see, my husband for Christmas one year early in our relationship gave me the 1,248 page, leather bound deluxe edition of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare.

Here’s the cover:

Isn’t that just gorgeous? It’s got gilt edges and a satin ribbon bookmark and includes all the tragedies, comedies, histories, and every sonnet. I read one of them when my husband and I were married, even.

I know  some people think Shakespeare is over-rated. I’m  not one of them. I love the way he can appeal to both the intellectual and the “commoner” by using brilliant metaphors and not-so-veiled double entendres. I was always very pleased by the fact that, whenever we studied Shakespeare in school, I almost always understood immediately. Most people thought of Shakespeare as a “foreign” language, and I was proud to serve as “translator”.

So, there. My favorite book, of a sorts.

Reading Meme – Day Three

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Nov 032010
 

Day 03 – Your favorite recent book

I’m a big fan of books written in multiples, if you couldn’t tell. If you really couldn’t, don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll prove that over the course of this month.

I’m going to have to say that The Icarus Project is my favorite recent book(s). There are 2 so far in the series: Black and White and Shades of Gray. They are a joint effort from Jackie Kessler and Caitlin Kittredge.

To repeat what I’ve already said about it:

“… cover to cover superhero girl-power awesomeness.”

You can see my reviews of both books here and here. Read them. You won’t regret it. [Buy it at B&N.]

Reading Meme – Day Two

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Nov 022010
 

Day 02 – A book that you wish more people had read

I know I should take this opportunity to put forward a book that has some great social message. But instead, I will merely be selfish. The first book I thought of when I read today’s meme is really the first two books of a series: The Godslayer Chronicles books 1 & 2 by James Clemens.

Clemens’ The Band and the Banished series was an excellent and unique dark fantasy tale. One of the few epic fantasies with a truly strong female lead character, I thoroughly enjoyed it and was very excited when The Godslayer Chronicles books started being released.

Clemens manages world-building on the level of Brandon Sanderson – though, sadly, I don’t know if he’s as consistent at it. Clemens also writes as James Rollins, but I haven’t read any of those books, and there is only the one full and this aborted series under the Clemens pen name.

I wish more people had read these books, for the sole reason that I want more of them. There, I told you it was selfish. The first two novels, Shadowfall and Hinterland, set up and introduced a bizarre new fantasy world with a multitude of characters that a reader can really get involved in (and attached to).

Sadly, the second book, Hinterland, was released back in 2006, and there have been no more volumes of this series since. I haven’t been able to find out any information on whether there will be forthcoming books, but considering the time delay, I’m thinking not. Which honestly puzzles the hell out of me, considering the first two books are still being sold at my local Borders bookstore. One would think that if the last book was released in 2006, and there are still copies on the shelf in 2010, that there must have been some success to the series. Otherwise, the books would have long-since been stripped and returned as unsold.

I am frustrated and sad at the lack of ending to this series. But, if I’ve tempted you at all, at least pick up this author’s completed series: The Banned and the Banished. It is complete, and thus has an ending so you won’t end up frustrated like me. The series contains: Wit’ch Fire, Wit’ch Storm, Wit’ch War, Wit’ch Gate, and Wit’ch Star. [Buy it at B&N.]

Reading Meme – Day One

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Nov 012010
 

I will fully admit to blatantly stealing this meme from CE Murphy’s journal. I thought it was a neat idea, and it occurred to me that I might be a tiny bit busy in November. So I am writing this to you from the not-so-distant past of early October, so that you have something to read while I am beating my forehead bloody on my netbook’s keyboard trying to write a novel in 30 days.

If you’d like to snatch this meme yourself, please see the first link above for the full list of each day.

Day 01 – Your favorite series of books (with more than 3 in the series)

First and foremost on my list is The Belgariad by David Eddings. Maybe there’s still a 12-year-old girl inside me somewhere, but I still enjoy these books (and I know I’m not the only one).

These are my comfort books. Whenever I get to feeling like the world is too harsh for me to handle, I retreat to these familiar words, these characters. Garion, Belgarath, Polgara and Ce’Nedra are all old friends of mine. Their story is so well-known to me that all the harsh edges have been worn away and the entire thing is like a soft, warm blanket I can wrap around myself when I’m troubled. It’s comforting to know that, even after everything these characters faced, they did prevail in the end. It makes me feel like I can win out over my own troubles, too. And I can rest easy knowing that at least I’ll never have to have a sword-duel with a god.

Other series that have ranked in my favorites section are (in no particular order):

  • Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden/ Dresden Files [Buy it at B&N.]
  • Anne McCaffrey’s Dragonriders of Pern and Tower and the Hive [Buy it at B&N.]
  • Kim Harrison’s Rachel Morgan/ The Hollows [Buy it at B&N.]
  • Anne Bishop’s The Black Jewels Trilogy – which is no longer a trilogy, and thus can be included in this list. [Buy it at B&N.]
  • David (and Leigh) Eddings’ The Mallorean, The Elenium, and The Tamuli [Buy it at B&N.]

One of my biggest regrets is that I will never be able to meet the Eddings, and that it never occurred to me growing up to write a fan letter and let them both know how very much their stories meant to me growing up. How much they still mean to me now.

And yes, The Wheel of Time should get an honorable mention, at the very least, as everyone I care about who isn’t blood related to me I met because of that series.

Laurie Halse Anderson’s SPEAK

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Sep 192010
 

This is the situation: Some guy thinks a rape scene is pornography, and wants to keep the book out of the hands of “impressionable teenagers”.

Myra McEntire has already said everything that I was thinking about on the subject.  (McEntire has a YA of her own, due to be released in May of 2011, which I’ll be putting on my ‘To Get” list based purely on the linked post).

Then I realized that next week is Banned Books Week, and ideas began to form.

You see, Speak was recommended to me nearly a year ago, and I did buy myself a copy, but I’ve still not read it. It’s partly because I have so many other things on my shelf (about 100 at last check) and partly because I sort of have a feeling this book is going to be painful.

I’ve not been through the same events as the main character has, but high school was not easy for me (is it for anybody?) and I don’t revisit those days by choice. There’s a reason most of the YA I’ve read has been fantasy or urban fantasy in nature.

I think it’s time to stop being afraid. So for the next two weeks (through the end of Banned Books Week on October 2nd), I’m going to be reading Speak and discussing it here. I’m not sure what I’ll be talking about, because I haven’t read this book before, but we’ll all think of something.

On top of that, and in support of Laurie Halse Anderson and this book, I’m going to be running a giveaway. Comment on this post before 12:01 am EST on October 2nd and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a copy of Speak. And I’ll ship it anywhere The Book Depository delivers.

Why I Read Urban Fantasy

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Aug 102010
 

I’ve always enjoyed the supernatural, in both movies and in books. I love watching stuff like Shaun of the Dead (zombies), Idle Hands (demons), or Cursed (werewolves). But stuff like Texas Chainsaw Massacre or Friday the 13th was never for me. It’s not that I find the latter scary, exactly. I just never preferred them.You may have noticed that the former are all horror-comedies. Cursed has the funniest werewolf scene ever. Idle Hands has Devon Sawa and Seth Green. I don’t think you need to be told anything further. And Shaun of the Dead cracks me up all the way through. But I especially love the singing-zombie scene:

(You’re welcome. No, really. You are. And that’s probably the only time you’ll ever see me link to YouTube, unless it’s a book trailer.)

I always joked that I didn’t watch slasher flicks because they were too real. Except I wasn’t really joking.

Sure, I’ll watch every episode of NCIS ever filmed, but I don’t watch true crime stories. They don’t hold my interest. Why? Because they ARE too real. We’re reminded every day in the news of the sorts of things one person can do to another. I don’t really need to seek it out.

What’s the difference then? Honestly, I think it’s the humor. Even morbid humor is better than the stiff seriousness they use on Unsolved Mysteries and the like. I believe in tempering the worst of human nature (murder & death) with the best that life has to offer (humor, laughter, human resilience).

So what’s the point of this post?

I realized yesterday that this is the one point that makes or breaks an urban fantasy read for me. The murder, kill, death has to be alleviated with some laughter or I just end up depressed. I’ve been reading a lot of depressing urban fantasy lately: Brenna Yovanoff’s The Replacement (review forthcoming), Carrie Vaughn’s Discord’s Apple. While it’s not exactly UF in genre, I’ve also been listening to the audio of Justin Cronin’s The Passage. All three are excellent reads in their own way – I find the sociological aspect of the cultural changes in The Passage particularly fascinating – but none of them are happy books.

And I didn’t fall in love with any of them the way I have some others. Others like: Jim Butcher’s Harry Dresden series; Rob Thurman’s Cal Leandros series; Devon Monk’s Allie Beckstrom series; or Kim Harrison’s The Hollows. The common thread? Humor. Laughter. Even sarcasm. Especially in the face of disaster, death, and the end of the world.

The kind of books you enjoy can tell you a lot about yourself. What does your choice of book say about you? Share your suggestions and thoughts in the comments.

Is Urban Fantasy Ruining Our Attention Spans?

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Jul 022010
 

It’s been a pretty long time since I’ve picked up a book in any genre except urban fantasy or YA paranormal. If you looked through my reading list for the last year or so, you wouldn’t see much traditional fantasy – except for continuing series – or very many other genres at all.

Now, I used to pick out epic fantasy series like some women pick out designer purses – compulsively, and with a Pokemon-style urge to “collect ‘em all”.  I have several new (and some slightly older) fantasy series, as well as a few others in assorted genres, on my TBR shelf, so I decided recently to pick up a little something different.

The first is Rob Thurman’s Chimera. This book is a sci-fi fantasy from an author whose work I’ve previously adored. The author has compared it to the likes of Dean Koontz (whose work I enjoyed when I was younger). I’m currently a few chapters in and I believe the author isn’t far off the mark in her comparison. Stefan and his brother are on the run from some pretty scary bad guys.

And yet it hasn’t (yet, at least) grabbed me in that “must-stay-up-all-night-to-finish” kind of way.  I’m even vaguely disappointed in myself that I feel that way, but it’s the truth. Despite being full of creepy DNA-mangling and mysteriously stalker-ish bad guys, I haven’t been pulled in the way I was with Thurman’s other series.

Let’s try another example. If sci-fi thrillers aren’t my cup of tea anymore, surely my old stand by – the traditional epic fantasy – will pull me in, right?

Carol Berg’s duology that begins with Flesh and Spirit , comes highly recommended. It’s even won an award. I’m a few chapters into that one as well, and it has the timeless, slow, measured pace of the epic world-building necessary in this kind of fantasy. We’ve got a group of magic-users who are bred almost like cattle, wielding a mysterious form of sorcery that has to do with maps. Our drug-and-spell-addicted main character is a juicy bit of contradiction. We know he’s our hero, but even his own parents seem to hate him.

It sounds like an amazing start to a story, and it is. But that stately, intricate dance of world-building and story-telling hasn’t commanded my attention like some other epic fantasies have previously.

I honestly don’t believe that either of these situations stem from the authors’ lack of skill. They both seem to be excellent books. So what’s the problem?

Is it because no ogres or werewolves or vampires or other assorted mythological baddies have jumped out to create some chaos and carnage? Is it the lack of a romantic plot line that has me feeling like something’s missing? I’d like to think not, on that score, but I’m too invested in the answer. (I’d like to think I’m intellectually ‘above’ needing a romance to keep me interested. But I freely admit that could just be my genre prejudices showing.)

Is it just simply that urban fantasy as a genre is faster-paced than your typical sci-fi or fantasy novel? Or have urban fantasy novels become the literary equivalent of a chocolate chip cookie? Yummy and gooey and satisfying for a moment, but not very good for you in the long run? Remember – have too many cookies and your body starts to crave them over more filling foods.

Do you think the pacing of the urban fantasy genre has “trained” us to expect a certain pacing in our novels? And do you think this will have (or has had) an effect on our enjoyment of other genres?

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