In the Hand of the Goddess by Tamora Pierce
999 Challenge Category: YA/Children's
*Spoiler warning* if you haven't read Alanna: the First Adventure.
The second in the Song of the Lioness quartet starts a few months after Alanna: The First Adventure ended. Alanna, now Prince Jonathan's squire, is traveling when a storm forces her to seek shelter. That night, she meets a new friend - a cat with eyes as violet as her own - and the Goddess herself, who gives her advice about what is to come.
I read the book in one evening. The plot seems meandering, but is really more of a journey, as Alanna prepares to become a knight. A couple of years go by very quickly, which sometimes makes events that were probably a bit slower to occur in the internal chronology happen very quickly. All my favorite characters - Alanna, Jonathan, George, and the rest - were back in this entertaining tale. 4.5 stars.
Cross-posted at the 999 Challenge.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Category 8, Book 4: YA/Children's - Dreamquake
Dreamquake by Elizabeth Knox
999 Challenge Category: YA/Children's
*Spoiler warning* if you haven't read Dreamhunter.
The second book in the Dreamhunter Duet starts before the first ends - there's about 15-20 pages of overlap told from a slightly different perspective. From there, we learn where Laura went to hide after delivering a horrible nightmare that had been used to keep convicts in line to a large number of people in order to bring awareness to what Cas Doran and his Regulatory Body has been up to. Rose soon finds out that this isn't the only thing they're up to, so the fact that nobody seems to care that this nightmare is used on convicts quickly moves to the background.
Like Dreamhunter, Dreamquake starts a little slowly, but steadily builds momentum as the reader and characters discover just what is going on with dreams and the Place. I grew a little frustrated that I figured out a lot before the main characters did, but overall it was an enjoyable read. 4 stars.
Cross-posted at the 999 Challenge.
999 Challenge Category: YA/Children's
*Spoiler warning* if you haven't read Dreamhunter.
The second book in the Dreamhunter Duet starts before the first ends - there's about 15-20 pages of overlap told from a slightly different perspective. From there, we learn where Laura went to hide after delivering a horrible nightmare that had been used to keep convicts in line to a large number of people in order to bring awareness to what Cas Doran and his Regulatory Body has been up to. Rose soon finds out that this isn't the only thing they're up to, so the fact that nobody seems to care that this nightmare is used on convicts quickly moves to the background.
Like Dreamhunter, Dreamquake starts a little slowly, but steadily builds momentum as the reader and characters discover just what is going on with dreams and the Place. I grew a little frustrated that I figured out a lot before the main characters did, but overall it was an enjoyable read. 4 stars.
Cross-posted at the 999 Challenge.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Category 1, Book 4: Award Winners - The Graveyard Book
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
999 Challenge Category: Award Winners
Nobody ("Bod") Owens, orphaned by a man Jack who killed everyone in the family but failed to kill the toddler, lives in a graveyard. The many residents of the graveyard have a hand in raising him, particularly his foster parents, the Owenses, and his guardian, Silas. Somewhere out in the wider world, however, Jack still wants to finish his job.
This year's Newbery Award winner is pretty much as odd as you would expect if you've read any of Neil Gaiman's other books (I mean that as an observation, not a criticism). I liked the premise and the details of life in the graveyard, such as the lessons that teachers long dead taught Bod and the addition of dates and inscriptions after the mention of various inhabitants. Some readers may enjoy the nods to The Jungle Book, but you don't have to be familiar with Kipling's work to enjoy this one. 4 stars.
Cross-posted at the 999 Challenge.
999 Challenge Category: Award Winners
Nobody ("Bod") Owens, orphaned by a man Jack who killed everyone in the family but failed to kill the toddler, lives in a graveyard. The many residents of the graveyard have a hand in raising him, particularly his foster parents, the Owenses, and his guardian, Silas. Somewhere out in the wider world, however, Jack still wants to finish his job.
This year's Newbery Award winner is pretty much as odd as you would expect if you've read any of Neil Gaiman's other books (I mean that as an observation, not a criticism). I liked the premise and the details of life in the graveyard, such as the lessons that teachers long dead taught Bod and the addition of dates and inscriptions after the mention of various inhabitants. Some readers may enjoy the nods to The Jungle Book, but you don't have to be familiar with Kipling's work to enjoy this one. 4 stars.
Cross-posted at the 999 Challenge.
Category 5, Book 6: Audiobooks - Alanna: The First Adventure
Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce
999 Challenge Category: Audiobooks
Alanna and her twin, Thom, are not happy with their father's plans for them - Alanna to be trained as a lady and Thom as a knight. So Alanna cooks up a plan to switch places (their scholar father will never notice) so they can follow their dreams: Alanna to become a knight and Thom, a sorcerer. But what will happen if she's discovered?
I'm having a hard time talking about the story without giving spoilers, especially since it's such a short story. I usually take a long time on audiobooks, but this had only 4 tracks and was such an interesting story that I had a hard time falling asleep to it. While I found the story mostly predictable, I liked Alanna and the friends she makes, and enjoyed the stories about her training. I look forward to continuing the series. 4.5 stars.
Cross posted at the 999 Challenge.
999 Challenge Category: Audiobooks
Alanna and her twin, Thom, are not happy with their father's plans for them - Alanna to be trained as a lady and Thom as a knight. So Alanna cooks up a plan to switch places (their scholar father will never notice) so they can follow their dreams: Alanna to become a knight and Thom, a sorcerer. But what will happen if she's discovered?
I'm having a hard time talking about the story without giving spoilers, especially since it's such a short story. I usually take a long time on audiobooks, but this had only 4 tracks and was such an interesting story that I had a hard time falling asleep to it. While I found the story mostly predictable, I liked Alanna and the friends she makes, and enjoyed the stories about her training. I look forward to continuing the series. 4.5 stars.
Cross posted at the 999 Challenge.
Category 5, Book 5: Audiobooks - 16 Lighthouse Road
16 Lighthouse Road by Debbie Macomber
999 Challenge Category: Audiobooks
Cecelia Randall, grieving from the death of her daughter, decides to divorce her husband, Ian, who was unable to be with her when the baby was born, lived, or died because of his Navy obligations. This is one of several story threads that run through 16 Lighthouse Road, which also follows the stories of other Cedar Cove residents, including divorced judge Olivia and her friend Grace, over the course of several months.
I'm not really sure why I pushed through to finish this book, since it just wasn't clicking for me. I had trouble following all the different characters - while I could keep track of them all, the story shifts made it hard for me to care about one or the other because when I was getting close, the story moved again. Furthermore, these shifts meant that sometimes changes in a character that happened over weeks were summarized in a paragraph instead of shown through changes in attitude or behavior. A story I may have enjoyed more in a different mood. 2 stars.
Cross-posted at the 999 Challenge.
999 Challenge Category: Audiobooks
Cecelia Randall, grieving from the death of her daughter, decides to divorce her husband, Ian, who was unable to be with her when the baby was born, lived, or died because of his Navy obligations. This is one of several story threads that run through 16 Lighthouse Road, which also follows the stories of other Cedar Cove residents, including divorced judge Olivia and her friend Grace, over the course of several months.
I'm not really sure why I pushed through to finish this book, since it just wasn't clicking for me. I had trouble following all the different characters - while I could keep track of them all, the story shifts made it hard for me to care about one or the other because when I was getting close, the story moved again. Furthermore, these shifts meant that sometimes changes in a character that happened over weeks were summarized in a paragraph instead of shown through changes in attitude or behavior. A story I may have enjoyed more in a different mood. 2 stars.
Cross-posted at the 999 Challenge.
Category 3, Book 5: Books about Books - Shakespeare Wrote for Money
Shakespeare Wrote for Money by Nick Hornby
999 Challenge Category: Books about Books
The last in his collection of article written for The Believer, Shakespeare Wrote for Money is just as funny as the first two. The dates on the articles are from August 2006 to September 2008, and include a wide range of books read from YA titles to a biography of Shakespeare.
I love getting the perspective of someone that's intelligent and interesting and humorous and feels like a real reader telling a friend what they liked or didn't like about the books they've read lately. That's the main reason these books appeal to me. Even when I'm not all that interested in the books he's talking about, I enjoy reading about his experiences as a reader instead of reading a more objective, professional review that tells me lots about a book but little about someone's experience reading it. This was an immediate birthday list add. 4.5 stars.
Cross-posted at the 999 Challenge.
999 Challenge Category: Books about Books
The last in his collection of article written for The Believer, Shakespeare Wrote for Money is just as funny as the first two. The dates on the articles are from August 2006 to September 2008, and include a wide range of books read from YA titles to a biography of Shakespeare.
I love getting the perspective of someone that's intelligent and interesting and humorous and feels like a real reader telling a friend what they liked or didn't like about the books they've read lately. That's the main reason these books appeal to me. Even when I'm not all that interested in the books he's talking about, I enjoy reading about his experiences as a reader instead of reading a more objective, professional review that tells me lots about a book but little about someone's experience reading it. This was an immediate birthday list add. 4.5 stars.
Cross-posted at the 999 Challenge.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Category 7, Book 3: Recommendations - Something Rotten
Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
999 Challenge Category: Recommended
Thursday Next has been the Bellman for a couple of years now, but she's ready to go back to the real world. Along with Hamlet (who's concerned about the outside world's perception of him as a ditherer), Thursday returns determined to get her husband Landen uneradicated and to send Yorrick Kaine back to the Bookworld where he belongs.
For months, my mom has been begging me to read this book, the fourth in a series that I first recommended to her. So she was pleased when I finally got to it, laughed at loud on several occasions, and promptly finished it only to revisit some favorite parts with her. I recommend reading Hamlet first, as it will make the bookish humor that much more enjoyable. 4.5 stars.
Cross-posted at the 999 Challenge.
999 Challenge Category: Recommended
Thursday Next has been the Bellman for a couple of years now, but she's ready to go back to the real world. Along with Hamlet (who's concerned about the outside world's perception of him as a ditherer), Thursday returns determined to get her husband Landen uneradicated and to send Yorrick Kaine back to the Bookworld where he belongs.
For months, my mom has been begging me to read this book, the fourth in a series that I first recommended to her. So she was pleased when I finally got to it, laughed at loud on several occasions, and promptly finished it only to revisit some favorite parts with her. I recommend reading Hamlet first, as it will make the bookish humor that much more enjoyable. 4.5 stars.
Cross-posted at the 999 Challenge.
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