Empire of Unreason

Empire of Unreason by J. Gregory Keyes is book 3 in the Age of Unreason series. Where book two lagged a bit, book three was far more of a page turner. Due mostly to the author ending every chapter with a climactic moment. And because he switches between characters you had to keep reading to find out what happens. It was a vicious cycle since I do have to function as a responsible adult and can't spend ALL my time reading.

But book three was satisfying and fun.

A Calculus of Angels

A Calculus of Angels by J. Gregory Keyes is book 2 in his Age of Unreason series.

Still love it.

The continuing adventures of Ben Franklin, Isaac Newton, and many other characters.

The author does get maddeningly worse at ending every chapter with a cliff hanger. So be prepared to not want to put these books down. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Newton's Cannon

Newton's Cannon by J. Gregory Keyes is book 1 in the Age of Unreason series.

I had heard about this series I don't know where but I have had a hard time finding the books. Then Amazon started selling the whole series. And I jumped at the chance to at least try it.

Needless to say about twenty pages into the book I was ordering the rest of the series. It really is fantastic.

The main characters in the first book are Newton and a youthful Ben Franklin. The world is full of magic and wonder and something else they can't quite identify.

This is a fun series and I love the adventure. So much so that I am actually reading this series straight through. I normally will skip around and read several other books in between any given series. This time around I'm going right on through.

That's not because this is better than any series ever, it's simply that this series doesn't neatly end at each book. It begs to be read as a group. And I would hate to put so much time in between each book that I feel like I should go back and read them again.

The Name of the Wind

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss was a VERY pleasant surprise. Only in that I bought the book on a whim while shopping on Amazon. It came up as a recommendation while I was ordering other books. It sounded good so I figured, why not?

Well, let me tell you. If you love Robert Jordan, George R. R. Martin, or any of those big Sci/Fi fantasy series writers you will LOVE this book. It is a fantastic debut novel that is also the beginning of a planned series called the Kingkiller Chronicles.

To say I LOVED this book is putting it mildly. I adored every word, sentence and paragraph. It's poetic, visually lush, and sometimes I found myself chewing on sentences just to savor the idea in the words. Yeah, it's that good.

The Nature of Monsters

The Nature of Monsters by Clare Clark was a book I grabbed at Barnes and Noble because it was on clearance and sounded appealing.

I won't say this was a great book. I hesitate to say it was even a good book. But I did enjoy reading it. I found it intriguing. And I wanted to finish it.

But I also felt like it was a great book that didn't reach it's potential. That it could have bumped itself up a notch but missed. And I don't know why.

Like I said, I enjoyed reading it. And I wanted to finish it. But maybe I just didn't relate to any of the characters. I just never found myself caring about them or their lives. And because of that distance I didn't fall in love with anything about it.

And this review is just as non-committal as the book. Not bad, but not a must read.

The Count of Monte Cristo

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas has been sitting by my bed for months. And I have been reading it off and on. It's 1488 pages. Give me some slack.

But this was the second go around for me. I think I might have originally read the abridged version. So I picked up the unabridged and decided to give it a second read.

And even the second time around I loved this book.

I had one of the guys at work stop in mid sentence when he noticed it sitting on my desk. And he said I was reading his all time favorite book.

My dad LOVED it as well. He decided to read it because I had mentioned it was my favorite classical piece of literature and so had his friend at the coffee shop.

It's an amazing story. Even the second time around.

To Reign in Hell

To Reign in Hell by Steven Brust - well, let's just say I shelved it about half way through. It's not a bad story. But I was getting so pissed off at one of the characters that I wasn't enjoying myself.

This is the story of the great war in heaven between god and satan. All the archangels are there as well as a host of other greater and lesser beings.

I might pick it up again but who knows. It had some very interesting moments. And a few characterizations that I really liked and wanted to know more about. However, like I said, I was so annoyed at the character instigating all the trouble that I had to stop. Probably stupid, but when you find yourself gritting your teeth while you read, well, it's time to stop.

Hell to Pay by Simon R Green is #7 in his Nightside series.

I have had this sitting on my bookshelf for over a year because I was saving it for a very special occasion. Mainly the release of the next Nightside book. I don't know what I would do if he stopped writing these.

Fun, creative, and a wild ride. I LOVE this author. I love his humor, his style, and his amazingly creative mind.

Putting it simply, his books to me are perfect escapism.

The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier was a fast and fascinating read.

Basically there are three states of existence, living, dead but remembered, and then, well, something after that but we don't know what.

The story goes back and forth between the living and a city of the dead. Because for as long as someone remembers you, as long as you are in their thoughts then you exist in the city of the dead.

This thought provoking story really does talk about how people might die but they live on in our memories.

Strange but beautiful, I enjoyed this story very much.

People of the Book

People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks was a story my parents picked up and really enjoyed. So when we got together a few weeks back they gave it to me to read. And I'm glad they did.

The story is really cool. It takes place in modern times and in the distant past.

A Hebrew prayer book has been found and is lovingly preserved by Hannah. With each sample she takes from the book of stains, hair, and even a butterfly wing she tried to put together where the book has been in it's long life. And with each piece of evidence we are taken back in time to find out how those bits of evidence got to be a part of the book. As well as how the book in and of itself came to be.

It's a wonderful story. Fun to read, and beautifully written.

The Witch of Portobello

The Witch of Portobello by Paulo Coelho was one of those grabs at the airport book store. I loved The Alchemist and this sounded irresistible. I was intrigued from the first page.

Ultimately, I'm not sure I loved this book. It was beautifully written and had some fantastic moments. And beautiful passages. But I feel a little empty. I didn't grow to care about the main character as much as I probably should have. She remained a little distant to me.

But, I'm not sad I read it. And I don't feel like it was a waste of time. It was a good story, just not a life changing great story.

The Shadow of the Wind

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafron was simply wonderful. Fantastic, couldn't be better. My dad read this book at the same time I did and we would call each other and talk about the quotes we liked from the book. There were many.

We had read "The Book Thief" and both thought that there was no way a book could compare. And that for a while it would seem that all other books were just not anywhere as good in comparison. But I picked this one up and as soon as I started it I called him and told him to grab it. That he would love it just as much.

And we certainly did. This was a really good story.

The Amber Spyglass

The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman is the third book in his trilogy. And equally as marvelou as the first two. Normally I would have been very sad to see this series end. It was a fun ride. But, there is an additional book called Lyra's Oxford. So I can still get my fix.

Overall, I'm glad I read this series. I really enjoyed it. And I will save Lyra's Oxford for one of those literary treats I savor and save for special reading occasions.

The Subtle Knife

The Subtle Knife by Philip Pullman is book two in the "His Dark Materials" trilogy.

Much like the Golden Compass this series is turning out to be a very enjoyable read.

I had this series on my list of books to read but it was bumped up in priority due to the controversy about the meaning behind the books.

I'm glad the movie and books caused such an uproar because the stories are really enjoyable. I'm only a few pages into book three but I like it just as much.

Easy to read but not childish. The characters are fascinating. And I can't wait to find out who turns out to be what - there is a very ambiguous line between right and wrong, good and evil. And who can you trust.

The Book Thief

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak was picked up on a whim at Barnes and Noble one afternoon. I was browsing a section of the store where they highlight new, recommended, and featured authors. I walked up and down the row multiple times and on the third pass I noticed this book down on the bottom hidden in shadow. And it literally called to me. As I picked it up and started to read the description it seemed to vibrate in my hands. (And no, I hadn't had my coffee yet) I read the opening lines and I knew I had to get this book.

And several good cry's later, I am SO glad I did. This book is now one of my all time favorite books. I have been shouting from the roof tops that it must be read. My dad and a friend of his both went and got copies. And Dad said that from page one he was intrigued and hooked.

The writing is beautiful and mesmerizing.

This book will change you. I guarantee you will walk away a different person when you finish. The characters will have moved into your heart and they will become a part of your soul.

I can't tell you enough what an amazing book this was.

The Golden Compass

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman has been on my reading list for ages. I thought about reading it when the movie was coming out but of course there were other books that I just HAD to read. But then a friend said to me that she wasn't going to let her kids see the movie because it is about a couple of kids that set out to kill god. Well, hell, of course I had to read the book now. I need to find out for myself just what this series is about.

And though I still don't know what Mr. Pullman's message (if any) is, I do know that this is a fantastic series. I am about 100 pages into book two (The Subtle Knife) and at least thus far there is no mention, nor any quest to kill god. God really doesn't come into it yet. There is some hints and references to great beings, but nothing obvious or harped on.

All I know is, when I pick up the book and start to read the entire world around me disappears. And if I have to stop reading i have to pull myself out of the beautiful and fascinating worlds Mr. Pullman has created.

I can't wait to finish this series. It is marvelous. I'm thankful for the controversy or I might never have put this at the top of my oh so long reading list.

The Accidental

The Accidental by Ali Smith was a fast read. Just a couple of days to get through. It started out great but I think it fell apart at the end. Or maybe I missed something. But I thought the ideas in the story were good. The character development was good. But then it seemed as if she wasn't sure what to do with the story.

I liked it, but was a little disappointed in the end. The story starts with a family on vacation and a stranger comes to live with them. Each family member assuming that another member invited her. Only, none of them actually did. The story is about how this stranger interacts with each member of the family along with private moments with each family member. But suddenly vacation is over, they are home and the story seems to loose its intriguing magic.

I was sad in a way about the way it ended.

The Rape of Oc

The Rape of Oc by Michael Baldwin I found on the shelf at work. We have several bookcases around the buildings filled with books and this one caught my eye. What really intrigued me was the "This book not for sale in the US" stamped on the back.

Why? Don't know. But it was an interesting tale. Basically the story of a virgin and her fight against the crusaders that pillage town after town.

An interesting collection of characters make this a somewhat entertaining story. But it is long. One of those stories that could probably have been told in a few less pages. But still, I read it all the way through and I enjoyed it. It was different. It was imaginative, and it was a story I wanted to know the end of.

The Solitaire Mystery

The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder - I picked this book up on a whim at Barnes and Noble. I had read Sophie's World a few years ago. And I loved his style and his story. So I decided to give myself a treat.

And what a treat this was. A wonderful tale within a tale. A young boy on a journey with his father to find their mother is given a magnifying glass along his journey. Then, in another town he is given a bag of sticky buns. The baker tells the boy to keep the biggest stickey bun for himself and not to tell anyone about it. Later that night, hungry, the boy decides to devour the last stickey bun. He is surprised to find a book baked inside. The book has the tiniest writing he has ever seen. So tiny it would require a magnifying glass. Which, he just happened to have been given days earlier by a strange little man.

So begins the adventure................you'll have to read it for yourself to find out what happens.

A mix of life, mystery, adventure, and philosophy. This is a wonderful wonderful story.

Sophie's World

Sophie's World by Jostein Gaarder - I read this book a few years back. I picked it up because I had always enjoyed the idea of Philosophy and the great philosophers but found the reading material about them very dry. And the classes I took in college seemed to always put me in a coma.

This book should be required reading in Philosophy 101. It is fantastic. The story of a young girl, Sophie, who is taught philosophy by Albert. I enjoyed this book as a fictional novel in and of itself. But it was the philosophy lessons interwoven amongst the story that really made this an enjoyable book. I felt like I got more bang for the proverbial buck. A great story and an education.

Curious about understanding philosophy - this is a great place to start.