Life of Pi

Life of Pi by Yann Martel has been on my list to read since it came out. It has been one of those literary marvels that everyone was talking about.

I had high expectations because of all the hype. And I gotta say, this is a good book.

It's not life changing.

It's just a good read.

Borderkind

Borderkind by Christopher Golden is book 2 in his Veil Series.

I loved the first one. Was enthralled by the second one. And look forward to number three.

Great characters, story, and scenery.

Simply put: I love this series.

Myth Hunters (take 2)

Myth Hunters by Christopher Golden was a re-read in order to be prepared to read the second book in the series, Borderkind.

Second time around I loved it just as much. This is a creative and fun story. And a pretty fast read.

Oliver Bascombe is sitting in his living room contemplating his pending wedding that is to take place the next morning. When a snow storm kicks up into high gear. And through a window comes an ice man in desperate need of help. So Oliver throws on a coat and helps Frost to the edge of the ocean cliffs. Much to Olivers surprise the ice man plunges over the cliff taking Oliver with him. And as Oliver prepares for his death he is shocked to find himself falling into a lake, the sky is blue, the trees are green, and Oliver isn't in Kansas anymore..................

The Rule of Four

The Rule of Four by Ian Caldwell was a very fast read. I enjoyed this story. I added this book to my list after reading a review of it somewhere. It had received a great write up. When I looked at B&N it was interesting how the reviewers either gave it one star or 4/5. Sort of that loved it or hated it thing.

I enjoyed it. And I don't feel that I wasted my time at all with this book. It was an interesting read that kept my attention from start to finish. Considering I read it in just over 2 days, how can it loose ones attention?

The story takes place at Princeton University. Basically the narrator tells the story of a rare and unusual manuscript. His father made it his lifes work to uncover the secrets behind the book, but he died before he could solve the mystery. One of narrators friends has made the book the subject of his thesis. And thus begins the adventure. Jealousy, murder, revenge. It's all here.

Yellow Dog

Yellow Dog by Martin Amis is one of those books in which I have to stop at page 30 and say "Life is too short to waste on a bad book"

I was looking SO forward to this one too.

Oh well. Life goes on and this one goes back on the shelf. Maybe someday I'll pick it back up and give it a second try. But for now we have moved on.

The Shadows of God

The Shadows of God by J Gregory Keyes is the 4th and final book in his Age of Unreason Series. Fast paced and easy to read this was a satisfying end to a terrific series.

But, you do have to be a Sci Fi geek to enjoy this series. It's a bit out there. And delves into trying to discover the true nature of god and the angels.

Overall I loved these books. I thought reading them back to back was going to be a good idea but in all honesty I got to the point where I was ready to be done. Not because it was bad. But I like variety in my reading so four in a row just made me itch to move on to another type of story. And honestly, it wasn't the books, it truly was me. I get the itch to move on sometimes while reading the best books I have ever read. I'm restless like that.

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.