Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated – Alison Arngrim

     I picked this book out of the library on a whim. I’m always on the lookout for a good autobiography and this one definitely qualifies as that. Alison Arngrim played Nellie Oleson on the television series Little House on the Prairie. Nellie Oleson as fans may remember was a spoiled selfish child, the great nemesis of the show’s main character Laura Ingalls. Over the 7 year span of the show, fans watched as Nellie, Laura, Mary, and the rest of the cast grew up. Being nosy and not content to leave it at that, I had to check out this book to go along with my review of the first five Little House on the Prairie books.

     The book starts out, where most autobiographies do, with a bit of background about Alison Arngrim’s family. Originally from Canada, both her parents were in show biz. Her mom played a slew of cartoon characters and happily preformed for Alison’s school friends whenever she was asked. Her father was a talent manager, not many of his clients were mentioned except for Liberace but I gather he was moderately successful. Her older brother was in television as a child but as he reached his teenage years was deemed too old and rebellious to get many or any jobs. As a result of her parents’ busy schedules, Alison was left home much of the time with her brother who took his frustrations out on his little sister in the form of beatings and, later, rapes and molestation. She figured working would get her out of the house and away from the abuse so she started going to auditions and finally landed the gig as Nellie Oleson. From there, she made friends with some of the other cast members and was out from under the thumb of her brother and his friends. There is more gossip and behind the scenes info about all the cast and goings on until the show ended. There are also quite a few stories about her friendships with various cast members after the show ended. The last part of the book dealt with her future after the show. How she dealt with the repercussions of her abuse and the death of her best friend from AIDs, was perhaps the most moving part of the book. She has used her fame to become a great advocate against child abuse and for helping AIDs patients.

     I really enjoyed reading this book. There was a perfect mixture of humor and drama. I always like to hear about stars doing well or people actually coping with their demons instead of using them as an excuse for acting like a jerk. From what I’ve read about other biographies about the stars of the same show, I’m not sure I’ll look into more of them. If I do, you’ll be the first to know. More reviews, coming soon.

~Wolfe

Little House on the Prairie series – Laura Ingalls Wilder

Barnes and Nobles is not my favorite place to buy books. However, they have these lovely leather bound sets of classics that I absolutely adore. When I was there last, I picked up the Little House on the Prairie: the first five novels collection. I figured I’d do all five in one review because, let’s be honest, the first book is less than 150 pages and a children's book. It’s a little hard to write a review that would be entertaining with that little bit to work with. The first book in this series Little House in the Big Woods is actually the Wisconsin book from the "most famous book set in the state" list.

I first started reading these books when I was 10 or so and I wanted to know how I would feel about them as an adult. I still really enjoyed reading this series. I can definitely sympathize with the adults now. In Little House in the Big Woods, the love expressed between all the family while the were having their dance demonstrates nicely that even when you may not see people that often, you’re still family. In Little House on the Prairie, the decision to move because “there’s too many people” is quite the way I feel about our current home some days. Having to abandon their farm that they worked so hard on must have been terrible but Charles, the father, was so accepting. His “we have all the time in the world to get it right” attitude is something more people need to find. On the Banks of Plum Creek was the family’s first semi-successful attempt at staying in one place and it goes disastrously wrong. Blizzards and plagues of grasshoppers pretty much destroy their crops and any hopes of making a living so Pa has to find work as a farm laborer. He’s gone for long stretches of time while the girls grow up and after a couple years and paying off their debts they move on to the next book. Also seeing how the “richer” farmers lived in New England in Farmer Boy versus the struggles of the more adventurous settler farmers was an eye opener. Makes you wonder why people would give up that kind of life to make their fortune but it takes all types.

By the Shores of Silver Lake intrigued me the most as an adult. It takes place a few years after the previous book ends and you begin to see Laura’s and Mary’s adult personalities take shape. The family moves to a railroad building town intending to stake a claim after the railroad has been built. At this time however the town is still a very rough place. The girls aren’t allowed to wander far from home and they don’t understand why which causes some rebelliousness. As a kid from a generally safe 21^st century neighborhood, I never understood why they couldn’t just go where they wanted. As an adult with a better sense of what those places were like, I understand completely and feel sorry for their poor mothers. In the end, the railroad moves on and the Ingalls stake their claim and neighbors start moving in. 

News

     Anyone who has been reading this blog may have noticed that I haven’t posted in a couple of weeks. There is a decent reason for this, I have run out of reviews. I pre-wrote a bunch of the reviews and have been posting them week by week. I’ve already started on a new batch and have a half dozen in the editing stage. That being said, I have also started on a new reading project. There isn’t going to be a time line on this one since I have to rely on the library for access to these books. I recently found a list that supposedly contains the most well known books set in every state. I have no idea how they chose the books or what makes them the most well known. I wish I did since I have never heard of half of these books. I’ve already finished reading eight of them and even have a review for one written. Going to find these books at the library has already paid off since I keep finding more things I’m looking for or that just manage to catch my attention. Beside my new project and writing, everything else is going well. My job is awesome, my health is good, and I have lots to keep busy with. Sadly my companion has a case of “I don’t know where to start” and won’t give me any reviews. I’ll keep working on him along with the writing. Now it’s back to the editing program for me.

Here is the link to the reading project: http://www.pinterest.com/pin/334181234824273394/

-Wolfe

Acorna the Unicorn Girl – Anne McCaffrey and Margaret Ball

Acorna the Unicorn Girl – Anne McCaffrey and Margaret Ball

     Acorna is another of those books that I read as a teen/young adult that I liked enough that when I saw it at the library I had to take it home and try it again. I had to do a little research after I read it because I didn’t recall something classified as a young adult novel having that many controversial issues in it. Apparently, I was wrong.

     The book starts out with a life pod being launched from a ship under attack containing only a baby. The parents are hoping that the life signs for the baby will be so small as to escape the bad guys notice and the baby will be picked up by someone on their side. The life pod is found later by a group of three human miners on the fringe of explored space. The baby is nothing remotely resembling a human and speaks nothing resembling any of the known human languages. She has flat teeth, a horse like mane of hair that goes from head to, well, tail, and a small horn in the middle of her forehead. They name her Acorna. At this time, humans haven’t discovered aliens or vice versa. When their company gets bought out by a huge conglomerate that wants to mutilate and run tests on Acorna, they rescue her and go on the run. In the process, they come across more people who want to posses her for her uniqueness and one group who can help them but only if Acorna helps them first.

     It is apparently nothing like any of Anne McCaffrey’s other books and it deals with some controversial issues (more on that in a second) and I’d hate to see someone spend actual money on a book and hate it. This book goes into serious detail about child slavery, mutilation, torture, rape, kidnapping, and all of it is being ignored, even condoned, by the government of this shady planet. Acorna chooses to help the children of the planet escape their enslavement and helps as many as she can but there is still the overtone of all those they can’t help as well as the future children who get stuck with that situation. Now, don’t get me wrong, this is a good book and there are nine other books in the series but if you don’t like your books to have an underlying message that is disturbing, give this one a pass. 

The Outlaws of Sherwood – Robin McKinley

     The Outlaws of Sherwood starts out by introducing Robin Hood, Marian, and their friend Much. Robin accidentally kills a bully who is threatening him and has to run for his life. While it is clear case of self defense/accident, the Sheriff of Nottingham has always hated Robin’s family and carries a grudge because the girl he was in love with married Robin’s father. In this version of Robin Hood, Robin is a pretty crummy shot, somewhat of a pessimist, and a reluctant leader. He starts his band of outlaws thinking that they will be caught any minute and most of his decisions are based around trying to get as many of his followers away so they don’t share his fate. As time moves on, all of the well know characters become part of the band. Eventually, the final battle takes place and everyone’s fates are decided.

     Now, there’s good things and bad things about this book and it all revolves around the characters. The original (or original to me anyway) characters seem to have more thought put into them and their back story. You learn Cecily’s and Much’s background but Allan-a-dale shows up and the only info you get about him is that he’s a minstrel and his lady-love is to be married off to someone else. Nothing else is said about him or his reactions to things until the final battle. It feels like the well-known characters are just there and not really participating in the story, except for Friar Tuck and even then his dogs get more “air time” than he does. The ending was also unbelievably anti-climatic. After a large battle, the author leads you to believe there is about to be a bigger til-death battle between Robin’s outlaws and the Sheriff of Nottingham’s army. However, the battle is interrupted by King Richard before the first arrow is even shot. I felt cheated and it was way too neat of an ending. It was like everything Robin and others were worried about were tied up with a nice neat bow and thrown out the window along with the Sheriff and his followers. On the whole, if you can find this book at a used bookstore for a nice price or at the library (especially if you are a fan of Robin McKinley), I’d say pick it up but don’t pay full price. 

Polgara the Sorceress – David and Leigh Eddings

     I have discovered that this is a complicated book to review, not because it’s a bad book but because it is the twelfth and final book of a series. It is also a prequel to the series so it’s a little hard to review and not give spoilers. I re-read it recently because I haven’t got the others in the series (not that I need them since I've got them practically memorized) but wanted a Eddings fix.

     Polgara the Sorceress is about a several millennia old woman who happens to be able to do magic. She, her father, and her honorary uncles are all disciples of one of the seven gods. A few of the other gods have their own disciples, some don’t but this book is primarily about Polgara’s role in the war between the gods of their particular world and the fate of the universe in general. Both sides of this war have access to prophecies that outline important events and both sides try to influence events to make their side come out ahead before the final battle of Good versus Evil. All of the disciples of Polgara’s god, Aldur, get certain types of the populace to watch over and take care of up to and throughout events. At first, much of Polgara’s time is spent with the most formal (and sometimes silliest) of nobles and knights. Once the family line that will eventually produce their side’s version of the “chosen one” is almost wiped out, she goes into hiding with the one survivor. She then proceeds to raise a seemingly endless series of young boys until the right one is born. Once the right kid is born, the story ends because the characters have reached the beginning of the previous series.

     I really enjoyed this book as a teenager/young adult. After going back and thinking about some of the things that happen or what happens next, I become a little disturbed. If you are a disciple, you get magic and the ability to live for no one knows how long. To become a disciple, you have to use your magic and pretty much find another disciple to teach you. Now, Polgara has a sister who is normal, she dies (pretty much the first chapter so not much of a spoiler). At the end of the book, Polgara and another disciple both have kids. The kids don’t have magic. What would posses someone who might live forever to have kids that getting attached to would mean heartbreak? They would have to watch themselves grow old and creaky and eventually die, while their mother stays young and pretty forever. Wouldn't that tempt them to go over to the dark side as it were? Or to distance themselves from their parents at an early age? It’s like the beginning of the Highlander movie all over. I may be over thinking things again but too many questions go unanswered about other things in the book that are starting to bug me too. But! It is a decent book and a good wrap up to the series. 

The Tea House on Mulberry Street by Sharon Owens

     This is another one of those books that I’m not sure what I feel about it. It is about a Teahouse in Belfast, Ireland and how the lives of the customers and employees intertwine. The book is well-written and there is something like a half dozen main characters. Each chapter alternates which character it involves using which ever one is most relevant to the passing of time. The chapters are decent lengths and fairly consistent; not three pages here, twelve pages there.

     The things that have me unsure about this book are the fact that all the characters get a nice, neat happy ending and her characters are just not likable. The endings for all the characters except one involve being in a happy, stable relationship. I don’t know why that part bothers me so much but it does. I might be trying to read too much into the concept but the people who have the kinds of problems these characters did, don’t and can’t just jump into a happy relationship without professional help. Instead of dealing with their problems, it feels like they either ignored them to stay with their current love interest or blamed their partner and ran away with some one else. It also bugs me that to get the happy ending the two professional artistic characters, a novelist and a painter, had to give up their art. She didn't even make it into a hobby. She just had the characters swear it off completely.

     The characters are unlikable because even though half of them get dealt a crappy hand, they go about trying to fix it in the worst way possible. One woman’s husband is cheating on her, so she decides to get revenge on him. Understandable? Yes. But what she does goes way too far and drags on way too long. She starts on a months long campaign to discredit him in the eyes of his mistress, his family, and his boss; ending with telling lies about him stealing clients and setting up a rival business at a work banquet in his honor to get him fired. The owner of the café has a penny pinching husband. He won’t do anything if it involves money. He doesn't want kids and won’t remodel or update the café. The owner decides she is going to withhold sex and starts an affair with some random guy until her husband changes his mind about having kids. I couldn't even feel sorry for them because they all act like stupid teenagers. I may read this book again in a few months just to see if my first impressions were accurate but I’m glad I got it from the library and didn't pay actual money for it. 

The Other Boleyn Girl – Philippa Gregory

     I have apparently been on both a historical fiction kick and an Anne Boleyn kick. To be honest, I picked up The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn because I couldn’t find this particular book at the library. I found a copy at the local Goodwill though which made my day. I’ve seen the movie a half dozen times at least and wanted to see how the book compared. It’s much like what happened when I saw Memoirs of a Geisha. The book contains way more information than the movie and if you like the movie, you need to read the book. The movie got the major points correct but it left out many little details as well as having a small issue with the timing of events.

     This book tells the story of Anne Boleyn and Henry the VIII from the perspective of Anne’s sister, Mary. It begins with 12 year old Mary witnessing her uncle’s execution and believing he will be pardoned at the last minute. A few years pass with details of the family, Mary’s marriage, calling Anne back from France, and generally introducing their family and explaining how the Court works and why things are the way they are. Mary catches the attention of Henry and is moved out of her husband’s rooms and into her own so that she can be at the king’s disposal and any kids are obviously Henry’s. The rest of the book is a bit love story and a bit drama. When Mary gets pregnant and can’t sleep with the king until after she gives birth, her sister starts to catch Henry’s attention and eventually leads the story to it’s conclusion. There are about 15 years between the beginning of the novel and the end; be prepared at nearly 700 pages, it’s a long book.

     It seems from all the reviews I’ve read, this is a book that is either hated or loved, there is no in between with this one. It has gotten a lot of insults for not being accurate. Those people seem to be missing the point of it being historical fiction. Fiction (not real) being the key word. Also, this took place 500 years ago. There’s no way to know for certain the tiny little details of what happened back then, even the details of whether or not Mary was the youngest or oldest Boleyn is in dispute. The character of Mary was kind of a wimp and very naïve compared to Anne but she grows a backbone eventually. The writing was engaging and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. If you liked the movie or historical fiction in general, this book is definitely a must read. 

Mage Storms Trilogy – Mercedes Lackey

     I know I just complained copiously about a Mercedes Lackey book but this trilogy is one of the reasons her new books annoy me so much. I grew up reading this and some of her earlier works. I still reread them every couple of years and thoroughly enjoy them. She explores so many different themes in her early books that the new stuff is just fluff. There isn’t the same depth. It feels like she is just writing to meet her contractual obligations.

     These books take place after a disastrous war between the countries of Valdemar and Hardorn. The Valedemarans had to enlist the help of their traditional enemies, Karse. They had been fighting over the borders disguised as religious differences for several hundred years. Unfortunately for them, Hardorn’s king despised women in power and was poised to overrun both countries which were ruled by women unless they put aside their differences to defeat him.

     Storm Warning: This book starts with the first non-military ambassadors to Valdemar from Karse. The story concentrates on Karal, the secretary of the ambassador. The ambassador himself is an elderly mage-cleric and the close personal advisor of the ruler of Karse, Solaris, and Karal’s mentor. As usual, the author spends the first few chapters introducing the reader to the world and giving the reactions of the common people a.k.a Karal to this new alliance since the fall of Hardorn’s kingdom for anyone who hasn’t read the series. The protagonists get to deal with two challenges in this book. The legendary country-devouring Empire (simply known as The Empire) trying to add what’s left of Hardorn to itself and the Mage storms, the after-effects of a long ago cataclysm happening in reverse that disrupt the way magic works. The Empire runs mostly on magic and believe that the mage storms are a weapon sent from Valdemar to prevent them from adding to their territory. While Karal is making friends and trying to prevent people from being hurt by the storms and the Empire, they eventually come up with a temporary solution and that is where the first book ends. There are of course many more complications and manipulations from the Empire.

     Storm Rising: This book mostly concentrates on finding a permanent solution to the mage storms. There’s quite a bit of relationship development between Karal, his friends, and a potential love interest. Karal has been promoted to Ambassador because of his mentor’s murder. Unfortunately, his youth and the prejudices of the other councilors cause him so many issues that he begins working himself sick, trying to do too many things at once. Another main protagonist that is expanded on is the Grand Duke Tremaine. Tremaine is the heir to the leader of the Empire and is in charge of “pacifying” Hardorn. The mage storms however have disrupted communications and supplies from the Empire. After many attempts to contact his superiors for more supplies, he comes to believe that the Emperor is sacrificing his own men to test a magic disrupting weapon on the Valdemarans. Tremaine starts to consolidate his power and take over Hardorn for himself and his men. Despite his origins and occasional questionable morals, the people of Hardorn begin to accept him as their protector from hunger and mage-storm created monsters. Sensing that the Duke may be able to help them and knowing he’s left the Empire, Karal and his friends reach out to him for his help to solve the puzzle of the mage storms. Again a temporary solution is found at the end of the novel with half the characters recovering from trauma and the other half still desperately searching for a permanent solution.

     Storm Breaking: This book continues in the same vein as the others. With the help of the Valdemarans, Tremaine is magically bound to the land of Hardorn, so that he can do nothing that would harm the land or the people living, and then crowned King. Everyone is still frantically searching for a way to prevent or lessen the effects of the final cataclysmic mage storm. The only new real development to the story is the involvement of the country of Iftel. Iftel is fairly isolated and mysterious; there are few people allowed in and anyone who leaves never speaks about their homeland. We find out why when a delegation shows up at Tremaine’s court including gryphons and priests that appear to be the same as the ones that rule in Karse. They apparently are the descendents of another part of the ancient armies that were separated from the group that formed Karse. The author was really trying to drive home the fact that this cataclysm was going to be widespread and required much cooperation. Much soul searching is had, the final cataclysm finally happens, a solution is attempted, and the survivors are left tending their wounds and planning how to handle the aftermath.

     I cannot stress enough how much I enjoy these books. Mercedes Lackey explores the themes of religion and magic and science and how they fit together well. The insight she puts into her characters’ arguments of one versus the other or how the various religions interact and tolerance or not is so realistic. I’ve seen people make similar arguments for or against religions that hold different beliefs from their own. Some of it is hard to believe, such as the huge empire directly on the other side of a country that less than five or ten years ago was an ally not being known to any of the people in power in three different countries. Granted they are at about the pony express stage of long distance communication but that would be like Spain not knowing about Germany because France is between them. I also wish she had gone more into the history and future of Iftel. I want the long version of how they became the country they are. Unfortunately, after this series and the OwlMage Trilogy, the only future events that can be found are in short story collections written by other writers and edited or very occasionally written by Mercedes Lackey. 

Friday by Heinlein

I really like Heinlein as an author. Some of his themes cause me to pause but this particular book is devoid of those ones. It also happens to be one of my favorites.

It’s about an Artificial Person. A woman who has been genetically created but people who are genetically created are treated as though they are things. They have no rights and no privileges. They are raised as property for their owners. There are other types of “created” life in this society but the APs are the most mistreated because they look human and understand the injustice they suffer.

Anyway, back to Friday. This particular AP is owned by a specialized intrigue-type agency kind of like James Bond and MI-5 in the future. Friday is a message carrier getting sensitive information where it needs to be. Her employer has erased/covered up her status as an AP but she still suffers from self doubt and worry that she will be discovered and punished. During the this book, several world wide disasters occur while Friday is out on assignment/vacation. But the main focus is Friday and her perceptions of home, family, and love and the lengths people will go to gain and protect those things.

From my review, it sounds a little girly and romance novel-ish. It isn’t at all. Without going into specifics, it’s more periods of personal danger followed by “my family is missing how can I use my skills to find them”. The adventure aspect is well written, the “feeling” aspects are well written, the characters seem like real living breathing people. In general, Heinlein is just a great author. I cannot recommend reading his works enough. I read this book in one sitting every time I pick it up. It’s one of those books that I pick up every time I’m feeling sick because I know it by heart and it never fails to make me feel better.

Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

  Shanghai Girls is about a pair of sisters and their lives together. It starts in Shanghai with Pearl and May barely being out of teenage years and working as models for an advertisement painter. Their father arranges a marriage for them to a pair of brothers to cover his gambling debts and get the girls out of the country. Then the Japanese invade China and incidentally Shanghai and despite being warned the girls fail to immigrate in time. There’s a lot behind their not wanting leave Shanghai and the book goes into depth as to their reasoning but I’ll just summarize it as stubbornness and being young. Actually being stubborn is pretty much the cornerstone to all the girls triumphs and failures.

  Eventually the girls escape China and make it to America and their “husbands.” Despite wanting nothing more than to go home, they eventually decide to make the best of their situations. As the book progressed into their middle aged, working family future, I really started to sympathize with Pearl, the older sister. It seemed like she was always covering for her sister. While May was always unhappy, her motives and her actions, while hinted at,  were never truly defined. The woman who wrote this clearly had siblings because she got the dynamic completely right. The attitude of protectiveness and slight animosity and the ability to say the one thing that will either do the most damage or fix everything between the sisters was perfect.

  The book was moving and wonderful and I can see this as a book I’ll read many more times to come. The only problem was the ending. After a very dramatic last chapter, the book ends with an unnecessary cliff hanger. It was clearly written to be followed by a sequel and that always bothers me. A good book, game, or movie should not have to resort to that kind of emotional black mail. The sequels should want to be read on the strength of the previous installments. Now I’ll get off my soap box because I have to go add the sequel to my list of books to pick up from the library.

Monster – A. Lee Martinez

     First off, the summary on the back of this book is completely wrong. I don’t think the person who wrote it read past the first chapter or maybe, *maybe* two. The only thing he got right was the characters’ names. This book is a lot more than a girlfriend from hell pun-making buddy adventure. To begin with Judy (who works the over night shift at a 24 hour grocery store) finds a yeti eating most of the frozen food section. She calls animal control who send out Monster, one of their crypto biological specialists, to take care of the thing. This is where things get interesting; we learn there are three kinds of people in the world: those who can see and work with magic, those who genetically can’t handle the existence of magic and never perceive anything remotely out of the ordinary, and those like poor Judy, stuck in the middle. They can see and believe magic while in the presence of it or magical creatures but hours or even minutes later forget that something strange just happened except they always feel as if something is missing from their lives.

     The story follows Monster home after capturing the yetis and explains the girl friend from hell and how demons can be wandering all over the town. It also goes in-depth into Monster’s personality, an Average Joe who just wants to make enough money to pay for his TV and beer. The next day he gets another call about trolls invading some woman’s apartment. He’s surprised to find out that it’s Judy’s apartment and clearly something weird is going on because strange things keep happening around her, crypto biological creatures showing up way out of their common habitat or in groups when they’ve only ever been seen as solitary or possibly extinct. This eventually leads to a witch and the purpose of the universe. The end is a climatic battle between Evil and Not-so evil since no one could ever really call Monster a *good* guy.

     Witches, demons, and strange creatures! Oh my! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. Despite its progressively serious story line, the author managed to keep a light hearted tone. Also, I’ve never read a story where magic was explained/functioned in that way, so I thought it was fairly unique and kept trying to figure out who knew about magic and who didn’t even of the extreme back ground characters who were there only for a scene or two. I can see myself coming back and reading this again several more times just to see what new information I can spot. 

Changes by Mercedes Lackey

   This book is set in the realm of Valdemar and is the third installment of the Collegium Chronicles. The main character is Mags, a former mine slave, who was Chosen to become a Herald in the first book of the series. The first book (Foundation) deals mainly with the consequences of him being chosen and making friends with various other trainees. The second book (Intrigues) has slightly more action and, you guessed it, intrigue. Diplomats coming from an unspecified country are being haunted and some of them seem to be going mad. The “hauntings” are later found out to be a couple of pranksters. As anyone who has read any of the previous Valdemar books know, mages cannot go to Valdemar because something drives them mad. This stays true in the second book when during a huge, unexpected blizzard the now completely mad mage kidnaps one of Mags’ friends and tries to use blood magic to make whatever is watching him go away. In a fit of heroics, Mags acts as decoy while his friend is rescued and the mage is killed. The book ends when the “diplomats” are discovered to have escaped in the confusion and are hiding somewhere in the city. This sounds like the perfect place to begin the next book, right? Apparently it wasn’t.

   Changes begins in the middle of a game called “Kirball.” This game is basically half-polo, half-soccer. This game was introduced in one of the short story anthologies and if you haven’t read the short story, you would start this novel completely confused. The rules are barely mentioned and the moves are half explained at best. Kirball is a fast paced game and hard to follow on the written page. This sequence at least could have been left out in favor of a better explanation of the game. After the game, the book concentrates on Mags with the King’s Own teaching him more about being a spy and going undercover. They find someone who may be linked to the diplomat/assassins in the summer after the second book. Things take a turn for the worse when the assassins appear to be after Mags and his friends and not the King like every one assumed. No one can figure out why they’re after someone who is not highly placed in the government. They spend the whole book trying to figure this out and still don’t manage it, paving the way for book number four.

   This book takes place what feels like forever after the second book or that this is actually the fourth book in the series and I missed the one in between. The characters refer to events that happen between the second and third books that make it seem as if a year or more has passed but then refer to events in the first book as “last spring.” The ages of the characters are also murky for me because of this whole time line confusion. Also Mags has been trying to discover the identity of his parents since he was an orphan. Early in the book, he says he has proof his parents weren’t bandits, then later wishes he had proof that his parents weren’t bandits. It’s like Mercedes Lackey had completely forgotten what she wrote earlier. There were even typos! Typos! Not just one either but the closer to the end, the more often they popped up. Where was the editor?! This is the kind of thing that drives certain people crazy because they have to listen to me yell at my books. I will probably never read this book again and I sure won’t buy any of her new books without checking them out from the library first and coming from me, that is a sad statement.

Going Postal – Terry Pratchett

     Going Postal starts with the hanging of a man who technically doesn’t exist. Moist Von Lipwig is a con artist that hasn’t used his real name since he left home. With a name like Moist, I wouldn’t use it either. He was caught defrauding people and sentenced to hang. Lord Vetinari the ruler of Ankh-Morpork decided his skills would be useful and pretended hang Moist in order to offer him a job. The offer was revamp the post office and make it profitable or go back to the gibbet and hang. Of course being an enterprising con man, Moist took the deal. On being released, he promptly bought a horse and left town. He was overtaken at an inn the next night by his parole golem. Golems don’t eat, don’t sleep, don’t breathe, and don’t stop. Giving into the inevitable, Moist joins forces with the motley crew of postal employees and the Golem Trust to transform the Post Office from a haunted, run down building that is stuffed full of old letters into a profitable business and possibly save his own life.

     Going Postal is my favorite book by Terry Pratchett. It isn’t quite as serious as the books about the Night Watch and is far more understandable than the Rincewind books. I enjoy Terry Pratchett’s type of humor. Watching the transformation of Moist from a con man who thinks of no one but himself into a person who legally parts people from their money is eye opening. Even if he does not really become a better person, by the end of the story, he does learn to care about a few people other than himself. I would definitely recommend this book to people who haven’t read any Discworld books. It starts with a new character and introduces a few of the other major background characters. 

Moll Flanders – Daniel Defoe

     Moll Flanders is the life story of a girl who managed to do everything wrong. Born to a convict, Baby Moll is given to a woman who raises and teaches orphans a useful trade. As she grows up her cleverness and determination to make something of her life endears her to the local nobility. In her teens, they hire her to be a companion to their daughters. The elder son wants her as a mistress and gives her money for her “favors.” According to Moll this is what first set her upon the path to misfortune. She eventually marries the younger brother against the family’s wishes and has a couple of kids. When her husband passes away of illness, the family adopts the kids and disowns Moll. This is where the tale starts to get interesting. 

     She begins her search to find another husband. No matter what happens she can’t manage to keep a husband. She manages to marry a shady merchant, her half brother (by accident), a conman/bandit, becomes mistress to a married man, and marries a banker. When her last husband dies, she thinks she is too old and poor to be interesting to men. She goes to a woman who has helped her in the past and becomes a fairly skilled thief. Eventually, she is caught and sent to the same prison she was born in. In a twist of fate, her third husband, the conman, is being held there also. They “sincerely repent” their crimes (i.e. kiss the warden’s butt) and instead of being hung, they are sent to the Colonies as indentured servants. Fortunately, they have enough money saved to buy their freedom. At this point, they pretty much reach happily ever after and do nothing wrong ever again.

     I liked this book but I want to know a few things. How many kids did she have? I tried to count but I couldn’t keep track of them all and their fates. A couple of them were mentioned in passing but the only one that manages to be mentioned as an adult is the son by her brother but there isn’t anything about his sister. The friend who helps her was a midwife. Why didn’t she learn how to do that instead of being a thief or get a job as a seamstress which the author makes a point of telling the readers is one of her talents. Aside from these questions, it was a good book. If you like old fiction (1700’s old), this story has definitely stood the test of time.

Sister to the Rain – Melisa Michaels

     This book was bought for me years and years ago by a friend (who probably doesn’t even remember doing it any more) when I was having a bout of insomnia.

     This book starts with a pair of elves walking into a detective agency. Sounds like the start of a really bad joke, doesn’t it? The elves in question have come to Rose Lavine and her partner, Shannon on behalf of (what amounts to) their homeowner’s association. The residents of Fey Valley are hearing strange noises, seeing strange shadows lurking about the property, and small items are going missing from the lawns of the residents. They want Rose to find out who is to blame and put a stop to it if possible. At first glance, the case seems fairly straight forward. When one of Rose’s ex-boyfriends and his extremely jealous sister turn up, Rose’s personal life takes a turn for the awful. When Rose and Shannon can’t find the culprit among the usual suspects, they find a few of the residents are keeping secrets. The Fey Valley Trouble turns from prankster to killer when a teenage boy is murdered. With nothing but dead ends and the past coming back to haunt them, can Rose and Shannon find out what is going on or will they have to call it quits?

     Apparently, this is the second book in the series but I’ve never read the first one. I have been looking for it off and on for years, as well as any others by this author. Her characters are intelligently written. Even though she talks about serious subjects, there’s always a bit of humor or sarcasm to lighten the mood not long after. Melisa Michaels also has a take on elves that I have not seen very often. She writes them as a little sociopathic. They don’t quite understand human emotions or how they work which comes into play quite a bit in the story (and the first book from what I understand). Anyone who is looking for a different view on fantasy novels should give this one a try.

“I am sister to the rain

Fey and sudden and unholy”

--Dorothy Parker 

I Didn’t Steal Your Mermaid – R. Stim

With that intriguing title (and the fact it was a free e-book), I just had to download and read it. I had no idea what I was getting into since I didn’t bother to read the summary. I did not have high hopes for this one but what I found was an engaging little murder mystery narrated by a 12 year girl.

Frankie Jackson was spending the summer with her mom’s best friend to avoid house arrest. She has a weird dream about meeting a mermaid on an early morning walk. With the disappearance of a wealthy socialite and her million dollar necklace, the town is up in arms. Frankie and her friends witness a seaplane crash; they find the body and the necklace while helping search for survivors. When the necklace turns out to be a fake, Frankie is accused of knowing more than she has told police. A strange man starts following her and threatening her; he even tries to run her and a friend over during the Fourth of July parade. With her friends acting strangely and someone trying to hurt or kill her, can Frankie figure out what the mermaid that keeps appearing in her dreams is trying to tell her?

This book surprised me by how quickly it drew me it. Even though it was written like a 12 year old would talk, it was surprisingly engaging and kept me turning pages. Unlike many mysteries, this one was well put together and I didn’t expect the ending. Granted that may just be saying something about me. I really enjoyed it and the incorporation of the few fantasy elements. I was not aware that this was a second book in a series but they introduced everyone and the story did not pick up like the other book existed. I am going to be on the look out for the first one now. I definitely recommend this book if you want to spend a lazy weekend reading. 

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Warning: there are spoilers. Sorry, couldn’t help it.

  This book is set in 19^th century China. It’s about the life of two girls who become “old sames” a relationship that is supposed to be closer than marriage. As well as this relationship, it focuses on “nu shu,” a supposedly hidden language so Chinese woman can communicate without their men finding out, and foot binding. Sadly, I couldn’t contain my curiosity and researched foot binding just so I could understand better what the author was talking about. While it helped me understand the motives a little better, the process was described in the book in great and gory detail. It did not make for easy reading. This book involves not just the women’s daily lives but a few of the more harrowing moments of their lives.

  The narrator, Lily, begins by telling us about her last few days of freedom before her foot binding and introducing us to the rest of the cast of characters. Lily was from what could be considered a middle class family, while Snow Flower was at first portrayed to be from a slightly better family. While Lily marries into the upper class, it comes out that Snow Flower’s family is very poor because her father is an opium addict and Lily was the only person who was unaware of that fact. Snow Flower (because of her status) is forced to marry a butcher (an “unclean” class). This leads to all the problems with Snow Flower and the eventual estrangement of the two women.

  Lily gets a husband who learns to love her, healthy strong children, plenty to eat and a mother-in-law who at least respects her. While she is leading what is essentially a charmed life, Snow Flower is stuck with an abusive husband, a mother in law who hates her, and either miscarries or has sickly children. At first Lily is not aware of the problems but when she does learn of them, most of the advice she offers is along the lines of “figure out what are you doing wrong to make them do these things.” It’s the typical advice of someone who has never experienced abuse or having things go wrong for no reason. When Snow Flower finds some ladies in her own village who understand, she sends a badly worded letter to Lily. Lily reads it literally as Snow Flower doesn’t want to be “old sames” any more. That plus the lies about Snow Flower’s heritage, her breaking divine laws about sex, and not being able to deal with not being able to help her friend, lead Lily to publicly denounce her friend as someone unclean and never to be associated with. After that, the book skips ahead a few years to the consequences of Lily’s and Snow Flower’s actions. It does not end well for most of the people involved.

  Despite all the times I wanted to shake the characters for being idiots, I enjoyed this book. It reminded me a lot of Memoirs of a Geisha, in that it’s fiction but the characters and writing are so vivid even in the terrible parts that it feels like it actually happened. 

Assassins of Tamurin

     Assassins of Tamurin is about an orphaned girl named Lale. She was found floating on the river by a poor village. Despite being unwanted, the villagers feared the bad luck that would come from either ignoring or killing the girl so they took her in and raised her. Sadly, nothing Lale did was ever right for the villagers. Shortly after she turned eleven, she finally screwed up one time too many which led to the village shunning her. Shunning involved giving her just enough food to live but otherwise not acknowledging her in anyway except for removing her when she entered a home or tried to take something. After a few days and sick of being ignored, she made a deal with the villagers, give her enough food to walk to the next village and she would leave forever. Lale is soon found by Makina Seval, the Despotana (i.e. ruler) of a small country with a penchant for taking in orphaned girls and educating them until they are old enough to learn a trade or marry so she can increase her political reach. 

     This is when the story slows down for a few chapters as side characters are introduced in the form of Lale’s classmates and teachers, bonds formed, and growing up happens. It’s mostly certain events that shape Lale’s personality and her desires of what she wants her adulthood to be like. Eventually, it skips to what amounts to a graduation ceremony. She is given the choice of apprenticing to the teacher of her least enjoyable subject or join the a select group of women in worshiping the Goddess at a special shrine the Despotana runs.  Lale chooses the lesser of two evils and joins the church. Soon she learns that the shrine is just a cover for a school to train spies and assassins. The story gets deeper as Lale is sent out into the world to spy for the Despotana and is drawn into a huge web of sorcery, deceit, and intrigue. It becomes pretty much everything you want in a fantasy novel.

     For a novel that was written as a one shot, the world is well thought out and mapped in such a way that it is hard to believe that there weren’t any sequels. The characters are so believable and realistic that it’s easy to feel sympathy for their plights. While there are parts that are a bit slow, it is never enough to completely bore a person to tears and they never last long. Truthfully, most of the slow bits are necessary to explain the political background. If you like books with loads of intrigue and a strong female lead, this is a good choice. 

Bardic Voices Series

Bardic Voices Series

Mercedes Lackey

So I started this series and then discovered I’m missing a book. Sadly, I can’t find it anywhere so I’m just going to skip that one today.

     The Lark and the Wren: This one is my favorite of the series. The main character is girl named Rune who wants nothing more than to be a musician but circumstances seem to be conspiring against her. It would be a very short book if she hadn’t run away on a dare to play for the murderous Skull Hill ghost and then impressed him with her skills. She then takes her reward to buy lessons and instruments and gets a chance to audition for the Bardic Guild. That’s the basics of the first half of the novel. I haven’t even mentioned the friendships she develops, the non-human races that are introduced or the politics of the world this book is set in. Mercedes Lackey has an ability to write rich and varied worlds for her stories and always does well in putting just enough background not to bore the reader or leave them utterly confused. By the second half of the book, Rune is old enough for romance and adventure. I don’t want to go into what exactly happens but it involves elves, evil kings, dispossessed princes, and gypsies. The second half of the book is fast paced with lots of intrigue and the awaking of “bardic magic.” Magic that most common folks refuse to admit exists and the ones who believe in it aren’t particularly fond of it. Every time I pick this book up, I can’t put it down until I’ve finished the whole thing.

     The Robin and the Kestrel: It takes place immediately after The Lark and the Wren. I should probably mention that while Rune is referred to she never actually shows up as a character again. This book is pretty good. It introduces and expands on more non-human races and politics of the Church. Gypsy Robin and her husband Kestrel find themselves up against a corrupt priest who wants to rid his city-state of any one who isn’t human, male, and devout. Sadly, this book contains a bunch of angst-y nonsense between husband and wife that didn’t really need to be written and in my opinion adds nothing to the story. Despite the husband/wife dynamic, the intrigue in this book makes it hard to put down.

     Cast of Corbies: This book was the third book written and chronologically is the third book but for some reason, on every list I’ve seen it is not included as part of this series. Some times it gets a sub-heading of it’s own. Some times it’s just left out and I haven’t any clue why. This book is actually better than the Robin and the Kestrel. It takes place the summer after The Robin and the Kestrel. Gypsy Raven is put in charge of finding out why non-guild musicians are being forced out of their jobs and to find a way around the rules that are stifling the common people. Despite what it sounds like there is not as much time spent concentrating on the intrigue and politics in this installment. It’s more character driven than the second book and while there are quite a few love stories running in the background of this book, it’s not nearly as contrived.

The Eagle and the Nightingales: This book reintroduces a few characters from the previous books. Several people are sent by the Non-human nations to figure out why the High King of the Twenty Human Kingdoms is neglecting his duties. Sadly, I think this book was the worst of the lot. Mercedes Lackey took too much time between writing the books in this series and forgot her own time line. The events in this book start the summer after Cast of Corbies ends but keeps referring to the events of the Robin and the Kestrel as “just last fall” despite the fact it would be almost 2 years later. The characters are written horribly and she contradicts herself at every turn. She leaves loose ends that are never answered and puts in throw away characters. They show up with no intro, no back story, no explanation, play a major part in the story (such as save the main characters ass) and are never mentioned again. If you want to finish the series, it’s readable but my pet peeves always get the best of me and I have to keep putting it down before I start yelling at the book.

     Four and Twenty Blackbirds: This is the one I’m missing and can’t find anywhere. After the Eagle and the Nightingale, I’m almost afraid that it will be as bad as that one. 

American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee

American Rose: A Nation Laid Bare: The Life and Times of Gypsy Rose Lee

Karen Abbott

  This is a biography of Gypsy Rose Lee. For those that don’t know, she was a burlesque artist, striptease, author, movie star, and many other things starting during the Roaring Twenties up until her death in 1970. For having “no talent” this women made a success of herself. The book was formatted more like a novel with alternating time periods instead of chronologically. It concentrates mainly on her childhood years and the beginning of her career in burlesque with highlights of her later years.

  To start with, Gypsy Rose Lee was not her real name and her mother was a complete sociopath. “I thought my family was bad” is a common thread in other reviews I’ve seen about this book. Gypsy was born Ellen June Hovick. When her younger sister was born, her mother named the younger sister Ellen June and changed Gypsy’s to Rose Louise. Why? Because she was crazy. There is no other explanation for this woman. She forced her kids to be the best, always pushing June “the talented one” and trying to get rid of Gypsy for not being able to sing or dance well. When money was tight, there are hints of prostitution for herself and the children. She also forged birth certificates for both girls so many times that they were never sure of their real birthdates and ages. There are also mentions of several murders and attempted murders.

  After the Depression begins, June gets tired of her mother’s antics and runs off to get married. Her mother started to push Gypsy into stripping since vaudeville acts were being replaced with much cheaper movies. That starts what is referred to as the “lost year.” I’m assuming it involved much more than just stripping and out and out prostitution. It’s hard to pass judgment on her though, it was the Depression and they were broke. She is eventually discovered by one of the famous Minksy brothers and taken to New York where they remake her into the world’s most famous burlesque dancer.

  There’s tons more and the whole story is fascinating. From the dying of vaudeville and the beginnings of burlesque and trying to rewrite her own history and the relationships with her mother, sister, and the men of her life, the writing was captivating. The sheer amount of information in this book was overwhelming and I had to go back and read between the lines about a lot of things the author hinted at instead of saying outright.            

The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn

The Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn 

Robin Maxwell

     Historical Fiction again. I bet you’re all wondering how many complaints I’m going to have with this one considering how little I like Rose of Sebastopol. Let me spoil you on this review and tell you there’s not many.

     This book is told from the point of view of Elizabeth the first. During her first year of ruling England, a retainer of her mother asks for a private audience. She then presents Elizabeth with the diary her mother had kept since she was very young. Most of the story was snippets of Elizabeth and how she was escaping her duties to finish the diary but most of the story was carried by the diary entries themselves. The things in Anne Boleyn’s diary paralleled the things happening during Elizabeth’s reign and gave her the confidence to make several hard decisions that she had been putting off.

N     ow, I know that doesn’t sound like much of a story but I find this kind of thing fascinating so I really enjoyed this book. Anne Boleyn was always a popular and demonized figure in history because of the changes she started in the English church and the things she was executed for. The writing was compelling and the writer made it feel like this could really be parts from Anne Boleyn’s actual diary. If you like historical fiction or stories from this era, I’d say this is a book you should find immediately. If you want to try something new, this is a fairly easy book to become absorbed in so go borrow it from the library as soon as you can. 

Dies the Fire

Dies the Fire

S. M. Stirling

     This book is absolutely brilliant. It’s the first of a series set in the Emberverse. While it is a series, the first three books are a few years apart but the author does a good job of re-capping the previous ones. After that, the books follow exactly where the others left off. This book is about various groups of people living in the Washington/Oregon area dealing with the mysterious ending of technology as we know it. Yes, I’m sure everyone has seen the ads for the TV show called “Revolution.” I assure you aside from the technology does not work aspect, it is completely different.

     Dies the Fire follows three and sometimes four groups of people surviving and coping with the sudden loss of technology and rebuilding civilization. It’s a little chaotic and hard to follow at times as it has a large cast of characters and tends to jump back and forth between them especially during action scenes. There is also a heavy religious overtone. There’s several forms of Christianity and more nature-based religions and even a few cults thrown in for good measure. There’s not much more I can say without spoilers but if you are uncomfortable with any kind of spiritual talk other than your own, this may not be the book for you.

     Now that being said, why do I love this book? Mr. Stirling takes several hugely diverse groups of people and sets them to deal with the worst possible circumstances. The story of how they survive is powerful enough, but when you add in the religious tolerance and how they become a community and forge alliances with other forming governments in the area, it becomes a story that is easy to quickly become engrossed in. His characters are so life-like and his scenery so vivid and his solutions so ingenious that I found myself laughing or crying along with characters. It also made me stop and think “what if I was there?” and “what if this really happened?” and “what happens next?” In my opinion, that is the mark of a great book. 

Radiant

Radiant – James Alan Gardner

     I “borrowed” this book from my dad several years ago when he forgot to cancel some automatic shipment thing from a book club. It turns out to be a good thing because this has become one of my favorite books to reread.

     Many years in the future humans have colonized many worlds and discovered diverse others with alien life on them. There is a catch to all this wonderful exploration though: the League of People. The League consists of an unknown number of powerful alien races or “higher beings” that hold everyone to a high moral standard. If a person demonstrates an callousness for sentient life and tries to leave their planet, they are exterminated immediately. It isn’t just warlike species either, even CEOs who do not test their company’s products thoroughly are subject to the League’s rules; there is no appeal or notification, only execution.

     The Technocracy is one of the human societies in this universe. They deplore the use of implants, bioengineering, and gene shuffling to improve on the human design. Their population is ridiculously simple. Most are caught up in their own pleasures and desires, not really caring about the bigger picture beyond seeing their day to day needs. However, the government still needs explorers to chart new planets and discover new life forms. The Explorer Corps is filled with what can be known as the “rejects” of society; the deformed, the mad but functional, those who just don’t fit in, the expendable ones.

     Ma Youn Suu, the main character, belongs to the Explorer Corps. She is on a routine patrol ship with her partner when they get a distress call. “The Balrog,” a teleporting, moss-like alien who is so intelligent it makes humans look like bugs on the evolutionary scale, has appeared from nowhere on a nearby planet and causing the residents to panic. Youn Suu and her partner are sent to the planet to figure out what the Balrog wants. It turns out that what the Balrog wanted was Youn Suu. It bites and benignly rides along as a presence in her blood stream until Youn Suu, her partner, and her mentor can figure out what this alien intelligence wants. Before they can even report back to their headquarters about the state of Youn Suu’s “infection,” there is another distress call they need to answer. All of the settlers of the nearby planet, Muta, sent out a distress call but are no longer answering. as the closest and most expendable members of the Navy, the group goes to find out what they can and find themselves in more trouble than they ever expected.

     I really enjoy this book because of the way the author demonstrates the differences between the various human societies versus the alien societies. Some of the ones that get mentioned could be us in a few years like the Cashleens calling the newspapers, lawyers, or city hall because they are inconvenienced and have to take a different route home. James Alan Gardner explores the various tenets of the Buddhist faith in the way Youn Suu interacts, investigates, and comes to terms with the alien presence that has invaded her body and the way she saves her party members even though it means losing part of what makes her an individual. This book is actually the fifth in a series which I didn't know until I started to write this review. Clearly, they do not need to be read in order since I was able to follow the story easily. If you like exploring unknown planets and super intelligent aliens with their own agenda, this is definitely a good book to find.

The Rose of Sebastopol

The Rose of Sebastopol by Katharine McMahon

      I’m not quite sure how I feel about this book. I mean it’s a book and the characters are lovely and well written. The main character is a mousy young woman during the Crimean war who goes off to the war zone find and nurse her betrothed back to health. Eventually, in his delirium, this man convinces her to enter the war zone find her missing favorite cousin who was a nurse in his hospital. This heroine, who wants nothing more to stay at home and have a nice domestic life, finds bravery and does what needs to be done to find the people she cares about.

    As I read, it became apparent that this author really knows her time period and the geography and how people thought. However, she has an unfortunate habit. She is way too fond of flashbacks and I do mean way, way too fond of flashbacks. In the first hundred pages, there was something like thirty two chapters. Most of which were only a page and a half jumping through three different times in the characters’ lives; childhood, the present (during the search for the cousin), and a year before (how everyone ended up involved in the war). This would not have been so bad except she would switch time periods as soon as the story started getting good in the one that was currently being read. If she had put the book in chronological order, it would’ve been brilliant.

     As it is, the ending is good and there are some twists and turns that make it worth while read. I could’ve done with out the final chapter which was another page and a half flashback but that’s just me. If you like historical novels or just have a couple of days to read something new, it’s worth putting up with the frustration of the flashbacks and getting it from the library but I don’t think I’d read it twice. 

Windhaven

So first up we have a book called Windhaven by George R.R. Martin and Lisa Tuttle

     Windhaven is a world of many islands separated by rough seas filled giant sea monsters and killer thunderstorms. It was colonized when a star ship crashed and the colonists were stranded. They salvaged parts of the space ships to build wings to fly between the islands using the nearly constant winds. Fast forward a couple centuries and we are introduced to Maris, a young flyer. Maris was adopted into a flyer family when it was presumed the flyer was not going to be able to have an heir. The flyers deliver messages between rulers and bring stories and gossip to the common people. A couple years later, Maris was well into her training to be flyer when her step mother finally conceived. By long tradition, the family’s wings were supposed to go to her younger brother since he was a flyer by birth and not adoption. Coll, the brother, was terrified of flying and dreamed of being a singer. After he crashed during his introduction ceremony, Maris steals the wings and begins what turns into a sweeping social change over the entire planet of Windhaven.

     I really enjoy reading this book. It is one of my favorites and I find myself picking it up again and again. I always find some new concept or idea that may have passed me by the other times I’ve read it. The character of Maris is easy to identify with especially if you were the one standing up for other people. The story lags at times when it starts to go political but quickly gets back on track. The book spans several different decades of Maris’s life; watching how she grows and changes and helps society change around even if she doesn’t agree with the changes is fascinating. I can’t say how this book compares to George R.R. Martin’s other books since I’ve never read them but according to other reviews I’ve read, this ends up being nothing like them. If you want to read something completely different from most scifi fantasy, this is a good choice. Windhaven is definitely a book you should pick up if you can find it. 

Introduction

Hello to everyone out there on the World Wide Web. I'm a lover of movies, music, and just about anything containing the written word. Since nothing is better than sharing opinions with others, I decided to get in some writing practice and hopefully will be able to entertain somebody. I'll be mainly reviewing books and book based movies. I'm working on a guest blogger who I'm hoping will help me with a music section if I prod him about it enough.

Basics:

Books

I am a huge Fantasy/Sci fi nerd. If it's got magic swords, talking computers, or damsels in distress, I am there. I grew up on Robert Heinlein and Mercedes Lackey and Forgotten Realms novels. Those authors in particular feel like old friends of mine. I tend to read a smattering of other genres; historical fiction, classics, biographies, fanfiction (of which I may resort to a few reviews of), even some young adult novels too. With any luck, I'll be able to keep an interesting rotation of genres and books reviews. 

Movies/TV

I watch a lot of movies and TV shows, very little of it new. With the recent surge in book-related movies and shows, I've had many friends who have either read the book or seen the movie but not both ask me for my opinion on the one they haven't had experience with. Aside from (or including even) the book based movies, I typically enjoy action/adventure, period dramas, and even some martial arts movies and, yes, you will get to hear about those too. 

Music

My music tastes are as eclectic as my interests in books and movies but this one isn't really going to be about me. I love listening to music but I don't really have the expertise to analyze it and explain why I like certain songs or bands more than others. My companion (should I be able to beg or bribe him into writing for me) is a big fan of anything metal, rock and roll, and occasionally rap. He is able to talk about the subtle nuances between death metal and something that sounds like death metal to me. I'll see if I can get him to explain the differences. 

That's all for today and I hope to get an actual review up in the next day or so. 

~Wolfe