Book Review: Cloud Atlas

I read this book because I'd seen where it is being made into a movie with an all-star cast.  The sources I read spoke very highly of the source material, so of course I had to read it.  This is a truly fascinating narrative which weaves back an forth through several centuries, both past and future.  It could be pigeon-holed as sci-fi, but it actually transcends the bounds of the genre.  A must read for any lover of good stories.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

Book Review: The Triptych

The Triptych by J. M. Frey

I was not not very into inter species sex, so I stopped this one about one third of the way through it. Not sure how this made it onto anyone's “Best of 2011” lists.

Book Review: The Omen Machine

The Omen Machine by Terry Goodkind

It was nice to revisit the world of Richard, Kahlan, Zedd and all the other great characters in Goodkind's universe. It was good to get reacquainted with them, but the book itself leaves a little to be desired. It is not bad by any stretch of the imagination, and can whip the pants off of most fantasy novels. But compared to other books in the Sword of Truth series, this one was just okay - not terrible or phenomenal, but definitely a compelling read. It is the type of books that kept me up too late at night because I had to know what happened next. But that was probably due to the fact that I know and love these characters. Thanks Mr Goodkind for opening this world up to us again.

Book Review: Among Others

Morwenna and her twin sister used to talk to the fairies.  When her mother loses her grip on reality she is sent from Wales to England to be cared for by her father.  She is sent to boarding school.  She is a outsider both in her new home and at her new school.  Noticing she is an avid reader, the school librarian recommends a weekly book discussion group which meets at a local library.  She makes new friends and finds refuge in this book club
I love this book for so many reasons.  One reason is that it defies classification.  Is it fantasy or sci-fi?  Is it just a straight forward novel?  I'm not sure which leads me to another reason.  The narrative is never clear as to whether or not Mori really sees fairies and interacts with them or is she delusional?   This is a bittersweet tale of the end of childhood and so much more.  I recommend this one.

Among Others by Jo Walton

Book Review: The Wall of The Universe

John Rayburn meets a curious stranger who says that he is John, but from another universe.  Believing this other version of himself, John leaps into a new universe.  The remainder of the book chronicles his and the other John's universe hopping activities.  This book was good enough - light sci-fi fare suitable for the beach or a plane ride.  But nothing to get super excited about.  Pulp fiction lives on.
The Wall of The Universe by Paul Melko

Book Review: The Orphan's Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice

An orphan girl tells fantastical stories to a boy of the royal household.  This is a spellbinding book filled with intertwined tales in the tradition of the Arabian nights. The narrative is layered and interwoven as each new character shares their story.  It was hard at times for me to keep all the story lines and characters straight, which makes me truly appreciate the author's skills.  Visit the author's website to learn more about these fascinating tales.

The Orphan's Tales: In the Cities of Coin and Spice by Catherynne M. Valente

Poem: the fading lights of a lonely summer

long lovely lonely
sunny summer days
all alone
companion-less
devoid of company
passing day after day of summer sun
all by my lonesome
no one to pass the time with

the end of this long summer finds me
willing autumn's speedy arrival
longing for shorter days and longer nights
and hoping it will bring with it
someone to pass the season with
but as green bleeds from the leaves
leaving behind orange and red and yellow

a chill creeps into the air
pushing summer's heat into memory
turning my hope into to hopelessness
that autumn might be lonely
that I might pass another season alone

and I don't even want to think about winter

Book Reviews: Catching Fire, Mockingjay

The Hunger Games introduced us to Katniss Everdeen and the world of Panem. In the second and third books of the series, Suzanne Collins advances the narrative with a lot of action and a fair number of surprises. We learn much more about the world Katniss inhabits - more about Kastniss' life, Panam's history and the current state of things outside of District 12.

Catching Fire brings us back to the Games. Mockingjay takes us further into Panem. As a follow up to a phenomenal first book, The Hunger Games, there was danger these two books might not equal this original. But both deliver and neither disappoints. There is a lot of action, suspense and excitement. Collins has penned a series of page turners which beg to be read. These books hold their own against anything else on the shelves.

Thumbs up!