Mogsy’s Spring 2014 Reading List
Posted on March 20, 2014 Leave a Comment
It’s SPRING! Thank goodness! It has been a long and brutal winter and up until a couple days ago it was still snowing, so let’s hope things finally warm up now.
Anyway, making a reading list at the beginning of each season is kind of a tradition of mine. I find it helps focus my attention on books I’ve been meaning to read for a while, most of them past purchases, and for that reason I’ve stopped including review copies or upcoming books. This also gives me months and hence plenty of time to work through my list.
From the once again dismal completion rate from my Winter Reading List (only 6 out of 15 books, ack! — but I did take February off for Review Copy Cleanup month) I’ve taken a page from Wendy and decided to narrow it down to a handful of titles this time. Okay, maybe two handfuls — a few of these are short! Certainly, a more manageable number of books.
Here they are (and yes, a couple of them are coming back. Like London Falling, I WILL read you, dammit!) Also some notable new additions like Guards! Guards! because I’m ashamed I’ve never read a Terry Pratchett book and I think it’s high time we rectified that. The City Watch books came highly recommended to me by several bloggers, so that’s where I’m going to start. See anything that looks interesting?
PANELS: Red Sonja vol.1 Queen of Plagues
Posted on March 20, 2014 Leave a Comment
Red Sonja has some serious after battle plans.
Book Review: She-Hulk Diaries by Marta Acosta
Posted on March 19, 2014 Leave a Comment
The She-Hulk Diaries by Marta Acosta
Genre: Superhero, Women’s Fiction
Publisher: Hyperion (for Marvel Comics)
Publication Date: June 2013
Author’s Info: www.martaacosta.com
Wendy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
This is the first novel that we’ve read for our Ladies Comic Book Night book club, but the decision to read it should be an obvious one.
Apparently, the She-Hulk Diaries as well as Rogue Touch, are Marvel’s attempt to “target women readers with stories of dynamic female super heroines who split their time between fighting villains and searching for a decent guy to date.” [X]. I can’t say this concept impressed me, any more than their attempt to bring in Black female readers by marrying Storm off to Black Panther [X]. But for the sake of my ladies at the club, I was willing to overlook my dislike for anything chick-flicky in nature in order to read this book. Thankfully, I wasn’t disappointed. I can’t say it was the greatest read ever and I would love to read more like this, but it was pretty entertaining.
We also had the opportunity to interview author Marta Acosta on Twitter at our recent meeting.
First of all, if you are a previous She-Hulk fan you might find this a bit disconcerting. Acosta chose to separate the She-Hulk and Jennifer Walters personalities, with the greater focus being on Jen as she tries to sort out her personal life and career. I only vaguely knew She-Hulk before reading this and decided to check out the new She-Hulk #1 by Charles Soule to see if my recollections of her were correct. As in, I was certain I remembered her being all green, all the time, which turns out to be the standing canon.
Shulky makes appearances from time to time as the unapologetic party girl who’s antics have gotten her kicked out of the Avengers Mansion. The bifurcated personality is addressed in visits to a psychiatrist, where Jen adamantly refuses to accept that she and She-Hulk are the same people.
We were pleased with Acosta’s decision to split the personalities when she explained her rationale:
“It was also commentary on internal conflicts women have. Society gives us mixed messages & punishes women who don’t conform. The more I thought about She-Hulk, the more I saw her as Jen’s superego, being the woman we’re told NOT to be. She-Hulk is big, loud, sexual, funny, strong. She’s not a nice easy to manage little girl but a powerful woman.”
The opportunity to spend more time with Jen is handled well as she manages her social life and her career. The latter collides with her love life when she comes face to face with a former rock star flame who has apparently been crooning his love to her since their weekend of romance, but is now engaged to Jen’s new nemesis, Amber. Amber is my biggest complaint in the book, as she comes off as the one-dimensional bitch queen archetype. Still, the rest of the book is engaging enough to overlook this. It’s particularly fun when Jen does let Shulky out to play. Although she’s been banished from the Avengers Mansion, she’s still called on to handle the menial criminal tasks and of course, the Jade Goddess will party hard afterward.
As I said, this was an entertaining read. It didn’t impress itself upon me as a female reader, since it’s not really my style, but it has successfully introduced me to a new character whom I’m now regularly reading in her comic form. I’d say that’s a win. Well played, Marvel. Well played.
Waiting on Wednesday 03/19/14
Posted on March 19, 2014 Leave a Comment
“Waiting On Wednesday” is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine that lets us feature upcoming releases that we can’t wait to get our hands on!
Golden Son by Pierce Brown: January 13, 2015 (Del Rey)
I don’t usually do books for Waiting on Wednedays that are so far out in terms of release date, but I LOVED the book Red Rising and so when I saw that the sequel got a cover reveal from Entertainment Weekly I just couldn’t help myself! Of course this would have been featured earlier but it took me a while to find an image without the EW logo plastered all over it. Much thanks to Tammy at Books Bones & Buffy and her super Google-fu for finding an unblemished cover. The book was also her WoW last week!
“With shades of The Hunger Games, Ender’s Game, and Game of Thrones, debut author Pierce Brown’s genre-defying epic Red Rising hit the ground running and wasted no time becoming a sensation. Golden Son continues the stunning saga of Darrow, a rebel forged by tragedy, battling to lead his oppressed people to freedom from the overlords of a brutal elitist future built on lies. Now fully embedded among the Gold ruling class, Darrow continues his work to bring down Society from within. A life-or-death tale of vengeance with an unforgettable hero at its heart, Golden Son guarantees Pierce Brown’s continuing status as one of fiction’s most exciting new voices.”
Mogsy’s Book Haul – The Book Thing
Posted on March 18, 2014 Leave a Comment
If there’s one thing I find truly bizarre about the town I live, it’s the seemingly total lack of bookstores. Sure, we have our local B&N but that’s pretty much about it. Speaking as someone who used to live in downtown Toronto where there’s a used bookstore on every block, it drives me totally bonkers!
That’s why I was so excited when someone told me about The Book Thing. Possibly Baltimore’s best kept secret, I’ve been living in northernish Maryland for about three years and I couldn’t believe this was the first time I’ve heard of it! It’s about an hour drive to the city which is not too bad, and who could resist this: a non-profit charity created for the sole purpose of taking donated books and giving them away, or in their words, putting unwanted books into the hands of those who want them. Hundreds of thousands of books, totally free. FREE! What these people do is totally amazing.
I went to check it out this weekend and it was like, whoa, book heaven! Essentially just a warehouse full of used books, the building ain’t pretty, but the beauty is what’s inside. Hundreds of shelves lined with books. Volunteers do a good job categorizing everything, but it appears whoever takes care of the Science Fiction and Fantasy section must have a pretty narrow view of the genre, as all I could find in there were mostly Stephen R. Donaldson and Wizards of the Coast novels. So, I rolled up my sleeves and went diving through the EXTENSIVE fiction section where everything’s mixed in to see what I could find on my own.
It was hard not to go nuts. There are just so many books! As with most used bookstores, it’s probably not the most ideal for those with finicky tastes, but you can find some really interesting stuff if you’re open to an adventure. I was on the look out for SFF as I sifted through the literally hundreds of shelves and I was there for two hours and still didn’t finish looking through everything. My TBR is already plenty full these days so to make sure I didn’t go home with dozens of boxes of books, I forced to limit myself only to hardcovers in good condition.
With my loot safely procured, I headed up to the desk and all they asked was that I sign in and write down how many books I’m taking away. That’s it, no fees, no questions asked. There was a big bin at the entrance to donate books too, so I was also able to drop off three boxes of old paperbacks from our spring cleaning. Truly a special place!
At the end of the day I was quite happy with my finds. Here are some that I want to highlight:
The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman – I’ve never read any Felix Gilman but I’ve heard some great stuff about him and his books. A lot of it has been about The Half-Made World so I felt really lucky to find this.
Book Review: Cold Magic by Kate Elliott
Posted on March 17, 2014 Leave a Comment
Book Review: The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu (#LoTaoLT)
Posted on March 16, 2014 3 Comments
The Lives of Tao by Wesley Chu
Genre: Science Fiction, Historical Fiction
Publisher: Angry Robot
Publication Date: April 2013
Narrator: Mikael Naramore
Author Info: www.chuforthought.com
Wendy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
I had so much fun livetweeting my read that I did it again with Wesley Chu at #LoTaoLT and lots of fun. I’m certain The Lives of Tao is a little peek in to Chu’s mind and I would definitely like to raid his movie collection and compare notes on the Terminator saga one day…
The prologue introduces us to Edward, host to the alien named Tao. They have an amusing relationship that we soon learn goes well beyond mere parasite and host. Their friendship is very real and, in a surprising turn of events for so early in the book, I found myself already caring for Tao.
Following the events of the prologue, Tao ends up in a new host, Roen Tan, who is not exactly the ideal soldier for the Quasings’ great big, millennia old war between their factions, the Genjix and the Prophus. Roen lacks confidence, ambition, and physical skills, therefore Tao and his companions have a big task ahead of them in training Roen.
While Roen does play a huge part in the story as Tao’s host, this book is called the Lives of Tao. But Chu does a great job of letting Tao have some of the focus, with each chapter opening with Tao describing his time with some of his past hosts. This insight into some of history’s great heroes and villains is moving, and it is integral to the overall story of the Quasings and their war on earth. I loved the way Chu worked in our history, sometimes in depth, other times in passing comments — but it becomes clear that the Quasings have had their hands in every major event in our history. It also becomes clear that there really are no good guys in this.
The first half of the story involves Tao getting Roen in shape and teaching him the ins and outs of survival as an agent of the Prophus, with the help of another agent, Sonya. I really liked the natural progression of Roen’s preparations, that comes complete with his disgruntled lack of appreciation for the process. Chu doesn’t immediately — or ever turn Roen into a super agent who can suddenly kick ass. He survives some of his missions by luck and by the skills and sacrifices of others. And when it comes to the final showdown, he doesn’t magically overcome. Despite the whole concept of aliens on our planet, Chu keeps this story and all the characters very real and down to earth.
Thanks to WhisperSync, I both read and listened to this and enjoyed both options. Mikael Naramore’s narration was great, with special love for his enigmatic Tao.
YA Weekend: Review of Lumière and New Author Spotlight: Jacqueline Garlick
Posted on March 15, 2014 1 Comment
Genre: Young Adult Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Illumination Paradox
Publisher: Amazemo Books (December 3, 2013)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
I thought Lumière was fantastic, so much so that I read the whole book in a day. Some parts even made me want to give this one a 4.5 or 5 stars, simply because for an independently published Young Adult novel I thought this was really impressive.
As you know, I’m a pretty picky reader when it comes to the YA category, plus I don’t always jump on board with self-pubs or indies. Still, this book’s description drew me in when it was brought to my attention; something about the story just struck the right tune with me. Right away, I knew I had something good when the prologue opened with an introduction to the heroine Eyelet (what a charming name!) at age eight at the time, looking upon a brass mechanical steam-powered elephant at a carnival. What else will I find in this world?
Fast forward to the first chapter and we see Eyelet as a seventeen-year-old, nine years after that fateful day at the carnival where a mysterious flash lit the skies and changed the world. Troubled by occasional seizures and desperate to hide her illness from the authorities, Eyelet is determined to hunt down the Illuminator, a fantastical machine that was invented years ago by her brilliant scientist father. The machine may be her only chance to cure herself, but first she has to find it before her father’s old nemesis gets to it first.
Jacqueline Garlick made it easy for me to root for her characters by giving them such endearing and energetic personalities. Not far into the story we get to meet Urlick Babbit, the young man who unwittingly rescues our heroine as she escapes capture from her enemies. The poor guy had no idea what he was in for! Even with Eyelet and her total disregard for other people’s privacy or some of the churlish questions that spills out of her mouth, I couldn’t help but find myself amused by the dynamics between these two, as something deeper begins to develop between them. I also like that they’re not a conventional couple. Eyelet has her nettlesome qualities and Urlick isn’t your usual drop-dead gorgeous Prince Charming, having experienced injuries during his birth that marred his appearance. I found their relationship very unique and refreshing.
Again, I just can’t get over how rich the setting is. It’s an original world packed with amazing qualities, flavored with a healthy dose of magic and steampunk. Here and there you will find all sorts of quirky mechanical creations and bizarre creatures — some that are helpful like Eyelet’s ravens, others that aren’t so friendly like the zombie/ghoul-like Turned. There’s also a good chunk of the book where Eyelet is holed up at Urlick’s place, trapped there because of the dangerous Vapours storms, where she discovers all sorts of gadgets and other wonky inventions designed and constructed by the strange boy. Even though this section was a slower break from the action, I was kept interested, never knowing what Eyelet would find next in Urlick’s hideout.
I very much appreciated the nice blend of fantasy with the action-adventure elements of this one. And I was honestly surprised with the quality of the writing and storytelling; whatever polish it requires is very minimal, and as a whole the story was presented exceptionally well and flowed naturally. I wouldn’t have devoured this book so quickly if it hadn’t, and certainly the fun factor of the plot didn’t hurt. I knew I was hooked when as soon as I finished the book, I went online and checked if there was an estimated release date for the next book. Alas, it won’t be for a while yet, but definitely something to look forward to.
Jacqueline was nicknamed “Little Erin” (as in Erin Brockovich) after she took on her school board over being placed in black toxic mould and, well…lost. BUT if she hadn’t lost, she’s still be teaching with no time for writing, which would be the real tragedy because more than anything else in the world Jacqueline loves to write.
What are your favorite books and how have they influenced your writing?
My favourite books are many, but I’ll talk about a few that have really stuck with me here. First, I’d have to say, CRANK by Ellen Hopkins really changed the way I looked at storytelling. The fact that she could tell a such a poignant and moving story in so few words, and in such free flowing verse, opened up a whole new world for me as a writer. It was like she gave me permission to experiment with methods of expressing my characters voices, including breaks from prose into enjambment, which I absolutely love. Another book that is not only a favourite but has enriched my craft is WATER FOR ELEPHANTS. I fell instantly in love with the main character, an old man in a nursing home, flashing back to his life when he was young, and found myself cheering for him to the final page. I read it once, then read it again, dissecting the author’s technique in order to better understand what went into the character that I loved so much, and why. Lastly, I really enjoyed DAUGHTER OF SMOKE AND BONE, by Laini Taylor. I just loved that book and everything about it. From the absolutely beautiful writing, the author’s wonderful sense of balance between descriptive prose and informative verse, to the battery of unique and compelling characters, and the fantastical, twisty, dreamy plot. Not to mention the romance. A double romance, actually. To me, reading this book was like working me way through a box of fine candy, savouring every piece along the way.
What authors have inspired you?
As mentioned above, Ellen Hopkins has been incredibly instrumental in inspiring me. Ellen is an incredibly talented and generous writer and human being. Ellen is very supportive of new, up-coming writers, offering one of the finest writing mentor programs in America. I had the great fortune or participating in her program, which not only taught me how to write, but helped to educate me about the industry. Other writers who have inspired me are Rumer Godden, Lori Lansens, Anne Sewell. Lori Lansens, is from my hometown, and a former high school friend. Walking through the bookstore one day I came across her book, Rush Holme Road, on the shelf. That was the moment that I believed it was possible or me to succeed as a writer, after all, my friend had. 🙂
Describe your writing process. How do you handle writer’s block and other challenges?
My writing process consists of the creation of a first draft, as quickly as I can, whereby I just allow myself to write and my creativity to flow without stopping to worry about errors, followed by at least three solid passes whereby I focus on certain aspects of the draft. For example, I usually do a pass for the ‘big ticket items’ I call them. During this pass, I look for holes in the plot, concerns of believability, inconsistency in character, that type of thing. The second pass I concern myself with grammar and spelling. And in my final pass, I ‘build character’, meaning, I go through the manuscript and search for places where I can ‘warm’ up the character’s personalities, making dialogue richer and emotion deeper, in an effort to better bring the characters to life on the page.
What are your future writing plans?
Well…I’ll be working on the second book in THE ILLUMINATION PARADOX SERIES, NOIR, of course, but I also plan to release a new three part serial, entitled IF ONLY…, to tide readers over until I’m able to do Book Two justice. The first installment of IF ONLY… should be available by the end of March 2014. IF ONLY… is a contemporary, coming of age mystery/romance, featuring Kyla and Denver and their heart-wrenching story of love and devotion after a tragic accident leaves Denver incommunicable. Or so doctor’s think. In addition to that I have plans to write a New Adult contemporary romance, entitled THE HEARTMENDERS SOCIETY, where we meet twenty-three year old, chronically disorganized, Maizy Mosley on her quest to straighten out her life–one man at a time. To hear about any of these new releases (and participate in fantastic launch contests) readers can keep up with me at: http://www.jacquelinegarlick.com. And to be the first to hear about up-coming releases, and gain access advanced chapters and other special perks, don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter!
Book Review: The Tower Broken by Mazarkis Williams
Posted on March 14, 2014 Leave a Comment
The Tower Broken by Mazarkis Williams
Genre: Fantasy
Series: Book 3 of Tower and Knife Trilogy
Publisher: Jo Fletcher (UK: November 21, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Finishing a series is always a little bittersweet, isn’t it? I find this is absolutely the case with Mazarkis Williams’ Tower and Knife trilogy. Of course, I’m thrilled to have finally reached the stunning conclusion to find out how it all ends, but I also know I’m going to miss this world and its characters.
It is also a wonderful thing to see an author’s skills grow and evolve as time goes on. Though I think I’ll always be a little in love with Williams’ beautiful writing, I was admittedly much more taken with these last two books in the trilogy than I was with The Emperor’s Knife. All three novels had their own individual strengths, but in general I found Knife Sworn and The Tower Broken to have much better flow and greater complexity than the first book.
In fact, I now find myself at a dilemma. The last two books have both been very strong, and I really can’t decide which one I liked better. The Tower Broken, having a much darker plot and effectively raising the stakes, obviously appealed to me a lot. After the events of Knife Sworn, the fate of the world is teetering on the edge, threatened by a malignant force moving itself across the land and devouring everything it touches. The storm moves ever closer to the city of Cerana, and Emperor Sarmin finds he is powerless to do anything to stop its path of destruction. Things are definitely heating up in this one.
On the other hand, I LOVED the chapters about Grada, Nessaket, and Rushes from the last novel. Having the narratives of these three female characters was one of the best things about that book, but in this one they have once again faded back into the background, giving other characters the chance to step into the spotlight. Mesema and of course Sarmin both have their own chapters, but this time we also meet the fruit-seller-turned-mage Farid as well as Duke Didryk, whose point of view adds even more mystery to the already shadowy plot line.
While these new perspectives brought a heightened sense of intrigue and tension to the table, I still missed Grada, who has become the Emperor’s royal assassin, and even found myself wondering after Nessaket, Sarmin’s mercurial mother. But most of all, I missed following Rushes, the poor slave girl who has gone through such an ordeal in the course of these two books. I won’t deny I was a little disappointed to see so little of the three of them in this novel, but fortunately I was able to get over it quickly, because Williams does such a good job making all her characters interesting. Much like the series, I felt that many of the protagonists especially Sarmin and Mesema have finally come into their own. The transformation of their relationship was the highlight for me in this one; by the end I could see where the author had wanted to go with the two of them all along.
I also think I would be remiss if I ended this review without making mention of the magic in the Tower and Knife world. The first book introduced us to the complex dynamic between mages and spirits, with the former harnessing their abilities by imprisoning the latter into their bodies, then sucking them dry of the energy required to power magic spells. We get to see a lot more of that here, as well as insight into the concept of “pattern magic” which is central to this entire trilogy. I think it’s great how the last book ends with a much more detailed look into the mechanics of this system, because I’d always felt the story needed it.
So the the trilogy may be over, but I would read any future books by Mazarkis Williams in a heartbeat! Pulling off the final installment of a series is always a doozy, but it was done well here, even if everything wrapped up a little too neatly. I would still take a “complete” and satisfying ending like this over an open-ended one any day. Ultimately I think Williams made all the right calls, and at the end of the day served up an impressive conclusion.
Tour Review: Night Owls by Lauren M. Roy
Posted on March 13, 2014 Leave a Comment
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Series: Book 1 of Night Owls
Publisher: Ace (February 25, 2014)
Author Information: Website | Twitter
Mogsy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Score one to this book for having a protagonist who is a bookseller. And bonus points for her being a vampire too. The title of this novel is actually in reference to the bookstore she runs, a quaint little place on a college campus called Night Owls which is open to 3am every night. Now why can’t there be something that awesome around where I live? I’d spend all my insomnia-ridden nights there with a big mug of tea and a good book.
Meet Valerie McTeague, sleeping the sleep of the dead by day, providing the students of Edgewood a study haven by night. No more hunting Jackals for her; she’s done with that life and has left it all behind, settling into a quiet routine with the help of her human servant Chaz.
But unfortunately for Val, that life isn’t done with her. Trouble lands on her doorstep in the form of Elly Garrett, who has a magical book the Jackals want. However, the book manages to transfer its information into the mind of Justin, a Night Owls employee who gets more than he bargained for when he unwittingly trips the wards on the old tome. The werewolf-like shapeshifting Jackals have already killed Elly’s mentor, so you can be sure nothing would stop them from killing Justin too. Val and Chaz have no choice but to seek help from the warlock Cavale, who also happens to be Elly’s estranged brother.
Overall, Night Owls has a plot that is both clever and brisk, full of windy twists and turns and yet someone all those story threads manage to come together in the end. That said, the flow felt a bit disjointed until I grew more accustomed to the structure and style of storytelling. We have several perspectives in play here and with Val being a vampire, the book almost has this day-night cycle feel going on as one of our main protagonists always has to sleep away the daylight hours. You won’t get a lot of rehashing as the main narrative is always picked up by the next POV right where the last one ends, so if you don’t keep up you’ll feel like you’re missing something.
Happily, the book firmly establishes its rhythm once the characters are united and find their synergy. The story picks up considerably at this point, and the different relationships made it even better. There are clearly some serious issues between foster siblings Elly and Cavale, which causes a lot of tension in spite of the obvious love they have for each other. Something also seems to be brewing between Elly and Justin, a future romance perhaps? And unless my eyes deceive me, Val and Chaz seem to have something to work out too, in their complicated vampire-Renfield relationship.
In the end, I liked this one. Because I read so much urban fantasy though, I can’t help but be a bit picky. When it comes to this genre, I don’t often find myself blown away by “Book 1s”, but a lot of my favorite series have started out by hooking me with the first book and only wowing me later on. This book has that feel, and as such it’s definitely one I’ll want to stick with.
Admittedly, you’re probably not going to find anything too new in Night Owls at this early stage, but if the story description interests you and if you enjoy the genre it should settle quite comfortably. An action-filled plot, a “Scooby Gang” type ensemble cast, and a world full of supernatural creatures and beings should make the UF fan feel right at home. All things considered, it has everything to make it a promising start to a new series — great world, great characters, and most importantly, a great story with lots of potential for more!
The BiblioSanctum 