Book: The Last Colony by John Scalzi

The Last Colony is the third book in the Old Man's War universe by John Scalzi.  We follow John Perry and Jane Sagan in their new life together after finishing their time with the CDF.  They have adopted Zoe Boutin, the daughter of Charles Boutin (from The Ghost Brigades).  They are offered a chance to be leaders in a new colony, and after some deliberation they decide to accept.  Zoe's Obin protectors, Hickory and Dickory, warn Perry that things may be amiss.  Hickory and Dickory very diligently protect Zoe.  They hold her as very special due to the gift of consciousness her father gave them.  Perry can trust that they would not do anything to put Zoe in harm.  They proceed to Roanoke.  When they get to Roanoke they learn something was indeed amiss.  A specially modified member of the CDF special forces is waiting for them, I kind of envisioned him as a talking space turtle.  He tells them they were sent to this location because the real Roanoke location was known to a group that is fighting colonization, the Conclave.  He also tells them they can't go back, the ship has been rigged not to be able to return, and they can't use their electronic devices because they may be detected that way.  Needless to say that caused a whole set of problems they expect to have to deal with.  Thankfully, some of the settlers that came with them are "Amish" and used things that did not embrace modern technology.  They were able to help the colony start farming, and taking care of the livestock.  There was more political stuff in this book, and if you remember from my last review how I feel about that then you can probably guess how felt in this book.  The group Perry and the settlers were "hiding" from find Roanoke.  The leader for the Conclave, General Gau, visits Perry on the planet and gives him his options-which are basically join the Conclave and they will let them go home or to another planet, or don't and the Conclave will blow up the settlement.  Through his interaction with Gau, Perry has more questions about what is really going on with the Conclave and the CDF.  Once again, Perry feels like someone is hiding the truth and he tries to get to the bottom of things.  And apparently there is a really mean werewolf type species on the planet that it terrorizing the colony.  I'm sorry for the crappy review, I just had a hard time getting into this and staying interested.   I really liked the first book in this series. but lost interest in the second and third and have no desire to read the fourth (which is essentially The Last Colony but told from Zoe's point of view).

Book: The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi

The Ghost Brigades is the second book in the Old Man's War world, by John Scalzi.  This book did not pick up where I expected, and I think that made it difficult for me to get into this book.  Instead of following the familiar voice of Perry, we are introduced to a new set of characters and an aspect of the CDF that was secretive in the first book - the Special Forces, also called the Ghost Brigades.  The Special Forces are CDF soldiers created from DNA sources where the donor is no longer living (hence the Ghost Brigades).  When a person signs up to be a recruit with the CDF, they provide a DNA sample.  Due to the age of the recruits some don't actually make it to transporting off the planet but the CDF still has their DNA.  And as with big secretive corporations, waste not want not.  The CDF uses this DNA to create recruits that they can test new technologies on before introducing them to all recruits.  Because of their abilities, advanced technology, and secrecy the Special Forces are sent on missions normal recruits are not capable of.  In this book we are introduced to Charles Boutin, a top scientist who carries a grudge.  He has formed an alliance with the Rraey, Eneshan, and Obin, and is causing trouble for the CDF.  Boutin's body is found, and it is discovered he stored some of his consciousness on a computer, so the CDF decides to grow a body with Boutin's DNA and see if they can transfer the consciousness into the new body.  The wake the body, and transfer the consciousness but nothing seems to happen.  Again, waste not want not, they decide to let him join the newest group of Special Forces.  They name him Jared Dirac, and Jane Sagan is one of the people tasked to watch Dirac to see if Boutin's consciousnesses surfaces.  It was interesting to follow Dirac through his training, which was very different from the process Perry went through.  The Special Forces learn faster, and have advantages when it comes to communicating with each other via the BrainPal because of their enhancements.  It was also interesting to get to know Sagan's character better.  She began to have questions about what the CDF was really up to, like Perry in the previous book.  I'm not going to lie, I tend to get bored with some of the political stuff and I find that I don't pay as much attention as I should to things going on.  I'm sure I missed some important things in this story.

Once I got into this book I did enjoy it.  It was interesting to learn about the Ghost Brigades, and what made them so different and special.  I really liked Dirac and following him on his journey as he struggled with being himself while struggling with the other identity inside him and what that meant.  It will be interesting to see what tale the next book has to tell!

Book: Old Man's War by John Scalzi

This is my first time reading anything by John Scalzi, and I have to say I really enjoyed this book.  Old Man's War is the first book in the Old Man's War universe, I believe there are four books out currently with at least one more in the works.  The story is told through the voice of John Perry, a 75 year old widower, who has made the choice to join the Colonial Defense Forces (CDF).  He and his wife, Kathy, had planned to join together but she passed away before she could.  Perry made the choice to enlist anyway.  With his wife gone, and his son grown, he didn't think there was anything left to keep him on earth.  He joins the CDF with the plan of putting in his time fighting in the war and hopefully retiring with a younger body on a new planet.  We follow Perry through the transformation process all the recruits undergo, and the friends he makes as he becomes a CDF soldier.  The transformation they go through to become a soldier is like something out of X-Files episode, they move the consciousness from one boy to another.  The new body is not just any ordinary body; it is modified to be a stronger, better body.  There is nanobot technology that improves everything, and a thing called a BrainPal that allows for communication through thought, as well as training and information sharing.  It's like having a smart phone in your brain, but better.  We learn more about the new abilities and technology as we follow Perry through his training and eventual combat.  Perry learns more about the organization he is fighting for and begins to question the motives behind the fighting.  In the Battle for Coral the CDF is fighting the Rraey for possession of the planet Coral.  Perry is part of an assault that goes bad.  The Rraey were able to detect the incoming ships and pretty much thwarted the assault before it happened.  Perry's ship is the only one that makes it through, but despite best efforts Perry was the lone survivor.  He sustained injuries in the landing, and was near unconscious when he was rescued by one of the Ghost Brigade squads.  Perry is in and out of consciousness, and believes he sees the ghost of his wife.  Once he is healed, he tries to get some answers but has a hard time as doors to information seem to be closed at every turn.  

Clearly there is a lot more to the book, but I really don't want to give anything away.  I enjoyed discovering what being a recruit entailed, and the whole process of getting a new body and learning to use it.  The idea of getting to re-live your life on a new planet is a neat idea.  Some of the technology talked about in the book is really interesting too, especially the nanobots.  They made me think of that episode of Star Trek:  The Next Generation where Wesley is studying nanobots and some escape and start causing trouble on the ship (Season 3, Episode 1 - Evolution).  I should say I didn't think of that episode because anything like that happened in the book.  I just thought of it because of the nanobots.  I look forward to following Perry to see what happens with his ghost, and if he gets to retire on a new world with his younger body!

Book: Elantris by Brandon Sanderson

I am a big fan of Brandon Sanderson, I have re-read his Mistborn Trilogy several times now, and just recently finished the first two books in his newest series, The Stormlight Archive.  I love his rich worlds full of strong women, cheeky men, creative magical systems, and new creatures.  His writing style is smart but not overly-wordy, always a enjoyable read.It seemed like it was time I read the first book he published, Elantris.   It is currently a stand alone book, but there are plans to release two more books in this world years after this story takes place.

Elantris is told through three main characters:  Raoden, the prince of Arelon; Sarene, princess of Toed and betrothed to Raoden; and Hrathen, a high ranking priest in the Shu Dereth religion.  Sarene is on her way to her official wedding, she left a week early in order to spend time getting to know Raoden before the ceremony.  Before she gets there, Raoden wakes to find he has been cursed by the Shoad.  It is like being dead without actually being dead.  Your skin is discolored and dried out, if your are injured it never heals and is incredibly painful, and you are always painfully hungry.  Raoden is condemned to Elantris, once the city of the Gods, the home to those cursed by the Shoad.  When Sarene arrives in Arelon she learns she is a widow.  The marriage contract considered her and Raoden already wed.  She finds herself in a strange city, a member of the most powerful family, and without a husband.  She also finds out she is not alone.  Sarene has a head for politics, and finds her way into a group of wealthy land owners brought together by Raoden that are trying to change the broken ways of Arelon.  Meanwhile Raoden is trying to make the best of his situation by trying to change the way of things in Elantris.  After doing some reading, and based on his knowledge of Elantris before it fell, Raoden believes the key to restoring Elantris and hopefully the inhabitants, is restoring power to the Aons.  Aons, are drawn images that when given power were able to do amazing things like heal people.  But something happened and the Aons were no longer able to draw the power the needed.  Will Raoden figure out how to repair things?  And then there is Hrathen, hell bent on converting the people to his religion, and using whatever means possible to do it.  He has a horrible minion that seems to one up and undermine Hrathen whenever possible.  His story line was not my favorite, but it was important to the other two.

Usually the chapter per character thing bothers me, but for some reason it doesn't bother me as much with Sanderson.  He has a way of not ending a chapter just as it starts to get good, but also I found I just didn't mind because I cared about what was going on with each character-even Hrathen.  I enjoy the way he unfolds the magic systems he creates, and the interactions between the characters and how their relationships unfold (or fall apart).  The only complaint I had about this book was that it ended.   I'm looking forward to seeing where he takes it, and where things are in the world years from when Elantris took place.  I love having books to look forward to!

Book: Allegiant by Veronica Roth

Allegiant, the third and final book in the Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth,  A whole new layer has been revealed, and more damage has been done to the faction system and the world Tris knew.  With Jeanine no longer in charge, the new leadership in charge is the factionless group led by Evelyn.  They want people to live as equal, factionless people.  There is another group, the Allegiant, who want to return to their former way of life.  Tris uncovers a secret that only leads to more questions and chaos between the new groups.  To find answers to these questions Tris, Four, Christina, Cara, Uriah, Tori, Peter and Caleb leave to city to see what answers lie beyond their known borders.  There is some trouble getting out of the city, but once they do they find the Bureau of Genetic Welfare.  The group learns the truth behind their society and the factions.  They were one of many projects ultimately designed to fix people's bad genes.  Bad genes were believed to be the problem with society, and to fix things they set up these experiments with the hope of raising genetically pure (GP) individuals to fix the genetic damage left behind from the purity war.  Tris is also given information about her parents (sorry, that's all I'm saying).  There is conflict within the Bureau between the GP, and the genetically damaged (GD).  Tris and Four find themselves in the midst of another rebellion, and in the process more insight on the GP/GD situation.  I want to say more, but I really don't want to give things away because it's a good read and I don't want to give anyone an excuse not to read it.

I enjoyed the book, but I did find it harder to read as we went from following Tris and her point of view, to alternating between Tris chapters and chapters following Four.  I had a hard time going back and forth between the two.  The change in point of view was distracting for me.  I don't want to say to much more about the issues I had with this book because, again, I don't want to give anything away.  Read it, and then email me and we can share thoughts.  Actually that would be super awesome, do that!

Book: Insurgent by Veronica Roth

Insurgent, the second book in the Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth, continues to follow Tris.  She and her friends have survived the events in the first book and are trying to figure out how deal with what happened and what to do next. Tris travels with Four, Christina, Caleb, and Marcus to see if they can get aid from Amity.  Before they can really get what they wanted they are forced to run from the Dauntless and Erudite traitors who are looking for them.  While fleeing they find themselves in an unexpected meeting with a spokesperson from the factionless, those who were cast out of or did not belong with any faction.  She wants Four to convince what is left of Dauntless to join with the factionless.  The group spends some time with the factionless, and learns more about them including that their numbers are great.  The group breaks up to go different ways.  Tris and Four continue on to Candor headquarters, where they are arrested and interrogated while under the Candor truth serum.  No one can lie while under the effects of the serum, and Tris and Four share some things they would rather have kept to themselves.  The power struggles from the first book result in breaks in faction in this book.  Does one follow Jeanine's Erudite leadership, or do they follow their own faction?  We watch Tris make her choices and follow the path she believes is the right one, and all the things that happen as a result of those choices.  There are so many things you learn in this book, it's really hard not to give anything away.

I enjoyed that Tris grew stronger, and more confident in herself.  I didn't always agree with the choices she made but I respected that once she made the choice she followed through with it.  Relationships, intimate and peer, seem like a really hard thing for her to let happen so it was nice to see some of that development continue.  I look forward to her continued journey in the last book.

Book: Divergent by Veronica Roth

I was a little hesitant to read the Divergent Trilogy (Divergent, Insurgent and Allegiant by Veronica Roth), or watch the movie.  I watched Hunger Games and was more upset by it than I thought I would be, to be fair I didn't have a complete handle on what I was in store for.  I was afraid I would feel the same way about Divergent.  I have not read the Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins, I did read the Wikipedia summaries because after the first movie I felt like I needed to see if it was more of the same before I invested my precious reading time into it.  Thanks to Wikipedia I have a pretty good understanding of what happens over the three books.  That's not to say I may not watch the movies, or eventually read the books because I have friends that liked them, and I have no doubt they are well written.  I know, right now, it's just not what I want to be reading.  My sister, Melanie, is an avid reader and happens to have similar taste as I do when it comes to books.  She said I should give the Divergent Trilogy a try.  I usually like to read the book first, and then watch the movie but I ended up watching the movie first.  Then I had concerns I wouldn't enjoy the book or the books would ruin the movies for me.  Melanie assured me that would not be an issue.  She knows me.  I trust her.  She was right.

There may be spoilers, but I will do my best to not share all the good stuff.

Divergent, the first book in the trilogy, is a young-adult (although at times it didn't feel very young-adult) novel set in a post apocalyptic version of Chicago.  People are designated into five factions:  Abnegation for the selfless, Amity for the peaceful, Candor for the honest, Dauntless for the brave, and Erudite for the intellectual.  The story follows Beatrice "Tris" Prior through the process of  testing, choosing, and initiation into a faction.  Tris grew up Abnegation, but always felt like she didn't fit the faction.  When her test to determine what faction she was best suited for came back with more than one possibility she realizes there is something different about her.  The test administrator warns her not to tell anyone about her results, because if anyone else found out she was Divergent her life would be at risk.  Because of her ability to fit in with more than one groups way of thinking, she shows independent thoughts and is a threat to the social structure of the factions.  She is told it is her choice what faction she wants to join, but is told what ever she choices she has to be careful.  With the motto "Faction before blood" ingrained, she has to choose between her family and where she thinks she belongs.  At the choosing ceremony she is surprised when her brother, Caleb, chooses Erudite.  I think his choice may have made her choice to change factions a little harder, but she does and chooses Dauntless.  As she struggles through the initiation process, which is pretty brutal, she learns a little about herself and about the factions.  The structure of the five factions is starting to crack and Tris finds herself fighting a battle she didn't see coming.  She makes friends, and some enemies.  I enjoyed watching her start to come out from her "Stiff" up bringing.  I hope we see her friendships continue to grow and develop, especially her friendship with Christina, a former Candor who seems to have no filter whatsoever, and her instructor, Four.

I have to say I enjoyed the book (I had trouble putting it down), and even though I had watched the movie first I didn't have any of those moments where I was mad about something being changed or omitted.  The book went more in depth on some things, but the movie did not leave out anything crucial,  It was one of the better adaptations I have seen, and am looking forward to the next installment.

Book: Cibola Burn by James S. A. Corey

I wrote posts about the Expanse Series, a space opera by James S. A. Corey.  The posts were about Leviathan Wakes, Caliban's War and Abaddon's Gate.  This one is about the fourth book, Cibola Burn.

Now there is a race to travel through the gate and find a new planet to colonize.  A group of settlers from Ganymede has traveled though the gate and landed on a planet they call Illus which they make their home.  The problem is a corporation wants to make the planet, they call it New Terra, their property.  The settlers, including Basia who we met in the second book, strike out against the Royal Charter Energy (RCE) people who are come to lay claim to the planet for the corporation.  The settlers believe the planet is already theirs.  RCE has brought in scientists and security people to study and take control of New Terra.  The conflict between the settlers and RCE gets enough attention that Avasarala recruits Holden to go mediate the situation.  Things do not go as planned.  Not only is there tension on New Terra, it carries to the ships hanging out in New Terra's orbit.  Holden finds himself in trouble on the ground with the spokes person from RCE, Murty (a real jerk), and on a planet that seems intent on killing everyone.  Naomi and the crew of the Rocinante have their hands full with the RCE crew trying to assert their control from above, as directed by Murty of course,  Once I finally got into this book it was hard to put down.  There was a lot of tension, and me wondering how they were going to get out of the different situations that just kept coming.

One thing I really could have done without in this book were the interlude chapters.  I pretty much hated them.  The were strange, they didn't make sense, and after sort of reading the first one I didn't read any of the others because they didn't seem to matter.

Also, as I was reading this book I wondered what Cibola Burn was referring to.  I don't remember seeing the name Cibola anywhere.  And then I realized none of the other titles really made sense either.  It doesn't really matter, I didn't think about it until now.  Maybe it is something that will just make sense as the series develops.  There are going to be nine books total, the fifth one is supposed to be coming out in June of this year.  The authors have created a pretty big world to work with, I can't wait to see where they end up next, and what trouble Holden has to get himself out of!  Until then, on to the next series!

Book: Abaddon's Gate by James S. A. Corey

I wrote posts about the series I'm currently reading, the Expanse Series, a space opera by James S. A. Corey.  The posts were about Leviathan Wakes and Caliban's War.  This one is about the third book, Abaddon's Gate.

Something happens on Venus that is going to change the way the frontier has been defined.  A gate has been discovered, and the race is on to find out what it is, what it does, and where it goes.  Holden and the crew of the Rocinante find themselves in a heap of trouble between trying to get away with their ship and being the target of a revenge plot.  Holden can't seem to get a break.  While trying to keep his ship in the air and his crew safe he finds himself headed to the one place he didn't intend to go-the gate.  So many things happen in this book it's hard to say anything without feeling like I'm giving something away.  We see some return characters and of course meet some new ones.  One of the groups headed to the gate is a ship full of different religious leaders and pastors like Anna.  I liked the character interactions as the story unfolded, some of it was expected and some of it was not.

Really things are starting to get crazy.  As story lines merge, new ones bloom.  I have no idea where things are headed, or how long the series is going to go on but I'm looking forward to the fourth book.  Sorry this is so short, but really I don't want to say too much and give anything away.  You are just going to have to read them for yourself-it's worth it!

Book: Caliban's War by James S. A. Corey

I wrote a post about the series I'm currently reading, the Expanse Series, a space opera by James S. A. Corey.  The post was about the first book Leviathan Wakes.  This post will focus on the second book, Caliban's War.

Holden and his crew find themselves on the recently damaged planet Ganymede.  Ganymede was a planet that was responsible for growing much of the food for the surrounding colonized planets, and it was also a planet of research and development in agriculture and medicine.  A new kind of super solider was unleashed on the gentle planet causing mass destruction.  Holden, while doing some investigating on the planet, stumbles upon one of Ganymede's survivors, a scientist named Prax who is starving and hell bent on finding his missing daughter.  As the story continues we met a martian soldier, Bobbie, who was on Ganymede and witnessed the super soldiers in action.  We follow her journey as she tries to make it right and finds herself allied with people she would have never expected, including a politician, Avasarala, from earth who is busy trying to keep a war for igniting over what happened on Ganymede.  How does the story unfold?  What about the protomolecule? You are just going to have to read the book to see what happens.

Some of my issues from the last book carried over, like the pronoun confusion.  I think it's just going to be that way in this series for me.  I think my favorite characters are Holden and his crew (Naomi, Amos and Alex).  I enjoy the relationships between them and the general dynamic.  I'm hoping that will continue through the series.  This book left a few loose ends I'm hoping will be addressed or revealed in later books, like what happened with Mei (Prax's daughter).  I will do my best to be patient.  More to come!

Book; Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey

Two of my 2015 goals were to read more, and to blog more.  I'm hoping to start doing so by blogging about what I've read.  Last month I started reading the Expanse Series, a space opera by James S. A. Corey.  I finished the first two books (there are four so far-more coming), Leviathan Wakes and Caliban's War, and am reading the third book.  I thought I better try to get this written before I do that thing where I blend a series all into one book.  I do that a lot.

Leviathan Wakes obviously takes place in space.  Humans have branched out from earth and have colonized a fair chunk of the solar system inhabiting planets, moons and the asteroid belt.  Along with this they have learned to live in different gravities, and cope with the strain of space travel. although still with some complications.  There are new governments, including Earth's United Nations, the Outer Plants Alliance (OPA), and other political and corporate based groups, and although humans have learned how to travel through space they still haven't learned how to get along and play nice.  You see the power struggle between planets, political groups, and corporations to get their hand on anything that gives them the upper hand.

The story is told through two main characters, Miller and Holden.  Miller, a police detective, finds himself on a job to find a missing girl.  Holden, an executive pilot of an ice freighter, and his crew eventually find themselves tangled up in what Miller is investigating.  I feel like once that happened the story really took off, and I had a hard time putting the book down.  I wanted to know if Miller found his girl, and why were some people acting so shady.  And there is also the protomolecule.  Once I got used to the story telling style, and saw how things were coming together I was hooked.  I liked that while you could see how things fit together, there were still things you didn't see coming.  I don't want to give anything away so I'll leave it at that.

The only complaints I have are mostly my own issues.  I am not a huge fan of the story being told by a different character each chapter.  It's less of a bother now that it was years ago, but for some reason I have a hard time switching back and forth between the different views.  I guess I'm a fan of the story being told from one person.  The other problem I had were pronoun issues.  There were a few passages I had to reread several times because I was confused which pronoun was correct.  It's not a big deal, but it's one of those things my brain really gets hung up on.  I like to visualize the characters in my mind and if I'm unsure about the gender that would make it hard for me to visualize.  Clearly I got over my issues because I devoured the next book, and am continuing to do so on the third.  More to come!

**edited 01-30-15 to correct a typo-thanks Mez!

Ender's Game

I am a pretty crazy reader.  I go through these insane bursts of reading where I go through books like chocolate and wine.  Then I have my quiet periods where I just can't get into a book, like all my reading ability has been drained and I need to wait for it to recharge.  I just came out of one of those quiet periods and am once again devouring books.  I am on Goodreads, which I have been horrible at updating.  I think I was trying to blog reviews here, which I was also horrible at doing.  Sometimes I just don't have words after I have finished a book, and sometimes rather than letting the books sink in, I dive into the next and the previous book is usually forgotten (well, not really fresh enough for me to blog/review anymore).  David and I just read a book together, and I think it's still fresh enough to write about.  I'll try not to be too spoiler-y, but I can't make any promises.  David-you can add to this if you feel so inclined. ;)

So the book we just finished was "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card.  I read this book a really really really long time ago.  Long enough that I really had zero memory about what happened and it was like I was reading it for the first time.  It is a science fiction novel, which is right up my alley.  It takes place on earth, briefly, and in space (yay!).  We follow Andrew "Ender" Wiggin though his journey, and the side stories of his siblings Peter and Valentine Wiggin.  These children, and I do mean children, are incredibly (frighteningly) talented.  Earth is in a sort of holding state on the cusp of war with the "Buggers", and children are being bred and groomed to be the army that goes to war.  The result is some incredibly aggressive, mean and chilling children.  In Ender's family, his siblings were not chosen to follow the path he was. His brother Peter made me think of Mike Meyers as a young lass (but school smart).  Valentine wasn't abusive, but she was manipulative.  Most of the book is told through Ender, except for some snippets from those shaping the youth of that day.  We follow Ender through his training, and how he perceives his world, and the actions of others around him and to him.  It wasn't entirely easy to read because of the things that happen, especially when you remember it's happening to children, many of which are not even in their teens yet.  The manipulation and abuse was frightening.  I would relate my emotions reading this book, not unlike what I felt watching Hunger Games (and I will point out I have not actually read Hunger Games, I have only watched the movie).  Different plots, but both terrible scenarios.  Having said that, I still feel Ender's Game was a good book.  It was thought provoking and even if it made me feel icky, I'm still thinking about it.  If I'm still thinking about it, it was a good book.  Hope I didn't give anything good away, I tried to be generic.  Actually now that I've written this I feel like I should give Hunger Games a read.  Especially since I will see the Ender's Game movie after it's come out on DVD.  

Mistborn Trilogy

Those of you that know me know I devour books like chocolate.  I often have the best intentions of blogging some sort of review, but I usually get distracted by the next book I start and before I know it I'm into another universe and all hopes of blogging about a book are gone.  I tend to focus on a series when I'm reading it and then when I'm done I let it go and focus on the next.  This is problematic for those epic stories where not all the books are out yet (The Game of Thrones books or the Wheel of Time books are good examples).  Usually I will just go back and re-read the series to prepare for the new release.  This isn't going to work for me when the last Wheel of Time book comes out because that series is 13 books long with the 14th book coming out god only knows when.  I really like trilogies, and that is what I am reading now.  On to my actual review!

Meh

I spent a fair part of my weekend sneezing and expelling copious amounts of snot.  Now I feel like I'm shedding the skin around my nose and upper lip (my lips may very well be falling off too) and leaving a coating of myself around the office.  Between that and the tissue trail I'm leaving I shouldn't be difficult to find.

On the plus side, I did have a nice weekend just sort of relaxing with David.  We ran a few errands, looked at a few things and watched some movies.  We had to buy The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  While being a really disturbing movie (in some parts) it was also a really good movie.  As soon as I finish reading the series I am now (Mistborn Series by Brandon Sanderson) I plan to read the Millennium Series (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest) by Stieg Larsson.  There are lots of books I want to read, I'm having trouble keeping track of them all.  I really should update my Good Reads shelves.

Well, nothing else I care to talk about right now.  Hopefully I can reclaim my face soon from the snot demons.

A Game of Thrones

Since I've blogged about True Blood and Six Feet Under I think it would be odd to not blog about A Game of Thrones (GoT). GoT is the reason David subscribed to HBO. This is another TV series based on a series of books. There is a lot going on, and I'm going to do my best to not give away the juicy bits, just some back ground and direction. Here goes nothing!

My New Distraction

One of my all-time favorite movies is the BBC version of Pride & Prejudice (P&P).  I could watch it over, and over and over again.  In fact, I watched it twice this weekend and would have possibly gone for a third if there was more time.  I will have to devote a whole post someday as to why I love that movie, but that is not this post.

While looking around Border's one day I found The Pemberley Chronicles by Rebecca Ann Collins.  I picked it up to skim through it and see what it was all about.  I am always skeptical of a sequel especially when not written by the original author.  I am a Jane Austen fan, and as much as I would love to see what would happen next in the lives of my favorite P&P characters I had a hard time believing someone not Ms. Austen could convincingly write such a thing.  I am glad to say I was quickly (and I do mean quickly) proven wrong.  I was sucked in and hooked in the first few pages and the book had to come home with me.  I devoured it.  It started where P&P left off, the carriages pulling away and the happy couples embarking on their new lives together.  I think Ms. Collins did a wonderful job of staying true to Ms. Austen's cherished characters.  Her writing is very Austen like, but yet very much her own.  When I had finished the book (I think I read it in a day or a day and a half) I was left wanting more.  Lucky for me she has a whole series, The Pemberley Chronicles Series.  If you are a P&P fan like I am, and would like a possible story about the continued adventures of the Darcy's and the Bingley's check out Ms. Collin's website.

I have almost read all the books that she has published in this series and will be eagerly waiting for the remaining books to be published (looks like I have 2 more to look forward to).  I may have to branch out and look at some of the sequels that have been written for some of Ms. Austen's other works.

If any of my readers (I make it sound like other people read this blog other than my husband, LOL) are Austen fans be sure to visit The Republic of Pemberley.  It's a great site, I'm just too shy to participate in any of the discussions but it makes for some good reading and there are some very creative, clever and dedicated fans out there.

~Emily
(wow a post with no Riley pictures-she would be so disappointed!)

The Twilight Saga

So I finally got my hands on the rest of the Twilight saga (thanks to Sara Melow, who rocks!) and have finished them.  I think it took me four days to read the four books.  It would have taken less time, but I couldn’t neglect all my day to day things to read (even though I really really wanted to).  

I am torn between feeling foolish for being so addicted to the series (it’s not the normal spin on vampires (Anne Rice fan here), they are geared toward the young adult, and they are way too “in” right now), and not caring because I enjoyed them so much. I absolutely loved these books in a way that makes me feel equally foolish.  I shouldn’t be as into these books as I am, but I can’t get them out of my head.

What did I like about it?  I don’t even know if I can put it into words.  I found myself sucked into each character so quickly; drawn to the mysterious Cullen family and anxious to find out what Bella would face next.  It was torture finishing the first book and not knowing when I would be able to get my hands on the next (it didn’t help that I read the teaser chapter at the end for the next book and was left with a worse cliff hanger than if I had just put the damn thing down).  The best we to describe my experience reading the series would be to compare it with a Jane Austen novel.  You have these characters that you come to care about and you want them to end up happy, but you have to suffer through the heartache and confusion with them while they work up to the point where things happen they way they should, and you get that wave of relief and immense joy when you get to the end.  The Twilight series is a modern day sci-fi/fantasy similar to the Jane Austen love story, and I fell for it hook, line and sinker.  The author, Stephenie Meyer, lets you intimately know her characters.  She lets you into their lives, minds, fears and desires.  You know what each one is going through, and you get to have the insight and knowledge of what needs to be said to make things work, but you also get to see why things have to play out the way they do.  You get sucked into the story by your own knowledge and you become emotionally invested.  It was a bit of an emotional roller-coaster.  Now that I’ve finished the saga, I want to read them all again and see what new little tidbits I can catch.  I guess it’s my way of not wanting to let go yet.  I think these books are going to be in my “read over and over again” pile.  If you have not read them, I recommend it.  If you have silly reasons like I did for not buying the series, get over them.  But that’s just my opinion, read them and then tell me I’m wrong. :)

~Emily

Damn Book

Stupid "Twilight" sucked me right in.  I read it in a day, it probably took me less than 5 hours.  I was sucked into the mood angsty wanting.  Damn it.  And then there just happened to be a teaser for the next book (which I did not find where I purchased the first book) which I couldn't help but read becaue I needed more.  And it left me frustrated becuase now I'm pretty much dying to find out what happens.  My David understands and loves me, and has ordered all the books for me from Amazon.  Now I just have to wait for Amazon to hurry up and get them to me.  Grr...

~Emily

I did it...

I finally broke down and bought the first book in the Twilight series.  It seems everywhere I look there is something Twilight related.  I think I am maybe one of the last few people in the world to break down and read it.  It is sitting on the table next to me.  I have not started it yet.  It is either going to be lame, I mean I read a lot of sci-fi/fantasy and I'm always a little weary of the super trendy, or I'm going to get sucked in and I'm not going to get anything done today.  I feel like the book is sitting there staring at me expectantly.  I will keep you posted.

~Emily