The Year of Compulsory Childbirth
So disappointing. There's so much that could have been done with this, but it just fell flat for me. Lots of rhetoric, no real character development, and it didn't make me care about what happened.
The Rhine Maiden (Rhine Maiden #1)
Overall this was a cute piece of fluff fantasy. I was enjoying it until I was 2/3 of the way through and I had to wade through a few pages of anti-choice preaching. Then it was back to the regularly scheduled story. It wasn't really the content that bothered me. I've read other books where the character's (and obviously the author's) beliefs were very different from mine and I didn't feel beaten over the head with sanctimony. This just seemed out of place in the context of the book.
The Trouble With Spells (Of Witches and Warlocks, #1)
I read this partly because it was free (and the reviews seemed pretty good), and partly because my daughter just got a kindle for Christmas and I want to load it up with a bunch of books - I wanted to preread this one because of the romance aspect. I'm glad I did. I'm so sick of the "OMG you are my soulmate I can't bear to be away from you it hurts and I really want to have sex with you but we can't because you insist on protecting me by watching me when I sleep" Blech.There was so much potential for Portia to be a strong teen female character as she discovers her magical powers. And the whole magical connection with Vance did not have to play out like the codependent mess it was.
Blech
Consider Phlebas
I'm so sad that my library couldn't get this before the Sci-Fi/Fantasy group finished the discussion...well, I still want to read it.
Soulless (The Parasol Protectorate)
While there were steampunk elements to this book, they were much more subtle than I was expecting. What I loved about this book was the quirkiness. Take the typical paranormal romance/urban fantasy novel and place it within the victorian construct and you have "Soulless". It just made me smile. I love the characters. Alexis and Lord Maccon are so much fun, but the supporting characters add so much to the story as well. Lyall, Ivy, Lord Akeldama - thoroughly charming!
Divine Misdemeanors: A Novel (Meredith Gentry Novels)
I guess a book is pretty bad when you listen to the audio on fast forward.
Amulet
Don't get me wrong, I like sex in books...but this just seemed like a 16 year old boy's wet dream. And since the characters were all high school students, I just felt like a creepy old lady reading it.
Machine Man (online serial)
I'm getting this book a page a day in by email. I'm curious how it's all going to flow; It seems pretty choppy at the beginning.
Six Early Stories (Sun & Moon Classics)
I read this book in one sitting last night in a fit of insomnia. Beautiful, sad stories.
One Human Minute
This volume had 3 essays, each with an interesting concept.One Human Minute: Lem has styled this piece as a book review...of a book that hasn't been written. One Human Minute is apparently a Guinness Book of World Records that is completely mundane, yet also amped up on steroids. Imagine a book that is full of tables upon tables and graphs and charts about everything that happens on earth per minute. How many babies are born, how many people get struck by lightning, how many people are tortured by electricity, how many orgasms are achieved per minute...
Definitely a philosophical piece, but seemed to be musing about the depravity of the human race. I'm not sure if I missed the point.
The Upside-Down Revolution: The evolution of military and warfare...written under the premise that the author has a history book from the future and publishes it in the present as science fiction. I lost interest partway through this one.
The World as Cataclysm: I have a fascination with astrophysics. I am fully aware that the bulk of it goes over my head and I have near zero retention, but that doesn't stop me from reading/watching anything on the subject that is remotely geared towards the layman. Simply Fascinating. This piece goes into the probabilities of extraterrestrial life. I don't know what Stanislaw Lem's qualifications are, but as I was reading this I was nodding...uh huh, that makes sense...hmmm, I sense a little research project on Lem.
Wintertide (The Riyria Revelations, Vol. 5)
While not perfect, I have to give this book 5 stars because I truly enjoyed it, and it had much the same feel as the first books in the series which I loved.I have really come to love the characters. Hadrian features primarily in this book, but we see Arista, Amilia, Modina, and Royce...oh, Royce: AArrrggggHHHH....Gwen!!! I was so sad when she was killed - I sooo wanted Royce to be able to settle down and marry her!
I am looking forward to the final installment of the series. As a whole, it's a great story - none of the books are all that long, and the plotlines are not horribly convoluted (but not predictable either)
The Cave Man
The thought of 9 months in a solitary 4 foot cell is horrifying. That is how this book starts out. Ja Feng survives this wrongful imprisonment and is released into society. But how does one reenter normal society after an ordeal like this? I highly recommend The Cave Man.
Go the F**k to Sleep
I was afraid that this would come across as very angry. It wasn't. Between Adam Mansbach's hilarious verse and Samuel L. Jackson's expressive narration, this audiobook very accurately expresses the resigned frustration I have felt while trying to get my little night owl to just Go the Fuck to Sleep.Aliss at the Fire (Norwegian Literature Series)
This was beautiful and surreal. Very rhythmic in its repetitiveness.
Pirate Talk or Mermalade
Whimsical MelancholyWhatever that actually means.
It's the best description of what I got out of the poetic language and quirky characters and...and...ah, I don't know...
I can't say I was ever completely following what was going on in this strange little book. It is told completely in dialog...but unlike a play, we are not given the "he said, she said" indicators of who is speaking or even how many people are in the conversation.
A second read would probably help me understand what actually happened, but I don't think I will...I kind of like the off-kilter feeling I have right now.