Month: September 2019

Celebrate the Little Things book tag

In our hectic day-to-day rushing, it’s easy to pass over all the little things. You know: the random compliment; an afternoon rain shower; that extra half hour to read. Beth at Before We Go tagged me in this wonderful challenge to celebrate the little things. Because really, the little things add up to the big things.

– Who was your very first follower? My first follower was my amazingly supportive husband. He’s my biggest supporter and the reason I gave blogging a go in the first place.

–What was the last milestone you reached? I passed my record of most blog likes in a day: now the number to beat is fifty. I didn’t really expect that many people to even read my blog, so that’s pretty stinking awesome.

– What was the very first post on your blog? Share it with us! If I’m not counting my “featured post” (which is this one) that is always at the top of my blog, that means my first post was my rave of the amazing The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. If you haven’t read that book yet, you really should get on that. It’s incredible.

–Who was your most recent follower? My newest follower is Stephanie from bookfrolic. She reviews books and participates in the coolest blog tours. Go check her blog out!

–What was the last post you posted and who was the very first person who took the time to click the ‘like’ button? My most recent post is Iliad: The Reboot, which was an excellent book. I think the first person to hit the ‘like’ button was Gabbi at Devouring Literature. That’s an awesome blog, and if you aren’t following it, I suggest that you do.

–How many months have you been blogging for? My one year blogging anniversary (Blogiversary? Blog Birthday? Birthblogday? Bliorgthday?) is actually coming up on October twenty fifth. So, look for an incredibly gushy post from me on that day. You’ve been warned.

–Do you have any bloggers that you’re friends with? Give them a shout-out! Indeed I do! I’m so fortunate to have several awesome blogging buddies to talk about books, weird blogging acronyms, and just life in general with. Beth at Before We Go is my BBFF (Bookish Best Friend Forever). That’s a thing, right? If not, let’s just all pretend I’m young and hip, and using the most up-to-date lingo. We have a blast talking about all things bookish (and not). She’s stinking amazing. Irresponsible Reader has gone out of his way to tell me about cool book tours and knows all the best mysteries and detective thrillers. Both Jason from Off the TBR and Paul from Paul’s Picks are nice, supportive people. Lisa from Way Too Fantasy is another blogger who adds smiles and good opinions. I could keep going, but I’ll limit myself to these right now.

–Who created the last meme or tag you participated in? Not counting this one, that I’ve credited above, the last tag I participated in was the Coffee Book Tag originally done by Stephen Writes. He has the best book tags! Give his blog a follow.

-Give thanks to all your followers! Book blogging has become my relaxation thing. Talking books, getting new suggestions, and hearing new opinions from all of you is so wonderful. My book obsession has somehow led to some amazing friendships and I’m so appreciative of that.

–

Iliad: The Reboot by Keith Tokash

Iliad: The Reboot by [Tokash, Keith]

History cares about kings, but the gods love a buffoon.

The hapless young soldier Gelios faces execution for offending his king. Desperate, he accidentally volunteers his cousin to chronicle the coming war.

Equipped with only a sword and a stunning lack of judgment, Gelios must keep his cousin alive amid the greatest war of an era. Worse, he must survive the egos of the two most powerful kings in their army.

But his deadliest struggle is with his mouth. Can he keep it shut long enough to make it home alive?

The Iliad has long been the definitive source of knowledge surrounding the kings, gods, and heroes of the Trojan War. Now, for the first time, readers can experience the clash of two ancient superpowers through the eyes of the biggest jackass in history. (taken from Amazon)

Thank you to the author for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This book is available for purchase now.

This is the book that launched a thousand laughs! Equally hilarious and smart, every moment of this well-crafted comedy was perfect. Perfection is hard to come by, especially when retelling a classic, but that’s what this book is.

It was impossible to put down. Not literally; I could put it down if I had to, but I really didn’t want to. Told from the point of view of Gelios, the cousin of Pelos (ahem- Homer), this satire of the epic poem happily took every part of the original and twisted it into the funniest possible telling. Gelios was hilariously unable to keep his mouth shut, even when it behooved him to do so. It got both himself and Pelos into no end of trouble (it’s amazing he kept his head long enough to tell the full story).

The language was quippy and updated; think snark instead of flowery. It flowed well and there were no slow or unnecessary bits or characters. Even the nicknames added to the fun of the book: I particularly liked “Aggy”.

Should you read this book? Abso-freaking-lutely! I’d advise that you get to it sooner rather than later. You’ll thank me.

Timothy Mean and the Time Machine by William AE Ford, illustrated by Marcelo Simonetti

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Thank you to the author for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This is available to buy now.

Little Timothy Mean (his name is well-deserved) gets bored one day and builds a time machine out of old boxes and some glue. It’s all very technical. What follows is a trip to a different time-with a different prank played- for each day of the week.

I read this book with both my kids (a toddler and an older elementary child), so I guess you can say that I was pretty thorough. All three of us loved it. It’s told in rhyme, but the cadence always works, and it never feels forced (a pet peeve of mine). The places and times Timothy Mean travels to are adorable. There’s the dinosaur time, of course, but he also visits vikings, and sees Neil Armstrong on the moon. It’s so clever! This book is a lot of fun to read, and perfect for ages three to five. My toddler happily followed along, and named all the background characters discussed and pictured (he loves King Joe and Queen Sally the most).

The illustrations are charming and add so much to the book. When it comes to children’s books, if the illustrations are lousy, I’m less likely to buy or read it to my kids. However, these were wonderful.

This imaginative book is a perfect one to read aloud, and I highly recommend it.

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

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This is the story of a governess who, upon taking charge of two young children, finds herself worrying that something malevolent is after them. She begins to fear that two deceased former employees are haunting the house.

I’ve read this creepy little story before, but it’s been quite a while, so I figured the time was ripe for a reread. I’m pleased to report that it’s just as eerie the second time around as it was the first.

While the pacing is excellent, building tension slowly, it’s the uncertainty of everything that stands out to me. Are the children really haunted, or is it all the product of the governess’ imagination? I love that it’s up to the reader to decide.

The characters are surprisingly well-developed, considering the shortness of the story. At barely over a hundred pages, this is easily read in a day. It’ll take a lot longer to mull over, though.

I quite enjoyed this spooky tale. If you haven’t read it yet, it’s worth giving a go. Henry James is a fantastic author, and this story is engaging and thought-provoking.

If you’ve read this book, what was your takeaway? Were the hauntings really there? Was the governess hallucinating?

The Bone Ships by R.J. Barker- ARC Review

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Two nations at war. One prize beyond compare.
For generations, the Hundred Isles have built their ships from the bones of ancient dragons to fight an endless war.
The dragons disappeared, but the battles for supremacy persisted.

Now the first dragon in centuries has been spotted in far-off waters, and both sides see a chance to shift the balance of power in their favour. Because whoever catches it will win not only glory, but the war. (taken from Amazon)

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This book is available September 24th.

If you like a book with excellent story building, this one is for you! While never boring, this does have a slower start. Barker takes the time to create and explain an amazingly detailed world, one that is both stark yet inventive, much like the book itself.

I’ve enjoyed Barker’s previous books, so I was very excited to read this book. The fact that it’s so ship-heavy caused a bit of trepidation since, for some unknown reason, I don’t usually like books that take place mainly on ships. It could be because it often makes the book feel stifled to me.  However, this  book never felt small. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

The characters were so well developed that I really didn’t have one that I liked all the time. Just like real people, they all had strengths and weaknesses. The writing was superb in that way. In fact, I can only compare it to the incredible Tad Williams’ To Green Angel Tower as far as writing skill goes.

This is not a book to miss.

 

Live and Let Read: My Thoughts on Banned and Censored Books

This week is Banned Books Week, so I’m taking this opportunity to talk about something that I have a strong opinion about: banning and censoring books.

“We must always be careful of books and what is inside them, for words have the power to change us.” (Cassandra Clare)

Let me start with a little backstory here. The banning of books is nothing new. In fact, it’s believed that the first widely banned book in the U.S. was Uncle Tom’s Cabin, banned for having a “pro-abolitionist agenda” (via lithub). While there are several varied reasons for banning or censoring books, sexual issues, age appropriateness, and the inclusion of witchcraft are pretty common. At one point, the poetry collection Howl (which is brilliant, by the way) was actually put on trial. The defendants had to prove that it had “literary merit.”

You’d think that, in this day and age, book banning or censoring is over and done with. Nope. The face of book banning may have changed, but there are always books being pulled from shelves or school libraries for all kinds of reasons.

Now, where do I stand on book banning and censorship? I am unequivocally against it. If you don’t agree with an idea a book is presenting, you absolutely have the right to choose not to read it. But denying others the right to make that decision for themselves is a slippery slope. Who should get to decide what content is appropriate for everyone?

The wonderful and-yes, sometimes scary- thing about books is how incredibly powerful they can be. They can comfort, educate, and challenge us. Books have the magical ability to both show us how vast this world is, while at the same time reminding us, that maybe we’re not so different or alone after all.

The list of banned and challenged books (a challenged book being one that a group has attempted to have access of removed or restricted) is huge. It includes ‘classics’ such as To Kill a Mockingbird and Catch 22. Children’s books as ubiquitous as Where’s Waldo and A Light in the Attic have also made the list. Unsurprisingly, Harry Potter is one of the most commonly challenged book series to date. Of course, don’t forget to add the Bible to the list: often challenged for violent content.

In fact, speaking of Harry Potter, I was told at one point that I needed to meet with someone to discuss my “unhealthy obsession with witchcraft” simply for reading those books. I was twenty eight years old at the time. See what I’m talking about when I say that book banning or censoring could become a dangerous slope?

I proudly say that I read banned and challenged books. My kids read them (I was so excited when they were introduced to Where the Wild Things Are). In fact, if you’re a reader, chances are you’ve enjoyed a book that’s been challenged or banned- whether you were aware of it or not.

There are many experiences that I haven’t had, shoes that I haven’t walked in, or situations that I haven’t dealt with…but books can help me understand and empathize with those who have. They teach us compassion and broaden our horizons. So, are they dangerous? I should hope so. After all, growth and change generally are.

What about you, Reader? Do you think books should be banned or censored? What “questionable” books have you read and loved? What books have changed you or caused you to see things differently?

Now, go live dangerously. READ.

*For more information about commonly challenged books over the years, check out http://www.ala.org/advocacy/bbooks/frequentlychallengedbooks/top10).


(credit: Grand Snider)

The Unicorn Anthology by Peter S. Beagle and Jacob Weisman- Buddy Read

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Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This book is available now.

When I was in second grade, my school class would go to the school library once a week. There was collection of short stories about unicorns that myself and another girl would race to check out first. If she got to it before me, I’d give her a good -natured scowl. But if someone from another class checked the collection out before either of us, we were both united in our thirst for revenge.

So, I was waxing nostalgic when I started this anthology, full of hope that it would be as enjoyable as the other one was. Sadly, it was not. It was ten types of terrible. The stories ranged from forgettable and a bit disappointing, to flat-out disturbing. There was one in particular that had an icky Stockholm Syndrome story line, which was incredibly upsetting.

I felt that these stories were all written with the intent to be edgy and dark. Gone was the sense of wonder and fun that I expect in anything involving unicorns. It was all death, doom, and destruction, with a bit of boredom thrown in for good measure.

While the mechanics of the stories were all solid, I was ultimately very disappointed by what the authors chose to write. I read this book and discussed it with Beth from Before We Go. Check her post out! And, maybe skip this book and look for something less disappointing.

The Dragon’s Banker by Scott Warren- ARC Review

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Finance: The lifeblood of any country’s beating heart and the life’s work of Sailor Kelstern — Merchant Banker. While wizards brood in their towers and great warriors charge into battle Sailor is more interested in the price of ore, herbs, and alchemicals carried by the trade ships.
But when a spell of bad fortune and bitter rivalry leaves him scrambling to turn a profit on little more than winds and whispers, one such whisper catches Sailor’s ear— a dragon has been seen in the west.
Sailor soon finds that the dragons are very real, and not at all what he expected. And they practice a very different sort of economy — one of subterfuge and fire. (taken from Amazon)

                               Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book in exchange for my honest opinion. This will be available in stores on September 25th.

Wow, this book proves that everything is better with dragons, even the world of finance. I loved every single moment of this book! It was a blast. Not every fantasy book needs to have vicious battles of the physical sort. Sometimes, the battle of the wits is much more cutthroat.

Sailor is a banker (oddly enough). He’s incredibly good at what he does. Think Scrooge McDuck but with a sense of compassion. He loves money and he loves numbers, both in pretty equal value. What he’s not a huge fan of is adventure. He’d tell you that he’s not a coward, he just prefers his comforts to trekking through the wild or sailing.

When he takes on a new client he learns that he is, in fact, working for a dragon. This dragon has realized that with the advent of paper money, his vast hoard will be less impressive and he wants to get ahead of the game, so to speak. It’s the most clever idea for a book, and it made me actually give a rat’s ahem about numbers.

“One should never tell a dragon that he is becoming…well, not poor but at least less obscenely rich than he was before.”

The characters are enjoyable, and the story moves at a good pace. This book is just flat-out fun. I highly recommend it.

The Prophet of the Termite God by Clark Thomas Carlton

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Once an outcast, Pleckoo has risen to Prophet-Commander of the Hulkrish army.  But a million warriors and their ghost ants were not enough to defeat his cousin, Anand the Roach Boy, the tamer of night wasps and founder of Bee-Jor. Now Pleckoo is hunted by the army that once revered him. Yet in all his despair, Pleckoo receives prophecies from his termite god, assuring him he will kill Anand to rule the Sand, and establish the One True Religion. 

And war is not yet over.

Now, Anand and Bee-Jor face an eastern threat from the Mad Emperor of the Barley People, intent on retaking stolen lands from a vulnerable and chaotic nation. And on the southern Weedlands, thousands of refugees clamor for food and safety and their own place in Bee-Jor. But the greatest threats to the new country come from within, where an embittered nobility and a disgraced priesthood plot to destroy Anand … then reunite the Lost Country with the Once Great and Holy Slope. 

Can the boy who worked in the dung heap rise above the turmoil, survive his assassins, and prevent the massacre of millions? (taken from Amazon)

Thank you to the author and publisher for providing me with this book, in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book was a mixed-bag for me. While undoubtedly epic in a miniature way, it took me a while to get into. I think the buggy-ness of things just took me a bit to get used to. Sometimes I just take a little longer to get into the right head space for a book.

The author is incredibly talented and the world he’s created is fully developed. This is one of the most unique and creative books I’ve read to date. I honestly can’t think of anything to compare it to. While I liked the characters, the plotline and world were what really shone for me.

How Mr. Carlton was able to inject so much feeling into this storyline is beyond me, but he does it with aplomb. I thought it was a very brave choice, talking about the difficult aspects of leading. There is no shying away from tough subjects in this book, such as a refugee crisis.

This book requires focus and attention. It’s not the sort to read on a day at the beach. But it is a well-written fantasy, one that is unlike any other.

Have you read this? What did you think?

Fowl Language: Winging It by Brian Gordon- ARC Review

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The world’s finest parenting cartoon featuring ducks presents a comprehensive view of the early parenting years in all of their maddening cuteness and sanity-depriving chaos. In addition to dozens of previously unpublished cartoons, Fowl Language: Winging It is organized into 12 thematic chapters—including “Babies: Oh Dear God, What Have We Done?”; “Siblings: Best Frenemies Forever”; and “Sleep: Everybody Needs It, Nobody’s Gettin’ It”—each of which begins with a hilarious, illustrated 500-word essay. (taken from Amazon)

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with this book, in exchange for my honest opinion. It will be available to purchase on October twenty second.

Who knew that it would be possible for me to relate so much to a duck? I struggle with reading graphic novels, but I love a good web comic. Back in the day, I used to read Penny Arcade, and comics along those lines. Then, one fated night, long after the cranky baby should have been sleeping, while surfing Facebook in an effort to stay awake myself, I stumbled across two panels of parental hilarity. Finally, someone got it. Being a parent is amazing, a miracle, and I love every moment of it…except the moments that I loathe.

Those times that everyone who’s well-rested claim I’ll look back on fondly? Yeah. This author nails my mixed feelings on those perfectly. The painful struggle that is toilet training? That’s in here too. That moment when I tear up because my oldest isn’t little anymore and why is he growing so freaking fast? Yep, this fowl little parent understands.

This collection of parenting comics is fabulous. If you’ve ever experienced the joys and trials of parenting, especially if you’re in the trenches now and need a little tongue-in-cheek humor, this book is for you.

Be aware that this fowl is a bit foul. He’s also funny and very real. Parents: pick this book up. When you’re done laughing, you’ll thank me.