80-82

Jun. 24th, 2010 09:57 am
fiveforsilver: (Blue window)
[personal profile] fiveforsilver
80. *Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
The Clockwork Century, book 1
Adult, Science fiction/Steampunk, 414 pages

Seattle is enclosed behind a 200-foot wall, built to keep in a toxic gas coming up from the ground and the rotters it creates when people breathe it in. Briar goes into the city she thought was deserted to find her son, Zeke, who went in looking for answers.

Boneshaker is the third Priest book I've read and was just as good as I was expecting. Priest skates the edge of horror - zombies are clearly horror-monsters, and frankly I was hesitant to read the book because of that - without going over the edge into the gruesome or overly terrifying. The story is well-plotted, the characters have believable motivations and depth, and the world is intriguing enough that I am excited to read the sequels.

81. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
Young Adult, Fantasy, 248 pages

82. *Glimmerglass by Jenna Black
Faeriewalker, book 1
Young Adult, Urban Fantasy, 294 pages

ARC from the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.

Dana is half-human and half-Fae teenager and when she can no longer stand living with her drunken (human) mother, she runs away to find her Fae father in Avalon, the city connecting the human and faerie worlds. But as soon as she walks through the gate, everything starts going wrong.

Glimmerglass is an exciting story of a girl caught in a world she knows nothing about, forced to trust people she barely knows and being betrayed at every turn. I was concerned toward the end that too much plot would be worked into the last few pages, but it is the first in a series, so things wrapped up this book's story and set up for the next book.

My only complaint is that I am tired of women falling for men who are nasty to them. None of the boys Dana's age are nice to her, and yet she's drooling over them because they're Fae-gorgeous. Those bits were incredibly boring, unlike the rest of the story.

82 / 160 books (51%)
45 / 80 *new books (56%)
3 / 7 ^non-fiction (43%)
20181 / 48000 pages. (42%)
Audiobooks: 46h29m

78-79

Jun. 24th, 2010 09:56 am
fiveforsilver: (Geek [Once upon a space-time])
[personal profile] fiveforsilver
78. *Fairy Tales for Writers by Lawrence Schimel
Adult, poetry, 30 pages

I was expecting this to be an regular-sized book of short stories, not a very small book of very short poems, but I guess that's my fault for not reading descriptions or reviews more closely.

I particularly liked Cinderella and particularly disliked Hansel and Gretal and Rumpelstiltskin. Some of the stories seemed a bit of a stretch to squeeze them into the fairy tale that they were titled, but generally it was cute a cute book and it took me a total of 10 minutes to read the whole thing.

79. *Un Lun Dun by China MiƩville
Young Adult, urban fantasy, 471 pages

Two girls accidentally find their way into an alternate London. Weirdness ensues. And a war.

I loved the world described in Un Lun Dun, all the odd creatures and strange ways things functioned. The pacing seemed off, though, and many of the characters (and there were many characters) were flat and forgettable. It was the world that kept me interested in the book much more than the story or the characters.

79 / 160 books (49%)
43 / 80 *new books (54%)
3 / 7 ^non-fiction (43%)
19225 / 48000 pages. (40%)
Audiobooks: 46h29m

76-77

Jun. 24th, 2010 09:54 am
fiveforsilver: (Default)
[personal profile] fiveforsilver
(still may)

76. Daja's Book by Tamora Pierce
Circle of Magic, book 3
Young adult, Fantasy, 240p

I much prefer Pierce's Tortall books - I prefer nearly any given Tortall book to any given Circle book. A big part of the problem I have with the Circle books is that there are always too many things going on at once, so none of them quite get the time they need to be developed, and so neither do the characters. In Daja's Book, for instance, there is the drought, there is the fire (admittedly the two are connected), there is Daja's problems being a cast-out from her people (since a group of her people come around), there is yet another prideful mage (I think there is one in every book) and prideful noble (likewise) to cause problems and/or discord, and then Daja's and her friends' magics get away from them (more than once).

And that's not even all of it. It's just too much. The book should be half again as long to encompass it all, and all the Circle books are like that. But this is one of the few Circle books that I specifically reread occasionally despite the problems, because certain parts of the storylines resonate with me and I really like Daja.

77. Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Adult, Fantasy, 405p

Possibly my favorite book ever. Sunshine is a reluctant heroine who would rather bake cinnamon rolls than kill vampires. The world McKinley created for her to live in is so fascinating (and terrifying) that I love reading about it and learning all the snippets of information that come up in the book alongside the story - what different kinds of demons are like (physically and socially), how magic-using can effect the user; details that make the world seem more solid and there.

77 / 160 books (48%)
41 / 80 *new books (51%)
3 / 7 ^non-fiction (43%)
18724 / 48000 pages. (39%)
Audiobooks: 46h29m

73-75

Jun. 24th, 2010 09:52 am
fiveforsilver: (Doctor Who [teamwork])
[personal profile] fiveforsilver
May

73. *The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Time Capsule by Peter Anghelides
Young Adult, Science Fiction, audiobook, 1h6m

74. *The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Thirteenth Stone by Justin Richards
Young Adult, Science Fiction, audiobook, 1h8m

75. *The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Shadow People by Scott Handcock
Young Adult, Science Fiction, audiobook, 1h5m

75 / 160 books (47%)
41 / 80 *new books (51%)
3 / 7 ^non-fiction (43%)
18079 / 48000 pages. (38%)
Audiobooks: 46h29m

68-74

May. 30th, 2010 02:03 pm
fiveforsilver: (Doctor Who [sonic screwdriver])
[personal profile] fiveforsilver
68. *Doctor Who: Wetworld by Mark Michalowski, read by Freema Agyeman
Science Fiction, Audiobook, 2h22m

69. *Doctor Who: Wishing Well by Trevor Baxendale, read by Debbie Chazen
Science Fiction, Audiobook, 2h21m

70. *Doctor Who: The Price of Paradise by Colin Brake, read by Shaun Dingwall
Science Fiction, Audiobook, 2h32m

71. *Doctor Who: The Nightmare of Black Island by Mike Tucker, read by Anthony Head
Science Fiction, Audiobook, 2h26m

72. *Doctor Who: The Story of Martha -
Star-Crossed by Simon Jowett
The Frozen Wastes by Robert Shearman
Breathing Space by Steve Lockley, Paul Lewis
The Weeping by David Roden
Science Fiction, Audiobook, short stories, read by Freema Agyeman, 42m each

72 / 160 books. 45% done!
38 / 80 *new books. 48% done!
3 / 7 ^non-fiction. 43% done!
18079 / 48000 pages. 38% done!
Audiobooks: 43h10m

64-67

May. 29th, 2010 04:13 am
fiveforsilver: (Doctor Who [teamwork])
[personal profile] fiveforsilver
64. *The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Ghost House by Steven Cole, read by Elisabeth Sladen
Young Adult, Science Fiction, audiobook, 1h4m

65. Feed by M. T. Anderson
Young Adult, science Fiction, 320 pages

66. *Doctor Who: The Rising Night by Scott Handcock, read by Michelle Ryan
science fiction, audiobook, 2h16m

67. *Doctor Who: The Last Voyage by Dan Abnett, read by David Tennant
science fiction, audiobook, 2h14m

67 / 160 books. 42% done!
33 / 80 *new books. 41% done!
3 / 7 ^non-fiction. 43% done!
18079 / 48000 pages. 38% done!
Audiobooks: 31h51m
fiveforsilver: (Doctor Who [sonic screwdriver])
[personal profile] fiveforsilver
64. *Doctor Who: Wooden Heart by Martin Day, read by Adjoa Andoh
Science fiction, Audiobook, 2h31m

The Doctor and Martha land on a deserted science vessel deep in space, go through a door ,and are suddenly in a forest complete with a fully inhabited village.

Pretty good story, not so great characterization. Martha was way off - the author apparently forgot that she wouldn't freak out around dead bodies or jump to wild and hasty conclusions about them. The climax was a bit short on explanation but overall it was well-paced and interesting.

64 / 160 books. 40% done!
30 / 80 *new books. 38% done!
3 / 7 ^non-fiction. 43% done!
17859 / 48000 pages. 37% done!
Audiobooks: 26h17m

61-63

May. 7th, 2010 08:17 am
fiveforsilver: (Books [open book])
[personal profile] fiveforsilver
61. Cold Fire by Tamora Pierce
The Circle Opens, book 3
Young Adult, Fantasy, 355 pages

As with most of the Circle books, there are so many plots and sub-plots going on that it's difficult for any of them to get the depth they deserve. In this book, Daja and her teacher Frostpine are visiting a city to the north. Daja discovers the daughters of their hosts have magical abilities, so they need to be taught, so she needs to find teachers for them and teach them meditation. There are lots of fires going on in the city and Daja starts developing a friendship with a man named Ben who set up a fire brigade, and she decides to make living metal gloves for him so he can be more effective in rescuing people. The aforementioned daughters are teaching her to ice skate. Frostpine is investigating counterfeit coins.

And so on.

Most of the plots overlap or converge at some point, but still it just seems like the book is too short to hold it all. Also, there is a mystery that the reader learns the answer to early in the book and the characters don't discover until near the end. I found that disconcerting and I would have preferred it handled differently.

For all its flaws, it's not a bad book, just one I think could have been better. I enjoy it nonetheless; Daja is one of my favorite Circle characters - maybe I relate to her because of the metalsmithing - and also the Circle characters have less of a tendency toward Mary Sueishness than the Tortall women.

62. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games Trilogy, book 1
Young Adult, Science Fiction/dystopia, 374 pages

Every year, each sector has to randomly pick two teenagers - a boy and a girl - to play in a sadistic event called "The Hunger Games", a fight to the death where the winner gets extra food and gifts for the next year, not just for themself but for their entire sector.

It was wonderful. It was horrible. It was an amazing read, and I am looking forward to the next in the series, although I can already imagine some of the things that will be in it and I'm sure it will be another heartbreaking story.

63. *Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games Trilogy, book 2
Young Adult, Science Fiction/dystopia, 391 pages

In order to save the lives of her friends and their families, Katniss must again pretend to be in love with Peeta on the annual victory tour. Then things get even worse...

Throughout the book, as with The Hunger Games, Katniss sometimes seems a little silly and oblivious. But growing up in her world, it's more amazing to see anyone trust anyone at all than to see someone fight viciously for their own survival. Katniss isn't silly; she's cautious, determined, and very strong.

Catching Fire is an excellent book and possibly even more heartbreaking than The Hunger Games. Again I am looking forward to the third and final book in this amazing trilogy.


63 / 160 books. 39% done!

29 / 80 *new books. 36% done!

3 / 7 ^non-fiction. 43% done!

17859 / 48000 pages. 37% done!
Audiobooks: 23h46m
fiveforsilver: (Text [Curiosity])
[personal profile] fiveforsilver
60. *Shapeshifter by Holly Bennett
Young Adult, Fantasy, 244 pages

I received this book through the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program.

Sive is a Sidhe who can shapeshift into a doe and has magic in her singing. She unwittingly catches the eye of Far Doirche, a dark fey sorcerer who wants control over her and her singing power. To escape him, she shifts into her deer form and flees.

The plot and some of the characters are interesting, but there are flaws in the writing that detract from the story. The book is in third person but most chapters include a short section in first person, interludes that add little to the story and only release any tension there might have been regarding the future of those characters. In addition, there are several important events that occur completely off-page and which are only described minimally later, in passing.

The story would have read better in alternating first person, which would have retained the dramatic tension and given a method for including the events that were left out (or a reason for their exclusion).

I liked the idea of the story, but unfortunately the stylistic quirks were too distracting for me to like the book.


60 / 160 books. 38% done!

28 / 80 *new books. 35% done!

3 / 7 ^non-fiction. 43% done!

16739 / 48000 pages. 35% done!
Audiobooks: 23h46m

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