Suz Reviews

Habibi

2012-02-16T23:35:00.002-08:00

by Craig Thompson, 665 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B

Habibi is hard to classify. It takes place in the present (or close to it), but feels like it's in the past because the characters are isolated and/or on the margins of society. It follows two characters who escape from slavery together, one as a young girl and the other as a baby. Dodola raises Zam in a boat trapped in the middle of a desert. Once Zam is a teen, Dodola is abducted by a caravan and taken into a harem, and Zam begins his journey to be reunited with her.
Not a tale for the faint-hearted (many bad things happen to both Dodola and Zam, in addition to the frequent nudity and sexual encounters), 'Habibi' is a journey of two characters apart and together, longing for what they've lost. The settings run from a ship in the desert and a harem to a half-constructed skyscaper and an enclave of eunuchs, as well as the depictions of religious stories from Hebrew, Christian and Muslim faiths. There is also a gorgeous amount of art relating to Arabic writing throughout.

Hark! A Vagrant

2012-02-16T23:14:00.004-08:00

by Kate Beaton, 166 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: A+
Website: Hark, a vagrant

A comic anthology (from the website?), 'Hark!' is part comics about history (from many parts of history), part culture (Canada, eh?), and part literary (let's make fun of Jane Austen and the Bronte sisters, y/y?) Another early A+ review for the year. This had me in stitches the night I sat down to read it and went cover to cover.

The Restoration Game

2012-01-22T18:46:00.003-08:00

by Ken MacLeod, 257 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: A

So this book is about Lucy Stone, who works for a small Scottish company that designs computer games. She's also the daughter of Amanda Stone, the world expert on Krassnia, a small region in Russia/Georgia that isn't technically it's own country. When she was a little girl, Lucy actually lived there with her mother, and across several generations had inherited some Krassnian blood.
Things get underway when Amanda coerces Lucy into getting her company to create a version of their upcoming 'Dark Britannia' game based on Krassnian legend to help support some nebulous agency/agencies' goal for a revolution in Krassnia. And the whole Krassnian legend is actually tied up in a terrifying experience Lucy had as a child in Krassnia and what exactly is the ancient secret that lies on Mt. Krassnia - which is where the scifi bit comes in.
MacLeod does an excellent job of weaving all the plot threads together by the end.

I am the Chosen King

2012-01-22T18:41:00.004-08:00

by Helen Hollick, 577 pgs, paperback
Series: The Lost Kingdom book 2
Overall Grade: B

A really detailed novel following the main players in the English nobility (and Duke William of Normandy) in the years before the Battle of Hastings and the Norman Conquest. Even though you know the English will lose, you end up feeling really sympathetic for them.

Caveat Emptor

2012-01-22T18:32:00.004-08:00

by Ruth Downie, 336 pgs, hardcover
Series: Gaius Petreius Ruso series book #4
Overall Grade: A-

Another series of ancient Roman mysteries! This one occurs during the Roman Empire, the reluctant sleuth (Ruso) is an army doctor by training, and this particular mystery is sent in Roman Britannia. The dilemma involves a tax collector and his brother who went missing with the taxes from a nearby town. Eventually you feel as frustrated as Ruso, learning more about the Roman bureaucracy and monetary system than you ever wanted to know.
BTW - the title translates to "buyer beware"

The President & the Assassin

2011-11-28T14:13:00.006-08:00

by Scott Miller, 350 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B-

Which president? Not Lincoln, not Kennedy, not even Reagan.
President McKinley. Bet you don't remember who assassinated him (even if you've heard of him before)... it was Leon Czolgosz, self-stylized anarchist and social misfit.
Miller does a nice job laying the groundwork for Czolgosz's life and McKinley's presidency before their fateful encounter. You might remember the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine? The Spanish-American War? Yup, those were under McKinley's administration.

The Son of Neptune

2011-11-10T10:32:00.006-08:00

by Rick Riordan, 513 pgs, hardcover
Series: The Heroes of Olympus book 2; parent series: Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Overall Grade: B

I was very delighted to see how Riordan was going to play out the Roman aspect of the gods and their version of camp. In a way it was sad to see that they had an idyllic little town tucked away where demigods could live in peace (or had up till now anyway). Like, sucks for you, Greek demigod, you'll be on the run and fighting against baddies your whole life. But I did like the introduction of the harpies, and the Amazons (despite the crazy long detour they had to take into the Puget Sound to get to Seattle -- Mr. Riordan, you need to do more geography research, have you seen how big the Puget Sound is?) Was the trip to Alaska overkill? Yeah, probably. I liked his portrayal of Hyperborean giants though.

the Half-Made World

2011-10-22T17:01:00.002-07:00

by Felix Gilman, 479 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: A

Despite its lackluster ending, this one gets a solid A.
The Wild West is such ripe pickings for the steampunk genre, and Gilman makes heavy use of it. The West is dominated by the forces of Gun and Line, where otherworldly spirits seem to inhabit guns, binding their wielders to their bidding, or monstrous steam engines, dominating their stations and enslaving their people as ant-like drones. Into this craziness comes Liv, a newly widowed psychologist from the civilized East, following the request of a mysterious letter to help with war-ravaged patients at the House Dolorous. But one of those patients holds a secret in his addled mind that Gun and Line will do anything to get (and keep the other side from getting). Liv literally gets swept up into an adventure to the edge of the world, the far west, where the world is actually still forming and shifting.

The Magician King

2011-10-22T16:52:00.004-07:00

by Lev Grossman, 400 pgs, hardcover
Sequel to The Magicians
Overall Grade: A-

An excellent sequel to 'The Magicians'. Here the story focuses on Quentin, but also Julia, and we learn of the trials and tribulations in learning magic without enrolling in Brakebills. It's not pretty. For Quentin, having been established a king of Fillory for a while, is looking for a quest and he'll get to learn just what a hero is, and that he really needs to be more careful with interdimensional doorways.

The Pack

2011-10-10T09:03:00.003-07:00

by Jason Starr, 341 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B

Simon Burns is an ad exec. Or he was until he was abruptly fired. Now adjusting to the life of a stay-at-home dad and a struggling marriage, he meets a trio of other single dads at the park. He quickly finds camaraderie with these guys, but after a chill evening of dinner, beer and hanging out turns into a nightmare of blacked-out memory and Simon's former boss turns up dead, mauled by a wolf, things quickly spiral out of control. Just what is going on with the mysterious Michael and their friends?
A satisfying, modern take on how one's life would be royally messed up by becoming a werewolf, or werewolf-like. The tale is short on how the transformation process actually works (aside from the necessity of biting), and it does end somewhat suddenly when you'd like more resolution.

A First-Rate Madness

2011-10-10T08:52:00.003-07:00

by Nassir Ghaemi, 273 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: A-

The author sets forth the idea that some of the best leaders in history have some significant degree of mental illness (usually depression or bipolar); and not just coincidentally, but benefited from it. He sets out examples (some recent, some a few centuries old), and examines what we know of their mental state. From the energy and creativity of mania to depressive realism, the author looks at what benefits were derived from their illness. And why we might want leaders (especially crisis leaders) that aren't of sound mental health. Of course, he proves examples of what can go wrong (Hitler) and looks at cases were the mental health of the leader was detrimental.
Having depression myself it was nice to see the stigma of mental illness addressed, and look at the positive aspects (which you'd hardly ever think of).

Higher Institute of Villanous Education

2011-10-02T15:38:00.004-07:00

by Mark Walden, 320 pgs, hardcover
Series: H.I.V.E. #1
Overall Grade: B+

In the Garden of the Beasts

2011-08-30T19:35:00.003-07:00

by Erik Larson, 365 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: A

What would it be like to be in Berlin in the years before WWII? The history of the American ambassador and his family.

The Enemies of Jupiter

2011-08-30T19:33:00.005-07:00

by Caroline Lawrence, 171pgs, hardcover
Series: The Roman Mysteries #7
Overall Grade: C+

Heartless

2011-08-30T19:31:00.002-07:00

by Gail Carriger, 374pgs, paperback
Series: The Parasol Protectorate #4
Overall Grade: B-

The Social Animal

2011-08-22T12:46:00.002-07:00

by David Brooks, 376 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B-

An interesting read. I'm not sure I buy all of it, but Brooks tries to pull in years of psychology and brain research and weld it into a narrative about the underlying forces and drives that influence how people view the world and approach others.

The Throne of Fire

2011-08-12T17:15:00.003-07:00

by Rick Riordan, 446pgs, hardcover
Series: The Kane Chronicles #2
Overall Grade: A

Starts a few months after book 1, which the Kane siblings have spent recruiting and training other kids in Egyptian magic. Now they have less than a week before the equinox in order to collect the three Scrolls of Ra from various parts of the world (Brooklyn, Russia, Egypt) and use them during a voyage along the River of Night in the Duat to reunite the three aspects of Ra before Apophis is released and Chaos rules the world.
The story has plenty of action, and makes nice use of the split-narration between Sadie and Carter. Many new characters are introduced which helps flesh out the cast (as well as provided the requisite teenage crushes and angst). I especially liked the nod to Riordan's 'Percy Jackson' series.

I Shall Wear Midnight

2011-08-12T02:29:00.005-07:00

by Terry Pratchett, 347pgs, hardcover
Series: Discworld, Tiffany Aching #4
Overall Grade: B+

The book begins with Tiffany in her village on the Chalk doing witchy stuff. The whole tone of the story is quite dark, starting off with child abuse, teen pregnancy and attempted suicide in the first few chapters. Tiffany is finding that the people are having trouble figuring out how to act around the neighborhood-girl-turned-witch, and it only gets worse when some begin to denounce her as evil with echoes of witch hunts not far behind. And if life isn't tough enough, her erstwhile friend, the Baron's son is getting married to some waifish, weak-minded Duke's daughter with a domineering mother. When it rains it pours.
There was a nice amount of Feegle in this book, as well as appearances by many of Discworld's cast of witches, for nice use of Pterry's (extensive) extended universe.
And that's it for the series as far as I hear.

An Artist of the Floating World

2011-08-09T18:46:00.003-07:00

by Kazuo Ishiguro, 206pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: B+

Unfolding over the course of couple of years, we learn about the life and career of Masuji Ono. An artist trained in painting the ephemeral beauty of the "floating world" of the Japanese pleasure districts, through post-war interactions with family and acquaintances we slowly discover the cause of the questionable feelings Ono and others hold towards his conduct during the war. As with most of Ishiguro's novels, much is conveyed in how the characters don't say what they're thinking.

The Tale of the Body Thief

2011-08-08T17:21:00.003-07:00

by Anne Rice, 430 pgs, paperback
Series: The Vampire Chronicles book 4
Overall Grade: A-

Dreadnought

2011-08-08T17:19:00.003-07:00

by Cherie Priest, 400pgs, paperback
Series: Clockwork Century book 2
Overall Grade: A-

The Twelve Tasks of Flavia Gemina

2011-08-08T17:15:00.003-07:00

by Caroline Lawrence, 159pgs, hardcover
Series: The Roman Mysteries book 6
Overall Grade: B

The Four Fingers of Death

2011-08-08T17:13:00.002-07:00

by Rick Moody, 725pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: C+

Join the Club

2011-08-07T21:53:00.002-07:00

by Tina Rosenberg, 351 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B-

The argument in this social science book is relatively simple. If negative peer pressure can make people do bad things, then positive peer pressure can help them make good choices. Rosenberg dubs this technique "the social cure" and gives examples from around the globe of many different peoples using it to solve or overcome many different types of problems. Anti-smoking campaigns, calculus classes, rural healthcare in India, ousting a dictator in Serbia among others.

Fortune's Favorites

2011-08-07T21:28:00.002-07:00

by Colleen McCullough, 940pgs, paperback
Series: Masters of Rome book 3
Overall Grade: B+

This books starts with the victorious Sulla strong-arming the senators into making him dictator. Sulla then proceeds to make extensive reforms to just about every aspect of Roman government, and to persecute his political enemies via proscription. Finally, Sulla retires to a seaside villa where he lives out the last few months of his life. The rest of the book deals with the aftermath of Sulla's dictatorship. Pompey running around generalling everywhere. The war in Spain against Sertorius. The Spartacus uprising. And Caesar finally coming into his own, flexing his military leadership, and generally stunning everyone around him.

Ghost Story

2011-08-07T21:10:00.003-07:00

by Jim Butcher, hardcover, 496 pgs
Series: Dresden Files book 13
Overall Grade: A

Finally! The wait is over. The story picks up right where 'Changes' left off. We follow Harry, now a sort-of ghost, around Chicago trying to find his killer. But things are hard for a ghost, most of his friends can't see or hear him or even believe that it is him, he can't be out in the sunlight, and he can't do magic. Supernatural baddies are running rampant and holding things together in Harry's absence has put major strain on his close friends, especially Murphy and Molly. Anyway, as we expect from Harry, he gets caught up in helping others instead of helping himself. But in a way, he finally does figure out who his killer is...

Cowboys & Aliens

2011-08-06T17:15:00.003-07:00

PG-13, 118 mins
IMDb, Official Website
Overall Grade: B

For scifi, this is horrible. There are so many questions about why the aliens are doing what they are doing it's laughable. For a western, well... I haven't seen enough westerns to compare it to the genre. For a summer movie with western & scifi themes, it's pretty decent.
It starts off with a man waking up in the desert with complete amnesia, doesn't even remember his name. But he does have a herky metal cuff stuck on his wrist which he can't get off. He proceeds to assault the first group of riders who stumble across him, and rides into town trying to figure out who he is, what the bracelet does, and if he even wants to remember what brought him into contact with the aliens to begin with.

Super 8

2011-08-06T16:54:00.002-07:00

PG-13, 112 mins
IMDb page, Official Website
Overall Grade: A-

During the summer of 1979, Joe is helping some of his middle school friends produce their zombie movie for an amateur film competition. While filming a scene late one night at the train station, they witness their school's biology teacher drive his truck onto the track and derail a military train in an extraordinary crash sequence. But what was on the train? What did it have to do with the biology teacher? Why have all the neighborhood dogs disappeared, along with other odd thefts in their small town?
This movie does a good job of keeping the alien out of site till the climax. Which is always good because what you can't see is scarier than what you can. It also does an excellent job of blind-siding the characters. They'll be talking or arguing and then BOOM! something happens from behind them.

Captain America

2011-08-06T16:20:00.004-07:00

PG-13, 124 mins
IMDb page, Official Website
Overall Grade: B+

Not being a comic book geek, I didn't go into this with any preconceptions about Captain America and his surrounding mythology. So I can't say how well or poorly that was treated. I did however enjoy it as a good summer action flick. Plenty of explosions, fight scenes, and generally bad-ass-ness.

Will Supervillains Be On the Final?

2011-07-28T01:00:00.005-07:00

author: Naomi Novik, illustrator: Yishan Li
Series: Liberty Vocational vol. 1
Overall Grade: A+

So I was browsing the manga section when Naomi Novik's name leapt out and grabbed me. She's the author of my beloved 'Temeraire' series. But this was much different from dragons and historical fiction, this is a graphic novel about a superhero college!
Leah Taymore is a sixteen-year-old, gifted with a powerful superpower, who is starting college early. This first volume mostly revolves about Leah's embarassing experiences and her developing relationships with several of her classmates, her empathic roommate Yuzana, her troubled reluctant-hero crush Paul Lyman, and Jeremy Blake.

The Osiris Ritual

2011-07-22T09:47:00.004-07:00

by George Mann, 319 pgs, hardcover
Series: A Newbury & Hobbes Investigation book 2
Overall Grade: B+

Again we adventure with Sir Maurice Newbury, agent of Queen Victoria, and Miss Veronica Hobbes. This time Newbury is intrigued by the murders surrounding a group of gentlemen explorers just returned from Egypt. Might it somehow be related to the rouge agent he's been assigned by the Queen to track and bring in? Meanwhile Miss Hobbes is busy investigating the mysterious disappearances of young women that coincide with iterinary of a travelling magician.
As you might expect after 'The Affinity Bridge', all these mysteries are going to end up tied together by the end...

The Queen of the Damned

2011-07-06T11:52:00.005-07:00

by Anne Rice, 448 pgs, paperback
Series: The Vampire Chronicles book 3
Overall Grade: B+

The Zombies of Lake Woebegotten

2011-07-06T11:46:00.004-07:00

by Harrison Geillor, 293 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: A

The Vampire Lestat

2011-06-27T12:06:00.006-07:00

by Anne Rice, 550pgs, paperback
Series: The Vampire Chronicles book 2
Overall Grade: A-

Much better than 'Interview with the Vampire' in my opinion. This time around, we get the first-person narrative of Lestat, starting with him awakening in the (then) present-day shortly after 'IwtV' is published, and he joins a metal band. Well, if Louis can get away with his whiny biography, then so can Lestat.
The narrative quickly jumps us back to Lestat's pre-vampire life as rural gentry in 19th century France. He kills a pack of wolves all by himself, befriends Nicholas, they move to Paris, discover the arts, music, theater. Lestat is abducted and turned by an old vampire named Magnus. Spends some time revelling in his new status, turns his only mother, Gabrielle, into a vampire at the very brink of death. Together they confront the Paris coven, led by Armand, and destroy it. Lestat turns his friend Nicholas into a vampire, Nicholas is still looney. Armand spills his whole history out for Lestat & Gabrielle. Lestat sets up Armand, Nicholas and the remnants of the Paris coven as the Theatre of the Vampires (last seen in IwtV), before he and his mother go further and further abroad looking for the ancient vampire, Marius, and his mysterious charges Those Who Must Be Kept.

The Dolphins of Laurentum

2011-06-27T11:55:00.002-07:00

by Caroline Lawrence, 155 pgs, paperback
Series: The Roman Mysteries book 5
Overall Grade: A

Not so much a mystery this one, but an backstory info-dump on Lupus.
Flavia's father has returned, just barely surviving a shipwreck, and with all his money literally at the bottom of the sea, his creditors are demanding he pay up. At the same time Lupus is looking to hire an assassin to kill the slave-trader Venalicius, who murdered his parents and cut out his tongue. Fortunately, they meet Pliny the Younger, very thankful that they stayed with his uncle until nearly his dying moments, who offers to put them all up in his seaside villa in Laurentum till things get sorted out. And wouldn't you happen to know, there's an old shipwreck just off the shore that's supposed to have gold in it!

Water for Elephants

2011-06-27T11:47:00.002-07:00

by Sara Gruen, 331 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: A

Sometimes the popular books are just popular because they're good. This seems to be the case with 'Water for Elephants'.
Jacob Jankowski is a ninety-some year old man in a nursing home when the sudden appearance of a circus across the street causes a stir, and makes him remember eventful days of the 1930s when he literally dropped out of college, jumped a train, and worked for a circus. He also falls head-over-heels in love, and meets tons of colorful characters, and animals. Wins the girl, survives a stampede.
Just read it, it's good.

A Pale View of Hills

2011-06-27T11:01:00.003-07:00

by Kazuo Ishiguro, 183 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: B-

In a disjointed fashion, we glimpse two episodes in Etsuko's life. One in post-WWII Nagasaki, where she, pregnant with her first daughter, befriends a strange neighbor woman and her daughter. The second in near present-day England, where a much older Etsuko plays host to her grown second daughter on a home visit.

Krakatoa

2011-06-14T11:54:00.003-07:00

by Simon Winchester, 384 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: B

Yeah, I'm totes the sucker for non-fiction like this. Winchester does a fair job of dishing up servings of history, anthropology, geology, biology, technology and human interest. Yes, this is about the eruption of Krakatoa, an Indonesian volcano that completely blew itself apart in 1883.
The only reason my grade is not higher is because I was greatly bored by the half-arsed explanations of plate tectonics and subduction zones. (I do have a geology minor after all!)

Behemoth

2011-06-14T11:51:00.003-07:00

by Scott Westerfeld, 481 pgs, hardcover
Series: Leviathan trilogy book 2
Overall Grade: B+

I could hardly remember the first book when I picked this one up, but that was okay. The second book in this deliciously steampunk alt.history WWI finds Deryn (still masquerading as a boy, Dylan) and Alek (Austrian crown prince on the run) on the air beast/ship Leviathan, headed for Istanbul to deliver there cargo. Once there, the Darwinist British crew find themselves vying with the present German Clankers for influence over the sultan. Meanwhile, Alek and his keepers decide to make a break for it and escape from the airship.

The Assassins of Rome

2011-06-14T11:47:00.003-07:00

by Caroline Lawrence, 152 pgs, paperback
Series: The Roman Mysteries book 4
Overall Grade: B+

Backstory like whoa!
So Flavia and company are back home in Ostia finally have their eventful travels around Pompeii. But they're not there long before Jonathan's uncle shows up, begrudgingly telling him that his mother (whom he thought had died many years in the siege of Jerusalem) might be alive and tucked away somewhere in the imperial palace in Rome. So Jonathan scampers off to Rome with his uncle, leaving his father to be arrested back in Ostia, Lupus gets to hang out in a tree for a... while, and leaving Flavia and Nubia to devise their own plan to set off for Rome to find Jonathan and rescue him. Oh yeah, and some assassins might also be there trying to kill the emperor.

Day of the Oprichnik

2011-06-02T14:20:00.003-07:00

by Vladimir Sorokin, 191 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: C

I suppose I'm just not "literary" enough to enjoy this novel. Set in a future Russia, the story tells a day in the life of one oprichnik. From what I can tell, the oprichnina (the collective of oprichnik) are Tsar-ist government officials that spend their day ousting nobles, burning houses, raping women, doing drugs, acting as censors, carrying out assassinations, bribery, controlling various dissidents, being busy-bodies, and having orgies.
--Having wikied oprichnik, that's pretty much what they did historically in the 16th century. Well, they were supposed to live more austerely like monks, but fulfilled the same government role.

The Remains of the Day

2011-06-02T14:00:00.002-07:00

by Kazuo Ishiguro, 245pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: B+

An English butler relates his view on the profession and his service to his current and previous employers. The story is told in a piecemeal fashion as he travels on a roadtrip across the English countryside to visit and a former housekeeper from the estate.
As long as you can stand the snail's pace of the narrative and the constant skipping about in chronology, the novel is quite readable. The prose is especially well done, and you can perfectly imagine that an English butler is speaking to you.

The Pirates of Pompeii

2011-05-21T17:27:00.005-07:00

by Caroline Lawrence, 152 pgs, paperback
Series: The Roman Mysteries book 3
Overall Grade: B-

Flavia and her friends are refugees after the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius. In the encampment they discover that children are going missing, presumably abducted. At the invitation of a local patron, the four children visit his villa and attempt to figure out who is behind the kidnappings.

Interview with the Vampire

2011-05-04T23:58:00.004-07:00

by Anne Rice, 340 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B
Series: The Vampire Chronicles book 1

Gay vampires.
Yeah, that pretty much sums up the novel in two words.
Louis is a young landowner in 18th-century Louisiana when he encounters the vampire Lestat, who has materialistic eyes set on using Louis' wealth and estate to support himself. So he turns Louis into a vampire. For a long time, Louis and Lestat are the only two vampires, and they love and hate each other. After burning Louis' house to the ground, they move to New Orleans, and Lestat plays even more mind games with Louis by creating a vampire out of a little girl, thus making them "a family". They live a decadent, vampiric lifestyle for many decades in New Orleans, till Claudia (the girl vampire) grows up mentally (if not physically) and decides to off Lestat for being a horrible, manipulative, selfish prick. Louis & Claudia then travel to Eastern Europe in Claudia's quest to find more vampires, because everyone knows that all the vampire stories start there. They find vampires alright, just not like they'd expected. Finally, they go to Paris, hoping to find more aristocratic, civilized vampires like themselves. They meet Armand and his group of theatrical vampires. Other vampires are turned off by Louis' vestigial morality and Claudia's lack of qualms about killing other vampires. Lestat returns. Armand explains why there aren't any really REALLY old vampires (judging by the later books, he's wrong.) More vampire death. Fast forward to the present day (1970s) where Louis is sitting in a dark hotel room in San Francisco, monologuing to a boyish reporter, which is how the whole story is narrated = annoying as all get out.
The prose style isn't bad, and the story is actually interesting at times. But I really really hope Rice adds more plot to the next books. Because I don't think I could read an entire series of gentile vampire playing mind games with each other and having quasi-relationships which aren't actually sexual but still cause them to obsess over each other, or as my brother summed it up "gay".

Steppenwolf

2011-05-04T23:55:00.002-07:00

by Hermann Hesse
Overall Grade: F

Please will stop with the late-middle-age bachelor whining! Stop being a loner and make some friends! And the prose style killed me before 100 pages.

The Grass Crown

2011-05-04T23:42:00.004-07:00

by Colleen McCullough, 815 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B+
Series: Masters of Rome book 2

2nd book in the series. Which, again, focuses mainly on Marius & Sulla. As Marius declines in health, still striving for his prophesied 7th term as consul, Sulla is anxiously setting up his own political career, finally being elected consul. Both spend time in the Near East, gaining an understanding of King Mithridates, and his aims to wipe Rome from the map. But the majority of the book covers the Italian Wars, and their aftermath. Bloody? Very. By the end Sulla has marched on Rome, Marius has marched on Rome, and it seems like the rostra is decorated with the heads of half the Senate. Egads!

Side Jobs

2011-05-02T16:07:00.003-07:00

by Jim Butcher, 418 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B
Series: The Dresden Files

Bunch of short stories/novellas set at various points in the Dresden Files series. Basically an anthology of previously published stories, plus the 'Aftermath' follow-up to 'Changes'.

Unbroken

2011-04-06T09:17:00.002-07:00

by Laura Hillenbrand, 398 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B+

The Secrets of Vesuvius [The Roman Mysteries book 2]

2011-03-28T16:14:00.006-07:00

by Caroline Lawrence, 165pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: A-
Series: The Roman Mysteries

Another quick read. Another juvenile mystery set in the early Roman Empire. Following the events of the last book, Flavia and her friends are shipped off to her Uncle, who lives near Pompeii. Shortly before, they save Pliny and befriend the admiral/naturalist. At Flavia's uncle's, the troublesome quartet of Flavia, Nubia, Jonathan and Lupus quickly involve themselves in trying to find a mysterious blacksmith that Pliny described to them, and generally meddling in the family affairs of everyone around them. Then Vesuvius erupts and we spend most of the book hoping that the main characters will get the heck away from the volcano. I actually enjoyed that part because I like imagining what it would be like to be in the middle of a natural disaster.
book 1
book 3

The First Man in Rome

2011-03-28T15:58:00.005-07:00

by Colleen McCullough, 978pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: A
Series: Masters of Rome book 1

Fantabulous! This monstrous novel begin the generation before Julius Caesar the Dictator is born, so his parents are coming of age and getting married. But that's really a side-story because the protagonists of this tome are Marius and Sulla. Marius and Sulla are constantly being referenced by later Romans so this book greatly helped whet my desire to find out what made them so important. Protagonist #1: Gaius Marius, a rich military man, he wants to get into politics, but has no clout because he's from Puteoli (read: a citizen but not a Roman). So he marries into the well-respected, but poor patrician Julians. Spends most of the rest of the novel, being a general first in Numidia then in Northern Italy.
Protagonist #2: Lucius Cornelius Sulla, from a patrician family, has unsavory (to a Roman) sexual inclinations. As the story begins he's under the thumb of his step-mother and Greek mistress, but once Sulla gets ambitous that situation soon changes and Sulla ends up the recipient of both their wills. Now flush with money, he belatedly sets about building a political career (the ONLY career worth having for a well off Roman man). He also marries into the Julian family, and follows Marius on his military campaigns, eventually becoming his second-in-command.

Blameless: The Parasol Protectorate [book 3]

2011-03-16T00:23:00.003-07:00

by Gail Carriger, 355 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: A-
Series: The Parasol Protectorate

Prequel: Changeless
Sequel: Heartless (to be released July 2011)

After her husband's stunning rejection at the end of the last book, Alexia is struggling to find a good place to stay. The queen has dismissed her from her post on the Shadow Council, her family doesn't want the scandalous daughter under their roof, and her vampire friend has mysteriously left town. Why, it must be a perfect time to travel Europe! So Alexia, Madame Lefoux, and Mr. Floote hop aboard a dirigible for the continent, and after many harrowing journeys end up in the tender care of the Florentine Templars. The Templars, whom we've heard about in the previous books, are finally illuminated a bit more. And the explanation of Alexia's miraculous pregnancy is slowly revealed.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Demigod Files [book 4.5]

2011-03-16T00:13:00.004-07:00

by Rick Riordan, 151 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B
Series: Percy Jackson & the Olympians
Prequel: The Battle of the Labyrinth
Sequel: The Last Olympian

Set between the 4th & final books in the Percy Jackson series, 'Demigod Files' was basically released as a holdover until the final book came out, hence, it's "sneak peak" at 'The Last Olympian'. Still, aside from the dull bios, summaries, and character interviews, which teach us nothing new, there are 3 new short stories of Percy's adventures. The last one (about Hades' sword) is relevant to the final book in the series, and the middle one (about the metal dragon) is backstory for Riordan's sequel series, 'Heroes of Olympus'.

Changeless: The Parasol Protectorate [book 2]

2011-03-04T09:44:00.005-08:00

by Gail Carriger, 374pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: A
Series: The Parasol Protectorate

Prequel: Soulless
It's not often that the sequel is as enjoyable as its predecessor.
This book finds Alexia recently married to Conall Maccon, Lord Woolsey, and Alpha of the London werewolf pack. Her new home is inundated with the returned regimental members of said pack, and there is a mysterious zone of "humanization" in the middle of London, exorcising ghosts, and depriving werewolves and vampires of their supernatural powers and traits. Eyes turn to Alexia, who as a preternatural is the only creature known to possess similar "humanization" powers. And as if that weren't enough, her husband's former pack up in Scotland suddenly finds itself Alpha-less, and Alexia finds herself following after him, accompanied by her hat-obsessed friend Ivy, her embittered step-sister Felicity, one of her husband's clavigers and her French chambermaid. If that sounds like an riotous bunch, I assure you they are.

The Thieves of Ostia: The Roman Mysteries [book 1]

2011-02-20T22:02:00.006-08:00

by Caroline Lawrence, 146 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: B
Series: The Roman Mysteries

Quick read. Juvenile mystery set during the Roman Empire. Not for the squeamish, dogs are beheaded, one boy has no tongue, and one of the suspects commits suicide. Plot - young Flavia Gemina (daughter of a merchant captain) befriends her neighbor, Jonathan and the two set out to uncover who killed and beheaded Jonathan's dog.
book2

Cleopatra: A Life

2011-02-11T17:01:00.003-08:00

by Stacy Schiff, 302 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B+

A thoroughly enjoyable biography. Schiff does an excellent job perusing the historical sources, sussing out their biases and summarizing for the reader in an entertaining and readable way. You definitely come out knowing more about Cleopatra than you did before, but also knowing what you knew incorrectly, and also what the scholars still don't know.

The Red Pyramid

2011-02-03T18:43:00.009-08:00

by Rick Riordan, 516 pgs, hardcover
Official Site
Overall Grade: B
Series: The Kane Chronicles #1

A thoroughly enjoyable read, even though it's billed as a "Young Adult" novel. Another new series from the author of the fantastic Percy Jackson series. Instead of Greco-Roman mythology, Riordan weaves a story with Egyptian mythology. Sadie and Carter are two siblings being raised apart, Sadie with their maternal grandparents in London, and Carter travelling around the world with his Egyptologist father. They visit Sadie once a year or so, and this year head to a British museum to see, surprise, surprise, Egyptian artifacts. And like the good teens/tweens that they are, they disobey their father and stumble on to him breaking the Rosetta Stone and unleashing the five main Egyptian gods. Then the rest of the novel is a race against time to learn the Egyptian magic that's in their blood, and figure out a way to prevent Set from destroying the world. And like any Riordan book, you can bet on this only being part of the big picture...

Sequel 'The Throne of Fire' due out this May.

The Green Hornet (2011)

2011-01-25T23:27:00.006-08:00

PG-13, 119 min
IMDB, Official Site
Overall Grade: B

Gets a solid B for being entertaining. But not award-worthy. And some of Seth Rogan's lines are cringeworthily out of place in this genre of film.

Soulless

2011-01-21T14:53:00.006-08:00

by Gail Carriger, 357 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: A-
Series: The Parasol Protectorate

Sequel: Changeless
Overall an enjoyable read. Part steampunk, part bodice-ripper, part Victorian England mystery, part supernatural (ala werewolves and vampires). Enter our protagonist, Miss Alexia Tarabotti, a young, half-Italian spinster who just wants some intelligent conversation and a cup of tea. She lives in an England were the supernatural live openly with normal humans, or as openly as they can, though still viewed somewhat suspiciously, despite their strict pack or hive rules. Here the explanation is that those who survive the transformation into a werewolf or vampire have an excess of soul, while Miss Tarabotti has the opposite, no soul whatsoever. This causes her to negate the powers/features of supernaturals when she touches them. After being attacked (unsuccessfully) by an unaccounted for, rogue vampire, she quickly becomes entangled in a mystery that is besetting the BUR or Bureau of Unnatural Registry. And romantically entangled with the large, gruff, handsome werewolf Alpha, head of BUR, Conall Maccon, the Earl of Woolsey.
As this is the first in 'The Parasol Protectorate' series, I'll be reviewing the following books as I read them.

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe

2010-12-29T23:23:00.000-08:00

by Charles Yu, 256pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B+

A short, good little read. Written in the first person. Basically the story of a time machine repairman who took up his chronological unstuck job to avoid family problems. And then blunders into one of the seminal paradoxes of time travel, what happens if you kill yourself? This part of the story is quite well done, and annoyingly interspersed with inserts of metastory about how the story is set in such and such science fictional universe, and how things work there.

The Accidental Sorcerer

2010-12-29T23:18:00.000-08:00

by K.E. Mills, 560pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: C-

Rogue Agent series book 1.
Stereotypical, painful example of when the magic genre can become dull and too worked over.
Needless to say, I'm not reading the rest of the series.

The Passage

2010-12-27T23:13:00.000-08:00

by Justin Cronin, 766 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B+

A fabulous but LONG book. Like reading about vampire apocalypses? This story's got that. How about post-apocalyptic "civilization"? It's got that too. Very interesting take on vampires.

A Mighty Fortress

2010-12-26T22:58:00.004-08:00

by David Weber, 720 pgs, hardcover
David Weber's website
Overall Grade: B
Series: Safehold book 4
Sequel to 'By Heresies Distressed'.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest

2010-12-12T23:16:00.006-08:00

by Stieg Larsson, hardcover, 563pgs
Overall Grade: A-
Series: the Millennium trilogy book 3

Sequel to 'The Girl who Played with Fire'. A lot less action than the previous two in the trilogy, hence my slightly lower grade. Lisbeth is confined to the hospital for the better part of the novel, though she gets bad-a** points for surviving at all! Most of the story is about Blomkvist and company as they try to exonerate Lisbeth, and fight a shadowy government agency.

The Girl Who Played with Fire

2010-12-12T19:41:00.004-08:00

by Stieg Larsson, hardcover, 512pgs
Overall Grade: A
Series: the Millennium trilogy book 2

Sequel to 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. This book follows Lisbeth more than the last, diving into her past. Plenty more Lisbeth bad-a**ness. A much later cast.

Scott Pilgrim's Finest Hour

2010-11-17T23:52:00.005-08:00

by Bryan Lee O'Malley, paperback 248pgs
Overall Grade: B+
Series: Scott Pilgrim vol.6

A pretty decent ending to the Scott Pilgrim series, sequel to 'Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe'. Scott fights the final evil ex, if reluctantly. Maybe it's just because I had to wait so long after reading the first five for this one to be published that it didn't have as much of an impact.

The Magicians

2010-11-17T23:36:00.004-08:00

by Lev Grossman, 402 pgs paperback
Prequel to 'The Magician King'
Overall Grade: A

A terrific start to a very promising series; the sequel comes out next summer.
Quentin is one of those ridiculously smart kids in a gifted program, who does nothing besides academics and reading. He even teaches himself card tricks so he'll have some sort of hobby for college applications. He's headed dead-on for an Ivy League school and a banal life. Secretly he wishes life were more like his favorite magical series 'Fillory and Further' which we gather is kinda like the Chronicles of Narnia. Anyway, he arrives at a college interviewer, only to find the alumnus dead, and a envelope addressed to him containing a sixth, unpublished Fillory manuscript, and a note. But before he can read the note, the wind sends it flying, and in pursuit of the note, Quentin ends up at the magic college of Brakebills. Here he learns that, yes, magic is real, but it's really really really crazy difficult. And yes, he has the aptitude to become a magician, but it might kill him in the process, and he would have been better off not being used to being a prodigy.
The majority of 'The Magicians' is like an adult version of Harry Potter at Hogwarts. Like the back summary says, "hedonism and disillusionment". And somewhere along the way, he and his classmates learn that Fillory might not just be fiction...

Tongues of Serpents

2010-11-17T23:22:00.003-08:00

by Naomi Novik, hardcover 274pgs
Overall Grade: A
Series: Temeraire

Sequel to 'Victory of Eagles'. One of the highly-anticipated books over my summer secluded at camp. I can only fault it for being thinner, and hence shorter, than I had hoped. Temeraire and Laurence arrive in Australia to begin their exile, only to learn Australia lacks many things, even an imperial governor after the convicts mutiny 3+ times. Get a clue, Bligh! Also, one of the dragon eggs that had travelled with them from England gets stolen by natives, so off Temeraire and company go to chase it down, hopefully before it hatches. We get to meet quite a few new named dragons, learn what Australia has instead of indigenous dragons, and just to what extend the Chinese are willing to go to smuggle their goods into British markets.

Related news, this is book 6 in a series of 9. We're 2/3 of the way done now! Wah!!

Last Call: The Rise & Fall of Prohibition

2010-09-13T04:17:00.003-07:00

by Daniel Okrent, 376pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B+

If you're like me, you know little to none about the 18th Amendment establishing prohibition, except that it has the singular characteristic of being the only Amendment of the Constitution that's been repealed (21st Amendment). Okrent writes an incredibly readable account of the people and social factors that gave rise to the prohibition movement, the cultural of the US during Prohibition, and the people and social factors that eventually brought about its end.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet

2010-09-13T04:09:00.002-07:00

by David Mitchell, 479 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B

Again I picked up a popular fiction novel... this time because it's set in Japan. The story revolves around a Dutch clerk Jacob de Zoet who has left his beloved Anna behind in the Netherlands to hopefully make his fortune on the island of Dejima. For those not up on their Japanese history, the Dutch were the only Westerners allowed by the shogun to trade with the Japanese for many, many years. Unfortunately for Jacob, Dejima is in dire straights having lost their previous year's trading ship at sea. Not only must he deal with the motley cast who makes up the company at Dejima, but his heart is distracted by the face of one of Dr. Marinus' pupils, midwife Orito Aibagawa.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

2010-09-13T04:03:00.005-07:00

by Stieg Larsson, 465pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: A-
Series: the Millennium trilogy book 1

Incredibly catchy prose (wonder if that's from the translator or the author), this one. I'm not usually one for mysteries (or popular fiction) but this was definitely worth the read. Takes place in the early 2000's in Sweden, where the financial-critic/reporter protagonist has just been found guilty of libel. Along comes a mysterious freelance job offer from a reclusive former corporate CEO, who would very much like to know what ever became of his granddaughter who vanished back in the 1960's.
The minus is only because of some squicky violent bits.

1776

2010-08-27T00:34:00.004-07:00

by David McCullough, 294 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: B+

McCullough follows essentially one year of the American Revolution. 1776 is, of course, the famous year in which the Declaration of Independence was signed. But as you'll read, a lot more happened in 1776 that just that. The fighting moved from Boston to New York to New Jersey, ending with Washington's famous crossing of the Delaware River shortly before the year was out. And there's tons of details about what the Continental Congress and other groups were doing at the same time.

The Folding Knife

2010-08-27T00:32:00.003-07:00

by K.J. Parker, 442 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: A-

Like Parker's other books, 'The Folding Knife' is hard to describe. It takes place in a quasi-historical setting (roughly late Roman republic would be my guess), but there are some innovations that aren't period. Anyway, the story takes place in a made-up Vesani Republic. Basically following the life of Basso from his childhood, and the major events that shape his personality, business, and political career. I think it would sound boring if I described it as a tale of his machinations, but that's really what it is, closely following Basso. As boring as that sounds, it's really good.

Up

2010-08-27T00:26:00.004-07:00

PG, 96minutes
IMDB page
Official website
Overall Grade: A

So I finally got around to watching this while I was back home, and it blew my lukewarm opinion out of the water. The film is super adorable. The flashbacks in the beginning and later on in the movie even got me all teary-eyed. Basic plot: a man meets his soulmate and fellow exploration fanatic as a young boy. As they live out their lives together, they promise to eventually visit the exotic locale that inspired them as youth. But life happens, and they never go, and she eventually dies. Fed up with encroaching construction, the man finally takes matters into his own hands, and takes his house aloft with thousands of balloons. Story begins.

Toy Story 3

2010-06-21T23:05:00.000-07:00

G, 103 min
IMdB page, Official Site
Overall Grade: B

Sequel to 'Toy Story 2'.

The Gates

2010-06-13T19:03:00.002-07:00

by John Connolly, 293 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: A

Somehow I've failed to review Connolly's other novel 'The Book of Lost Things'. Anyway, this one is super good too. It all starts when Samuel decides to get a leg-up on the competition by starting to trick-or-treat in his neighborhood a few days early. While failing abysmally to get any candy, he and his dog observe the neighbors trying to open the gates of Hell in the basement. Unfortunately for the neighbors, they actually succeed. Now all of Hell is slowly filtering into our world, and no one believes Samuel when he tells them. Oh dear. Connolly gets bonus points for creative use of the Large Hadron Collider in a work of fiction. Subatomic particle physics is dangerous; it could open the gates of Hell!

Flight from Monticello: Thomas Jefferson at War

2010-06-13T18:57:00.004-07:00

by Michael Kranish, 331 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B+

In case you thought that all the interesting bits of the Revolutionary War had to do with Washington and the Continental Army, here is something to prove you wrong. While giving a brief recounting of Jefferson's life before and after the war, this book focuses on his life during the war itself. After penning the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson leaves the Continental Congress, and returns home to Virginia, where they elect him governor. Then he has a heck of a time trying to drum up his "state's" quota for the army, the militia, and just about anything else, including their defense when the British finally get tired of New England and come down to Virginia to make life miserable for the colonists. Oh, and did we mention that Jefferson almost gets captured several times while desperately running around Virginia being governor. And his wife dies, poor guy.

The French Admiral

2010-06-13T18:50:00.004-07:00

by Dewey Lambdin, 609pgs, large print hardcover
Overall Grade: B
Series: Alan Lewrie

Sequel to The King's Coat, in the Alan Lewrie series. While I enjoyed this more than the first book, I must say, if Alan gets a new sweetheart in every novel, this is going to get old FAST. When last we left, Alan was a midshipman on the Desperate in the West Indies with a captain that hated his guts. Now his ship is headed up to help subdue the rebellious colonies in America, and Alan gets to spend plenty of time stuck on land, manning forts in North Carolina, making friends with Loyalist volunteers and accidentally falling in love with their sister. Fortunately for Alan, he gets a promotion by the end, and learns that he's not as destitute as he believed.
P.S. By the way, you never even encounter the French admiral for whom the book is titled, de Grasse is one slippery fellow.

The Company

2010-06-13T18:36:00.003-07:00

by K.J. Parker, 419pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: A

Another stunning work by K.J. Parker (who wrote the Engineer trilogy). This is a stand-alone novel. During the war, A Company was a small group of men who were linebreakers, attacking the enemy head-on in front of the main army in order to break the line and cause disarray. As you can imagine, these guys are made out of more than a little brass to be able to do this for years and come out alive and with all their limbs, no less. This story picks up many years after the war, when the fifth member of their company, Teuche Kunessin, finally retires from the military and returns home to Faralia. He knows exactly what buttons to press to get the other four to drop everything in their pitiful lives and travel with him to an island he has appropriated from the government to start the farm he's always wanted. Unfortunately, if you've read the Engineer trilogy, nothing is ever so simply with Parker's stories. It turns out that Teuche has a secret he's been keeping from the others and he's not the only one with secrets either.

The Edge of the World: Terra Incognita Book One

2010-05-12T08:06:00.002-07:00

by Kevin J. Anderson, 565 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: C+

The King's Coat

2010-05-03T00:11:00.007-07:00

by Dewey Lambdin, 571 pgs, large-print hardcover
Overall Grade: B-
Series: Alan Lewrie

I can't fault it too much. It is a good sea yarn, though our protagonist Alan Lewrie sheds his landlubberiness much too quickly and so we lose our foil for understanding all the nautical jargon that comes at us. Anyway, plot: Alan Lewrie is the randy, heavy-partying bastard son of an English gentlemen who sets him up in a salacious plot to get him out of the country and away from any possible inheritance. He's thrust into the position of midshipman in the Royal Navy, and, over the course of the book, serves on three vessels (not all of them are big enough to be ships by R.N. standards) ending up in the West Indies, gets injured, develops a nack for ships' gunnery, fights a duel, hates his superiors, is hated by his superiors, save the day (more than once), finds hidden treasure, steals the heart of a young, spelling-challenge lass, and beds numerous whores and older women. Honestly, the sleeping around can almost become obnoxious, and it's blatant fanservice, because the plot doesn't need it. Oh, yes, I forgot to mention that this book takes place in the 1770's because the American Revolution is underway, so as a novel, it's set slightly earlier than the Aubrey/Maturin and Horatio Hornblower series.
Also- don't know how many pages this normally has. I could only get my hands on the large-print edition since that was the only copy the public library had :(

Changes: Book #12 of the Dresden Files

2010-05-02T23:57:00.004-07:00

by Jim Butcher, 438 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: A
Series: The Dresden Files

Sequel to 'Turn Coat'. The title is no misnomer. Just about everything in Harry's life changes in this book. We're talking family-wise, romance-wise, alliance-wise, house-wise, vampire-wise. Oh yeah. Lots of changes. I give Butcher major props for keeping Harry rolling with the continual punches that keep coming and coming throughout the book. Harry has always been a laudable character for being so freaking human and normal, with average person emotional reactions; even more so in this book. Also we get appearances (or at least mention) of practically all the minor characters in the series - and we're talking practically ALL of them! Lots of action. Many many "OMG I can't believe that just happened to that character!!!!11" moments.
So that's my summary without giving away all the awesome stuff that's in this book.
Also, we end with a HUGE FREAKING CLIFFHANGER!!!

Percy Jackson & The Olympians Book 3: The Titan's Curse

2010-03-27T12:55:00.005-07:00

by Rick Riordan, 312 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: A
Series: Percy Jackson & the Olympians

Sequel to 'The Sea of Monsters'. I'm very happy with this book, a fast read as usual, but very good. I like how Riordan incorporates even more mythology in with this book. And uses previous events to advance the plot (Lotus Hotel, Pan).
In this novel, after their initial mission, Annabeth goes missing, as well as the goddess Artemis. Percy, Grover, and Thalia must reluctantly team up with Artemis' hunters in order to seek out Artemis from the Titans that have captured her. All before the winter solistice of course.

Men to Boys

2010-03-27T12:53:00.002-07:00

by Gary Cross, 258 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: F

failed to finish

The Alchemy of Stone

2010-03-15T03:26:00.004-07:00

by Ekaterina Sedia, 293 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: A

Our protagonist, Mattie, lives in an unnamed city, run by the political factions of the mechanics and the alchemists. Mattie is highly intelligent, emanicipated automaton created by a mechanic named Loharri, who (as the book cover says) still has the key to her heart - literally. Trained as an alchemist, Mattie undertakes the task of saving the animate gargoyles who watch over the city from turning back into stone - hence the title.
I think Sedia does an excellent job weaving this novel so that we follow the perspective of Mattie, amidst all the bigger events that occur. I like the attention to detail, and how bodily reactions and movements are translated into the mechanics of a moving and functioning automaton.

The Secret History of Moscow

2010-03-15T03:19:00.003-07:00

by Ekaterina Sedia, 303 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: B+

In the dull and disaffected Moscow of the 1990s, people are mysteriously disappearing. Galina, who is certain her missing sister turned into a bird, with the help of a detective Yakov, and a street artist, Fyodor, explores the parallel realm under Moscow, home to fairytale creatures, old minor deities, and people who have fallen off the map.
Though I know little to nothing about Russian mythology, it was a wonderful story set amidst layers of fables and Russian history.

A Country of Vast Designs

2010-03-15T03:12:00.004-07:00

by Robert W. Merry, 477 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: A

All the things you should know about Polk's one term as president (but probably have forgotten since high school). Mexican-American War, Texas annexation, adding the Southwest, California and the Pacific Northwest to the national territory, build up towards the Civil War, not to mention his domestic objectives. Considering the political climate he was in, and his own waning popularity, it's frankly amazing that he accomplished all he did.

The Difference Engine

2010-02-16T01:02:00.003-08:00

by William Gibson & Bruce Sterling, 429 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: B-

And it fumbles at the 10-yard-line! Seriously, this book was excellent once it got on to the story of Edward Mallory, his paleontology, his family, his political enemies. But the first part with Sybil Gerard is all confusing, like 'why are they telling me this?' and then they introduce Mallory, and 'oh so it all has to do with him'. But then his story ends and there's still 50 pages of loosely connected material. I'm very confused Misters Gibson & Sterling!

Leviathan

2010-02-01T10:52:00.002-08:00

by Scott Westerfeld, 440pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: A-

Steampunk! For the kiddies! That's basically what this book is about. Prince Alek is the son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and is on the run with a few loyal retainers after the assassination of his parents. Deryn is a girl disguising herself as a boy in order to serve as a airman. The two represent opposing military/scientific ways of life, mechanistic Clankers vs. bioengineering Darwinists, and this first book tells how their two paths become intertwined at the start of the Great War.

Sherlock Holmes

2010-01-09T02:02:00.007-08:00

PG-13, 128 minutes
Overall Grade: A

Yah! First off, do NOT watch this film and think this is going to be a live-action version of one of Arthur Conan Doyle's stories or novels. It is not that. Be open to the fact that these characters being cadged are not like the stereotypes you may have of them (Holmes, Watson) but may in some ways be truer to their book characters. What you do have is a roaring action-filled Holmes-esque adventure. I particularly like the flash-forward sequences where they show Holmes working things out in his mind. I have two pictures above because the one of the right is a shot where they're in Holmes' room, which is one of my favorite sets from the books, and here as well. Hurrah for Victorian England!! Plus it leaves an opening for a sequel. Can I say, "Yes! Please!"?

The Time Traveler's Wife

2010-01-09T01:53:00.002-08:00

by Audrey Niffenegger, 537 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: A-

Pretty much like what it sounds like. The love story of Henry and his wife Clare, as they meet, and re-meet, throughout Henry's chronologically-challenged life. More human-interest than science of time travel, so consider yourself warned. That said, I like how the author makes use of Henry's jumping around to foreshadow things and then play them out later.

Star Trek: New Frontier: Treason

2010-01-09T01:47:00.005-08:00

by Peter David, 339 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: B+
Series: Star Trek New Frontier

Sequel to 'Missing in Action'. Another fortuitous bookstore find. David has started up another arc in his 'New Frontier' series. I say this because this book leaves open ends. New alien species! Character death! I look forward to seeing if he lives up to the potential he's shown in the rest of the series.

Boilerplate: History's Mechanical Marvel

2010-01-09T01:39:00.002-08:00

by Paul Guinan and Anina Bennett, 163 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: A-

If only there was more, were my thoughts at the end of this. Boilerplate is the moniker given to a Victorian-era robot created by Professor Archibald Champion. Together, inventor, his sister, and Boilerplate travel the world (and becoming involved in quite a number of important historical events) seeking to show the uses of such a creation in saving mankind from dangerous occupations, and war. From 1873 to 1918, the authors present a vast array of photographs, quotes and other documents to supplement their history of the mechanical marvel. You might not even be able to tell if it's all a lost bit of history, or famously crafted steampunk.

The Once and Future King

2010-01-06T00:04:00.002-08:00

by T.H. White, 677 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: C+

So long! I didn't know this supposed classic was so long. Mostly it feels long because it spends many many pages devoted to young Arthur aka Wart before he even pulls the Sword out of the Stone. Ugh.
And the authorial anachronistic insertions aren't appealing either. Nor all the jumps between unaccented/accented/high/common speech.

The Meaning of Everything: The Story of the Oxford English Dictionary

2010-01-04T00:58:00.002-08:00

by Simon Winchester, 250 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: B

Quite informative history of the 70-some years it took to create the first edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, and the interesting cast of people who made it possible.

The Age of Wonder

2009-12-19T09:07:00.002-08:00

by Richard Holmes, 483 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: A

A beautifully written composite piece looking at the lives and careers of Joseph Banks, William Hershel and Humphrey Davy, their connections to their contemporaries in the arts and scientists, and using them to discourse on the Romantic view of science and scientists.

Mean Streets

2009-12-19T09:03:00.003-08:00

by Butcher, Green, Richardson & Sniegoski, 342 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: B-
Series: The Dresden Files

Anthology of novellas of various fantasy/magical detectives by their authors. Disappointingly, Butcher's 'Dresden File' installment is the shortest of the four.

Samuel Adams: A Life

2009-12-19T08:59:00.003-08:00

by Ira Stoll, 265 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: C+

Very informative life of one of the lesser known Founding Fathers of the US.

The Right Stuff

2009-12-19T08:58:00.003-08:00

by Tom Wolfe, 352 pgs, paperback
Overall Grade: A

Story of the Mercury astronauts, test pilots, and the beginning of NASA. Very human-interest oriented.

Matchless: A Christmas Story

2009-12-19T08:54:00.003-08:00

by Gregory Maguire, 112 pgs, hardcover
Overall Grade: B

A retelling of 'The Little Matchstick Girl'. Liberally illustrated.

The Kingdom Beyond the Waves

2009-12-07T01:21:00.003-08:00

by Stephen Hunt, hardcover, 556 pgs
Overall Grade: A+

Whereas the ending of Hunt's first book set in his Steampunk world fizzled at the end, 'Kingdom Beyond the Waves' runs full speed right to the last page. No dissatisfaction here! Professor Amelia Harsh and Commodore Jared Black, of brief acquaintance in 'The Court of the Air', make their return, along with a lot of other fine characters. We have Cornelius Fortune, who moonlights across the border as a demoniacal troublemaking rogue rescuing political prisoners from his former country of Quartershift. We have Abraham Quest, a rags-to-riches Jackelian entrepreneur millionaire, who funds an expedition deep into the jungles of Liongeli in search of the ruins of the fabled Camlantis. And the way to do that is to take submarine, Black's submarine it turns out, upriver, to hopefully avoid the slavers, the crazy disavowed steammen, the horrifying vendetta-driven dinosaur-like carnivores, and the sentient zombifying plantlife. No one said it was going to be easy!