Thursday, December 29, 2016

2017 Reading Challenge

While I read more than 52 books last year, I fell behind on blogging and updating my Goodreads account.  This year my goal is to do a better job at tracking.

I've decided to start with a new author and read Robin Hobbs' Assassin's Apprentice.  I had this on my want to read list last year, but never got around to reading it.

The only challenge that I am currently setting for myself is to read through the movie related Star Wars books and rewatch all of the movies before the release of episode 8 in December.  As an added benefit I'll be able to converse more coherently with my daughter, who is a major fan of all things Star Wars, and stand a better chance at not getting creamed in her new Star Wars trivia game.

Sunday, April 3, 2016

Book 17: Cry Wolf

Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs is the first full length novel in the Alpha and Omega series which expands the world created in the Mercy Thompson series.  The actual start of the series is a short story called "Alpha and Omega" which is found in the Shifting Shadows collection of short stories.  Anna packs up and heads to Montana with the wounded Charles to start a new life as his mate.  Their time to get acquainted and mate is cut short by an attack on a park ranger by an unknown werewolf.  Charles and Anna hike out into the snow covered wilderness to find the rogue and discover a powerful black witch that has come hunting one of their pack members and has the ability to control the wolves through their pack bond.  Together they must find a way to save themselves and protect their pack.

This is one of my favorite series that I am currently rereading.  A definite read for Mercy Thompson fans and anyone else who loves a good werewolf romance.

Book 16: Marked in Flesh

With war on the horizon, Simon and the Others at Lakeside begin making preparations and continue trying to figure out the answer of how much human to keep.  Megan receives several sets of tarot type cards and begins exploring using the cards in lieu of cutting. The Humans First and Last movement launches a new series of attacks against the buffalo herds that the wolf packs in central Thasia hunt for food.  Supplied with weapons from Cel Romano, the attack and kill wolfguard packs in several locations leaving their carcasses in piles.  The leaders of Cel Romano launch an attack to expand their territory, and everyone with any sense at all waits fearfully for the response by the Others of the wild country who are Namid's teeth and claws.

Another excellent book in the Others series.

Book 15: Vision in Silver

Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop is the third book in her successful Others series.  The blood prophets have been freed but find that they are ill-adapted to surviving in the human world.  The Intuit villages that took in some of the girls are horrified as they commit suicide.  Simon orders Meg and her human pack to write a blood prophets 101 book to help the remaining girls survive in the real world.  After a new vision from Meg, the Others begin looking for a new group of cassandra sangue, those who were formerly part of the breeding program and are being abandoned along the side of the road.  Meanwhile, the Humans First and Last movement continues to gain momentum and tensions escalate.  Lizzie arrives unexpectedly in Lakeside after her mother is murdered at the train station.  After several attacks around Thasia, the Others that live in the wild country declare a breach of trust by the humans and task Simon with determining how much human is necessary.

Great addition to a great series.  Another must read book.

Sunday, March 13, 2016

Book 14: Fire Touched

Fire Touched by Patricia Briggs is the latest book in her Mercy Thompson series.  What started out as a normal day for Mercy at home quickly went downhill.  First came the call from the local police asking for help with a rampaging monster on a bridge.  Once the wolves take down the troll with help from Zee and Tad, the two fae introduce Mercy to the ten-year-old fire-touched boy who helped them escape from the reservation and now wants wolves protection from the fae.  Mercy offers the boy 24 hours of protection because he helped Zee and Tad and helped Joel regain control of his tibicena.  It may have been the right thing to do, but every decision has repercussions.  Bran declares Adam's pack to be rogue to preserve the treaty the rest of the wolves had with the fae, and both the Grey Lords and an unknown party of fae are demanding the return of the fire-touched.

Another great book in the series.  A must read for Mercy Thompson fans.

Book 13: Dark Horse

Rose MacKenzie was desperate to free herself from the three months of horror and torture aboard a Tecran vessel, so she strikes the only deal that she can with the ship's AI thinking system named Sazo even knowing that he is not telling her everything about his plan.  True to his word Sazo strands the ship deep in Grih territory and helps Rose board a transport to a nearby moon. 

Meanwhile, Captain Dav Jallan jumps out of hyperspace and is shocked to find a Tecran Class 5 vessel in his territory.  When he class 5 doesn't blast he ship to bits, he takes a crew over to find that only the captain and a few officers remain alive.  After securing the vessel, he proceeds to the nearby moon to find Rose and the six animals who escaped from the Tecran.  Rose doesn't appear dangerous enough to strand the class 5 and mass murder the crew, but it's clear she is hiding something. 

Rose is shocked when she realizes what Sazo has done, but she has given her word not to reveal Sazo because the Grih law demands that AI thinking systems must be destroyed when found.  Caught in the middle, she tries to warn Dav while not breaking her promise to Sazo at the same time she tries to convince Sazo to change his plan and not kill anyone else.  If she fails, then all hope for a peaceful life among the Grih and any chance of even exploring her feeling for Dav will be lost.

I was extremely impressed with Diener's well thought out and intriguing world building.  Between the world building and the plot line, I was quickly pulled into the story and ended up reading the entire book in one sitting.  Excellent series that I am looking forward to continuing.

Sunday, March 6, 2016

Book 12: City of Dark Magic

City of Dark Magic by Magnus Flyte is a mishmash of time-traveling, spies, and quests set in the modern day city of Prague.  Sarah Weston receives an invitation to spend the summer in a castle in Prague cataloging and setting up a display of the music and other Beethoven related items in the collection.  Sarah is immediately immersed in several seemingly unrelated strange occurrences:  the prince acting strangely like he is on some type of drug, cryptic notes from the previous professor working on the Beethoven collection, and repeated references to Prague being a threshold.  Flyte slowly weaves the threads together and a more coherent story begins to form involving cold war spies and a search for missing items.

I have to say it took a long time for the book to get going, but eventually it did catch my attention.  I enjoyed enough that I will give the sequel a try at some point, but it is not a book I will be reading again. 

Book 11: Murder of Crows

Murder of Crows by Bishop is the second book in the Others series.  Picking up where the first book left off, the human antagonism of the Others increases with attacks on the Crowguard.  Food left by garbage cans is laced with the drug feel-good so that the crows eating it will become passive.  Then dogs or humans on gone over wolf, which increases aggression, kill the crows.  Meg's warning saves the crows of Lakeside, but the same scenario plays out in the town of Talulah Falls with deadly results.  As tension between humans and Others increases, Simon invites leaders from other courtyards to discuss the origin of the drugs and to find a way to eliminate the threat.

Like the previous book, the plot moves slowly and steadily.  The first book focused on Meg adapting to life outside the compound and the day to day life in the Courtyard.  Book two continues the first theme and the humorous relationship with Simon and others in the Courtyard, but it also expands beyond Lakeside to discuss the human lands across the sea as well as additional town in Thasia giving a broader picture of the various relationships between humans and Others. 

Favorite quotes:

"Of  course he looked funny.  Meg had hauled him halfway into her lap and was using him as a furry shield, peering between his ears when she wasn't squeezing him breathless during the movie's scary bits."(136)

"'The cow-shaped cookies have a beef flavoring, the turkey-shaped cookies have a poultry flavoring, and...'

Jane held up one of the cookies. 'Human-flavored?'

Meg stifled a sigh.  That would be the first thing on her feedback list:  don't make people-shaped cookies.  The Wolves were way too interested and all of them leaped to a logical, if disturbing, expectation about the taste."(246)

I will definitely be rereading this series in the future and recommend it highly.

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Book 10: Getting Things Done

Getting Things Done:  The Art of Stress-Free Productivity by Allen is a system designed to clear the mind of all the clutter of jostling projects, responsibilities, things to do, etc. and funnel it into a manageable system of actionable items to be completed.  The system has 5 steps:  collecting, processing, organizing, reviewing, and doing. 


  1. Collecting involves pulling out all of the things that need to be done or for larger items jotting down what needs to be done and adding that paper to the in pile.  Then starting on blank paper and brainstorming all of the things that need to be done that may not have a physical item associated with them.  
  2. Processing involves taking that pile and determining what the next action for each item needs to be.  Items with no action are trashed or filed as either possibilities or reference.  Items that have actions are done if they require less than two minutes, delegated, or deferred either to a specific calendar day or a series of next action lists. 
  3. Organizing details how to set up the lists required and file any related material.  The lists are set up based on where the work needs to be done:  call items, office items, house items, etc. 
  4. Reviewing involving setting aside a time weekly to go over the current lists and go through the previous steps with any new items that come in. 
  5. Doing involves identifying when you have open time and accomplishing the items on the list based on the time available, energy level, etc.


For projects he recommends brainstorming all the outstanding projects and sorting them into a current project list and a someday/maybe list. Simple projects with only a few steps would then only require determining what the next action is and then placing that action on the appropriate calendar space or action list. For larger projects he recommends visualizing what the desired outcome is and then brainstorming what steps are needed to get to that point in a mind mapping type of format. The mind map can then be used to determine what steps can be taken at the current time to move the project forward. Longer term goals can be handled in a similar manner.


This newest version does not have any changes to the core ideas.  The organizing step is more flexible.  Although he still suggests the same categories, he also emphasizes that different groups work for different people and some may require additional subcategories.  He also removed any specific references to technology or software.  The book has also added discussion related to our more digital world and cognitive science research explaining why the system works.  I would recommend Getting Things Done for anyone looking for an intuitive system for staying on top of things either at work or at home.

Sunday, February 21, 2016

Book 9: City of Bones

In City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, young Clary goes to a club with her best friend Simon where she sees a group of teenagers murder a demon, but no one else notices.  Then her mother disappears, and another demon tries to kill her.  She is taken to the Institute by Jace and introduced to the world of shadowhunters (part human, part angel).  She discovers that her missing mother was a former shadowhunter, her father is an evil not actually dead villain, and everyone wants the missing mortal cup which can create new shadowhunters.


I wanted to like the book.  I like the concept of shadowhunters, who are suppose to protect mortals from demons and other supernatural beings that break the rules, but found the actual plot to be predictable.  Clary was a typical rebellious teenager, who did whatever she thought was best with little thought to the consequences.  The other shadowhunters were not very likable, and I didn't find the supposedly witty remarks funny.  Needless to say I won't be passing this one on to my teenagers.

Sunday, February 7, 2016

Book 8: The Misanthrope

The Misanthrope by Moliere is a French comedy written in 1666.  The main character Alceste despises the current trends in French society of empty praise and unmerited flattery and decides instead to denounce all men and speak with brutal honesty instead.  His friend Philinte advocates a less confrontational approach calling him to be more lenient and to cease his rantings.  He points out Alceste's own hypocrisy in decrying the flattery of men while at the same time being in love with Celimene, who is known for her coquettishness.  When Alceste asks Celimene to prove her love by sending away the other suitors, she declares that she loves him but does not wish to send the others away.  Later he demands she prove her love by leaving Paris with him to live away from other people; but while she is willing to marry him, she does not wish to leave Paris causing Alceste to declare he will no longer be her suitor.


While I find the ideas of the play thought-provoking and think Moliere did an excellent job in showing the folly of both brutal honesty and empty flattery, I did not enjoy this play nearly as much as Tartuffe.  The play is more character focused than plot focused, and quite frankly I disliked the characters.  While some of the dialogue was quite witty, I did not find the play entertaining or humorous.  I still believe that there is value is reading the play and exploring the ideas that it presents, but it is not something that I would read for enjoyment.


For me the crux of Moliere's position is found in the following passage:


"Come, let's forget the follies of the times
And pardon mankind for its petty crimes;
Let's have an end of rantings and of railings,
And show some leniency toward human failings.
This world requires a pliant rectitude;
Too stern a virtue makes one stiff and rude;
Good sense views all extremes with detestation,
And bids us to be noble in moderation.
The rigid virtues of the ancient days
Are not for us; they jar with all our ways
And ask of us too lofty a perfection.
Wise men accept their times without objection,
And there's no greater folly, if you ask me,
Than trying to reform society.
Like you, I see each day a hundred and one
Unhandsome deeds that might be better done,
But still, for all the faults that meet my view,
I'm never known to storm and rave like you.
I take men as they are, or let them be,
And teach my soul to bear their frailty;"(23)


My initial takeaway from the play.  Honesty should be tempered by compassion and humility, but striking the right balance is something with which man has always struggled.

Wednesday, February 3, 2016

Book 7: Written in Red

Written in Red by Anne Bishop is the first book in her series called "The Others".  In this fantasy, the Others (shapeshifters, vampires, elementals, and more) are in control, and humans (called monkeys by the Others) are safe only so far as they are useful.  Desperate to be free, Meg Corbyn finds a job in the one place she might be safe, the Others' Lakeside Courtyard where human law does not apply.  Her job is to be the courtyard's Human Liason accepting deliveries from human businesses for Courtyard residents.  Her first day on the job is not promising...
"Get this into your head, Meg Corbyn.  We don't let humans live in out part of the world because we like you.  We let you live here because you can be useful, and you've invented things that we like having.  If it wasn't for that, you'd all be nothing but meat.  Which is something you should remember." (29)



But unlike previous liasons, Meg proves to be kind, honest, and very different from any human the Others have ever encountered.  She is actually a blood prophet whose ability to prophesy brings a lot of money to the man from whom she ran.  When the police bring a wanted poster of Meg claiming she is a thief, the courtyard leaders decide to protect her because she is like by both Grandfater Erebus (the oldest vampire) and Winter (an elemental the no one dares anger).  Meg is given a new apartment further in the compound where she will be safer, but the prices paid for her prophesies mean that the controller will not give up. 


In contrast the book is also sprinkled with bits of humor as the Others and Meg figure out how to get along...


"'I drive just fine,' Meg snapped.
'Considering you don't know how.' ...
Folding her arms, she stared out the side window and muttered, 'Bad Wolf.'
His only response was to burst out laughing." (137) 


"'Sam gave him an incredulous look. ' If I don't wear the harness, how am I supposed to pull Meg out of a snowbank when she falls in?'
Simon kept his eyes on the road.  The boy had said when, not if.  Just how often did Meg fall into a snowbank?  Was she clumsy, or was it play?  Or did she end up in the snow after getting tripped up by a puppy?" (312)


Over all it's a great story.  Even if you don't normally enjoy the urban fantasy genre, I would say give the book a try.  This is my second time through the book, and it will definitely be a book I come back to read again in the future.  5 stars.

Book 6: Tartuffe

Tartuffe by Moliere is a French comedy written in 1664.  Orgon, a wealthy nobleman, has invited into his home a "pious" man named Tartuffe to guide his household in religious manners.  Tartuffe's hypocritical religious charade fools only Orgon and his mother while the rest of the family wishes him gone.  Troubles come to a head when Orgon decrees that his daughter should marry Tartuffe instead of Valere, the young nobleman whom she loves.  Orgon's wife Elmire tries to ask Tartuffe to change his mind and is shocked when he makes advances upon her.  The hot-headed son Damis tries to break Tartuffe's hold by telling his father about these advancement; but Orgon refuses to listen, banishes his son, and decides to make Tartuffe his heir.  Finally Elmire convinces Orgon to hide in the room while she talks with Tartuffe to expose his deception, but since Orgon has already given everything to Tartuffe instead of him leaving he gives Orgon's family a notice of eviction and goes before the king to charge Orgon with treason.  Were it not for the king's recognition of Tartuffe's treachery, Orgon would have been ruined; but all is set to right as legal document giving Orgon's possessions to Tartuffe is nullified and the true traitor is imprisoned.


I found the play to be witty and thought provoking and would recommend it as a must read.


Favorite passages:  From Dorine to Tartuffe upon being asked to cover her bosom


"It's strange that you're so easily excited;
My own desires are not so soon ignited,
And if I saw you naked as a beast,
Not all your hide would tempt me in the least."


Advise from Cleante to Orgon


"Ah, Brother, man's a strangely fashioned creature
Who seldom is content to follow Nature,
But recklessly pursues his inclination
Beyond the narrow bounds of moderation,
And often, by transgressing Reason's laws,
Perverts a lofty aim or noble cause."


"Learn to distinguish virtue from pretense,
Be cautious in bestowing admiration,
And cultivate a sober moderation.
Don't humor fraud, but also don't asperse
True piety; the latter fault is worse,
And it is best to err, if err one must,
As you have done, upon the side of trust"


Note:  All quotes come from Richard Wilbur's translation

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Book 5: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

Clay Jannon is an out-of-work web designer struggling to find a new job and rapidly decreasing his list of requirements for what type of job he will settle for when he comes across a help wanted sign in an obscure out of the way bookstore.  He quickly discovers that his new job is quite strange.  Very few customers come to the store, and most of those come to check out a book from the waybacklist, books in code that often require the scaling of a sliding ladder to retrieve and that he is not supposed to peruse himself.  For he customer, he is to keep a detailed entry with a description of the customer, day and time, and book purchased or checked out.  In order to impress a girl, he creates a 3D computer model of the bookstore, enlists the help of his special effects roommate in duplicating a logbook, and takes the original logbook to Google to input the data of the order books in the waybacklist are checked out.  The longest path through the books that is taken results in the appearance of a face on the computer screen, and Clay soon discovers that the secrets he has been trying to uncover extend far beyond the bookstore where he is employed.


Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Sloan is tale that juxtaposes the modern world with the medieval one, the technological power of Google with a cryptographic puzzle from the middle ages.  Throw in a secret cult, friendship, a quest to help Penumbra, and the pursuit of immortality; and the result is an intriguing tale that I thoroughly enjoyed and would recommend.

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Book 4: My Viking Vampire

Bailey has been on the run for four years from her abusive ex when she finds herself been stalked by a djinn and rescued by a vampire named Erick, who offers to take her to the safety of a town called Sanctuary. Having no money for food or bus fare to escape her ex whose truck she spotted in town earlier, Bailey takes Erick up on her offer. For Erick, it is love at first site, and for Bailey it's a chance at love that she thought would never come her way. Erick is compassionate and considerate, patient with her fears, and accepting of her scars. Now she just has to stay alive to claim a new home.

I found Krystal Shannon's dystopian setting and future time intriguing. The main characters were well written and likeable; however the pacing of the plot with the events occurring only over the course of two days and the long erotic-filled interludes between the action portions of the story made the book drag a bit at times. I think the overall plot had a lot of potential that just did not come to fruition for me, and the last chapter of BDSM tipped the book from paranormal romance to erotica. Despite the problems, I did still enjoy the book overall and consider it to be one of the better Kindle freebies that I've tried from Amazon.

Book 3: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Four siblings escape the dangers of living in London during WWII by taking refuge with a professor that owns a large house in the country. While exploring the house, the youngest Lucy ends up climbing into the wardrobe and meets a faun in Narnia. A few days later when she hides in the wardrobe for hide and seek, both she and her brother Edmund find their way into Narnia where Lucy visits the faun and Edmund meets the white witch. Finally all four children duck into the wardrobe to avoid a house tour and end up in Narnia together. Mr. Tumnus, the faun, has been taken by the witch, and three of the children seek out Aslan with the aid of Mr. and Mrs. Beaver to try to save them. Edmund goes to the white witch hoping for magical food and the chance to be made king one day only to discover that all of her promises were simply lies. Working together Aslan and the children must defeat the white witch to regain control of Narnia.



I have enjoyed Lewis' tale many times both for myself and with my children. It's been a few years since I read the story to my 3rd child, so it has been fun to revisit it with my youngest and then borrow the movie from the library for all of the kids to watch.

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Book 2: Soulless

Soulless by Gail Carriger is set in an alternate Victorian London where supernaturals exist and are mostly out of hiding.  Unbeknownst to her family, Alexia Tarabotti is not only a half-Italian intelligent spinster, but also a preternatural being without a soul.  As a preternatural she is able to cancel out the abilities of supernaturals and make them human for as long as they are in physical contact.  These abilities come in quite handy one evening when Alexia is appallingly attacked by a vampire with a complete lack of knowledge in vampire etiquette and the dangers of preternaturals.  While trying to talk some sense into the hungry vampire, Alexia accidentally kills him launching an investigation by BUR (the branch of government dealing with supernatural affairs) and bringing her into contact with Lord Maccon, the head of London's BUR division and alpha of the werewolf pack.  Unable to determine the origin of the dead vampire, the mystery is compounded by the discovery that rove vampires and lone werewolves have gone missing all over Great Britain.


With elements of paranormal, romance, and mystery genres blended together with humor and a light touch of social satire, Carriger creates an enjoyable light read that quickly caught my attention and had me wondering what trouble Alexia would find herself in next.  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys paranormal romance and is looking for an entertaining way to pass a few hours.

Sunday, January 10, 2016

Book 1: Sink Reflections

Sink Reflections provides a common sense approach to tackling an organized approach to dealing with a cluttered, disorganized home. The basic process includes establishing daily and weekly routines for basic cleaning, clearing hot spots where clutter regularly gathers on a regular basis, decluttering by setting a time for 15 minutes or grabbing 27 items of trash and 27 to give away as quickly as possible, and focusing on one specific area of the house for extra work each week. Rooms are reclaimed by picking one area to declutter and clean (a shiny sink, a made bed, etc.) and gradually cleaning and clearing out from that area. Creation of a control journal to keep routines, detailed cleaning lists, other checklists, etc. in one location and daily checking and using a calendar keep information organized. The book also briefly discusses laundry, paper clutter, menus, vacation, and moving.











The overall tone of the book is designed to be uplifting and encouraging. Cilley does a good job of balancing the combination of cheerleader and drill sergeant portrayed in the caricature on the front cover. Reminders to take baby steps, forget perfection, and maintain a positive attitude are juxtaposed with admonishments to get off your franny, stop whining, and just jump in wherever you are.









I find the book to be very motivational in general. I personally don't like to wear shoes and plan to ignore the dressed to your shoes each day part. I also find that her weekly routine and groupings of rooms for weekly focus won't work for me as written and will require some adapting. Still the habits I've started are working, and I'm excited to see some progress so I'd recommend this book for anyone needing a little guidance or motivation to get started on bringing some organization into their household.