arcadialectic

Tally Youngblood’s sacrifice from Uglies has turned her into a beautiful, tall, fun-loving, disease-free, and anti-infection masterpiece. In short, she’s a Pretty. Like all pretties, she’s forgotten a lot of what most her life was like as an Ugly beyond the normal dumb “tricks” Uglies do for sport and, of course, being ugly. She drinks champagne, parties all night, stays up until the wee hours of the morning, and wakes up just in time to get ready for the next evening shindig. The only problem is Tally’s also forgotten why she became pretty. When a mysterious stranger arrives with a message from her past, Tally struggles to remember what brought her to New Pretty Town in the first place.

Who’s Croy and what does he have to do with David--a name and face that rises out of her past like a ghost--or, for that matter, with her new best friend, Shay, or boyfriend, Zane? What do the terrifying Specials want with her and why are she and her friends now being closely monitored?

( Read the rest! )

The Declaration (2007)
Written by: Gemma Malley
Genre: YA/Science Fiction
Pages: 301 (Trade Paperback)

The premise: ganked from BN.com: It’s the year 2140 and Longevity drugs have all but eradicated old age. A never-aging society can’t sustain population growth, however…which means Anna should never have been born. Nor should any of the children she lives with at Grange Hall. The facility is full of boys and girls whose parents chose to have kids—called surpluses—despite a law forbidding them from doing so. These children are raised as servants, and brought up to believe they must atone for their very existence. Then one day a boy named Peter appears at the Hall, bringing with him news of the world outside, a place where people are starting to say that Longevity is bad, and that maybe people shouldn’t live forever. Peter begs Anna to escape with him, but Anna’s not sure who to trust: the strange new boy whose version of life sounds like a dangerous fairy tale, or the familiar walls of Grange Hall and the head mistress who has controlled her every waking thought?

My Rating

Give It Away: the premise is stellar, I grant that, but it's execution is just too simple for my taste, and I've seen the premise before in a Bacigalupi short story, which is much darker and a lot scarier. It also didn't help that I kept flipping to the back of the book to see how it ended, which pretty much spoiled any surprise the book had in store for me. So, don't be like me: don't do that. I can't help but wonder if I would've enjoyed this book more if I were much younger, because this book, according to Amazon, is geared towards Grade 5 and up, which might explain just how simply-written and black/white everything is. It's not to say that adults can't enjoy the book (when they've not already seen this premise played out and they haven't spoiled themselves), but it is worth noting that it seems geared for a younger audience, younger than your usual teen reader. That's not something I usually note, but I feel in this case, potential readers should be aware--YA tends to be written in such a way that doesn't cater to its young audience, and this is a book that caters. As far as the story goes, the premise, great as it is, doesn't feel lived up to, but then again, this is the first book of a duology (or series?), so it's easy to imagine (especially given the ending), that we're just seeing the tip of the iceberg. That said, I'm not sure I see myself continuing. Sure, it's a great premise that I'd like to see explored more, but if the sequel, The Resistance, is written like The Declaration is, I'm not sure I want to continue.

Review style: WARNING!! THERE BE SPOILERS!!! Why the all-caps? Because if you haven't yet read this book and you want to, THEN DO NOT READ THE SPOILERS. I did, and I regret it, because it sucked a LOT of the tension out of the book for me. So please, take my advice and DO NOT READ SPOILERS if you want to read and enjoy this book, which means there's no need to click the link below. However, if you've read the book and want to discuss, then feel free to click the link to my LJ. As always, comments and discussion are most welcome! :)

REVIEW: Gemma Malley's THE DECLARATION

Happy Reading!

Book club selections @ calico_reaction. Hop on over! We'd love to have you!

December: The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
January: The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson
February: Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

What books did you get for Christmas?

Has anyone read the Warrior Series by Erin Hunter?

I am wondering if these books would be good reads or not. They seem to have gotten good reviews, but I thought I'd get more in-depth opinions if possible. TIA.

Title: The Meaning of Night
Author: Michael Cox
Year of Publication: 2006
Genre: Historical fiction; Victorian-era mystery
Pages: 704
My rating: 3.5 / 5 stars

( read the review here )

Neil Gaiman - The Graveyard Book

I thought this might be too much of a children's book for me, but I was wrong. It's one of those classic books which creates a world of its own and can entertain both kids and adults equally. Gaiman tells the story of Nobody Owens, 'Bod', a little boy raised by ghosts in a graveyard after he crawls off the night the rest of his family are murdered by the man Jack. The ghostly community are a friendly if otherworldly lot, so they hide Bod as best they can, but Jack is a professional and keen to finish off the job. However, Bod has learnt a few tricks of his own in the graveyard...

One of the best books I've read in years, and I loved the gothic illustrations by Dave McKean too. I won't ever look at graveyards the same way again.


Nick Hornby - Juliet, Naked

Hornby's latest is about Annie, a 39 year old woman stuck in Gooleness, a northern seaside resort on the east coast of England. I don't think Gooleness exists in real life, but it sounds like Hull or Scarborough, only smaller. Tacky arcades and pound shops enhanced by chips and a biting wind, that sort of place. Annie has been with safe, humourless Duncan for fifteen years. Unfortunately she comes second best in Duncan's life to his obsession with Tucker Crowe, an ageing rock star who created a classic, critically acclaimed album - 'Juliet' - before unexpectedly vanishing several years ago. After Duncan sheepishly admits to sleeping with his work colleague, Annie realises she has little to show for fifteen years of Gooleness - no children, her efforts working in Gooleness' only museum unappreciated, no knowledge of music other than Tucker Crowe. Luckily she has a new distraction - Tucker Crowe himself unexpectedly contacts her after she writes a critical review of a new release of Juliet, the unproduced acoustic demos - 'Juliet, Naked', and soon she is finding out about Tucker's own dysfunctional, emotionally stilted life.

I think many women (and men) will relate to having partners lost to an unhealthy, all-consuming obsession with something or other - in my boyfriend's case, the iphone! It's also easy to relate to the theme of wondering if we have done enough in life, if we have enough to show for our years of adulthood. It's a warning not to take the easy options and let the years slide. Not many of us get to be friends with an ex-rock star, so that part's less realistic. But then if the book was just about Annie and Duncan splitting up, it wouldn't be much of a story. However, while I enjoyed the bits in Annie's mind, I found Tucker himself a bit of a predictable and also unlikeable character. Has anyone else read this yet?

"Kristin Bjornsen wondered if summer on the planet Barveri could possibly be the only season"

( The Catteni Sequence is not without issues ) I do really enjoy the Catteni sequence. It rollicks along at a good pace. It's littered with pop-culture references but not enough to irritate. It's fun. But it's even more junkfood than most of McCaffery's work. I can't figure out why I like it, except habit? Kris is highly likable, even if she is a Sue. The adventures of the colonists are exciting, between learning to hunt and avoiding the dangers of the planet. The mysteries intriguing; who are the Farmers, who have clearly been on Botany for centuries? It's what Anne McCaffery does best: sci-fi space opera adventure romance tales, with a side of WTF were you thinking?

So, question...I have a passion fruit plant growing. It started in a tiny little pot and is now in a massive ceramic one as it grew. It's now three feet tall (which thrills me, as it started at the length of my thumb).

Problem is, my passion fruit wants to creep. And I have no surfces that I can see that would be good for creeping- tops of cabinets or bookshelves, maybe, curtains...I have no idea.

It's started creeping around itself in little spirals in an effort to stay upright it seems. It's propped upright with a thick wooden dowel...should I perhaps get another dowel and fasten it to the top of the other one? Or should I try to convince it to creep around my TV stand or piano or something?

(I don't grow very many plants, obviously...so I want to do right by my little tree. ;D)

And while I'm at it, will old soil make it hard for a plant to bloom? I have a Christmas cactus that usually blooms pink flowers around this time of year but it's completely green still, not a single bud on it. The soil is rather old and somewhat dry, though, so I'm thinking I need to repot it...?

Thanks for any help!

#91: Chile Death by Susan Wittig Albert:

"Sure, come on over," shae said, when I reminded her that our morning conversation had been interrupted. "In fact, come for supper. I made potato salad and marinated some chicken. Clyde's gonna put it on the grill so's I can take a load off my tired feet. We won't have a thing in the world to do but sit in the yard and criticize his cooking."

Synopsis: Breezy, sassy culinary mystery featuring the unsinkable China Bayles, this time helping her shot-in-the-line-of-duty boyfriend get out of his depression by assisting when he judges a chili cookoff. Which totally would have worked had someone not dropped dead in the middle of the contest.

( Yeah, I'm just going to read them in the order the library flings them at me. )

 Book: A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Pages: 182 (Paperback)
Genre: Fantasy

Review: What an epic book. While it does have that epic feel going for it, A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA didn't seem to have enough of the not-epic elements that also make fantasy great, and comfortable for the reader, something they can relate to. What I'm talking about is more personal scenes, even small ones, that tweak the book's dimension into something beyond "epic." Without this softer approach to the story, the character development was either too far under the surface of the character that the average reader can't really find it, or too stark. Also, the end was somewhat of a let-down. Nevertheless, the epic qualities and here-and-there unique settings (not to mention a fantastically mysterious magic system) DID even out the playing field, more or less.
Rating: 4/5 Stars

Salem Falls- Jodi Picoult

Love can redeem a man...but secrets and lies can condemn him.

A handsome stranger comes to the sleepy New England town of Salem Falls in hopes of burying his past: Once a teacher at a girls'' prep school, Jack St. Bride was destroyed when a student''s crush sparked a powder keg of accusation. Now, washing dishes for Addie Peabody at the Do-Or-Diner, he slips quietly into his new routine, and Addie finds this unassuming man fitting easily inside her heart. But amid the rustic calm of Salem Falls, a quartet of teenage girls harbor dark secrets -- and they maliciously target Jack with a shattering allegation. Now, at the center of a modern-day witch hunt, Jack is forced once again to proclaim his innocence: to a town searching for answers, to a justice system where truth becomes a slippery concept written in shades of gray, and to the woman who has come to love him. (Taken from book jacket)

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Length: 464 pages
 

( Reviwe below cut- SPOILER ALERT )

Before I write my review, I want to make one thing clear. Homecoming is not the fifth Mercy Thompson novel. It's a stand alone graphic novel that takes place before Moon Called. This is something that Briggs has been upfront about from the start. She is not trying to trick anyone into spending any more money on her product. Homecoming is not required reading to understand the series, so if you don't like comics, you don't need to read it. It's simply a quick, but fun story that shows us how Mercy first arrived in the Tri-Cities, while presenting characters we know and love in a different medium. Please remember this before you write your mega-offended review on amazon, okay?

Mercy Thompson moved to the Tri-Cities with hopes of picking up a teaching job. Instead she arrives smack in the middle of a turf war between two werewolf packs. Mercy is a walker, a shapeshifter with the power to turn into a coyote. After being raised by the Marrock (the alpha of alpha werewolves) the last thing she wants to do is get involved with werewolves again. Unfortunately, she happens to be a magnet for the supernatural. Her first job as a mechanic results in her working on a vampire's car alongside a pint sized half-fae. Before she knows it, she's hanging out in fae bars with vampires, getting visits from the local alpha werewolf, and not living that normal life she planned.

Homecoming is a nice treat for Mercy Thompson fans who want to know what happened to Mercy before Moon Called. Here we get to see a young Mercy (I would suspect around twenty-two) meeting the alpha Adam, the vampire Stefan, as well as moving into the trailer she still inhabits during the series. We also get to see smaller moments that impact the series, such as how Mercy got her cat, and how the sheep necklace made it to the Tri-cities. As a result, the story is a lot of fun to read. At times Briggs lack of experience with the comic medium does end up showing through. The story is basically solid, although somewhat disjointed. I saw ways that the author could have ordered scenes or presented information that was a little more clear. The artwork is pretty good, although the fact that the artist changes half-way through the series is somewhat jarring. One thing I didn't expect is how watching certain events take place is a lot different than reading them. For example, in the first scene, Mercy shifts from coyote to human form, which results in her running away from a pack of werewolves while stark naked. This is a much different experience actually watching the chase than if you were just to read about it.

Originally a collection of four comics, Homecoming may feel a little short for those used to a 300 page novel, but the story itself is quite fun, and the artwork is nice. Homecoming is a nice supplement for existing fans of the Mercy Thompson series who don't mind seeing the series told in a different medium.

Rating: four stars
Length: 112 pages
Source: Christmas Gift
Similar Books: elley Armstrong’s Women of the Otherworld Series (my reviews), and Carrie Vaughn’s Kitty Norville Series (my reviews)
Other books I've read by this author: Moon Called, Blood Bound, Iron Kissed, Bone Crossed (my review), Cry Wolf, Hunting Ground (my review), and The Hob’s Bargain (my review). I’ve also read the novella Alpha and Omega from On the Prowl.

Yay! 100 books! I did it :)

xposted to bookish  and temporaryworlds 

Merry Christmas, everyone!

To those of you that plan on setting a goal for books to read in '10, do you care to share what the said goal is?

Mine is fifty.

Also, feel free to recommend books here!

Guys.

Does anyone know of any good book webring sharing thing sites that are safe and everything? I'd appreciate any info greatly. : )

Title: Fancy White Trash
Author: Marjetta Geerling
Year of Publication: 2008
Genre: YA
Pages: 257
First Line: "There are five rules for falling in love."

Summary: Rule #1: Find someone new.

Abby Savage created her One True Love Plan based on two things: the soap operas she loves to watch and the family she can't believe she's a part of. Living in a house of five girls, one guy, a baby or three on the way, and one bathroom has taught Abby a lot about life, love, and how not to be fancy white trash like her mother and sisters.

When Jackson, Abby's first love--and first heartbreak--reappears in her life, he threatens to turn her plan on its head. But the only thing Abby wants more than true love is to be different from the other Savage girls, even if that means walking away from the possible love of her life.

(Source: Back of book)



Review: This book wasn't written fantastically or anything but it was cute. Somewhat predictable, but not terribly so. I read the book in one day and that was mostly due to the epic fluffiness of the plot and the awesomeness that is Jackson.

That being said, I'm not sure I morally agree with the whole book, but don't let that stop you from giving it a read. It's worth the short amount of time that it takes and the plot is fairly original.

Also, I just picked this book up because the main character and I share a first name.

Worst part: Some of the characters were really flat. It was clear they only existed to aid the plot of Abby. Good characters, even sub-characters, should be the star of their own story. Not just sub-characters to the main plot.

Best part: I'm a sucker for fluffy writing. Geerling achieves it pretty well.

Grade: B-

Other Books by This Author: None.

Hi all, I've only posted a few times before, but I would like to compile a list of books to read in 2010.

I love mysteries, like the Cat Who... series. I love Sherlock holmes and Oscar Wilde. I also like some fantasy books, but not always. I like books that concern things from many many years ago, and I also have a recent interest in the 1920's and 30's. I also love adult takes on fairytales/teen versions of fairy tales. Oh! and I also love Southern things, like Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil.

I'm not a big fan of foreign cultures. I do however like some British writing.

I'd like to aim for about 100 books, so if you would like to help me create my list, I would adore you forever and ever. THANKS!

My sister read and loved Lulu Meets God and Doubts Him by Danielle Ganeck. She's hoping to find something else similar. In her words "books set in the art world that aren't pretentious or snobby." Any recs??