Sci Fi and Fantasy

The Ropemaker

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Fiction, Printz Award Challenge, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

Look, another book that took me far too long to finish. This is more troubling than the week it took me to read Duma Key because Ropemaker is YA fantasy which should take two days MAX.

I’m not sure if the problem was that it started slowly or if I was just plain tired. But reading one or two chapters a day felt like “enough” until last night when I stayed up far too late just to get it finished.

It wasn’t a bad, slow reading YA fantasy – it just wasn’t great. And that’s too bad because once I realized what Tilja’s “power” was, I thought it was an awesome idea. And that awesome idea spurred some really good moments. I think, if there was a sequel that was focused on what happened next, with Tilja, I’d like it more than I liked The Ropemaker.

Also, I’d really like one of those special hair ties. That would be awesome.

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Duma Key

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Favorites, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

I finally finished Duma Key, it feels like it took forever but really it was only a week with a lot of days that included almost NO reading time.

Stephen King writes a long ass novel. I’m glad it was good. I really hate long books that end up being not worth reading.

Loved the characters and the idea – the painting, fantastic. It did feel odd to read a King novel set in Florida, that was pretty odd. It also felt like Joe Hill could have written this… is it possible King read his son’s book and thought, I can do something like that….?

Now, I need to call my father to discuss the book since he’s the one who told me there was a new King novel in the first place.

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May Bird: Warrior Princess

2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

I was worried about May Bird: Warrior Princess because third books in series are cursed. And also because Cat was unhappy with it, or so sassymonkey said. I read it anyway and I think knowing the book was cursed helped.

I didn’t hate it.

I also didn’t love it. But really, I did not hate it.

Pumpkin? Liked it.
Legume? Liked it.

The end – did not like and that makes it hard to remember that there were pieces that I did like.

NASA? Ummm no. Unnecessary and wrong.
Somber Kitty? No, no and no again.

I hope this is the end of the series, for real, otherwise I’d be asking for a do-over – Somber Kitty and May deserved better than the last book they were dealt.

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Cry Wolf

2008, Books in Bed, Favorites, Feminism, Fiction, Queer, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Women /

Don’t bother clicking over to the amazon page for Cry Wolf, unless you’re planning on buying it. There’s nothing there that would lead you to want to check this thing out. Thank goodness for people like Liz who blog about really obscure lesbian utopias (or dystopias, as the case may be.)

She posts stuff like this all of the time:

– classroom scene, with Curie’s speech about Blue
– Mutants!
– Global climate change
– the bitter, lonely inner thoughts of Curie
– Sexual tension of Curie (and everyone, but especially and her best pupil Sophie)
– The festival with the cult dancers and the orgy in the river. Don’t miss the sexy hermaphrodite sex scenes. Here there be “fringe”. Tentacles?
– Telepathy!
– Curie begins to tell a mythical version of the past to Sophie.
– Curie’s mother was one of the women of Greenham Common

And when she posts stuff like this about obscure novels I immediately head to my library’s interlibrary loan page and try to have the masterpiece sent to me. Thank goodness Cry Wolf arrived.

Awesome. And I won’t say anything more because Liz has it all covered. Loved it and loved the Scheherazade stories of the women.

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Kit’s Wilderness

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Fiction, Printz Award Challenge, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

Kit’s Wilderness written by David Almond (author of the fantastic YA book Skellig) wrote this one and it was good but not quite as good as Skellig.

Creepy but maybe a little too creepy? Or maybe a little too “much”? I’m not sure what it was about Kit’s Wilderness that made it not quite as good as Skellig – but it was something.

I did love Grandpa and Allie and Kit and even John. It wasn’t the characters – it might have been the dream woman and the baby.

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May Bird: Among the Stars

1 Comment / 2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

For some reason I think Karen’s friend Kit Cat did not like the other books in the May Bird series and I’m wondering why. But I don’t have time to surf her blog to find out if I’m imagining that or why she didn’t like them. Maybe I’ll get caught up enough at work later today and figure it out. Or maybe not. Whatever.

I liked Among the Stars (book two) a lot. I’m so glad her mom ummm would that ruin the story if I said what I’m glad her mom did or did not do? Probably, so I won’t say anything. Very glad mom did what she did. Also glad about Beatrice’s mom. I’m just glad about the moms in the story, in general. Also glad about the good characters who aren’t all good and the bad characters who aren’t all bad.

I just like these books. Enough to stay up far too late in order to finish book 2 just a few hours after I started it. heh.

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Edge Chronicles: Clash of the Sky Galleons

2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

#9 in The Edge Chronicle series, Clash of the Sky Galleons has the same problem that all of the other books in the series have. You’d think that if you read all of the books in numerical order that you’d be reading a chronicle of events, in order. But no, not with these. There are huge gaps between where you left off and where you pick up again and then another book will go back and fill in a huge gap that was left much earlier in the series. I could live with that without being grouchy if the prologue reminded you of what had happened so you knew you were you jumping back in, but the prologues never do that. It’s frustrating.

Otherwise, good book. Lots of blood and guts and a lot of the good guys die, which I like and a nice final paragraph (well final before the epilogue.)

I thought I was reading #10 and thus possibly the last book in the series, but this is #9 so maybe there’s one more… and that will be the final? I sort of hope so because I’m not sure how much longer I can keep reading these with all of the jumping around.

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The House of Dark Delights

2008, Books in Bed, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

Indeed! The things one can find in one’s public library when one isn’t even looking for them. Shocking really. Or maybe we actually looked for this and one of you recommended it? Blogged it? Twittered it? Speak up, don’t blush. It’s perfectly fine if you recommend books that are a wee bit MORE than erotica. I don’t mind, really.

The House of Dark Delights was definitely more than “erotica”. It was pretty close to porn. Though I suppose one woman’s erotica is another woman’s porn, so don’t take my word for it. Go check it out at your local library.

I will say that I would have enjoyed this more if the stories had followed a time line – either backwards or forwards, either would have been fine. I wasn’t there for the sex, I was there for the characters. I got some background, in fits and starts and bits and pieces and that was fine. I’d have been happier if I’d gotten more.

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The Winter Knights

2008, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy /

Shiver. It’s pretty cold here in Florida right about now but not nearly as cold as it was in Sanctaphrax in The Edge Chronicles 8: The Winter Knights. Good thing that old Hall Master passed on his knowledge in time for the young knights to warm things up.

I liked this one better than some of the others ahead of it. I wonder what #9 will bring. Hopefully Quint and Maris are still young and primary characters.

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Endymion Spring

2 Comments / 2007, A to Z Challenge, Books in Bed, Children's Literature, Favorites, Fiction, Sci Fi and Fantasy, Young Adult /

Look! Another YA book! And, another book I own but have never read! And, another book I meant to read a year ago! I’m so glad I put Endymion Spring on my A to Z list. And extra glad that I’m making a final last ditch attempt to finish the A to Z list. Otherwise, I might never have found time for Endymion Spring and it would have sat quietly unobserved on RJ’s book shelf where it’s been for a year. Heh.

It was good. I wee bit of a slow start but right about the time (chapter 3) that I mentioned it was starting slow, it picked up and didn’t quit til the end.

Awesome. And I’m so glad I knew who the “shadow” was. I like it when I’m right – which is always, ya know.

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