So my first proper book I’ve read this year is The Stand. To be honest, I can’t believe I haven’t read it before. I tried about ten years ago, when I was probably early on in my undergrad, and… just couldn’t get through it. I think I got stuck on an early Larry chapter at some point (because let’s face it, he is The Worst) and just found I didn’t care enough about any of the characters to go on. This time, though, I was hooked. A […]
The Book of Three: the best of old-fashioned YA fantasy
The first book I read (well, finished reading) in 2017 was one I have read countless times before. Perhaps, in that sense, it should not count. But this time was special. This time, I read it to my little sister, who was around the same age (9) I read it for the first time almost twenty years ago. She loved it, and I–who have always found a beautiful magic in this book–loved it more than I ever had before. (That’s saying something, as it was […]
#10 – The Emperor’s Soul: Quick and quite delightful!
The emperor is not dead, but he is certainly not alive. In order to stay in power, Gaotona and the other four Arbiters must resurrect their emperor, bring back his mind and his memories. To do so, they enlist the help of Shai, a Forger – a criminal and a thief – to Forge the emperor a new soul. This was a fantastic novella. It was my first Brandon Sanderson book, and I very much enjoyed it. Shai and Gaotona are both great characters – […]
#9 Kushiel’s Dart: A new favourite for the bookshelf…
Phedre was abandoned by her family to the Night Court, where the religion-sanctioned courtesans live and train to fulfill the precincts of their pleasure-promoting god. Yet she is destined to tread a more unusual path: a scarlet mote in her dark eyes marks her as an anguisette, one who derives pleasure from pain. When she is adopted by Anafiel Delaunay, a prominent member of the royal court who realizes what she is, she is trained not merely for pleasure, but also as a scholar… and a spy. […]
#8 One of those murders where the person deserves it
Mrs. Boynton is a cruel, sadistic woman who takes great delight in the mental torture of her family. Their trip to the Middle East serves as even more torture, proof that her children cannot escape her clutches. When she is killed whilst visiting the archaeological site Petra, all of her family members fall under suspicion of her death and it is up to Poirot to find out the true culprit. I’m continuing my re-read of many Agatha Christie mysteries. I had remembered enjoying this one […]
#7 A fantastic foray into Norse Mythology for children
For Odd’s village, winter seems like it will never end – more so than usual, that is. It is especially tough on Odd, who doesn’t quite fit in with his village, and at last he resolves to set forth into the wintry forest to figure out why spring does not come. When he runs into a bear, an eagle, and a fox, he is swept into a mystery and another world – the world of Asgard, where the Norse gods are dealing with an angry […]