Alchemy by Margaret Mahy

Posted on July 3, 2007 by janicu

I wanted to relaxing weekend so I went for a couple of old favorites (authors I mean).

Margaret Mahy

Alchemy by Margaret Mahy: I really like Mahy's novels – they are about teenagers and strange things happen to them – sort of young adult contemportary fantasy. The Changeover was one of my favorite books in high school because Sorry Carlise, the male witch in the book, was very weird. I felt this was a much more accurate representation of teenage boys than many other YA books in my day.

Anyway, in Alchemy, seventeen year old Roland isn't obviously odd like Sorry. He's a popular young man – prefect at Ault Academy, dating the prettiest girl in school, smart, good-looking and has a good relationship with most of his teachers. But underneath it all, Roland has felt that something inside him is warning him to be "careful", that he has to keep up his wholesome, normal image. His father left when he was 10 and Roland feels he must be a good, strong person that his mother can rely on.Things begin to change for him when one day one of Roland's teachers somehow catches Roland shoplifting some minor items (very unlike his normal behavior), and coerces Roland to make friends with and to keep an eye out for Jess Ferret. Until now Roland never paid any attention to Jess. She's a quiet, unnoticable girl in Roland's classes, but when Roland watches her, he realises she works to keep people ignoring her. Jess is hiding something and Roland wants to know what it is. So he stalks her. Meanwhile Roland has a reoccuring dream about a carnival and a magician that terrifies him. Suddenly Roland starts to catch glimpses of this magician around town and what his has to do with Roland and Jess is another thing he has to find out.

While this is a young adult novel, the writing and plotline have complexity in plot and character that you don't always see in young adult novels. Plus, I really love the way Mahy writes – especially her descriptions of things that are wonderous: "Suddenly, he is suspended in a space that falls away beneath him and yet somehow embraces him too. Roland blinks. Those distant grains of light are really suns. He blinks again, and silence shivers through him. It is all around him, yet he feels it deep inside his head like a song he has not yet sung aloud." Mahy is compared to Diana Wynne Jones and I agree there are similarities, but Mahy's books may have a little bit more of this complexity to life element to it than Jones. I also noticed for the very first time – her writing is really British (or is it New Zealand-ish since that's where she lives?). I also like how well she fleshes out Roland and Jess – they are unique characters, and I liked how relationships between characters, especially family relationships were written (Roland and his mother, Roland and his brothers, Mr. Hudson and his sibling). Yet another interesting relationship – Roland and his girlfriend Chris – I pondered over this one a bit.

9.5 out of 10 (extra points because I feel nostalgic)

This wasn't a re-read but my other book this weekend (Stardust by Neil Gaiman) was. I'll talk about it later. Going to bed.

Happy Canada Day and Fourth of July week.

TBR @ 98

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Doppelganger by Marie Brennan

Posted on June 29, 2007 by janicu

Doppelganger

Marie Brennan

Doppelganger is the first of two books (the sequel is Warrior and Witch). This is a straight fantasy. I say that because the cover made me think it was urban fantasy. The woman is wearing black leather, kind of an urban look, but I think they just got the clothes wrong. The cover character is Mirage, who is a Hunter – a trained mercenary, and one of the best at what she does. Miryo is a witch and about to take the final test that will allow her to access her full power. Miryo passes the tests for all elements but when she goes through the test for Void – her power goes awry. Miryo can't use her power because somehow her doppelganger (Mirage) survived. Miryo's task is to find and kill "it". Meanwhile Mirage has been hired by witches to find out who was behind the assassination of a fellow witch and she must complete the job or die herself.

I always liked the word "Doppelganger"..and I like the premise of the book because I remember when I first heard what doppelganger meant, the myth was explained to me too – you see your doppelganger shortly before you die. I was a kid so I thought this was creepy. I was also told when you look in those mirrors where you see a million reflections of yourself – one of the reflections is your face when you die.. hmm.. why do kids like to be morbid? Anyway. Where was I…

There was some set up in the beginning of the book that showed how witches operate, the different Paths, their schooling and testing and conversely how the Hunters operate, the different Hunter schools and jobs they are hired for afterwards, while also introducing us to the two main characters. There seemed to be a slight asian influence to the world – witches names sounded Japanese, the Hunter uniform was ninja-like with a mask over half the face, and honorifics for the witches seemed inspired by Japan as well. The warriors on the other hand reminded me a little of gaming characters – with names like Eclipse, Avalanche, Mirage, Ice and Wraith, and belonging to schools named Cloudhawk, Silverfire, Thornblood and Wolfstar. Everyone seemed to worship the same diety though – the goddess who has different aspects which sound a little Wicca – Maiden, Bride, Mother, Crone, and Warrior and which correspond to a particular element for the witches – Fire, Air, Water, Earth and Void. While this world was well thought out and the set up was important, it felt a little slow to me. It is about midway through the book after set up is done and both women learn about the other that things really get interesting, so I would recommend reading further if you feel it dragging because once I got to that point it felt like it had momentum and I read the rest uber fast. The doppleganger idea, the warrior and witch schools and religion in the world felt original, but the characters and the journeying from town to town needed something to give them oomph because it felt a little flat. A lot of amazon reviewers called it a solid novel and I'd agree.

P.S. I like the way things wrapped up. And I want to read book 2.

This is somewhere between I liked it and I really liked it.. So.. 6.5 to 7 out of 10

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Stepping from the Shadows by Patricia McKillip

Posted on June 27, 2007 by janicu

Stepping from the Shadows

Let me preface this by saying I'm a big fan of Patricia McKillip. I want to own ALL of her books. I own most of them except maybe a couple of the new ones since I haven't gotten around to it yet and a couple of the really old hard to find ones.

This is an early work by McKillip – a novel, not fantasy. I'm going to keep it so my collection can be complete, but sadly this was not my cup of tea. While McKillips lyrical, dreamlike prose is wonderful in a fantasy landscape it doesn't translate well in general fiction – I guess it can be seen as mystic realism but I don't think it worked well. The novel follows the growth of Francis, a young girl which an incredible imagination who moves around with her family from place to place. As she ages she sees or think she sees a mystical figure she calls the Stagman who follows her on her journey. My biggest problem with the book is it didn't feel like it went anywhere (well no where that interested me, it just seemed like random life experiences of a young girl/woman). It was also confusing – if I didn't read the cover blurb, I couldn't tell you why Francis moved around or who the other seemingly major character in the book was (not the Stagman, the girl who grew up with Francis). That's how vague things were. Too much to figure out, no reward for doing so. I LOVE McKillip, just not this one. Maybe I'm just oblivious to the message (I think something to do with her fears of men, but I couldn't care enough about that, and there was no destination in the plot, just meandering).

An aside – I love the cover artwork! Very dreamy, seventies look and nice detail.

4 out of 10 for me.

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ALA conference, FOL sale..

Posted on June 26, 2007 by janicu

Do you know who I'm jealous of? Dance Chica of the Insomnomania blog – read this post (pay attention to the pictures). I want to go to the ALA conference and see the exhibits!!! AHHHHHHHH. She got to meet Judy Blume! Free stuff and ARCs! AHHHHH. Oh well, no way I could have gone this weekend because of Josh's biathalon. So remind me to go to Philly in 2008. January 11th-16th. SO JEALOUS.

I went to the Poughkeepsie FOL today and it was pretty good – actually had its own sci fi and fantasy section. I came back with Through a Brazen Mirror by Delia Sherman (which I've already read it turns out), Shadow Hunt by Anne Logston (I read the first book but not this one), and Blade dancer by Lynn Viehl (which I am most excited by). Aren't I good for holding myself back? Three books is good. I think so.

TBR @ 102

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Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging + On the Bright Side, I’m Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God

Posted on June 26, 2007 by janicu

Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson

Louise Rennison

On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God: Further Confessions of Georgia Nicolson

Louise Rennison

Both of these books are by Louise Rennison, but Vox's subject line won't let me fit all of that in. Anyway, these were two more of the books I picked up at the Greenwich FOL sale. They're about a British teen, Georgia Nicolson and her amusing take on life. Since I just read The Perks of Being a Wallflower, I couldn't help comparing the two books a little bit. Its funny how it worked out – both are written as if by the main character – as diary entries in Angus/Bright Side, and as letters in Perks, and both of them are of course from a young adult point of view. Also both of them have their own type of humor, but while Perks has a subversive humor, Angus and Bright Side have a class clown humor. Georgia is NOT a wallflower – not at all. She and her pack of girlfriends spend their days at their all-girls school finding ways to drive their teachers crazy, and the rest of the time talking about boys. For instance – the girls wear a school uniform that includes a beret which the girls hate because it gives them hat hair. Meetings are held to decide what to do with the beret and how to make it appear less visible and how to protest the beret. One of their MANY methods of protest is using the beret as a lunchbox and putting a sandwich between their heads and the hat. Another method is to roll it up into a sausage and pin it under their hair. Georgia always seems to be surrounded by the weirdest people – her cat (Angus) is the size of a small pony and eats floor mats and terrorizes the neighbor's dog, her little sister hides her diapers in Georgia's bed, and her grandfather just speaks in non sequiturs (and that's just her family). Her best friend Jas is sometimes not the brightest girl and sarcasm just gets past her and the rest of the girls are similarly amusing. Georgia herself is rather silly – obssessed with certain features like her eyebrows (she shaved them off by mistake), her nose, her hair. Finally of course there are all the boys – particularly an older boy Georgia calls Sex God who Georgia is always trying to get.

This is probably the least serious couple of books you could find. I'd put them under the category of what to read when you are sick and miserable and need something to cheer you up. They're fast reads and not meant to be serious books. One of the few things I could see as a complaint is that they are incredibly british. A lot of british slang is used in the books, which some people may find annoying (I didn't), but there is a glossary at the end of the book which is amusing in itself to help. Also – humor is subjective. I often don't laugh when other people are snorting through their noses because it's just not that funny to me. Still – these books both had a few moments where I couldn't help myself from laughing out loud.

I don't know what I want to give this. 8 out of 10? Or 7? Can't decide. 7.5.

This series is eight (I think) books long so far and I'm not sure when it's going to end (these are the american titles) – there are 7 in the U.S. now, number 8 is out in July:

1. Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging 2. On the Bright Side, I'm Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God 3. Knocked Out by My Nunga-Nungas 4. Dancing In My Nuddy Pants 5. Away Laughing on a Fast Camel 6. Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers 7. Startled by His Furry Shorts 8. Love is a Many Trousered Thing

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random book potpourri

Posted on June 23, 2007 by janicu

There is a poll on Mindy L. Klasky's livejournal about what gets readers to pick up a book. If you have a livejournal, go fill it out. Personally it doesn't take much to get me to read a book.. first the book has to look interesting to me, but strongest thing is definitely word of mouth. If someone who's opinion I tend to agree with likes it I will go look for it, so I think friends, book reviews, blogs fall under that. Otherwise – looking at the book – if I like the cover and the blurb, and look and like the first couple of pages – I buy it.

OK, I don't know who reads this, but I had a question – has anyone here ever sent their books to an author to get it autographed? There are certain authors I'd totally love to have sign my books, but I feel quite fangirly to send my books to them in the mail. Weird or no?

I'm thinking about this because this new author Jeaniene Frost was offering free cover flats of her debut novel "Halfway to the Grave" (looks like a paranormal fantasy about a vampire killer) on her livejournal, and I feel ok asking for one. falalala.

I also totally sent money to Kim Harrison just for her burning bunny pin and a toe tag thingy. And I was quite excited when I got them (yes, such fangrl behavior).

So I can do that, but I feel shy about sending books over to be autographed. Eh, I should get over it, huh.

TBR was holding at 100…now at 101. Why do I do this to myself? Remember when it was at 92? Damn.

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Graphic novel of Farseer Trilogy

Posted on June 22, 2007 by janicu

Assassins-Apprentice-port

Oh my god, I wish I knew french!!! There is going to be a "a French graphic adaptation of Robin Hobb's The Farseer Trilogy. The comic books will be produced by Soleil." – this news from Pat's fantasy hotlist.

I loved the Farseer trilogy. I own the Liveship trilogy and the Tawny man trilogy. But, I've been told NOT to read Tawny man until I've read the Liveship trilogy because they are somewhat related. Unfortunately I seem to have an aversion to the characters in Liveship and its taking me YEARS (since.. oh when they came out?) to read it. So far I've read halfway through book 2 and stopped. Now I can't remember most of the story and have to start again. Meanwhile I'm dying to read Tawny man.. sigh. One day I will prevail. But probably when my TBR is down to something like 50.. so in a year or two? Meanwhile I've started reading the Soldier son trilogy (finished book 1, will pick up book 2).

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Yes.. Come to the dark side…

Posted on June 20, 2007 by janicu

J is a big reader, but is in Law school, and supposed to be studying - to the point she disabled her Internet between certain hours of the day, and I think she turned off her cable. Yes, very hardcore actions in order to stay focused. But.. the siren call of being able to rant about books is too strong and she has just created her very own book blog on vox! She was in the middle of posting a rant apparently but her time on the Internet was up for the day.

On one hand I feel evil, on the other I want to hear her rants because when J rants it's pretty amusing. So don't flunk out, because then I will feel guilty. But really, this was her idea and not mine so I shouldn't feel guilty. I really am innocent. Truely.

Her blog in its infant stages of life is here.

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

Posted on June 19, 2007 by janicu

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Stephen Chbosky

This book is a series of letters written to an unknown friend by Charlie – a quiet young man who lives mostly in his head. These letters span about a year from the start of his freshman year in high school, as Charlie starts to learn how to "participate" in life instead of watching. He makes friends with some seniors who take him under their wing and seem to be understanding about his innocence. Charlie is a very unusual character – quiet, observant and thinks a lot about what he sees, seemingly highly sensitive and prone to crying, and unsure about how to interact with people comfortably. He seems very intelligent and yet strange. I had a feeling like.. something is up here, something I don't know, so I had to keep reading not only to find out about his high school experiences (which were hilarious, sad, crazy, unexpected and wonderful all wrapped up in one), but also to figure him out. I really had a good time reading this book – Charlie feels like a sweet kid everyone knows and is fond of, and I just zipped through this, and I want to go back and revisit.

I think this is a good book to read if you ever felt like a wallflower yourself (probably most people at some point). It had me thinking about the things you think about when you are growing up and figuring people out – watching others and daydreaming and imagining what other people think or see (everyone does this, right?). I think one of the only problems I would say I had with this book is I'm not sure I believe so many people could be that patient and understanding about Charlie and willing to bring him into their group of friends, but it WAS a small group of people who were on the fringes anyway so perhaps I'm being too picky here. The other thing was – ok some of the things that happened made me squint in disbelief - ALL that madness happened in ONE YEAR?! I'm just dying to say something that's a spoiler so I'm just going to comment that in my post on vox and if you want to find out, go there.

9.5 outta 10

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Eyes of Crow by Jeri Smith-Ready

Posted on June 17, 2007 by janicu

Eyes Of Crow

Jeri Smith-Ready

I just finished Eyes of Crow a couple of days ago. The book was pretty long - (473 pages? Something like that), but the writing was simple and the font wasn't tiny, so for me, I was reading a hundred and so pages in an hour (it was an absorbing read).

This is a story set in a world that could be ours in the future or maybe its set in a different world, I couldn't tell. The society depicted here is a tribal society where every person has a Spirit animal. I found this very interesting – these Spirit animals are not just symbols, they really exist for these people and each person has powers and a personality that fits their Spirit. For instance – Owls are wise and it is impossible to lie to one, Wasps are warriors and quick, Bears are strategists. As each person progresses through life they move from one phase to another and their abilities increase (Wolves can become invisible at Phase 2 for example).

The focus in this story is Rhia. As the book starts she is a young girl and it is becoming evident that she has the aspect of the Crow – bringer of death (here is a excerpt from Eyes of Crow showing this that made me want to read this book in the first place). What's interesting is that Rhia does not embrace this right away at all. She doesn't want to be able to tell who lives and who dies, and she doesn't want to be feared by the rest of the populace; but because she refuses to embrace her Crow Spirit and doesn't go on the trek she must take to become adult and a Crow woman, there are consequences.

This is a journey from childhood into adulthood story. This was done very well, Rhia doesn't want to grow up, and has to face becoming responsible for the consequences of her actions, and to think about the world outside of her own comfortable place. Its not always as simple she she would hope (there is a feeling of resentment between tribes because of the differences between them, and an even larger difference between her people and the "Descendents" - could mean war). Because of this, and because of the straightforward writing style, there are some elements that feel young adult, but there are adult situations. I enjoyed the way the story flowed and Rhia's journey, moving from young girl to embracing her Crow aspect (and the Spirit journey she takes to get there), moving past loss and heartbreak as well. The rest of the characters were also interesting – most of them had more than one dimension, flaws and heartache that defined them, which added more depth to the cast. I think the story could have become stereotypical but the author avoids making it predictible and stale. This is a Luna book as well which means there is some romance too.

I didn't really find much wrong with the book, unless you aren't into young adultish books - 8 or 8.5 out of 10.

Book two is Voice of Crow, out October 2007.

And there is a free online story set in the same world here (Wild's Call, supposed to be a distant prequel). I haven't read it yet though.

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