Jane
Ellsworth is a 28-year-old single woman in an alternative Regency-era
England where magic is commonplace, and viewed as another "womanly art,"
similar to drawing or music. She and her younger sister Melody, as
most of the young women of the time period are portrayed, are very
preoccupied by their marital status and the interest of the eligible
bachelors.
I was disappointed in this book. I've really come to appreciate good chick lit, and the entire time I was reading Shades of Milk and Honey, I kept thinking that it was so similar to Pride and Prejudice,
except that it was a pale imitation. The characters really missed the
mark for me. Jane Ellsworth and her younger sister Melody (and pretty
much everyone else) are simple, flat characters that the author seems to
have pulled out of a book of basic character types. Jane is the plain
but talented one who's resigned to spinsterhood, and Melody is the
pretty but vapid one, and each of them are envious of the other's
blessings. Their mother is sickly and obsessed with marrying them off,
their father is beneficent but distant, etc., etc. I did identify with
Jane a little bit. I'm the older daughter in my family, and I used to be
jealous of my sister's model-worthy good looks while she envied my
singing voice and artistic abilities. Except that we got over that when
we were teenagers. I'll remind you that Jane is 28 years old, and her
sister is in her early 20s. I'm just not sure if I believe their
behavior was realistic. Beyond that, Jane's romantic story line was
completely confusing. The love interest didn't have much screen time,
and I only remember one extremely ambiguous and extremely brief
description of what he even
looked like.
There was no tension between the two, just ambivalence and a mild
quizzical feeling, so when they were suddenly in love, I felt like I
should be flipping back through the chapters looking for when that happened.
All
of that said, I did finish the book in one day, so it wasn't all bad. I
liked the world that Kowal created, and her magic system was
interesting, albeit without depth or purpose. Magic has so many possible useful
applications, other than decoration, that could have been (but were not)
explored. I feel like this whole book was like that. Enjoyable and
mildly interesting, but without the real depth and social commentary
that was present in Austen's books.
With
some reservation, I would recommend this book to someone looking for
very light reading set in a Regency-era England with magic.
Rating: 3 stars
Monday, September 29, 2014
Saturday, September 27, 2014
Short Story Saturday: Fade to White, by Catherynne M. Valente
I read "Fade to White" when it was nominated for a Hugo last year, and it stuck with me all that night and through the next week. It was just one of those sticky kinds of stories. It had so much to say, and it did it in such a unique (to me) way.
It's a sort of alternate history of the post-WWII era. Something went entirely wrong with the war, and California was completely obliterated, in what sounds like some kind of nuclear bomb or disaster. It left most American men completely sterile, and many American women as well. In a sort of reversal of The Handmaid's Tale, the few men who are still potent become Husbands who have four or more wives. The story is told in three ways: first, there's advertising copy with the editors changes included. It's upbeat government-funded advertising that's meant to reassure Americans that as little as possible has changed. The second aspect of the story is in the point of view of Sylvie, a 15-year-old half-Japanese girl who is about to go to her Presentation, the ceremony where she submits to dozens of tests and finds out whether she's fertile and what careers she's eligible for. The third aspect of the story is told by Martin, a 15-year-old boy who daydreams about nothing but becoming a Father and is preparing for his Announcement, the corresponding ceremony and test for boys. These three views alternate, telling a tale that is extremely chilling, in part because of its believability.
I pretty much adore everything Catherynne Valente has ever written. She's amazing with words, writing things like, "she could cut glass with the diamond of her mind," and she always has a fascinating and beautiful story to tell, or a new observation to make about the world.
I would recommend that pretty much everyone click on that link above and go check out this story. It was published in Clarkesworld Magazine, and it's available for free online. It was nominated for a Nebula and a Hugo, and it was a Sidewise Award finalist. I would especially recommend it to alternate-history fans and people interested in the 40s, WWII, and the changes the war made by bringing women into the workplace.
Rating: 5 stars
It's a sort of alternate history of the post-WWII era. Something went entirely wrong with the war, and California was completely obliterated, in what sounds like some kind of nuclear bomb or disaster. It left most American men completely sterile, and many American women as well. In a sort of reversal of The Handmaid's Tale, the few men who are still potent become Husbands who have four or more wives. The story is told in three ways: first, there's advertising copy with the editors changes included. It's upbeat government-funded advertising that's meant to reassure Americans that as little as possible has changed. The second aspect of the story is in the point of view of Sylvie, a 15-year-old half-Japanese girl who is about to go to her Presentation, the ceremony where she submits to dozens of tests and finds out whether she's fertile and what careers she's eligible for. The third aspect of the story is told by Martin, a 15-year-old boy who daydreams about nothing but becoming a Father and is preparing for his Announcement, the corresponding ceremony and test for boys. These three views alternate, telling a tale that is extremely chilling, in part because of its believability.
I pretty much adore everything Catherynne Valente has ever written. She's amazing with words, writing things like, "she could cut glass with the diamond of her mind," and she always has a fascinating and beautiful story to tell, or a new observation to make about the world.
I would recommend that pretty much everyone click on that link above and go check out this story. It was published in Clarkesworld Magazine, and it's available for free online. It was nominated for a Nebula and a Hugo, and it was a Sidewise Award finalist. I would especially recommend it to alternate-history fans and people interested in the 40s, WWII, and the changes the war made by bringing women into the workplace.
Rating: 5 stars
Wednesday, September 24, 2014
Book Review: Underland Chronicles, by Suzanne Collins
I realize that this is not so much a book review as a series review. I read all five volumes of this series in three days. It's safe to say I enjoyed it immensely.
Gregor is an 11-year-old who falls into a New York kid's version of Wonderland. Instead of talking rabbits, caterpillars, and cards, he finds himself in a world populated by six-foot tall talking rats, bats big enough to ride on, and enormous cockroaches, as well as a race of humans with translucent white skin and violet eyes. The Underland is on the verge of war, and according to the Underlanders' prophecies, Gregor is the warrior who will save them all.
Each book follows a formula: Gregor and his sister Boots (and sometimes one or two other members of their family) go to the Underland, Gregor finds out about a prophesy concerning him, he goes on an adventure, the prophesy is unraveled, and Gregor and Boots go back home.
Within this format, the books explore what it means to belong somewhere, when (and if) war and violence are legitimate, and whether you can have any power over your own life when someone else is telling you what you have to do (even when the person telling you is doing so through a centuries-old prophesy). Collins does not hesitate to kill her characters when it's necessary, which makes the story more believable, and I think that death and grief are important things for children to read about. This series is full of darkness and pain, but also humor, love, and excitement. I also loved Luxa, the princess of the human Underlanders. She's young, but she's a strong-minded warrior, and I've always been a fan of strong female characters.
This series, with its prophesies and wonderful young characters, was a really fun read. Gregor's 2-year-old sister, Boots, comes with him on all of his adventures, and she brings an element of lightheartedness to the books, while grounding Gregor in reality. He can't get too lost in being a hero when he needs to change his baby sister's diaper.
I would highly recommend these books to readers who thought Wonderland wasn't gritty enough, and readers who like exciting adventure stories.
Rating: 4 stars
Gregor is an 11-year-old who falls into a New York kid's version of Wonderland. Instead of talking rabbits, caterpillars, and cards, he finds himself in a world populated by six-foot tall talking rats, bats big enough to ride on, and enormous cockroaches, as well as a race of humans with translucent white skin and violet eyes. The Underland is on the verge of war, and according to the Underlanders' prophecies, Gregor is the warrior who will save them all.
Each book follows a formula: Gregor and his sister Boots (and sometimes one or two other members of their family) go to the Underland, Gregor finds out about a prophesy concerning him, he goes on an adventure, the prophesy is unraveled, and Gregor and Boots go back home.
Within this format, the books explore what it means to belong somewhere, when (and if) war and violence are legitimate, and whether you can have any power over your own life when someone else is telling you what you have to do (even when the person telling you is doing so through a centuries-old prophesy). Collins does not hesitate to kill her characters when it's necessary, which makes the story more believable, and I think that death and grief are important things for children to read about. This series is full of darkness and pain, but also humor, love, and excitement. I also loved Luxa, the princess of the human Underlanders. She's young, but she's a strong-minded warrior, and I've always been a fan of strong female characters.
This series, with its prophesies and wonderful young characters, was a really fun read. Gregor's 2-year-old sister, Boots, comes with him on all of his adventures, and she brings an element of lightheartedness to the books, while grounding Gregor in reality. He can't get too lost in being a hero when he needs to change his baby sister's diaper.
I would highly recommend these books to readers who thought Wonderland wasn't gritty enough, and readers who like exciting adventure stories.
Rating: 4 stars
Monday, September 22, 2014
Book Review: The Magicians, by Lev Grossman
I loved this book. It's been on my to-read list for a very long time, but for some reason, I never managed to pick it up. Actually, I know the reason. The cover is uninspiring, and I have always been a girl who judges a book by its cover. If you're not supposed to do that, what's the cover for, anyway?! After having read the book, I'm rather unclear on exactly what the crooked, badly "pruned," yellow-leaved tree on the cover has to do with the story whatsoever. But I don't make those decisions, so...
As I said, I loved this book. The Magicians is divided into four parts. In the beginning of the first part, Quentin Coldwater, a brilliant high school senior obsessed with a series of fantasy books set in the magical world Fillory (a sort of Narnia-like place of clear-cut good and evil, talking animals, and ram gods, accessed at random through clocks, closets, etc., and in which children always seem to go on exciting quests), has one of his closest-held dreams come true. He is told that magic is real, and he's offered a position in the only American university that teaches it. The first part of the book is reminiscent of Harry Potter, if only because it is a bunch of young(ish) wizards learning how to do magic. But instead of seeming like a pale imitation of something else, Lev Grossman acknowledges the inevitable similarities and creates something entirely his own.
One deliberate reference to the similarities was when Quentin went to look for a member of his welters team (welters is a sort of magical man-sized chess game in which teams try to capture squares on a giant board using magic). Josh is talking to a dealer in magical items when Quentin finds him, half an hour after the game started. Josh looks at the dealer and asks, "Got anything for time travel? Time-turner or something?" When the dealer says he'll look into it, Josh says, "Awesome. Send me an owl." Later in that same scene, he says, "Gotta get my quiddich costume. I mean uniform. I mean welters."
But instead of being a book about becoming a wizard, The Magicians is a book about becoming a man. Quentin has everything. He's incredibly smart, he's probably headed to Princeton, his parents are still married and live well enough in Brooklyn...but he's unhappy. When he is told magic is real and offered the chance to learn it, his dreams come true. But he's still unhappy, feeling like his real life hasn't really started yet. At its core, The Magicians is an exploration into the follies of living for some more desirable future, rather than being happy with an already amazing present. Lev Grossman does this by writing about what it would be like for someone to get everything he ever wanted, only to realize that bringing his fantasies into the real world changes them, or changes his perception of them, and once he gets everything he wants, he has to find something new to desire, or feel directionless.
I think Lev Grossman's use of Harry Potter and Narnia references is incredibly smart, because those are the worlds that today's young people fantasize about. He hands those dreams to Quentin with no strings attached. And then he asks the question: Now what?
I would recommend this book to anyone who's ever fantasized about being spun into another, more beautiful, magical world.
Rating: 5 stars!
As I said, I loved this book. The Magicians is divided into four parts. In the beginning of the first part, Quentin Coldwater, a brilliant high school senior obsessed with a series of fantasy books set in the magical world Fillory (a sort of Narnia-like place of clear-cut good and evil, talking animals, and ram gods, accessed at random through clocks, closets, etc., and in which children always seem to go on exciting quests), has one of his closest-held dreams come true. He is told that magic is real, and he's offered a position in the only American university that teaches it. The first part of the book is reminiscent of Harry Potter, if only because it is a bunch of young(ish) wizards learning how to do magic. But instead of seeming like a pale imitation of something else, Lev Grossman acknowledges the inevitable similarities and creates something entirely his own.
One deliberate reference to the similarities was when Quentin went to look for a member of his welters team (welters is a sort of magical man-sized chess game in which teams try to capture squares on a giant board using magic). Josh is talking to a dealer in magical items when Quentin finds him, half an hour after the game started. Josh looks at the dealer and asks, "Got anything for time travel? Time-turner or something?" When the dealer says he'll look into it, Josh says, "Awesome. Send me an owl." Later in that same scene, he says, "Gotta get my quiddich costume. I mean uniform. I mean welters."
But instead of being a book about becoming a wizard, The Magicians is a book about becoming a man. Quentin has everything. He's incredibly smart, he's probably headed to Princeton, his parents are still married and live well enough in Brooklyn...but he's unhappy. When he is told magic is real and offered the chance to learn it, his dreams come true. But he's still unhappy, feeling like his real life hasn't really started yet. At its core, The Magicians is an exploration into the follies of living for some more desirable future, rather than being happy with an already amazing present. Lev Grossman does this by writing about what it would be like for someone to get everything he ever wanted, only to realize that bringing his fantasies into the real world changes them, or changes his perception of them, and once he gets everything he wants, he has to find something new to desire, or feel directionless.
I think Lev Grossman's use of Harry Potter and Narnia references is incredibly smart, because those are the worlds that today's young people fantasize about. He hands those dreams to Quentin with no strings attached. And then he asks the question: Now what?
I would recommend this book to anyone who's ever fantasized about being spun into another, more beautiful, magical world.
Rating: 5 stars!
Saturday, September 20, 2014
Short Story Saturday: The Chapel Perilous, by Kevin Hearne
This week, I was in the mood for an anthology with multiple authors, and Unfettered, edited by Shawn Speakman, was the perfect book to pull off the shelf. For those of you who have never heard of Unfettered, it's a volume that only exists because of the generosity and friendship of some of the most talented writers in Sci/Fi and Fantasy, who donated stories for the anthology to pay off the medical debt of Shawn Speakman after his second bout with cancer in 2011. There is no theme to this anthology. Instead, the authors were given the freedom to submit whatever short stories they wanted.
Kevin Hearne's story takes place in the same world as his Iron Druid Chronicles and features the druid Atticus as the main character (and Oberon as the usual show-stealing wolfhound). Atticus tells the true story of the quest for the Holy Grail (which he features in heavily...well, pretty much almost exclusively), and in its telling, reveals that the history of the Grail began long before Jesus' time.
I was fascinated by the new-to-me origin story of the Grail (or Celtic Graal). I read "The Chapel Perilous" with the expectation of being entertained, and Kevin Hearne did not disappoint. In spite of Atticus's obvious run-in with the Chapel Perilous (given the title), what could be very dark and macabre tale maintains its lighter mood. Kevin Hearne has a wry sense of humor, and Atticus's interactions with Oberon and with the horse he rides in the story were some of the best (and funniest) parts of the tale. I loved that it ties in with the other Iron Druid books as well, but that you don't need to read them to love this story.
I'd recommend this story to any reader who likes Kevin Hearne, but also to any readers who enjoy a new take on an old tale, or a lighthearted story with a little action, magic, and history mixed in.
Rating: 5 stars!
Kevin Hearne's story takes place in the same world as his Iron Druid Chronicles and features the druid Atticus as the main character (and Oberon as the usual show-stealing wolfhound). Atticus tells the true story of the quest for the Holy Grail (which he features in heavily...well, pretty much almost exclusively), and in its telling, reveals that the history of the Grail began long before Jesus' time.
I was fascinated by the new-to-me origin story of the Grail (or Celtic Graal). I read "The Chapel Perilous" with the expectation of being entertained, and Kevin Hearne did not disappoint. In spite of Atticus's obvious run-in with the Chapel Perilous (given the title), what could be very dark and macabre tale maintains its lighter mood. Kevin Hearne has a wry sense of humor, and Atticus's interactions with Oberon and with the horse he rides in the story were some of the best (and funniest) parts of the tale. I loved that it ties in with the other Iron Druid books as well, but that you don't need to read them to love this story.
I'd recommend this story to any reader who likes Kevin Hearne, but also to any readers who enjoy a new take on an old tale, or a lighthearted story with a little action, magic, and history mixed in.
Rating: 5 stars!
Friday, September 19, 2014
Back to the Beginning
I have not published a single post on this blog in a year and a half. I've written many, and I've written quite a lot of book reviews on Goodreads, but I haven't posted here. So I'm essentially starting over, after a very, very long break.
In real, off-line life, I earned a Masters in Library and Information Science, I spent a while working four jobs simultaneously, I moved from Michigan to Illinois and then to New York, where I am now. At this very moment, I am unemployed, a state with which I am uncomfortable and unfamiliar with, and I'm living in a city I don't know surrounded by complete strangers, half a country away from all of my friends and family, with the exception of my wife and our two dogs.
Faced with this status and with nothing but job applications, cooking, and cleaning to occupy my time, I've decided to revive this blog from its rather long, languishing sleep. I'll be posting three times a week about what I'm reading, and after my year in library school, what I'm reading is much more varied than it used to be.
I still love fantasy, fairy tale re-writes, science fiction, and young adult, and those are what I have lined up for now. But I'll also be writing about romance, children's picture books, literary fiction, mysteries, and more. If you have a book you've loved, feel free to recommend it. If you have a book you'd like me to review, feel free to send it (please, please, please!). If you want to see all the books I've been reading while I was busy not posting to this blog, you can follow me on Goodreads. :) I'll probably slowly begin moving my Goodreads reviews over here, for weeks when I can't manage to read enough to fill the blog.
Why should you be reading this blog? What do you have to look forward to? For now, I'll be posting reviews of adult lit on Mondays and children's lit on Wednesdays. I'll also be re-instituting Short Story Saturday, and I'll be posting about a short story every Saturday. At some point in the future, I might take part in my own version of Throw-back Thursdays, by re-reading and reviewing books I read when I was younger.
So....Hello, again, Internet!
In real, off-line life, I earned a Masters in Library and Information Science, I spent a while working four jobs simultaneously, I moved from Michigan to Illinois and then to New York, where I am now. At this very moment, I am unemployed, a state with which I am uncomfortable and unfamiliar with, and I'm living in a city I don't know surrounded by complete strangers, half a country away from all of my friends and family, with the exception of my wife and our two dogs.
Faced with this status and with nothing but job applications, cooking, and cleaning to occupy my time, I've decided to revive this blog from its rather long, languishing sleep. I'll be posting three times a week about what I'm reading, and after my year in library school, what I'm reading is much more varied than it used to be.
I still love fantasy, fairy tale re-writes, science fiction, and young adult, and those are what I have lined up for now. But I'll also be writing about romance, children's picture books, literary fiction, mysteries, and more. If you have a book you've loved, feel free to recommend it. If you have a book you'd like me to review, feel free to send it (please, please, please!). If you want to see all the books I've been reading while I was busy not posting to this blog, you can follow me on Goodreads. :) I'll probably slowly begin moving my Goodreads reviews over here, for weeks when I can't manage to read enough to fill the blog.
Why should you be reading this blog? What do you have to look forward to? For now, I'll be posting reviews of adult lit on Mondays and children's lit on Wednesdays. I'll also be re-instituting Short Story Saturday, and I'll be posting about a short story every Saturday. At some point in the future, I might take part in my own version of Throw-back Thursdays, by re-reading and reviewing books I read when I was younger.
So....Hello, again, Internet!
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