Thanksgiving is coming up next week and this is a perfect opportunity for us bloggers to show our appreciation to you, our readers. Kathy, at I'm a Reader Not a Writer, has put together this wonderful follower giveaway in which each participating blog will be giving away a book-related prize.
For my giveaway I'm going to select two winners, each of whom can choose two books that they would like to receive from the list below:
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
The Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines
The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan
Just Plain Bad (Bad-Ass Fairies Anthology, Bk 2) edited by Danielle Ackley-McPhail
The Girl with the Glass Feet by Ali Shaw
Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
The Shape-Changer's Wife by Sharon Shinn
The Sword Edged Blonde by Alex Bledsoe
Servant of a Dark God by John Brown
Deerskin by Robin McKinley
Gridlinked by Neal Asher
Into the Flame by Christina Dodd
Atlantis Rising by Alyssa Day
Sins of the Flesh by Caridad Piñeiro
And because man can not live on speculative fiction alone, I threw in a few non-genre books as well:
Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle
In the Name of Salome by Julia Alvarez
Gardens in the Dunes by Leslie Marmon Silko
Step on a Crack by James Patterson
To enter, please fill out this form
All entrants must be follows of this blog
The giveaway runs from Nov. 17th through Nov. 28th and is open internationally.
And be sure to stop by all the other participating blogs:
(I apologize for the gray colored text, which is a bit hard to read, but I can't figure out how to change it)
Bertie has lived at the Théâtre Illuminata for as long as she can remember and knows very little about the mysterious circumstances which brought her there. But that doesn't stop her from speculating about her past and creating imaginative stories about her mother and the events that led her to be left at the theatre.
Bertie has enjoyed a happy childhood at the Théâtre Illuminata, running wild and causing mischief with the her fairy friends from A Midsummer Night's Dream. There is also her friend Nate, a handsome pirate from The Little Mermaid, who Bertie has begun thinking about in more than just a friendly sort of way.
But when one of Bertie's pranks goes awry she is set to lose everyone and everything she has ever known. In order to stay at the theatre Bertie must prove that she is capable of behaving herself and contributing to the theatre in a significant way.
While most of the theatre players are aghast at the idea of Bertie's banishment the seductive spirit, Ariel, sees this as his opportunity to finally become free. He longs to be released from his servitude in the Tempest and to release all the other actors from their bonds to their respective plays. Ariel believes that Bertie is his key to freedom and he will not hesitate to use her in any way he can if it will help him achieve his goals.
I listened to the full cast audio production of Eyes Like Stars which was wonderfully fun and entertaining. I felt like I was watching the story being performed in front of me. Cynthia Bishop does a fantastic job narrating and each of the other characters were also read very well.
While I really enjoyed listening to Eyes Like Stars I'm having trouble determining if I would have enjoyed the story as much if I had read it. The main character, Bertie, is immature and self-absorbed and I can't say I really cared for her that much. Most of the disasters that take place in the book are caused by her thoughtless behavior and when it comes time to repair the damage, Bertie's main thoughts are about how she can best save herself. She even gets applauded for saving a certain situation even though she was the one that caused it in the first place, and for which she shows no remorse.
I was also disappointed in Bertie's complete lack of sympathy for Ariel's pain and was surprised that the book didn't show how any of the other players felt about their entrapment in the theatre. Ariel seems to be alone in his desire for escape and I think some depth could have been added to the story by exploring this idea a bit further.
Despite my lack of enthusiasm for Bertie I did really liked several of the side characters, such as Bertie's fairy companions and Nate and I think I might have liked Ariel as well except that he was read in a strange wobbly kind of way that turned me off of him, through no fault of his own.
Eyes Like Stars had a younger feel to it than I had expected from the reviews that I read, and at times I felt like I was watching one of those teen Disney shows featuring an overly dramatic, perky teenage girl played by Hannah Montana or Demi Lovator. But again, this is just the impression that I have from listening to the book and I might have come away with a completely different feel for the book if I had read it.
The reviews that I read of Eyes Like Stars also gave me the sense that this a book which is particularly enjoyed by those familiar with the theatre and theatre terminology.
It's been years since I studied Shakespeare or any other plays and I've never had much experience with the theatre and so I'm sure that I didn't have as much of an appreciation for the book as those who did get all of the theatre and literary references.
If you are looking for a fun audiobook to listen to than I would certainly recommend the Eyes Like Stars full cast production, especially if you enjoy those Disney teen TV shows (I will admit here to watching the occasional episode of Wizards of Waverly Place). As for reading the book in paper form, I think Eyes Like Stars will mostly appeal to younger teens as well as to readers with a love for the theatre.
I'm including here a short video that I found, and thought was interesting, of the actual production of this audio book. You can hear what the audio book sounds like as well as hear the narrators talk a bit about what's involved in the creation of an audiobook.
I don't think I remember there being any other week with so many new releases that I wanted to read. At the top of my list is Silent Land by Graham Joyce, which sounds spookier than the kind of books that I normally read but after reading the description I feel a strong need to find out what happens to the young couple. Next on my list is the fantasy anthology, Songs of Love and Death followed by The Greyfriar and Tyger, Tyger. I've heard some good things about The House of Discarded Dreams by Ekaterina Sedia, but it sounds a little too weird for me. I think I'll hold off on that one for now. I won't be reading any of these books soon though, as I'm taking a bit of a break from genre reading to catch up with all the other books that have been piling up. But I'll talk more about this in a later post.
Hope you have a great reading week!
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Night Star (The Immortals, Bk 5)
Alyson Noel
Genre: YA Paranormal
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin
Release Date: Nov 16
In this installment, Ever and Damen face down bitter rivals, jealous friends and their own worst fears—all in the hope of being together forever. Night Star is guaranteed to mesmerize fans and leave them breathlessly awaiting the sixth and final book!
Songs of Love and Death: All-Original Tales of Star-Crossed Love
Edited by George R. R. Martin, Gardner Dozois
Genre: Fantasy Anthology
Publisher: Pocket
Release Date: Nov 16
A groundbreaking anthology of fantasy and romance from bestselling authors in both genres, edited by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois.
-Jim Butcher, “Love Hurts” (a Harry Dresden story)
-Jo Beverly, “The Marrying Maid”
-Carrie Vaughn, “Rooftops”
-M.L.N. Hanover, “Hurt Me”
-Cecelia Holland, “Demon Lover”
-Melinda M. Snodgrass, “The Wayfarer’s Advice” (an Imperials story)
-Robin Hobb, “Blue Boots”
-Neil Gaiman, “The Thing About Cassandra”
-Marjorie M. Liu, “After the Blood”
-Jacqueline Carey, “You and You Alone” (a Kushiel story)
-Lisa Tuttle, “His Wolf”
-Linnea Sinclair, “Courting Trouble”
-Mary Jo Putney, “The Demon Dancer”
-Tanith Lee, “Under/Above the Water”
-Peter S. Beagle, “Kashkia”
-Yasmine Galenorn, “Man in the Mirror”
-Diana Gabaldon, “A Leaf on the Wind of All Hallows” (an OUTLANDER spinoff)
Should We Drown in Feathered Sleep
Michael Merriam
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic Scifi
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: Nov 15
A new world is emerging years after war destroyed society. In a Minnesota lake, the last surviving loons, direct descendants of the legendary First Pair, await the one who can help heal the earth. Each year a human sacrifice is brought to them to be endowed with special gifts, but they come at a terrible price.
Even as the rest of the world rebuilds, Grace Kriske’s life is shattered. Unable to walk, she feels utterly dependent on her family and trapped in a community that disapproves of her rebellious ways. Grace’s only solace is her lover, David Tvedt, a trader who wants to take her away with him if she’d let him.
Yet something else calls to Grace, the loons. They haunt her dreams, lurking in her mind as if part of her deepest primal self. But when Grace is chosen as the new sacrifice, she’s afraid. Will she risk everything to help the community that shuns her, or will she choose her own path?
Tyger Tyger
Kersten Hamilton
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Clarion Books
Release Date: Nov 15
Teagan Wylltson's best friend, Abby, dreams that horrifying creatures--goblins, shape-shifters, and beings of unearthly beauty but terrible cruelty--are hunting Teagan. Abby is always coming up with crazy stuff, though, so Teagan isn't worried. Her life isn't in danger. In fact, it's perfect. She's on track for a college scholarship. She has a great job. She's focused on s ...more Teagan Wylltson's best friend, Abby, dreams that horrifying creatures--goblins, shape-shifters, and beings of unearthly beauty but terrible cruelty--are hunting Teagan. Abby is always coming up with crazy stuff, though, so Teagan isn't worried. Her life isn't in danger. In fact, it's perfect. She's on track for a college scholarship. She has a great job. She's focused on school, work, and her future. No boys, no heartaches, no problems.
Until Finn Mac Cumhaill arrives. Finn's a bit on the unearthly beautiful side himself. He has a killer accent and a knee-weakening smile. And either he's crazy or he's been haunting Abby's dreams, because he's talking about goblins, too . . . and about being The Mac Cumhaill, born to fight all goblin-kind. Finn knows a thing or two about fighting. Which is a very good thing, because this time, Abby's right.
The goblins are coming.
The Back Door of Midnight
Elizabeth Chandler
Genre: YA
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Release Date: Nov 16
Psychic...or psychotic?
Anna knows her family is crazy. But when she goes to visit her aunt and uncle for the summer and learns that her uncle’s charred body has been found, her life reaches a new level of insanity. Her erratic aunt’s “psychic” abilities are exaggerated by her grief, and have become borderline violent. Alone in an unfamiliar town, Anna struggles to pick up the pieces and establish any sense of normalcy. She desperately wants to trust Zack, the cute boy next door, but even he might know more about the incident than he is letting on.
But when Anna starts feeling an inexplicable pull to the site of her uncle’s murder, she begins to believe that her family’s supernatural gifts are real after all. Torn between loyalty and suspicion, Anna is certain of only one thing: she must discover who killed her uncle or she could be next....
The Greyfriar
Clay & Susan Griffith
Genre: Steampunk/Alternate History
Publisher: Pyr
Release Date: Nov 18
In the year 1870, a horrible plague of vampires swept over the northern regions of the world. Millions of humans were killed outright. Millions more died of disease and famine due to the havoc that followed. Within two years, once great cities were shrouded by the grey empire of the vampire clans. Human refugees fled south to the tropics because vampires could not tolerate the constant heat there. They brought technology and a feverish drive to reestablish their shattered societies of steam and iron amid the mosques of Alexandria, the torrid quietude of Panama, or the green temples of Malaya.
It is now 2020 and a bloody reckoning is coming.
Princess Adele is heir to the Empire of Equatoria, a remnant of the old tropical British Empire. She is quick with her wit as well as with a sword or gun. She is eager for an adventure before she settles into a life of duty and political marriage to man she does not know. But her quest turns black when she becomes the target of a merciless vampire clan. Her only protector is The Greyfriar, a mysterious hero who fights the vampires from deep within their territory. Their dangerous relationship plays out against an approaching war to the death between humankind and the vampire clans.
The Greyfriar: Vampire Empire is the first book in a trilogy of high adventure and alternate history. Combining rousing pulp action with steampunk style, The Greyfriar brings epic political themes to life within a story of heartbreaking romance, sacrifice, and heroism.
The House of Discarded Dreams
Ekaterina Sedia
Genre: Fantasy
Publisher: Prime Books
Release Date: Nov 16
Trying to escape her embarrassing immigrant mother, Vimbai moves into a dilapidated house in the dunes... and discovers that one of her new roommates has a pocket universe instead of hair, there's a psychic energy baby living in the telephone wires, and her dead Zimbabwean grandmother is doing dishes in the kitchen. When the house gets lost at sea and creatures of African urban legends all but take it over, Vimbai turns to horseshoe crabs in the ocean to ask for their help in getting home to New Jersey.
The Silent Land
Graham Joyce
Genre: Literary Fantasy
Publisher: Gollancz
Release Date: Nov 18
A young couple are caught in an avalanche during a ski-ing holiday in the French Alps. They struggle back to the village and find it deserted. As the days go by they wait for rescue, then try to leave. But each time they find themselves back in the village. And, increasingly, they are plagued by visions and dreams and the realization that perhaps no-one could have survived the avalanche.THE SILENT LAND is a brooding and tender look at love and whether it can survive the greatest challenge we will ever face.
Last month I had done a post about life-changing books and what it really means for a book to be life changing. And so, when I read this letter, which Neil Gaiman had posted on his blog, I just had to share it as a perfect example of a real life-changing book.
A woman wrote to Gaiman telling him how her son, who has a has a visual processing disorder, taught himself to read with Coraline. He figured out how to translate the words in the book to auditory sounds that he could remember, and was then able to read in a way that made sense to him.
Over the years, this has given him the confidence to overcome a number of hurdles. He simply thinks back to teaching himself to read, after several adults had told him he never would, and he is reminded of how remembering you reading aloud gave him the idea to 'translate' written words into sounds... and he thinks outside the box to figure out a way around whatever he's having trouble with.
As I said, he's 12 now, and reading "Grey's Anatomy", the medical school textbook, for fun! He has decided to be a trauma surgeon.
I honestly don't think his life would have turned out this way if we hadn't taken him to your book reading.
So, thank you again for writing, for reading, and for changing my child's life.
Now that is the perfect example of a life-changing book.
You can read the full letter to Gaiman here
I've heard really good things about Naomi Novik's Temeraire series and have been curious to try the books myself. An alternate history novel with dragons sounded interesting though the strong military themes didn't excite me quite as much, leaving me doubtful if these books would appeal to me. But when my father-in-law presented me with a box of books that included the first three novels in the Temeraire series, I figured this was the perfect opportunity to finally read them.
To Will Laurence the navy is his life and he has worked hard to earn his captaincy on the HMS Reliant. But when a dragon egg is captured in a battle against a French ship, Laurence must give up everything he has worked towards in order to take charge of the newly hatched dragon.
Laurence's life as a navy man is now over and instead he must train in the Aerial Corp as a dragon handler. The dragons are Britain's strongest defense against the French army and Laurence must now learn to fight for his country from the back of a dragon.
Although Laurence would never have chosen for himself the solitary life of an aerial man, he quickly develops a close relationship with his dragon, Temeraire. As Tameraire grows and matures Laurence also grows into his new role as an aviator, and the two will soon get the chance to defend Britain against Bonaparte's invasion.
His Majesty's Dragon was an enjoyable book to read even though it was largely military, as I had suspected. Novik introduces some interesting ideas with her dragons and makes it all seem pretty credible, especially in the midst of her vivid battle scenes. In Novik's world dragons are used in place of aircrafts and are able to lift hundreds of soldiers in the air, ferrying them quickly from one destination to another.
While I found His Majesty's Dragon entertaining enough I will say that it's not the kind of book I would normally choose to read. I would have liked to read more about the characters' interactions with each other, and watch relationships between them develop, than read about combat training and battle plans. I also didn't really warm up to the story's protagonist, Laurence, who was too stiff and humorless for my taste. In addition, I found it strange the way Laurence so easily accepted the idea of giving up everything, including a family life, for his dragon, with so little regret. His relationship with his dragon, Temeraire, also struck me as a little odd. And the way Laurence kept calling Temeraire "my dear," creeped me out just a bit.
While reading the book I actually kept thinking that the story would be so much more interesting if told from the point of view of one of the female aviators. There was one character in particular who seemed like she would have an interesting story to tell, especially since the position of a female aviator was so out of the ordinary, and I do wonder why Novik had chosen to go with Laurence instead.
There was one other thing that didn't quite sit right with me, although it's probably ridiculous, but I just couldn't used to the idea of dragons that speak just like humans. I have no problems with telepathic communications between dragons and humans, which actually seems more appropriate to me, but a dragon hatching right out of the egg and initiating an intelligent conversation just bugged me. I know, this probably makes no sense because if you are going to envision a dragon why not envision a talking one, but I just think it seems unnatural.
His Majesty's Dragon serves up pretty much what it promises on the back cover. There are dragons and aerial battles and the occasional heated interaction between characters. If this appeals to you than you will likely enjoy the book. As for me, I found it entertaining and easy to read but I don't feel particularly driven to read the sequel, even though I already it on my shelf. As I said, it's just not my kind of book. But I am glad that I finally read it and was able to satisfy my curiosity about it.
Things I Love as Much As Books
Books are awesome and I totally love them. In fact, I spend hours each week reading them and then writing about them. But I decided it would be fun to dedicate one post each week to talking about some of the other things in my life that I love just as much as books, and this week I'm going to talk about...
PRESENTS!!
OK, I know, who doesn't love presents? But I'm excited to have just signed up for the annual blogger gift swap and so I have presents on my mind. I had a lot of fun participating in the gift swap last year and have been looking forward to doing it again. Last year I received four fantastic books from my wishlist from the lovely blogger at Raging Bibliomania, along with a beautiful card. I also really enjoyed putting together a package for the blogger whose name I was given, which included some cute Israeli knickknacks and a couple of books that I personally enjoyed reading.
I don't receive presents very often, now that I'm and adult (yeah, being an adult can be kind of a drag), and so it was exciting knowing that I had a present coming to me from a mysterious stranger...(OK, not so mysterious since she told me who she was, but still a stranger).
While there are several different gift swaps going on, the one I 
participate in is The Book Blogger Holiday Swap which I like because it's not limited to just books, as some of the other ones are, and therefore the gift is not as predictable. I also wasn't comfortable signing up for anything with the word "Santa" in it because it felt a bit treacherous to my Jewish roots. Holiday Swap, on the other hand, sounds nice and neutral and can encompass all holidays.
So if you have a blog (and it's never too late to start one) and like presents, I highly suggest that you join up as well. Maybe I'll even get your name, which would be so awesome for you (because Israeli knickknacks are the BEST).
It's magic versus science in Kate Elliot's newest fantasy novel, Cold Magic.
In an alternate 19th century Europe, the Industrial Revolution has begun and its development is encouraged by the local British Princes. But the Cold Mages, whose powerful magic keeps the populace under their control, are determined to put a halt to the scientific advances, claiming they are a danger to the country. A rebellious atmosphere has begun to stir the citizens who resent the rulership of both the Cold Mages and the Princes and begin to demand the right to govern themselves.
Nineteen-year old Catherine Hassi Barahal, or Cat, has been living in the home of her aunt and uncle ever since the tragic death of her parents, when she was a young child. Cat feels secure in the affection of her extended family, and is as close to her cousin Beatrice as if they were twins. Still, Cat longs to know more about her own parents whom, for some reason, her aunt and uncle refuse to speak about. All that Cat knows about them is what she has learned from the famous journals that her father had written during his travels.
One evening, as Cat and Beatrice prepare to attend the viewing of a recently landed airship, a Cold Mage arrives at the house unannounced and demands to be given the oldest Hassi Barahal daughter. To Cat's confusion and dismay, she is handed over to the arrogant man who, her aunt informs her, is now her husband. In exchange, the Cold Mage gives Cat's uncle a document, which he immediately burns, and Cat is rushed out of the house and into a waiting carriage.
As Cat travels alongside the stranger who is now her husband, to the palace of the Cold Mages, the truth about herself and her family is slowly revealed. And when Cat's eyes are open to the complete truth, she realizes the extent of the danger that she is now in, and she must find a way to save both herself and her cousin from the hands of the ruthless Cold Mages.
I've been reading Kate Elliot's fantasy books since I was teenager and I find it interesting that each of her series that I've read so far are written in a completely different style. While Crown of Stars is a very intense and heart-pounding series of books, the Crossroad series is told in a more distant manner with a wider view of events. Unlike those two series (and haven't yet read the Jaren one) Cold Magic is told in a first person narrative that felt very personal and had me easily connecting to the main character, Cat. And while certainly exciting, Cold Magic was far less intense than Crown of Stars which made it a lot easier for me to read. I really like the fact that Elliott is willing to try different story-telling styles and so each series feels completely different and unique, even to her regular readers.
I loved reading Cold Magic. Cat's voice quickly drew me into the story and I was easily kept captive by the story, the creative world building and, most particularly, by the wonderful characters. It was really the characters that made me wish the book would never end and for days after I finished Cold Magic I would eagerly reach for the book only to remember, with regret, that I had already finished it.
Cat is my favorite kind of heroine, strong, intelligent and brave. Her cousin, Beatrice,is similarly strong and intelligent though she often hides these traits behind superficial prattle and flirtatious behavior. The Cold Mage, Andevai, is a character whose true personality is slowly revealed throughout the course of the book. While he begins as a villain, he eventually does win readers over to his side. Elliott's method of making Andevai likable is not particularly original, though it works, and I kept rooting for some real romance between him and Cat. Another one of my favorite characters doesn't make an appearance until half-way through the book, so I won't say too much about him, but he was a wonderful addition to the story and I loved the way his relationship with Cat develops.
I was also interested to see that there were a number of Jewish elements incorporated into Cold Magic, such as the description of Cat's immersion in a pool of water, similar to what takes place at a Jewish mikve. And Cat's family, the Hassi Barahal, are Pheonicians who refer to themselves by the Hebrew term, Kena'ani. While I know that Kate Elliott is Jewish I've never noticed any of her other books making Jewish references and enjoyed seeing them here.
While I very much enjoyed Cold Magic I can't say that the book was without its faults. Some of the writing was not up to the standards that I have come to expect from a seasoned writer such as Elliott and left me a little disappointed. The dialogue between Cat and Andevai was not very impressive, especially when Cat keeps repeating the same complaints to Andevai about his treatment of her. I just wish the dialogue had sounded wittier and less nagging. Also, Cat's eyes were constantly filling up with tears, which started to annoy me after a while. While her circumstances would certainly permit Cat a good cry or two, I don't need to hear about her eyes filling up with tears because she is hungry, or because she is finally eating, or because she is cold, tired or scared. Cat's eyes were tearing-up so often that it was starting to distracting me from the story.
But what bothered me the most was the very last line of the book which I think is meant to sound mysterious and full of meaning but is really just a statement that doesn't reveal anything we don't already know. I actually read it a few times just to see if I had somehow missed something, but I don't think I had. While I really had no complaints about the ending itself, the last line was just very anti-climatic and I think Elliott could have come up with something a lot more impressive.
While I admit that Cold Magic did have some flaws they were all relatively minor ones and didn't effect my overall pleasure in the book. In fact, while I don't usually reread books I'm now tempted to sneak into the pages of Cold Magic again because I had enjoyed it so much and don't want to wait for the next book before revisiting Cat, Bee, and the rest of the characters. I highly recommend Cold Magic to all fantasy readers, but especially to those who enjoy stories of alternate history and strong female characters.
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