LiteraryDesires

The Japanese House: Architecture and Interiors

2005-09-30T19:46:00.000-07:00

Noboru Murata and Alexandra Black combine their talents in this richly cultural book, displaying knowledge and photographs of Japanese architecture. From the aesthetics of the Japanese tea room to the unity of modern and ancient living, each thought and each image represented the Japanese way of life with precise reverence. Murata and Black can do no less than win you over with their commitment to such a detailed expression of peaceful artistry.

The Japanese House: Architecture and Interiors by Noboru Murata & Alexandra Black
216 pages
Nonfiction/photography

Brilliance of the Moon

2005-09-30T19:43:00.000-07:00

The concluding tale in the Otori saga, Takeo Otori is now married, which has angered and insulted lords scattered across the land. In a move to reclaim his rightful name and position as head of the Otori clan, Takeo finds himself in the midst of a war on all sides. The Tribe wants him dead, a powerful lord refuses to acknowledge the marriage of his wife and seeks her for himself, the Overlord is searching for him due to his insulting disappearance and later marriage, and the Otori clan do not recognize him as an heir and wish to see him dead as well.

An unpopular man, Takeo seeks alliances from unusual places. Outcasts duly rejected from the warrior-emblazoned society, priests who recognize God's hand on him, fishermen cheated by the upper-class, and pirates who bring with them inventions and tokens of spirituality from worlds across the sea are all taken with Takeo's cause. They each prove that everyone has a place in society and each one can fulfill a duty of honour.

By far the most the most inconsistent of the three novels, Brilliance of the Moon is like a karate chop to the head. For a while you might see some pretty stars but when you wake up all you have is a headache. Hearn may have been trying to reach for character growth but all he created was a mercurial character who would change his mind about things for no reason. He was also prone to making really stupid choices. This could also be a familiar tactic for character growth, or even a stitch in his seam, but the problem here is that the author gave the reader the ability of foresight. As a reader I was well aware of how everything would end up, and it mostly turned out badly for Takeo. I was constantly struck with an impulse to hit Takeo everytime he got an idea. I quickly lost my patience with everyone in the story because I knew too much. There was no mystery. No heightened sense of desperation, fear, disloyalty, shock, hatred, honour, or love. Nothing to make me wonder just how everything might unfold. It was all laid out- clean and neat.

The biggest disappointment though was the conclusion. Takeo leads his men in battle to take back his land before facing off against the mighty Overlord. And then it's over. Exactly like that. The final battle begins and ends with little else in between. With a few pages left to describe everyone's fate, the story really goes downhill from there. I was more satisfied after finishing book one.

Hearn still managed to design a mirrored fantastical history of Japan. He seamlessly united the fantasy realm with his knowledge of the samurai feudal system. And in spite of his shortcomings, he did create and manage a large collection of absorbing multi-dimensional characters. At times inconsistent but still vastly intriguing.

Tales of the Otori, Book 3: Brilliance of the Moon by Lian Hearn
330 pages
Fantasy

Grass For His Pillow

2005-09-10T12:39:00.000-07:00

Grass For His Pillow is the continuing story of Takeo Otori, beginning not a minute later from where Across the Nightingale Floor ended. Leaving behind his revenge, his name, and the woman he loves he joins the Tribe after making a binding agreement with them. After several months living under the laws of the Tribe he grows to resent what has essentially become a prison sentence. He longs for the life he left behind and has no desire to become the hardened assassin that the Tribe hopes him to be. With thoughts of escape never far away he finally gets the chance when he's ordered to assassinate his former teacher. Armed with Jato, Shigeru's sword, and a prophecy, Takeo begins his plans to revenge the murder of his adoptive father.

The second book in the trilogy takes on a new tone as much of it is now told through the perspective of Kaede Shirakawa, the woman Takeo left behind. She returns home for the first time in eight years to a scene of bitterness, destruction and bareness. She intends to claim what is owed to her and to unite her lands despite the restrictions men insist upon her sex.

It also rolls on a difference pace than its predecessor. It's more relaxed and less in a rush to speed through events. But maybe a little too relaxed. Not much seemed to happen in the middle installment. One thing that hasn't changed is the 'Arthurian legend' aspect. Every action or reaction leaves you with a sense of something bigger looming in the distance, and the characters are a reflection of their actions as the events change them. Grass For His Pillow wasn't the most intense reading it remained a persuasive, ensnaring, and eloquent bridge for book three.

Tales of the Otori, Book 2: Grass For His Pillow by Lian Hearn
292 pages
Fiction

Across the Nightingale Floor

2005-08-31T18:50:00.000-07:00

Tomasu is a simple boy born of simple parentage. He lives, secluded, with a secretive clan called the Hidden. A clan which is hated by the ruling warlord of Inuyama. Warlord Iida Sadamu begins a run of pillaging and murder to strike out his enemies and Tomasu's people are no exception. A witness and only survivor of his people's massacre, he runs into Iida before ultimately unhorsing him and making his escape. An insult Iida's not likely to forget. Tomasu then meets Shigeru, a kind, young lord of the Otori clan. Shigeru sees something in Tomasu that speaks of something far more secretive and dangerous than the Hidden would allow. Tomasu leaves behind his clan name in the smoldering ruins of his home and accepts the name Otori Takeo, adopted son of Shigeru. Though Shigeru cares deeply for his new ward it's shortly revealed that he has his own secrets and motives.

It soon becomes clear that Takeo has abilities that belie his simple up-bringing. He is then trained under a member of the Tribe, when his true heritage is revealed and Shigeru discloses his dream of revenge against Lord Iida.

Across the Nightingale Floor is the first book in a condensed epic trilogy but the story telling reads more like an Arthurian legend. At first glance it seems like your standard fantasy story and indeed it does have all of the elements of one. But eventually the threads of convention are ripped apart and in its place is an understanding that there are no boundaries. In an imaginary interpretation of ancient Japan where nothing is sacred Lian Hearn still manages to bring a sense of honor and respect to his story. You could hate an author for killing a character you have come to admire, but wouldn't it just be better to revere him making such a daring decision? At least he leaves us with a sense of necessity. No action goes unbidden with out consequence.

The only thing I could find to complain about was the pacing. It has all of the workings of a 500 page epic but it reined in under 300. The events unfolded quickly leaving no time in between for pause and reflection. It was one thing after another and while you're still stuck on a previously action, the characters are moving on ready for the next chapter in their lives. For example, within the first chapter Tomasu's family is murdered, he comes face to face with his future enemy, he meets Shigeru and a future ally, he travels for many nights under Shigeru's protection, he forsakes his clan name and he settles in for a new life in Shigeru's home. It's a very busy story filled with all of the comings and goings of love, lust, betrayal, revenge, redemption, and death wrapped up in a neat little 200+ page book. More time should have been spent exploring these issues. By the end I had felt like I had run a hundred mile race with no breaks to catch my breath. But though I remained breathless all throughout the tale, I very much look forward to the next chapters.

Tales of the Otori, Book One: Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn
287 pages
Fiction

Ghost Soldiers

2005-08-27T22:34:00.000-07:00

Ghost Soldiers is the amazing account of the U.S. Army 6th Ranger Battalion, which sneaked past enemy lines during World Wars II in the hopes of rescuing hundreds of POWs imprisoned in the Philippines. These men were regaled as heroes but it was the prisoners, veterans of the Bataan Death March, of Cabanatuan prison who really deserved the praise. They survived three years of hell on earth experiencing some of the most inhumane conditions.

I was particularly touched by the spirit and compassion of the Filipinos. They had as much and maybe even more to lose by giving the American army aide but they trod on dangerous grounds without looking back.

It reads like a compelling novel with stories that are so incredible it seems impossible that they could be true. The soldiers experienced intense hunger, fear, torture, and diseases in their most extreme forms. They suffered cruel prison guards but occasionally had the privilege of meeting some equally honourable and kind guards. Hampton Sides composed such a definite and realistic narration that it felt like I was standing in the middle of history itself. Sides made it impossible to forget these heroes this time around.

Ghost Soldiers: The Forgotten Epic Story of World War II's Most Dramatic Mission by Hampton Sides
342 pages
Historical nonfiction

The Hell Screen: A Mystery of Ancient Japan

2005-08-16T19:57:00.000-07:00

Though it was what first drew me in, it soon became clear to me that the title wasn't very appropriate. I say this because it drew too much attention to an object that had little to actually do with the story but at the same time had everything to do with the story. I was not impressed with the mystery aspect of the writing. To begin with, the title ruined the suspense. And it was not drawn out well enough- the 'whodunit' was entirely obvious the moment you meet the character and it was frustrating when the main character was so dense that he didn't see it right away as well.

The story, including the mysteries, had appeal. Only the mysteries lacked depth. The conclusions reached were so far fetched and asinine that it really was unbelievable that the mystery wasn't solved by chapter two. I can't even summarize the story because any one word can spoil the entire plot and the plot itself had no organization. Basically the main character is asked to inquire into a murder that turns into a long string of murders that may or may not have anything to do with the first murder. It is the details of the murders themselves which was an intriguing lot- but to explain them would, as I said, spoil the conclusion.

The author took more care to sketch a simple but effective background of ancient Japan and the people who lived then. The stories seemed less about the mystery and more about the people; the rituals of every day life and death, their place in society, family. It was more about the changing lives of Akitada and his family. The Hell Screen wasn't deeply philosophical, or exuberantly bright- it didn't jump out at you with knives, screaming the ideals of Japan's society. But it didn't make any apologies either. Parker created imperfect, unimportant but interesting characters who lived out their roles in society. For once it wasn't a story about a girl who defied hundreds of years of law to join the army, nor was it about a hero who tired of being pushed around by a tyrannical emperor and decided it was time to take a stand. Japan had a way of life and there were no excuses, no 21st century liberal thinking, it just was- and I was still able to enjoy reading it.

Parker could use a few pointers in how to write a mystery, but there were many facets to the novel that still made it an interesting read.

The Hell Screen: A Mystery of Ancient Japan by I. J. Parker
358 pages
Historical fiction/ mystery

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

2005-07-19T19:07:00.000-07:00

J.K. Rowling definitely did not disappoint this time around. I say this only because her last book was a little less than enjoyable. She has infused fun back into her story. For a while it was lighter, more jovial than her last addition. And gone, mostly, was Harry's bad attitude. Which is not to suggest that the movie wasn't dark in its own right. The last few chapters were some of the hardest pages I've ever had to read.

There were also some surprises in the story that I was shocked over but deep down I knew it would come to this. And there were other moments that had me exclaiming, 'I knew it!' I'm more relieved to find the bad attitudes replaced by humour again however I dearly missed the Weasley twins. They made an appearance once every so often but it wasn't enough. Also, for once I wish the book was a little longer. Running just under 800 pages, The Order of the Phoenix was just too long for my tastes- it was probably the subject matters. But Half-Blood Prince, less in length than its predecessor, deserved more pages devoted to its great story.

I can't say I'm thrilled with every decision Rowling's made in the story; particularly the last few chapters. But we still have one book to go so I shouldn't judge just yet. Rowling may yet have some spectacular tricks up her sleeve.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J. K. Rowling
652 pages
Fantasy fiction series

Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception

2005-07-11T20:54:00.000-07:00

I seem to be reading a lot of Eoin Colfer lately and each time has been a disappointment. I was happy to return to Artemis Fowl since it seemed to be his only work I liked. The Opal Deception is the fourth installment in the Artemis Fowl series. This episode follows Artemis as his assistance is called on once again to save the highly technological People (consisting of Elves, pixies and dwarves) who live deep underground. The last book left child-prodigy and criminal-mastermind Artemis and his loyal bodyguard, Butler, with a memory wipe. They no longer had any memory of the People and they, as well as many readers I imagine, were sure that was the last they would see of the People. But surprise!

Like much of Colfer's latest work, this wasn't his best. But it wasn't his worst either. It was still missing the humour that was so rampant in the first book. And one of the faults of Colfer in this series is that he makes the characters too smart. They always seem to know the next move of the opposition. There's very little mystery to the challenges they face.

I suppose I can now except a fifth book but I think it's time for Colfer to put aside writing for a while. I wouldn't be against another book but I'd rather he take his time and put some extra effort in writing it than quickly etching out a few books in several months. The quality does suffer!

Artemis Fowl: The Opal Deception by Eoin Colfer
342 pages
Fantasy fiction

This Book Is Not a Toy

2005-07-06T20:35:00.000-07:00

“I do not know a single person who has ever read the acknowledgment section of a book. Certainly I have not, and it’s likely that after I finish writing this one, I won’t bother to read it again myself, even to check the spelling and grammar. So if you see some errors, please understand why.”

The irony in this humour is that I was reeled into his wry narratives while reading the acknowledgments. If anyone would take the time to make the acknowledgments just as worthy of attention as any other section of the book, surely their words were worth reading. Goldstone’s essays (derived from personal experience or personal observances) on the perils of living set out to prove that life is short- there is no reason to make it shorter. Covering a variety of topics, anything from bungee jumping, to the handling of wildlife and owning pets to owning and assembling grills and chainsaws. And while doing so he never allowed the censorship of political corrected ness in order to confirm what we all know deep down- that humanity is pretty stupid.

“I am beginning to believe that we, as bipedal linguistically advanced mammals, may still not have evolved sufficiently to be entrusted with our own safety. In the case of, say, the chain saw, there is convincing evidence to suggest that some of us need a bold faced, fiery, crimson-printed warning on the box to remind us that we are buying- and forgive me for being redundant- a chain saw, and that such an uncontrollably rowdy piece of machinery, with its history of unsolicited carnage, is not for everyone. Maybe text translated into multiple languages ought to begin by saying, “…if you cannot assemble this chain saw on your own, it is really not in your best interest to use it.”

“Remember, the instructions were translated into English at the same offshore factory that fabricated the many metal parts, a place where English may not be widespread, so, sentence structure and syntax will differ from conventional English markedly and you will struggle to decipher the writer’s intention. Verbs will appear in unusual parts of the sentence, and some phrases will not be understood with out numerous readings, for instance, “placing the lid knob on to, make twist.” You will find words badly misspelled; others such as “ape wrench,” “screwing drive,” “washee,” and “gas relugator” will be understood only in context; you will find some words that do not appear to be English at all - “fligrin,” “charanrd,” “bip”; and there will be term you will not figure out no matter how you try, such as “flexible meat part.”

Goldstone made his cynical views on the ridiculous facts of human nature clear, and his tone was reminiscent of a more cheerful Lemony Snicket book. But though Snicket stretched into the realm of the fantastical, Goldstone’s stories identify with thousands of others who are frustrated by the sheer foolishness we find ourselves surrounded by.

This Book Is Not a Toy: Friendly Advice on How to Avoid Death and Other Inconveniences by Chuck Goldstone
Non-fiction, humour
256 pages

The Supernaturalist

2005-04-16T13:18:00.000-07:00

Once again, not Colfer’s best work. I have not read anything from him that showed such imagination as his Artemis Fowl series. None of his latest novels have lived up to the popularity of its predecessor. It would seem that Colfer has never lacked for imagination, but I suppose it is difficult to create something so large and then try to match it every time you create again. The Supernaturalist is about a boy, an orphan, who escapes from the orphanage- or the Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys as it’s called- to be taken in by a group of young people who call themselves Supernaturalists. It takes place in a future that is everything short of bright. Where invisible ‘parasites’ appear to drain the life force of hurt or injured individuals. Only a few people can see these ‘parasites’, the Supernaturalists being such people. This group is made up of a colourful band of personalities, from the moody 18 year old Russian leader, to the 28 year old science experiment that left him with many mutated special abilities but the body of a 9 year old, to a young Latino girl fresh off the streets with a specialty in hot engines. As these youths work together to fight the supernaturals that threaten their humanity they are quickly thrust into a mission that ultimately leads to several revelations about members of their group and about their duties altogether.

While Artemis Fowl was enjoyable for all ages, at best this book was intelligent for the younger generation. I still found enjoyment in it but I didn’t feel like my brain was being stretched and invigorated with the scientific possibilities. The subject matter wasn’t always interesting and the writing at times was silly- just more evidence that children might glean more from this than I did. It did lead me on to believe that there might be a sequel, or even a few sequels, and because it wasn’t a horrible book to read I just may pick up the second addition should it ever be published.

The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer
347 pages
Young adult science-fiction

Star Wars: Labyrinth of Evil

2005-04-12T19:12:00.000-07:00

As far as Star Wars novels go, this one did not leave much of an impression on me. While ‘The Unifying Force’ was alright, as a Star Wars author James Luceno seems to be the weaker of the bunch. His dialogue is trite and silly at times, almost to the point where you don’t feel he knows that character at all. I felt embarrassed a few times for these characters because what they said was so ‘out of character’. Other times he’s so blatantly obvious with his intentions. Things he says, words the characters say, or things they feel all lead up to the pivotal moment of Anakin becoming Vader but Luceno tossed all subtlety out the window and went for garishly obvious. It’s difficult to take under your wing a prequel to a prequel to a trilogy when everyone has expectations and we’re all eagerly awaiting to see how the story unfolds. I’ll give him that- he undertook a very difficult job. So I can forgive him a lot.

Another thing I did not appreciate was his mixing real-time modern day politics with Star Wars. From many of the statements attributed to Bail Organa I could suggest his political leaning but that wouldn’t be fair because I don’t know him. The point isn’t what his political leaning is. I don’t care. But the fact that he had to turn the Star Wars universe into some sort of political-war morality issue, meshing current events with that of a Galaxy far, far away. To me it’s bad taste. I escape to these books about distant, imaginative worlds that exist mostly in our imaginations. Leave our current politics out of it! If I wanted to read about what some guy thinks of the current political situation in America I’d read a newspaper. And again, if he felt that he had to allow the current politics to influence his writing he should have approached it with far more subtlety than he did. I wonder if this guy walks around town in purple tights and an orange shirt. He seems the type.

I don’t want to completely tear this book down just because it doesn’t live up to every standard of what I expect to find in a Star Wars novel. It did have it’s fine points. I noticed the many references to Clone War battles that occurred during the cartoon shorts. I think it’s fantastic that we can actually look at a cartoon as being Star Wars cannon. Twenty years ago it was rare that three separate mediums (animated television, novels, and the films) would connect in their events. So I was pleased to read about these particular battles. And despite much of the ‘silly’ dialogue I was able to enjoy a few moments where I was literally laughing out loud. The chapter where Anakin and Obi-wan landed on Naos III was hilarious. It never occurred to me until I read this book that drunk Jedi could be a lot of fun. While drunk (or half drunk as they claimed) Anakin and Obi-wan shared some really nice moments. These nice moments though were also hard to take. One thing that Luceno was successful at was setting the mood of the story. Even though I feel that this close to Anakin’s demise we should have seen more of the darkness in him and less of the light heartedness- it was hard to watch him playfully sparing with his friend/master because we know what is to come for Anakin. And it’s to come very shortly. There were a few times when I settled into this mild depression because here I’m laughing at something funny he said or did and in a month’s time it’s going to all be undone. There won’t be anything funny about it then. So in doing this I believe we see more and more how tragic the whole thing is.

“Go ahead,” Anakin said. “If you don’t say it, I will.”
“If you insist.” Obi-Wan snorted dust from his nose. “Almost makes me nostalgic for Naos Three."
“Once more, with feeling.”

The other character Luceno appeared intent on focusing on was Senator Palpatine. For the characters he did a sincere enough job maintaining the relationship on both sides of the playing field. This time I felt that Luceno was trying to set the grounds for Palpatine’s treachery without alerting the reader. You almost get the feeling that he has no idea WE know who Palpatine really is. Or that he’s trying to trick the reader into believing that he is indeed just a glorified Senator, craving a bit of veneration but yet still having the people’s interest at heart. One thing is for certain, the more I read about Palpatine the more I dislike him. He had everyone fooled though everyone should have seen it coming. He had something of a Saruman-complex.

I did have a few other complaints- tedious story telling, non-existing character flaws (Padme acted far too helpless), and a few other minor irritations but it really is covered in some way or another above. It all boils down to the writer because eventually it’s no longer the writer but the Star Wars franchise we’re touching on. Any further and we’d be delving into the musings of Star Wars philosophy.

I happen to absolutely love this new enemy in General Grievous. He’s by far one of the most interesting characters that’s been created for the Star Wars galaxy in some time. But for me to make such statements isn’t entirely a result of the author. He can only use the character so much before it becomes a reflection on Lucas and his decisions for these characters. But with that said, I was very happy with the way Luceno had written him. What ever information was revealed about him was interesting and it was a nice informal re-introduction of him before we see him in his malevolent glory in Revenge of the Sith.

One last note: The artwork for the cover jacket is brilliantly displayed by Steven Anderson.

Star Wars: Labyrinth of Evil by James Luceno
339 pages
Science fiction series

Street Soldier

2005-04-06T10:42:00.000-07:00

The autobiographical story of a man born and raised from the streets and then grew up to run those very streets. Eddie Mackenzie Jr. does not hold back when gives his honest tale of street gang authority and later mob occupation. He was born from parents who could not and typically would not raise he and his brothers properly. After being shoved over to foster home after foster home and experiencing the ultimate violations and betrayals as a child he eventually finds himself on the street and living as only he sees fit. His dealings as a street thug and a South Boston menace drew the attentions of Whitey Bulger, one of the central mob bosses of Irish Boston. For more than a decade he lived the life of crime until his criminal record finally caught up with him and ended his career with Whitey.

As I mentioned, Mackenzie does not hold back. He narrates his story with all of the honesty and conviction of a man who at one time was proud of his accomplishments but now looks back with abhorrence at some of what he does. The telling was crude and vulgar. The language every bit as harsh as the violence he spoke of. Certainly a tough thing to swallow. But I do respect his course treatment of his actions. He never backs down from telling how bad he really was. Even more, though he has every intention of living out the rest of his life following the straight and narrow and raising his daughters whom he absolutely loves he does state that had it not been for the fact he was caught then he would most likely still be working the streets: selling drugs, brawling, and doing odd-job favours for Whitey. He looks back on his life with remorse but he didn't get out of crime because of the remorse, he got out of it because he was caught. He shared a brutal honesty that I can appreciate.

The book itself reads like a gangster movie. So incredible that it can't possibly be true- but it is.

Street Soldier: My Life as an Enforcer for Whitey Bulger and the Boston Irish Mob by Edward J. Mackenzie Jr. and Phyllis Karas
241 pages
Non-fiction/Autobiography

The Princes of Ireland: The Dublin Saga

2005-03-30T19:36:00.000-08:00

Rutherfurd is a master at creating rich and elaborate stories. His characters don’t lack for imagination either. The Princes of Ireland tells the history of Ireland through the fictional lives of dozens of Irish and English generations that experienced a consistently changing Ireland. From the time of the tribal chiefs to the English occupancy of King Henry VIII. It begins with the Ui Fergusa clan and through time lives are interwoven into each tale.

I was captivated immediately by the imaginative characters and though the 700+ page book was well worth the time to read I felt that the author and I often disagreed on what should be more focused on. The stories span over 500 years and in turning point of Irish history we follow the lives of its people but where some people are more interesting than others it was always the least interesting people the author chose to delve more into concerning their own personal history. For pages upon pages we’d be stuck reading about a particular person and then suddenly we’d be uprooted 20 years and we’ve have to become acquainted with them all over again. I felt like the most interesting years were always skipped. Most of the characters also, while interesting, had no moral standing. Meaning they were always doing something for themselves and in doing so made stupid decisions that resulted in awful consequences for many people. Some were understandable- many more were tiresome. The characters with the redeeming moral standing were of course looked over. They couldn’t possible add anything to history.

The stories were sometimes confusing as well. There were too many names, too many family names to remember. And as family loyalties go, those were changing almost as much as the names were so it was hard to keep up with that too. I could never remember which family favoured the Irish freedom or were happy to be ruled by England.

But for what I believe these to be errors in judgement the book was amazing to read. I certainly learned quite a bit of history, even without the inundation of facts and dates. And of course because the history of Ireland doesn’t just stop with Henry VIII I am looking forward to part two in the Dublin Saga.

The Princes of Ireland: The Dublin Saga by Edward Rutherfurd
776 pages
Historical fiction

Death Day

2005-03-10T21:45:00.000-08:00

This book did not live up to my expectations. I didn't see any of the aspects that made me take notice of the author's handiwork in the Halo novelizations. Death Day was such a struggle to get through. First of all it was hailed as being a science fiction novel in the footprints of War of the Worlds and various other similar stories. It in fact had little to do with science fiction except in that aliens invaded Earth and enslaved its species. Rather, the prevalent theme was that of racism. I felt like the author had something to say, that he was trying to make a point, but he wasn't conveying it well. It was as though even he didn't know what he was trying to say. Death Day was a thinly veiled morality play with the alien take-over being a mere prop.

Normally I would take to story with substance, a book that can both educate and entertain. But when I'm looking for a sci-fi book I expect a sci-fi book. I could forgive this issue but the problems don't end there. The characters are far worse than the badly disguised racism theme. The characters were not all 'regular joes'. Most were larger than life people with duller than rock personalities! For example, the character roster included such people as ex-rangers, a head security officer to an U.N. top political figure, a president and his wife, a surgeon, a racist convict, a group of skinheads, and a renown professor. Very rarely were we introduced to normal, every day people. And when they did manage to make an appearance in this drab novel they were shortly killed off. It wasn't even that the characters were not given the opportunity to rise above their mediocre status and become some sort of hero for their species, it was mostly that these characters with God-given skills and statuses were enormously boring. Nothing about the characters made me want to read about them. They had no redeeming qualities. And it wasn't until the book got closer and closer to the end when I could even tolerate the security officer. In the end he was the only one worth a second of attention. I was ever so relieved when I finished the last page. The book is book one of a series- how long the series is I do not know, but I do not intend on reading book two.

The author was at least able to capture a little of how human nature would exist as an enslaved species:

"People went to work, strove to cope with whatever task they'd been given, found the means to slack off, schemed to improve their circumstances, engineered better ways to get things done, sabotaged their work, competed with each other, gained power, lost it, were both cruel and kind, fell in love, pursued feuds, wondered why and didn't give a shit. All depending on who and what they were."

Death Day by William C. Dietz
355 pages
Science-Fiction

Tristan and Iseult

2005-02-23T20:42:00.000-08:00

Sutcliff pulls off another well told legend. This time she devoted one entire novel to the tragic story of a knight and the forbidden love he shared with his Lord's wife. She again writes with sense of classic-ness or ancientness. She also chose to write the story abstaining from the 'magical' circumstances that forced Fate's hand and gave cause for the decisions that were made. Sutcliff made the decisions each the characters own. Their futures held for them consequences, good or bad, based the choices they made in their past and present. I appreciate that. Often times humanity is lost in the interference of supernatural forces.

One element Sutcliff failed to delve into however, was the relationship of Tristan to King Arthur. How had he become known to Arthur and his court? When was he a knight? Was he a knight under King Arthur? Those are some aspects of the legends of Arthur that I would have liked to know.

Tristan and Iseult by Rosemary Sutcliff
150 pages
Fiction

The Dragon's Son

2005-02-21T18:57:00.000-08:00

I am still working on my stack of Arthurian novels. I find that the more I read about the ancient sagas, the more I really enjoy them. The Dragon's Son takes a different approach to the story of King Arthur. The book is linked into four parts, each part about a particular and often un-observed character of Arthur's realm. Thomson breathed a soul into these characters and gave a hint at how their choices shaped their destinies to create one of the world's largest legends. Nimue, also called The Lady of the Lake, must come to terms with the costs of loving Merlin. Morgan has lived her life being scorned by her family, while harvesting bitterness and anger towards those that killed her Mother and Father. Early on we saw a glimpse of what Arthur saw in his half-sister but she was forever changing and becoming more at odds with the world. Luned is the handmaiden to a young girl who lived tragically her entire life. The last story is possibly the most famous (and also the longest) of the four stories. Medraud, son of Morgan and Arthur. He was raised by his mother to hate his father and though it seems that he was thicker wall to her bitterness and resentment, deep down her seeds had been sown.

It's not a large book and it's written for young adults, but it was well written none the less. Each story was interwoven together. And through the eyes of 'outside observers' we saw the birth and death of King Arthur. What set this book apart (though it's not completely original) is that the story was told from Welsh Tales. Which means not every name was entirely familiar but they were still the same characters. For instance, Merlin is Myrddin to the Welsh, as is Lancelot, Owain. With each different or various perspective on King Arthur and his golden reign, I learn a little bit more. My only wish for this book is that the stories were a little longer. While is smoothly followed the life of Arthur through background characters, we didn't always learn the fate (or in some cases we weren't reminded) of the secondary characters.

The writing was simple and yet clever. Not too many pains were taken to make the writing sound like some discovered manuscript of the time, but it wasn't modern speech either. Just enough not to be a distraction. The events weren't explicitly detailed but when tragedy struck my heart still stopped. It was not a hard thing to grow an emotional attachment to this ancient figures.

The Dragon's Son by Sarah L. Thomson
181 pages
Young Adult fiction

Not Even My Name

2005-02-18T14:57:00.000-08:00

Not Even My Name is the story of a young Greek girl who was driven from her home, along with hundreds of other Greeks, Armenians, Assyrians and various other Christians, and forced in a terrifying death march across Turkey. The Turkish government at the time had genocide in their plan.

The story of Sano Halo begins with her daughter. Her daughter Thea reminisces about her mother when she was growing up and then proceeds to tell about the trip she and her mother made back to Turkey to find her mother’s old village. The writing is quite beautiful, and though much of the content of the book is despairing and the events horrifying, Thea still writes about her mother’s experiences in the ‘Old Country’ with such reverence for simpler times. The writing often reminded me of some of Mary Stewart’s writings in the way she wrote of ancient and classic customs and livelihoods.

Interwoven between the narratives are short but detailed notes of the history and politics of Turkey and of Greece. Sano was a relation of a forgotten group of Greeks called the Pontic Greeks. Most of their story, if not all, has been erased from all history books- including America. It’s a shame that such a terrible thing happens to begin with but it’s even worse when their story is forgotten, ignored, and erased.

The story progresses as Sano loses most of her family to the death march and hunger. Then she is left with several families through the course of a few years until she is given away in marriage to a man three times her age. However old he might be though, he was a ticket to a free (but not easy) life in America.

For me, it was interesting to learn about a horror in history that I never knew, but I really admired the way Sano lived her life after all she went through. She never stopped on the side of the road and whined that she didn’t like the way her life was going. She didn’t beg for her old life, though she certainly missed it. She only continued forward and did what she could with whatever future was dealt to her. More amazing still is that her experiences never hardened her. She was never bitter, always loving and gentle. She had a great respect for the freedoms she did have. One thing that really tugged on my mind was the fact that she revered ‘voting’. In Turkey, as a woman she had no democratic rights that her father or husband or brother would have. Not to mention that as a Greek she and her family were almost always at the mercy of the Turkish government. But in America she could vote. She had a say in what went on in her surroundings and she took it seriously. She said that she voted for every election.

What I loved most about the book though was the way in which it was written. I continually felt like I was sitting there taking part in a simpler life, a life of farm work and country lands, country celebrations and friendly neighbours. I found myself missing something I never knew to begin with.

Not Even My Name: From a Death March in Turkey To a New Home in America, A Young Girl’s True Story of Genocide and Survival by Thea Halo
321 pages (with b&w photos)
Non-fiction

Son of the Mob: Hollywood Hustle

2005-02-03T21:38:00.000-08:00

Imagine being a young guy trying to live the straight life amid the Mob. The only problem is you can't seem to shake the Mob because it consists heavily of your family. Such is the story of Vince Luca's life. Hollywood Hustle is the sequel to Son of the Mob. Luca just wants to live his life Mob-free but the more he tries to get away from the family business the more life seems stacked up against him.

What I like about this book, as well as its predecessor, is the humour. It's a very wry humour but quite often do I find myself laughing out loud. That's a rare occurrence in the world of literature. Sure a passage makes me smile here or chuckle there. But there's no holding back with Korman's writing.

I won't say that it was as good as the first book and at times I was frustrated because very few things were going right for Vince. But in the end all things were good. A pretty good follow-up for certain.

Son of the Mob: Hollywood Hustle by Gordon Korman
268 pages
Young Adult fiction

Halo: The Flood

2005-01-21T19:16:00.000-08:00

One might try to say that this book is irrelevant if you have never played Halo. So why give my own review about it? Well it is a book, and I read it. And most importantly the book can hold it's own without the game. It gets moving slowly but once it picks up it's a steady space romp. Halo fans will love it because it's everything the game offers and more. Parts of the story we were not able to take part in, or watch in the game were explored in the novel. The marines are just as crazy and every bit as quippy as they are in the game.

The author knew a little something of what he was writing as well. The mind-set he gave the Master Chief mirrored the thoughts of the gamer experiencing the same obstacles. And the story was deeply enriched (well it is sci-fi so only deep as deep is allowed) by the add-on stories. The following quote signifies the understanding of the Halo gamer:

"Having broken through the perimeter of the battle, the Master Chief was able to follow the nav indicator into a second valley where he came upon a group of dead Marines, loaded up on ammo, and tried to decide whether to stay with the scatter gun or trade it in for a sniper's rifle or a rocket launcher. It would have been nice to have all three, but that many weapons would be unwieldy, not to mention damned heavy. In the end he went with the rifle and shotgun and hoped it was the right decision."

How many of us have had to deal with that issue while playing the game?I had a good laugh over it. But again, don't let the gaming franchise aspect of it scare you away from reading the book because it does hold its own on a respectable sci-fi level. It may be enjoyable on a different scale because the story is unfamiliar and full of surprises.

Halo: The Flood by William C. Dietz
341 pages
Science-fiction/ game adaptation

The Phantom of the Opera

2005-01-09T20:45:00.000-08:00

I suppose I can thank the bureaucrats in the film industry for not bringing the film version of The Phantom of the Opera to my city because I was then forced to read the book instead. To be perfectly honest, I wasn't even aware of a novel- I always assumed it was pure Broadway. So in the end something good came about from not having the opportunity to see the wonderful musical.

But this is about the book, not the movie. The book was enjoyable enough, of course it's a story that most people know well. So I feel the only thing I can really comment on is the writing itself. The passages were very hurried, written with an urgent quality to them. On many occasions I felt my heart speed up because I just didn't feel that I was breathing enough for pace of the book. That's not to say that the events moved quickly, only the way in which it was written. In fact very few things actually happened in the book but many pages were used to speak of the happenings. (Especially when the Persian was leading Raoul through the Opera. I was afraid that it'd never end.)

Along with the urgent sense in the pages was the jilting narration. The story was told through a hand full of accounts, separate accounts but in the end all intertwined within one story. I was constantly getting into the story only to be pulled from that particular narration and transported to the words of another. Then I'd have to begin all over again to immerse myself in the story when once again I was removed from it. Don't authors realize how annoying this is? Ah well. I suppose there are worse faults to be had than multiple narrations.

There was one particular passage that I took notice of:

"Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He asked only to be 'someone,' like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius or use it to play tricks with, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and, in the end he had to content himself with a cellar. Ah, yes, we must needs pity the Opera ghost."

It just completely conveys the entire foundation of the story. There had been little conflict, if even a story had Christine indeed not felt pity for the Opera ghost. It was quite clear at times that the author felt the need to show Erik as a monster but one to be pitied, not hated. I couldn't help myself from feeling a little compassion for the man.

The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
360 pages
Fiction

The Carrier

2004-12-28T20:23:00.000-08:00

It's a bad case of irony when thrillers these days are not very thrilling. The Carrier is no exception to this trend. The story is of a genius Harvard student-turned amateur biologist who's miracle cure for cancer is stolen and his life nearly destroyed by a close mentor. The student's main mission in life was to cure his girlfriend of cancer so he does the only thing that occurs to his genius mind and that's to steal back his cure and run with it. Only he doesn't realize that his 'cure' has mutated into a deadly bacteria that spreads via human touch. Unbeknownst to him he leaves behind corpses-ten in fact- as he searches for his girlfriend around the country while carrying the biological weapon.

The story is packed with annoying characters, predictable story lines, convenient solutions and quite frankly the story isn't even that interesting. It initially intrigued me with it's lure of an innocent cure for cancer unintentionally breeding a bio weapon but the unlikelihood of the plot was too large for the author to handle I'm guessing. I didn't feel that what I was reading, however improbable, could actually happen.

In conclusion, I'm just very grateful that the book was as short as it was.

The Carrier by Holden Scott
275 pages
Medical mystery/thriller

The Rum Diary: The Long Lost Novel

2004-12-21T19:16:00.000-08:00

When I first began reading 'The Rum Diary' I wasn't quite sure what I was reading about. There seemed to be no direction for the story, no plot. After awhile I took it as some memoir, or the events of a man's short stay in Puerto Rico.

The tone of the writing came across as very pessimistic and early on I could tell there would be no happy or satisfying endings. It very much reminded me of Capote's Breakfast At Tiffany's. I saw similarities all around. The bleak, hopeless atmosphere; the quirky and often times abominable characters, the overuse of the word 'phony'. Take the following passage about a semi- important character from the novel:

"He was lying, of course. For all his Caribbean clothes and his Madison Avenue manners, even with his surfside apartment and his Alfa Romeo roadster, there was so much Kansas in Sanderson that it was embarrassing to see him deny it. And Kansas was not all that was in him. There was a lot of New York, a little of Europe, and something else that has no country at all and was probably the largest single fact of his life. When he first told that he owed twenty-five hundred dollars to a psychiatrist in New York and was spending fifty dollars a week on one in San Juan, I was dumbfounded. From that day on I saw him in a very different light.
"Not that I thought he was crazy. He was a phony, of course, but for a long time I thought he was one of those phonies who can snap it on and off at will. He seemed honest enough with me, and in those rare moments when he relaxed I enjoyed him immensely. But it was not often that he dropped his guard, and usually it was rum that made him do it. He relaxed so seldom that his natural moments had an awkward, childish quality that was almost pathetic. He had come so far from himself that I don't think he knew who he was anymore."

I sometimes thought of Holly Golightly in this description. The protagonist himself, while far more cynical than that of Paul Varkak did remind me of him still. Like a man standing in the background as all these incredible, rash and odd people danced by and caused chaos in the lives around them. It's also interesting to me that both men share the name Paul.

The setting itself reminded me of 'Casablanca' and indeed the Paul Kempt agreed with me as it was mentioned sometime after the thought crossed my own mind. But I wouldn't say that Puerto Rico was made out to be an ideal place for a vacation. Far from it. I know that time setting was the 50's (as it was also written in the 50's) and much could have changed from then but I no longer have a desire to check it out for myself. It seemed dirty and rotten, some place that everyone should be running from, not to. The lifestyle that Paul Kempt led, as did many of his friends, was no better off than the island itself. They were little but drunks, but they never shirked from admitting it. In fact they sounded rather proud to admit it. The title of the book says it all really, but the idea of pouring a glass of rum (or two, or three, or ten...) grew stale, cliched even.

And though I could not fully appreciate the dirty, drunk and pessimistic view of life the characters led there were times when I a passage held my attention.

"He had said the same thing before and I think he believed it. He was forever talking about luck, but what he really meant was a very ordered kind of fate. He had a stronger sense of it- a belief that large and uncontrollable things were working both for and against him, things that were moving and happening every minute all over the world. The rise of communism worried him because it meant that people were going blind to his sensitivity as a human being. The troubles of the Jews depressed him because it meant that people needed scapegoats and sooner or later he would be one of them. Other things bothered him constantly: the brutality of capitalism because his talents were being exploited, the moronic vulgarity of American tourists because it gave him a bad reputation, the careless stupidity of Puerto Ricans because they were forever making his life dangerous and difficult, and even, for some reason I never understood, the hundreds of stray dogs that he saw in San Juan."

"When we got back to the office I thought about what he'd said, and I began to think that Sala might be right. He talked about luck and fate and numbers coming up, yet he never ventured a nickel at the casinos because he knew the house had all the percentages. And beneath his pessimism, his bleak conviction that all the
machinery was rigged against him, at the bottom of his soul was a faith that he was going to outwit it, and that by carefully watching the signs he was going to know when to dodge and be spared. It was fatalism with a loophole, and all you had to do to make it work was never miss a sign. Survival by coordination, as it were. The race is not to the swift, nor the the battle to the strong, but to those who can see it coming and jump aside."

This last quote is what I was really expecting from the Caribbean, but it's strange that it comes as the last passage in the book when the rest of the novel itself does a good job of crushing the Caribbean ideal.

"Sala called for more drink and Sweep brought four rums, saying they were on the house. We thanked him and sat for another half hour, saying nothing. Down on the waterfront I could hear the slow clang of a ship's bell as it eased against the pier, and somewhere in the city a motorcycle roared through the narrow streets, sending its echo up the hill to Calle O'Leary. Voices rose and fell in the house next door and the raucous sound of a jukebox came from a bar down the street. Sounds of a San Juan night, drifting across the city through layers of humid air; sounds of life and movement, people getting ready and people giving up, the sound of hope and the sound of hanging on, and behind them all, the quiet, deadly ticking of a thousand hungry clocks, the lonely sound of time passing in the long Caribbean night."

My final thought is on the pending film adaptation of The Rum Diary staring Johnny Depp and Benicio Del Toro. I had a difficult time trying to see what was film worthy- what about the novel would make a good film and I came up short. However, I'm not a film maker with the proper tricks and tools to take on the task of adapting a book to the big screen. And as I have recently been reading 'Depp can save anything.'

The Rum Diary: The Long Lost Novel by Hunter S. Thompson
204 pages
Fiction

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

2004-12-18T18:00:00.000-08:00

I have finally found the time to write my thoughts concerning Rowling's 5th installment in her Harry Potter series. (Alright so I had the time and I was procrastinating.) I want to state right off that I'm not OVERLY fond of this book. I don't hate it per se, or even dislike it, but it's very moody. And the prevalent mood is that of melancholy or anger. With good reason Harry is angry. I would be too under the circumstances. But when Harry was younger he tended to allow the circumstances to bounce off of him. He went with the flow. Now he's getting older and the circumstances that guard his life are getting more difficult to deal with. I can understand that. But I do miss the almost care-free attitude he had in the previous books. I just want him to be happy again.

I don't care for his 'poor-me' attitude. What he's gone through, he's bound to have it sometime. I just hope that it doesn't linger in the future novels. For one thing he needs to be reminded that while what has happened to him and his family and what still happens IS extraordinary, he's not the only kid or family to have suffered at the hands of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. I believe Rowling attempted to show this to Harry but it went in one ear, out the other. Like when Mad- Eye Moody showed Harry a picture of the original members of the 'Order of the Phoenix'. Harry saw his parents and their friends and other various order members who had been killed or tortured. He was angry at Moody for showing him something that was 'supposed to make him happy' but I believe it was his intent to show just how much Harry isn't alone in his pain. Only recently did he learn the fate of Neville Longbottom's parents who had been tortured into insanity. Many other kids who attend school with Harry have lost family and friends. And Mrs. Weasley has a nightmarish fear of losing her husband and her sons. My point is that after Harry goes through his angry stage he needs to look around and see that he's not the only one to have lost.

I did hate that Harry had to go an entire book without Quidditch. It was bad enough that book four saw the disappearance of Quidditch as well, but that was for a good reason. Even more I hated Prof. Umbridge. Rowling did her grandest to make her a hateful woman. Was she retching when she wrote the character, I wonder?

On a happier note, book five was the Weasley twins shining moment. They were most certainly at their finest and most glorious. Even they were able to push through all the doom and gloom and make a sad reader laugh. I'm quite fond of those twins and I'm pleased with their part in the whole scheme of things. Only they could literally go out with a bang. Also I loved the change in Ginny Weasley. She's a female version of her brothers and I love that.

Was not entirely thrilled about Sirius Black's death (although when I first read it I was relieved that it was no one I absolutely loved- now that he's one I absolutely love it's hard to read) but I can understand Rowling's decision for it. In life's great battles there are always sacrifices and it's the big ones that really speak.

I had plot theories but I'm afraid I've waited too long to really remember them so I'll have to add them at a later date. Some of my theories have been disproved and others have led to more theories. On the subject of the prophecy which concerns both Harry and Neville, it was suggested that Neville could have been the one prophesized as the only defense against Voldemort. But because Voldemort didn't know which baby he had to worry about in the future he ultimately chose which further suggests the possibility of him having chose wrong. It's my believe that while there was a prophecy, that prophecy came true and the right boy was chosen because though our future may be written, so also do we write our own future. If Voldemort had chosen to kill Neville I believe that Neville would have been the boy who lived.

And now I'll just end with some quotes that I completely appreciated amidst all the despair and suffering that is Harry Potter.

"Well, we were always going to fail that one," said Ron gloomily as they ascended the marble staircase. He had just made Harry feel rather better by telling him how he told the examiner in detail about the ugly man with a wart on his nose in the crystal ball, only to look up an realize he had been describing the examiner's reflection."

"Well, I had one that I was playing Quidditch the other night," said Ron, screwing up his face in an effort to remember. "What do you think that means?""Probably that you're going to be eaten by a giant marshmallow or something," said Harry, turning the pages of The Dream Oracle without interest."

"but you get these massive pus-filled boils too," said George, "and we haven't worked out how to get rid of them yet.""I can't see any boils," said Ron, staring at the twins."No, well, you wouldn't," said Fred, "they're not in a place we generally display to the public""but they make sitting on a broom a right pain in the-"

Fred and George were looking particularly annoyed; both were bandy-legged and winced with every movement."I think a few of mine have ruptured," said Fred in a hollow voice."Mine haven't," said George, through clenched teeth. "They're throbbing like mad...feel bigger if anything..."

"Well?" said Ron finally, looking up at Harry. "How was it?" Harry considered for a moment."Wet," he said truthfully.Ron made a noise that might have indicated jubilation or disgust, it was hard to tell."Because she was crying," Harry continued heavily."Oh," said Ron, his smile fading slightly. "Are you that bad at kissing?""Dunno," said Harry, who hadn't considered this, and immediately felt rather worried. "Maybe I am."

"I'll look for him later, I expect I'll find him upstairs crying his eyes out over my mother's old bloomers or something...Of course, he might have crawled up into the airing cupboard and died...But I mustn't get my hopes up..."-Sirius

"Yeah, Montague tried to do us during break," said George."What do you mean, 'tried'?" said Ron quickly."He never managed to get all the words out," said Fred,"due to the fact that we forced him headfirst into that Vanishing Cabinet on the first floor."Hermione looked very shocked. "But you'll get into terrible trouble!" "Not until Montague reappears, and that could take weeks, I dunno where we sent him," said Fred coolly. "Anyway, we've decided that we don't care about getting into trouble anymore.""Have you ever?" asked Hermione."'Course we have," said George. "Never been expelled, have we?""We might have put a toe across occasionally," said George."But we've always stopped short of causing real mayhem," said Fred."But now?" said Ron tentatively."-what with Dumbledore gone" said Fred."-we reckon a bit of mayhem-" said George."-is exactly what our dear new Head deserves," said Fred. "

"Cheers," whispered George, wiping tears of laughter from his face. "Oh, I hope she tries Vanishing them next...they multiply by ten every time you try..."The fireworks continued to burn and spread all over the school that afternoon. Though they caused plenty of disruption, the other teachers did not seem to mind them very much."Dear, dear," said Professor McGonagall sardonically, as one of the dragons soared around her classroom, emitting loud bangs and exhalting flame. "Miss Brown, would you mind running along to the headmistress and informing her that we have an escaped firework in our classroom?""Thank you so much, Professor!" said Professor Flitwick in his squeaky little voice. "I could have got rid of the sparklers myself, of course, but I wasn't sure whether I had the authority..."Beaming, he closed the classroom door in Umbridge's snarling face."

"You two," she went on, gazing down at Fred and George, "are about to learn what happens to wrongdoers in my school.""You know what?" said Fred. "I don't think we are."He turned to his twin."George," said Fred, "I think we've outgrown a full-time education.""Yeah, I've been feeling that way myself," said George lightly."Time to test our talents in the real world, d'you reckon?" asked Fred."Definitely," said George.And before Umbridge could say a word, they raised their wants and said together, "Accio Brooms!"Harry heard a loud crash somewhere in the distance. Looking to his left he ducked just in time -- Fred and George's broomsticks, one still trailing the heavy chain and iron peg with which Umbridge had fastened them to the wall, were hurtling along the corridor toward their owners. They turned left, streaked down the stairs, and stopped sharply in front of the twins, the chain clattering loudly on the flagged stone floor."We won't be seeing you," Fred told Professor Umbridge, swinging his leg over his broomstick."Yeah, don't bother to keep in touch," said George, mounting his own.Fred looked around at the assembled students, and at the silent, watchful crowd."If anybody fancies buying a Portable Swamp, as demonstrated upstairs, come to number ninety-three Diagon Alley - Weasley's Wizard Wheezes," he said in a loud voice. "Our new premises!" "Special discounts to Hogwarts students who swear they're going to use our products to get rid of this old bat," said George, pointing at Professor Umbridge."STOP THEM!" shrieked Umbridge, but it was too late. As the Inquisitorial Squad closed in, Fred and George kicked off from the floor, shooting fifteen feet into the air, the iron peg swinging dangerously below. Fred looked across the hall at the poltergeist bobbing on his level above the crowd."Give her hell from us, Peeves.""And Peeves, whom Harry had never seen take an order from a student before, swept his belled hat from his head and sprang to a salute as Fred and George wheeled about to tumultuous applause from the students below and sped out of the open front doors into the glorious sunset."

By the time Ernie MacMillan, Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Anthony Goldstein, and Terry Boot had finished using a wide variety of the hexes and jinxes Harry had taught them, Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle resembled nothing so much as three gigantic slugs squeezed into Hogwarts uniforms as Harry, Ernie and Justin hoisted them into the luggage rack and left them there to ooze."I must say, I'm looking forward to seeing Malfoy's mother's face when he gets off the train," said Ernie with satisfaction."Goyle's mum'll be really pleased, though," said Ron. "He's loads better looking now."

My compliments and thanks to Mugglenet.com for providing some of the quotes I love because it would have been a pain to type all them out.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling
870 pages
Fantasy fiction series

How to Rule the World

2004-11-30T23:05:00.000-08:00

It would seem this book was made for me. Classified as humour, it's a comedic approach on the 'how-to' of becoming a world leader or dictator. A handbook of strategy. But although much of the content is funny, it's also underlined with some historical facts of leaders through the ages and what can be learned from them and applied to modern day situations. So not only was I entertained but I was also being educated.

Some of the chapter titles and subsection headings include:

How to Run a Country
~ Dress Like a Leader

Career Paths to the Top
~ Ten Jobs Likely to Lead to World Domination (includes Chef, Parking inspector and Interior Decorator)
~ How to Get Promoted

How to Rule the World: A Handbook for the Aspiring Dictator by Andre De Guillaume
140 pgs
Humour/non-fiction

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

2004-11-17T19:18:00.000-08:00

Out of all the books in the series so far, this one is my favourite. There is so much going on, so much information to absorb, so much emotion and intensity. In fact it's so intense that when I first read it I was terribly crabby and stressed out until Harry finished his first task in the Triwizard Tournament. I barked at little kids for the smallest infractions, including bumping into me when the story was at it's thickest. I was finally able to calm down with relief when Harry and Ron were friends again. And everytime I read it I love it all the more. By the time I finish the tome I always sink into this strange reflection. I think about what I read for hours or days. I always feel like I've just witnessed something so sad and incredible that no one else has seen or would ever understand. Somewhat how Harry feels after he faces Voldemort in his return. He doesn't want to talk about it with his friends because in part they weren't there. And how do you make someone understand what it was like to be there?

One thing that did change in my reading this book for my third time was that as the chapters drew nearer and nearer to the end I completely dreaded the death of Cedric Diggory. The first time I read it I cried. The second time I really didn't care. But by my third reading I cared more than the first two put together! It was so hard for me to read the final chapters. They were the most emotional chapters Rowling has written so far, in my humble opinion. Everything made me cry, every line spoken by Dumbledore, every thought of Harry's, every sad look he received.

So now I'll just share some of my favourite quotes and some passages that really made me wonder.

For one thing it just kills me everytime Harry and Ron get together for Divination class. They have the most fun with it at the teacher's expense.

'"Aaaaah," said Ron, imitating Professor Trelawney's mystical whisper, "when two
Neptunes appear in the sky, it is a sure sign that a midget in glasses is being born, Harry..."'

'"Next Monday," he said as he scibbled, "I am likely to develop a cough, owing to the unlucky conjunction of Mars and Jupiter." He looked up at Harry. "You know her-- just put in loads of misery, she'll lap it up."
"Right," said Harry, crumpling up his first attempt and lobbing it over the heads of a group of chattering first years into the fire. "Ok... on Monday I will be in danger of-- er-- burns."
" Yeah, you will be," said Ron darkly, "we're seeing the skrewts again on Monday. Okay, Tuesday I'll... erm..."
"Lose a treasured possession," said Harry, who was flicking through Unfogging the Future for ideas.
"Good one," said Ron, copying it down. "Because of...erm... Mercury. Why don't you get stabbed in the back by someone you thought was a friend?"
"Yeah... cool..." said Harry, scribbling it down, "because... Venus is in the twelth house."
"And on Wednesday, I think I'll come off worst in a fight."
"Aaah, I was going to have a fight. Okay, I'll lose a bet."
"Yeah, you'll be betting I'll win my fight..."
..........

Hermione sat down, laid the things she was carrying in an empty armchair, and pulled Ron's predictions toward her. "Not going to have a very good month, are you?" she said sardonically as Crookshanks curled up in her lap.
"Ah well, at least I'm forewarned," Ron yawned.
"You seem to be drowning twice," said Hermione.
"Oh am I?" said Ron, peering down at his predictions. "I'd better change one of them to getting trampled by a rampaging hippogriff."'

Just a little taste of the hilarity presented.

And as for some the the passages that raised some question in me~

Mad-Eye Moody said about Dumbledore, "They want to win. They want to beat Dumbledore. They'd like to prove he's only human." Now I may be reading into things but is there something behind that besides saying that Dumbledore is fallible? There's so much about him we don't know, and it seems like there's this big mystery surrounding Dumbledore.

I really liked what Sirius said to Ron about a person's character. "If you want to know what a man's like, take a good look at how he treats his inferiors, not his equals." That simple line made even me feel ashamed for some of the ways in which I've treated people.

After Harry had spent some time in the Pensieve, which I think is one of the most chilling parts of the book, he asks Dumbledore about Snape, "What made you think he'd really stopped supporting Voldemort, Professor?" And Dumbledore responds with, "That, Harry is a matter between Professor Snape and myself." This is another mystery that constantly has me so frustrated. What is it about Snape that Dumbledore has to protect? We all KNOW there's information being with held here and it's bugging me like you wouldn't believe. And I'm sure it's something big. If it's not I will be disappointed. Afterall, Snape is one of my favourite characters. Rowling made it quite easy to hate him in the previous books but book four changed that and I gained a lot of respect for him. Now I just want to know his deal.

And then of course Rowling just keeps on building up the suspense and mystery surrounding Harry and Dumbledore. '" He said my blood would make him stronger than if he'd used someone else's, " Harry told Dumbledore. "he said the protection my-- my mother left in me-- he'd have it too. And he was right-- he could touch me without hurting himself, he touched my face." For a fleeting instant, Harry thought he saw a gleam of something like triumph in Dumbledore's eyes. But next second, Harry was sure he had imagined it, for when Dumbledore had returned to his seat behind the desk, he looked as old and weary as Harry had ever seen him.'

Ok what was up with that? Was that supposed to mean something? Something we should be wary of in the future books? And because of that quote above I had another thought about Dumbledore. Way back in the Sorcerer's Stone Dumbledore had the stone removed from it's vault and heavily guarded at Hogwarts. Then by the end of the school year Voldemort himself was after it. Why did Dumbledore suddenly feel the need to relocate the stone? Is it me or does it seem like there's missing information here? Is it possible that Dumbledore knew before hand that there was someone looking for the stone and that it could potentially stolen in the future?Argh! Why does Rowling do this to us? And why do we put up with it? Well of course she does it because we put up with it and we put up with it because we all love a good mystery. It's all part of the charm of Harry Potter.

And so concludes the longest post ever. Afterall, the book is beyond 700 pages.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling
734 pages
Fantasy series

Heart On My Sleeve by Ellen Wittlinger

2004-11-04T20:35:00.000-08:00

Finally a book I can almost identify with! The basic idea of the book was showing friends and family communicating over long distances via post mail and email and online messengers. Mainly email. I could identify with this because about eighty percent of my own communication consists of email and instant messages. It's a record of the changes that happen in adolescence and in life. In families and in friends.

It is a book written for young adults so of course the usual life altering changes (all things that rarely only happen but in film and television) occur. Topics such as abortion and homosexuality, divorce and frisky parents. Everyone is dating someone and there's always a few breakups as they find they don't love that person anymore or they love someone else. Very unrealistic stuff. I find it somewhat belittling to authors everywhere when one falls into the straightjacket of the force-fed media. Because let me tell you, what occurred in this book was not all that close to reality. Maybe one in a large handful of families will experience at least one of the above mentioned changes but it's rather unlikely that one family will experience all of them and have friends who are experiencing the like.

But at the heart of the book, change was idea. And that is something we all experience in one form of another. Another idea expressed in the book is that sometimes we think we know someone, whether we've known them for a month or 20 years, and sometimes we wake up to find we hardly know them at all. And sometimes we don't know ourselves as well as we think we do.

For the most part the book was entertaining enough to keep me reading. I was interested in the internet communication because that is so much of my own life. But I can't say it was entirely original in the stories presented.

Heart On My Sleeve by Ellen Wittlinger
219 pages
Young Adult fiction

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

2004-10-30T20:55:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure I am yet ready to call this my favourite book, even after my third time reading it. But I do like it a lot more than I did the first two times. Nothing new was revealed as far as the mystery of Harry's past goes. But there was plenty more of Harry's parents backstory. That of course is always fascinating and there's always something I forget.

And though Sirius Black was never a favourite character, I really grew to respect him by the end of this book. There were some touching scenes between him and Harry, and Professor Lupin and Harry that I loved. Particularly the very end when Black sent Harry a letter to explain that he was in hiding and he signed the permission slip for Hogsmead trips. It made me tear up a bit. In fact I am now dreading his death in the fifth book like I never have before. And when Lupin announced that he was leaving Hogwarts, part of me was hoping that he'd actually stick around this time! No luck there. I would love it for Rowling to include him in the next books though. He was a central and important figure in Harry's life at Hogwarts and it'd be a shame not to have him more involved. Especially since he no longer has Black to go to.

Out of all three of the first books, this one made me feel so badly for Harry. Especially when he heard the story of Black's 'betrayal'. Can you imagine finding out that your parents died because one of their best friends betrayed them? And then Black- for 12 years he had to deal with everyone else believing that he betrayed them. I feel awful for both.

Of course Book 3 was funnier than it's predecessors. My favourite new addition to the realm of Harry Potter is divination classes. The interaction between Ron and Harry over the constant prediction of Harry's demise is hilarious. Another of my favourites in this book is when Gryffindor finally wins the Quidditch Cup. It's so exciting and I am terribly happy for Oliver Wood. I absolutely LOVE Oliver Wood. He's always so over-enthusiastic about quidditch.

'"Where is Wood?" said Harry, suddenly realizing he wasn't there. "Still in the showers," said Fred. We think he's trying to drown himself."'

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling
547 pages
Fantasy series

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

2004-10-22T19:54:00.000-07:00

This one has always been my favourite Harry Potter book. So far. Of course now they keep changing. I didn’t really come across any new revelations this time. I still disliked Dobby, though even I can admit he has his moments. Particularly when he’s hitting himself. And when Gilderoy Lockhart first hit the scene he really annoyed me. That was unusual because I normally find him hilarious. After awhile though I was back to laughing out loud every time he said something inane and stupid. At one point my parents overheard me giggling and after asking what was so funny I replied, ‘Ah, Lockhart. He’s an idiot.’ But I love him so much.

One thing did strike me as interesting though. It has to do with one of the two questions that we should be focusing on while reading Harry Potter. “Why hasn’t Dumbledore tried to kill Voldemort.” Well I’ve noticed that that subject has been approached many times in the books. Someone’s always mentioning the fact that Dumbledore is the most powerful wizard ever and so on. And they’ve also said that there are powers that even Dumbledore won’t use and they make it sound like the only way to defeat the Dark Lord is if these dark powers are used. So what does that say about Harry? Will he have to use dark magic to defeat Voldemort? Interesting, no?

And why is it that there is never any mention of Harry’s father’s family? It’s always about his mother and her family. But James Potter had to come from SOMEWHERE. I’m also very curious as to what specifically led Tom Riddle to go down that road of death and destruction. Did he just grow up bitter and angry about his father leaving he and his mother? Or was there something else? Something more specific. Ya know I’m beginning to think that the worst thing Rowling could do to these books is not completely answering all the questions I or anyone else has. Is it important for us to know anything specific about the Harry’s paternal side of the family? Does it add anything to the nucleus of the story? Maybe not, maybe it has nothing to do with Harry’s past and future. But it would still be nice to learn more about him and his family. Not JUST what we need to know, what only regards the story itself. Well if Rowling doesn’t finish her series with all questions answered then I shall have to make up the rest myself, eh!

Basically all I got from Book 2 was a nice vacation complete with amusing quotes.

“Moaning Myrtle burst into anguished sobs and fled from the dungeon. Peeves shot after her, pelting her with mouldy peanuts, yelling ‘Pimply! Pimply!’ (just the words ‘Peeves’, ‘pelting’, and ‘mouldy peanuts’ is enough to make me burst out laughing.)

“Homework- compose a poem about my defeat of the Wagga Wagga Werewolf! Signed copies of Magical Me to the author of the best one!”

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling
433 pages
Fantasy Series

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

2004-10-18T21:03:00.000-07:00

I have completed Harry's First Year for my third time and for some reason I loved reading it the most this time. The first time I read it I was so intent on devouring everything I didn't pay as much attention, or let what I was reading completely sink in. The second time I read it threw, I did so while listening to the ever delightful performance by Jim Dale. In that case a particular pace was required and any time for meditating on a sentence or paragraph was not really available. But this time I was able to spend as much or as little time on each word, what it means, what it's trying to say. The hidden clues written between the lines. It's very strange to say that at the moment the first book is my favourite at the moment.

A few exceptional quotes and thoughts stood out to me while reading:

1. I never cared much for Neville's character. It's not that I hated him, but I could have done without him. But a few quotes changed my mind and I now in fact respect his character with the best of them.

"' You're worth twelve of Malfoy," Harry said. "The Sorting Hat chose you for Gryffindor didn't it? And where's Malfoy? In stinking Slytherin.'"

"Harry, Ron, and Hermione stood up to yell and cheer as Neville, white with shock, disappeared under a pile of people hugging him. He had never won so much as a point for Gryffindor before."

I always get teary eyed at this part in the book but I think the part about Neville being courageous is the most touching.

2. Something that has also impressed upon me everytime I've read Harry Potter is Harry's unwavering loyalty. Something that I admire about him the most I'd say. From the very beginning with his first encounter with Ron to sticking up for Neville.

'"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," He said coolly.'

3. Then lastly I took care to pay attention to detail. J.K. Rowling stated that there were two questions that no one ever asked her that they should have about the story.

A.) Why didn't Voldemort die?
B.) Why didn't Dumbledore kill Voldemort?

I may never find the answers to those until the very last word is printed in Rowling's series, and maybe I'm a bit thicker than most when reading Harry Potter, but I'm going to at least endeavor to search for some inkling of what she was referring to.

- Voldemort told Harry that his mother would not have died if she hadn't tried to protect Harry, which leads me to believe that he had no original intention of killing his mother and that he was actually there for Harry. So why wasn't he also after Harry's mum? I did remember reading that the first two times but I forgot that Harry was thinking along the same lines. He is much more clever than I am clearly.

"... Voldemort said that he only killed my mother because she tried to stop him from killing me. But why would he want to kill me in the first place?"

(Dumbledore then responds)
"Alas, the first thing you can ask me, I cannot tell you. Not today. Not now. You will know, one day... put it from your mind for now, Harry. When you are older... I know you hate to hear this... when you are ready, you will know."

Dangit, Dumbledore! It seems that Rowling was able to work her own magic on the reader because like Harry was told to do, I seemed to also put it from my mind.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J. K. Rowling
384 pages
Fantasy series

The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket

2004-10-13T23:13:00.000-07:00

I hate to say it but I don't feel like this is one of Snicket's best. It had its creative moments, and it's absurdly hilarious moments for sure. And I don't recall much if any of the mysteries surrounding the series were solved. I've grown accustomed to finding out just a little bit more with each new book of his. But I don't think there was anything new in The Grim Grotto. And we're two books away from the end of the series.

The only fresh thing in the book was the end. For once in the Baudelaire children's life, the ending of the book ended on a hopeful note rather than a dismal and exasperating end. Even though part of the purpose of the books is to have alternate literature compared to the nearly-cliched happy endings but it still gets frustrating when it seems that nothing ever will go right for a family that you've been reading about for a couple of years. It just can't be helped. Still, it's very funny, some of the situations the Baudelaire's find themselves in. And the 11th book was no exception.

As mentioned before Lemony Snicket can be quite absurd. For instance, the narrator constantly warns us that the Baudelaire tales are very sad and awful and we'd be better off reading about cotton candy and ponies. And he often tries to spare us the despairing details by various methods, such as constantly repeating the water cycle. Over and over, in the hopes that we'll have fallen asleep by the time he tells the Baudelaire's story. And what is the deal with a two year old baby being a cook? Silly, but great fun. It's all part of the series' charm.

It wasn't as interesting as some of the previous books in the series, but it's still good enough to keep my interest holding strong for the last two books.

The Grim Grotto: Book the Eleventh of a Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
323 pages
Fantastical series

The Sword and the Circle by Rosemary Sutcliff

2004-09-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

While reading this book two things struck me. One was that Sutcliff's manner of writing was similar to that of Tolkien's poetic form. She was also good for being detailed about one thing and vaguely describing another. Something that is very much Tolkien-ish. The tales themselves were reminiscent of Tolkien's Unfinished Tales. Tales that spoke of chivalry and honour but the endings were rarely happy. They could be aptly described as 'bitter-sweet'.

The other was that for the first time in my life the Knight Lancelot was described as being ugly.Of all the stories and the movies made and told about Sir Lancelot one would have thought he was the most beautiful man in the world! I'm very curious as to why Sutcliff chose to make him ugly. Is there a basis in history for that? Or was he always described as being ugly and the modern world changed him to fit our philosophies and ideals? It's just a very curious thing to me. That is something I am going to pay more attention to while reading my other books.

It was not hard to enjoy the books because it was already like reading a book by Tolkien. And each chapter was another tale of King Arthur and his knights. So it offered a good size background of everyone and everything involved. Sutcliff wrote more of the legend of Arthur than the history but she presented him against a backdrop of Britain history by giving us a view of the geography of the land itself and the various Celtic tribes, Romans and other maurauding peoples.

But though I am fascinated by the myths of Arthur's fantastical realm, I think I prefer the reality of it instead. I didn't really care for Merlin's futuristic predictions. He took all the fun our of learning what was to come by telling Arthur what WAS to come. And any chance for 'choice' was almost completely left out of the picture. It was predicted that certain things would come to pass, that they would make wrong decisions, but those wrong decisions only happened because they were predicted. No one did anything based on the fact that it was their choice to do so. That was a little discouraging. I believe in a destiny that only comes about because of one's choices. I believe that we can't control everything and that God has a purpose for us but we can't get to that purpose without making our own decisions and choices.

And the ideas of chivalry and honour themselves seem a trifle superficial. I doubt that even in the Dark Ages, a king or a knight would act in the manners that Arthur's knights did. Men are proud, arrogant, and weak. I think only a select few would be so honourable. Still, it's nice to imagine that some men do exist with chivalrous qualities.

The Sword and the Circle: King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table by Rosemary Sutcliff
261 pages
Fantasy Literature

Quest for a King: Searching for the Real King Arthur by Catherine M. Andronik

2004-09-13T19:18:00.000-07:00

For the fact being that this book was published in the late 80’s, it’s surprisingly up to date! That seems incredible as it is but it doesn’t say much for the archaeology front. None the less, this book was fascinating. It took apart the myths of King Arthur and gave evidence that either supported or disclaimed the stories and ideas. I don’t claim to be an ‘expert’ on King Arthur, nor do I claim to have much knowledge in that area. But I am quite familiar with the tales and central characters. I grew up on ‘The Sword in the Stone’ and other various films. But I had never really delved into the literature aspect of it. I was amazed to find so many variations of King Arthur’s story. Much of what we know today didn’t come from one person’s story, but rather, from many people’s stories. It was quite a learning experience in both the mythology and the history.

I am very pleased with the first book in my list of ‘King Arthur’ reads. The history was thorough and presented cleanly. It wasn’t a mess of facts but a story of historical validity. I also appreciated the fact that the author was unbiased as to what theories were correct or which ones she thought were possibly correct. She laid all theories out and allowed for the reader to decide.

In her study, the author also mentioned not only the ancient manuscripts and stories but also the modern writings. And I was excited to read many names I had picked for my own ‘King Arthur research’.

I was most fascinated, in particularly, by the story of the Glastonbury abbey. Apparently some monks, while digging a grave, discovered an oak coffin containing the bones of a man and a woman. A cross was nailed to the coffin stating that the inhabitant was King Arthur. The discovered bones were displayed in the abbey, which had suddenly become quite famous as people all over Britain were making pilgrimages to see the king. There are beliefs that the bodies were part of an elaborate hoax to obtain money for rebuilding the rundown abbey. But few deny that these events truly happened. The sad thing is, centuries later King Henry VIII, in a display of power, destroyed the Catholic abbey along with several others. The body of the supposed ’King Arthur’ either disappeared, or burned down with the abbey. The cross that stated the identification of Arthur also disappeared. It seems a great loss to the field of archaeology. Especially now with the technology we possess to possibly identify the missing body. That could have been the evidence today that might have put all theories to rest.

But though nothing absolutely substantial has been uncovered, I finished the book believing that Arthur really did exist. Perhaps not as the way we’ve grown up knowing, but exist nevertheless.

Quest for a King: Searching for the Real King Arthur by Catherine M. Andronik
120 pages
Non-fiction (published 1989)

Trickster’s Choice by Tamora Pierce

2004-09-13T19:11:00.000-07:00

I have been a fan of Pierce’s book for a little while now. Especially of her ‘Protector of the Small’ series. But I have to admit, it took my a long while to get into this story and I even contemplated not finishing it. It was more reminiscent of her earlier books. The writing was silly, the dialogue equally as such, and the story uninteresting. Trickster’s Choice tells the story of Alianna, the daughter of the heroine from her first series. The first series tells the story of Alanna. A girl who wants to be a knight in a fantastical kingdom where only men are allowed the honour. So she disguises herself as boy and trains to be a knight. Alanna eventually gets her wish, Knighthood. The rest of the series follows her exploits saving the kingdom. Next comes the ‘Protector of the Small’ series. The kingdom has now ruled that woman shall be allowed to train for the knighthood. Enter Keldary, the first girl who trains to be a knight after Alanna. Jump ahead almost 20 years and we’ve got Alianna. Daughter of Alanna and cursed to live in her mother’s shadow. Attaining intelligent gifts from her father she desires to spy for the king as he does. As the story progresses (or doesn’t for that matter) Alianna manages to get kidnapped and sold as a slave to a family on an island where the infrastructure of the ruling monarchs is crumbling. As it is, the family Aly is sold to is a few seats down from obtaining the throne should everyone before them in the line die or abdicate. Also, the Duke’s female heirs contain an older royal line to the native throne of their people. Soon Aly’s world becomes a dangerous game as a god makes a wager with her. To keep the two daughters safe and alive by the end of the summer for the opportunity to go home. Of course this is what Aly’s ‘trained’ for all her life and so her spying skills are put to the test.

The trouble I had with this is that it was too political. I liked the ‘Protector of the Small’ series for it’s medieval fantasy. This book focused more on the intrigue of court even though they were miles and miles from court. The story itself wasn’t that interesting and it was easy to get lost among the many foreign names. Though that’s true with most literature of fantasy. It also lacked the clever humour that I really enjoyed in the ‘Protector of the Small’ series and I felt like it was her first attempt at writing. Still, the book was long enough, bearing down on a little under 600 pages. So I trudged on and the more I read the more I enjoyed it. I won’t say that it was great. But once the story picked up, it was alright. And the more I read the more I wanted to know. It ended rather strangely though. I wouldn’t doubt a second book sometime in the near future.

Trickster’s Choice by Tamora Pierce
591 pages
Fantasy fiction

"You are a king by your own fireside, as much as any monarch in his throne."

2004-08-24T20:15:00.000-07:00

I'm terribly bored with reading. I don't think anyone in their entire life would ever hear me say that. But it's very true. I'm just having a difficult time finding books that I enjoy. And my focus is off. So I've decided to turn September into a time of study. Afterall, I have quite a bit of extra time on my hands now. I am going to read the following books on King Arthur:

~The Discovery of King Arthur by Geoffrey Ashe
~ The Story of King Arthur and His Knights by Howard Pyle
~ Enemy of God by Bernard Cornwell
~ The Search for King Arthur by Christopher Hibbert
~ The Winter King by Bernard Cornwell
~ The Dragon's Son by Sarah L. Thomson~
~ Quest for a King: Searching for the Real King Arthur by Catherine M. Andronik~
~ The Seeing Stone (Arthur Book One) by Kevin Crossley-Holland
~ Le Morte D'Arthur by Thomas Mallory
~ Arthur's Britain by Leslie Alcock
~ Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
~ The Sword and the Circle by Rosemary Sutcliff~

This list is a mix of myth and history. Some are novels based on the myths and others are novels based on the history. It's possibly I may need all of October as well to read all these books! Wish me well!

The Wish List by Eoin Colfer

2004-07-24T19:08:00.000-07:00

I have a few theories about this book.

1. Colfer had writer's block and stole some poor sap's manuscript. He changed it here and there to pass it off as his own work.

2. Colfer wrote this when he was 10 and at the insisting of his encouraging family, chose to have it published.

3. He made a bet with a friend that even a genius can write crap and get it published.

4. He was drunk when he wrote this book and his publisher was stoned when he published it.

Alright that may not be altogether fair but I'd be lying if I said those thoughts were not running through my mind while reading this book. I am a fan of Colfer's writing in his Artemis Fowl trilogy. He was clever, witty and hilarious. Plus his stories were interesting. This one was not any of those. The only way I COULD recognize his work was the fact that he made otherworldly dimensions practical and very techno-sophisticate. For example: In the Artemis Fowl books there is a world that exists together and apart from Humans. It contains Centaurs and fairies and the like. They are hugely advanced in their technology. The same goes with this book in that technology exists more advanced in Heaven and Hell, more so than it does on Earth.

'The Wish List' was very dull and the dialogue was incredibly silly. Which is unusual considering the thing that I loved most about Artemis Fowl was the clever dialogue. I just don't understand what happened here. It certainly will make me think twice before picking up another one of his books.

The ONLY part I liked in the book was this quote: "So all my personal stuff was stashed inside a hollow binder for the Lord of the Rings box set."

The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant

2004-07-16T19:58:00.000-07:00

I am so pleased with myself that I actually finished a book on my list this month! Let us all hope that it is not the only book to be read off my list.

I liked this book immensely. The story takes place in Florence, Italy, at the height of it's Renaissance. The protagonist is a young girl who rebels against her station by being clever and intelligent and having artistic ability. She is deeply fascinated by a young painter brought to her home but is soon married off to a man who is, unbeknownst to her, a sodomite. Her story is acted against a play of betrayal and religious fanaticism. After the death of one of the most powerful Medici's, a monk begins to influence the city-state with threats from God and offers of redemption if they adhere to severe rules. All sites of sin were destroyed and the fanatic monk turned neighbors and friends against each other in their quest for a New Jerusalem. Aesthetic beauty got hit the worst as it was considered sins of idolatry, vanity, and many others. It only proved to me how bad an idea it is for someone to rule through Christianity or any religion. I'm not speaking of a leader with a deep faith in God. I mean a ruler who seeks power by using his religion and using it against his followers because it's the ultimate power.

One thing I really liked about this book is that I felt very close to the heroine. She and I seemed very alike in many matters. We're both clever, and intelligent. We love art, history and philosophy but though we have all that we still enter the world naive because though we want to believe we can, we really can't learn everything about life through books. For all our knowledge and all our cleverness we're never really prepared for what exists in the world. And we're more scared then we like to think, about what we don't know. I appreciated her passion and fervency for art and beauty. And it was captivating to learn about art. My interest was ignited again in the Early Italian Renaissance to the point where I was looking up all the paintings in my art books to get a glimpse of what the protagonist was feeling.

"There are two scenes from the Garden of Eden. In the Second, when they are expelled, Adam and Eve are both crying-no, more... howling-- as they are banished. I have never seen such sorrow at the loss of God's grace."

That was my favourite quote from the entire novel. I had never thought about it before until I read those lines, but when reading children's books and viewing various paintings of the Fall of Man they never look like they lost much. They're usually seen walking out of a garden hand in hand and basically expressionless. The angel's sword guarding the Garden always seemed to me to steal the attention away from Adam and Eve. But for once a painter captured the truth of how they would really have felt after their banishment.

If my comments have sparked an interest go here to read more about this book.

Reading List for July

2004-06-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

~ Acquainted with the Night: An Hour by Hour Celebration of the Art, Science, and Culture of Nighttime by Christopher Dewdney

~ Rum: The Epic Story of the Drink That Conquered the World by Charles A. Coulombe

~Voss by Patrick White

~ The Iliad

~ Lightning by Dean Koontz

~~~ The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant~~

~ ~~The Wish List by Eoin Colfer~~