Monthly Archives: November 2007

Magic Study by Maria V. Snyder

American Literature 6 Comments

Synopsis: After finally returning to her homeland, having been kidnapped as a child, Yelena must tame the magic she never knew she had even as she’s suspected of being a spy and embroiled in the hunt to catch a nefarious serial killer. Review: It’s been a little exciting up in here lately, with new baby being WAY more interesting than any book in the world. Strangely enough I was between books when she made her arrival, having just finished Red Seas Under Red Skies. I…

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Usborne Books for Kids

On Reading 6 Comments

My best friend Mandy set up an Usborne e-store for me that’s running through December 1st. Any books bought through this e-store earn points for me towards free books… and we all want Superfast Baby to be well-read, right? There are internet specials, sale items, and a raffle, plus information on how you can host your own Usborne e-show. Mandy has a master’s in children’s literature, teaching credentials, and is the mother of 2 of the best kids in the world. And I’m not prejudiced…

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Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch

American Literature 1 Comment

Synopsis: Master thief and con artist Locke Lamora is back with his steadfast sidekick Jean Tannen, both set to pull off the scheme of a lifetime when they are coerced into becoming–pirates? Review: Red Seas Under Red Skies is the follow up to Scott Lynch’s debut The Lies of Locke Lamora, a smash hit which placed a Sopranos-esque crime drama within a fresh, imaginatively realized fantasy world. The sequel throws swashbuckling in the mix, and the overall result of this melange is one of the…

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Now and Forever by Ray Bradbury

American Literature

Synopsis: Two novellas by Ray Bradbury. “Somewhere a Band is Playing” is a portrait of an unusually idyllic town, and “Leviathan ’99” is a retelling of Moby-Dick set in outer space. Review: Now and Forever contains two gorgeous gems in one slim volume. I have loved Ray Bradbury since childhood, with The Illustrated Man being my all-time favorite of his. I remember watching the old “Bradbury Tales” TV show in the 80s, which closed with a tag of Bradbury at his typewriter ripping off a…

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Gunnar’s Daughter by Sigrid Undset (Translated by Arthur G. Chater)

Norwegian Literature 5 Comments

Synopsis: Callously ravished by the man she hoped to love, an 11th Century Norwegian woman shapes her life around dreams of vengeance. Review: Gunnar’s Daughter is an early novel from the Sigrid Undset, author of the Nobel Prize-winning Kristin Lavransdatter trilogy, and it is no less of a powerful, shocking work not just for a book set in medieval Norway, but for a book written at the beginning of the 20th Century.

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The Darkest Road by Guy Gavriel Kay (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book 3)

Canadian Literature 4 Comments

Synopsis: The conclusion of the epic battle against the darkness. Review: I’m sorry to announce to everyone who has been excited I’m reading Kay that I found The Darkest Road to be a slog… around page 275 I realized that I had nothing invested emotionally in any of the characters or their journeys. I just never really engaged with the story. That said, Kay is a beautiful writer and I will certainly be checking out Tigana and Last Light of the Sun, though not for…

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Volume (Booking Through Thursday)

On Reading 2 Comments

This week’s meme: Would you say that you read about the same amount now as when you were younger? More? Less? Why? I have always been a voracious reader. I think the only time in my life I didn’t read much was in my early 20s when I was working 2 fulltime jobs right out of grad school. But I’m sure I still read every day. In other news, here’s a great interview with Battlestar Galactica creator Ron Moore on what the WGA strike means…

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