Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling

British Literature 7 Comments

Synopsis: Harry Potter braces for his final battle with evil Lord Voldemort, knowing that only one of them will survive. Review: My biggest criticism of Harry Potter has always been his passivity. In the first few books especially, he spends most of his time being rescued or protected, simply because he’s “The Boy Who Lived.” And for awhile, it seemed as though JK Rowling wasn’t paying attention–was creating a hero who didn’t deserve to bear that name. If you’re new here, you may want to…

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Faery Lands Forlon by Dave Duncan

Canadian Literature

Synopsis: Inos might be queen of Krasnegar, but she’s been magicked to the other side of the world, and the same magic has sent stable boy Rap, the goblin Little Chicken, and boy thief Thinal to the land of Faery, where Rap discovers that Inos is a pawn in a deadly game between powers greater than any army or king. Review: Faery Lands Forlorn is the second book in Dave Duncan’s A Man of His Word series, and it’s clear that none of these books…

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Do You Really Know About Books?

On Reading 3 Comments

Last night’s work read was essentially Ian McEwan with a lesbian twist.lin Dewey has a fun round up of links called “This and That” up at her blog today. Thanks to her, I wasted far too much time at Bibliofemme taking quizzes about books. I did pretty well on characters & first lines, but tanked when it came to questions about publishing history. Also, I’ve added a new feature at the bottom of each post: click View Random Post to be taken to a random…

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Magic Casement by Dave Duncan

Canadian Literature 12 Comments

Synopsis: A stableboy begins to exhibit mysterious powers that draw attention that could be dangerous, and he finds himself a prisoner on the goblin waste as the princess he’s sworn to serve comes ever closer to a danger that only he is aware of. Review: Magic Casement is a fantastic start to a four book series that I hope lives up to the promise of this first installment. My friend Shari saw that I had read Duncan’s Hero!, and said, “You finally read Dave Duncan–but…

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Bookworms Carnival is Up!

On Reading 7 Comments

Dewey at Hidden Side of a Leaf kicks off the brand-new Bookworm Carnival with an outstanding selection of posts. I’m looking forward to diving into all of these. The next carnival will be hosted right here at Reading is my Superpower. The topic? Surviving the Dog Days of Summer: Books That Take Your Mind off the Heat. The deadline to submit posts is August 10th and you can do so right here.

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War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (Translated by Anthony Briggs)

Russian Literature 11 Comments

Synopsis: The lives, romances, and fortunes of 3 prominent Russian families play out against the backdrop of Napoleon’s invasion of Russia. Review: It’s absurd to blog about War and Peace, Leo Tolstoy’s sprawling behemoth of a novel. The title alone is ludicrous and unfathomable. People laugh when you say you’re reading it, not because they think it’s not worth reading, but because of its reputation as one of the longest books ever written. Nevertheless, I, the Superfast Reader, who read this book for the Summer…

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Books to Film (Booking through Thursday)

On Reading 18 Comments

I’m putting this post up in honor of an adaptation project I’m working on right now. From Booking through Thursday: 1. In your opinion, what is the best translation of a book to a movie? 2. The worst? 3. Had you read the book before seeing the movie, and did that make a difference? (Personally, all other things being equal, I usually prefer whichever I was introduced to first.)

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