May Reflections

2:26 PM Nikki

I discovered two great authors this May! I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe series. I wish my library had more of his books! I really do. If they had as many Stout books as they did Christie, I'd be very, very happy! Have you read Rex Stout? Are you familiar with Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin? Do you have a favorite novel or novella from this series? 

My other discovery this month is Pearl S. Buck. I read two incredibly wonderful books that I just loved--Kinfolk and East Wind: West Wind. The other Buck novels I read this month--The Good Earth, Sons, A House Divided, and Peony--I had mixed feelings about. But even though I haven't loved every book of hers unconditionally, I'm happy to have discovered her. Have you read Pearl S. Buck? Do you have a favorite? I'd encourage you not to judge her by The Good Earth alone.

While most of this month's reads are older titles--my earliest being 1817--I was able to read thirteen 2011 books. (Including City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare, Stay. Deb Caletti, The Throne of Fire. Kane Chronicles #2 Rick Riordan, What Happened To Goodbye. Sarah Dessen, and Bumped by Megan McCafferty.) I'm hoping to read even more 2011 titles in June and July.

I still haven't found the perfect balance in reading and blogging. But I was able to read this month for each of my blogs.

As far as challenges go, I was able to read at least one book for each of these challenges: New Author Challenge, 2011 TBR Challenge, TBR Pile Challenge, Historical Fiction, Chunkster Challenge, Victorian Literature Challenge, Cruisin' Thru the Cozies. Spring Reading Thing, Once Upon a Time.

This month I read 33 books.

Board Books: 1; Picture Books: 6; Middle Grade: 1; Young Adult: 5; Adult: 14; Christian Nonfiction: 4; Nonfiction 2.

Review Copies: 9; Library Books: 19; Bought Books: 5.

My top five:

Kinfolk. Pearl S. Buck.
Some Buried Caesar. Nero Wolfe Mystery. Rex Stout.
The Virginian. Owen Wister.  
The Last Chronicle of Barset. Anthony Trollope.
What Happened To Goodbye. Sarah Dessen.

Reviews at Becky's Book Reviews

East Wind: West Wind. Pearl S. Buck. 1930/1995. Moyer Bell. 288 pages.
Black Orchids. A Nero Wolfe Mystery. Rex Stout. 1941/1942. Random House. 208 pages.
The Good Earth. Pearl S. Buck. 1931/2004. Simon & Schuster. 368 pages.
Sons. Pearl S. Buck. 1932/2005. Moyer Bell. 320 pages.
Kinfolk. Pearl S. Buck. 1945/2004. Moyer Bell. 408 pages.  
The Silent Speaker. Rex Stout. 1946/1994. Random House. 288 pages.   
Northanger Abbey. Jane Austen. 1817/1992. Everyman's Library. 288 pages.
The Pickwick Papers. Charles Dickens. 1836/1837/1999. Penguin Classics. 810 pages.
Some Buried Caesar. Nero Wolfe Mystery. Rex Stout. 1938. Random House. 288 pages.
The Virginian. Owen Wister. 1902. Penguin Classics. 370 pages.
A House Divided. Pearl S. Buck. 1935/2006. Moyer Bell. 348 pages.
Peony. Pearl S. Buck. 1948/2006. Moyer Bell. 352 pages.
The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus. Margaret Atwood. 2005. 220 pages.
The Last Chronicle of Barset. Anthony Trollope. 1867.  928 pages.
The Throne of Fire. Kane Chronicles #2 Rick Riordan. 2011. Hyperion. 464 pages. 
City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare. (Mortal Instruments #4) 2011. Simon & Schuster. 424 pages.
Stay. Deb Caletti. 2011. Simon & Schuster. 320 pages.
Bumped by Megan McCafferty. 2011. HarperCollins. 336 pages.
What Happened To Goodbye. Sarah Dessen. 2011. Penguin. 416 pages.
The Miles Between. Mary E. Pearson. 2009. Henry Holt. 272 pages.  
The Story of Britain From the Norman Conquest to the European Union by Patrick Dillon. 2011. Candlewick Press. 352 pages.

Reviews at Young Readers

Your Mommy Was Just Like You. Kelly Bennett. Illustrated by David Walker. 2011. Penguin. 32 pages.
My Side of the Car. Kate Feiffer. Illustrated by Jules Feiffer. 2011. Candlewick. 32 pages.
Chicken, Chicken, Duck! Nadia Krilanovich. 2011. Random House. 32 pages.
The Boss Baby. Marla Frazee. 2010. Simon & Schuster.  40 pages.
Tweak Tweak by Eve Bunting. Illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier. 2011. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 40 pages.
A Ball for Daisy. Chris Raschka. 2011. Random House. 32 pages.
Everywhere Babies. Susan Meyers. Illustrated by Marla Frazee. 2001/2011. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 30 pages.
The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps. Jeannette Winter. 2011. Random House. 48 pages. 

Reviews at Operation Actually Read Bible

The Holiness of God. R.C. Spoul. 1985. Tyndale. 280 pages.
Why One Way?: Defending an Exclusive Claim in an Inclusive World. John MacArthur. 2002. Thomas Nelson. 96 pages.
Joni. Joni Eareckson Tada. 1976. 224 pages.
Our Awesome God. John MacArthur. 1993/2001. Crossway Books. 176 pages.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews


Posted in

Book Review: The Dark City by Catherine Fisher AND Giveaway

7:17 AM mixagrip

Posted as part of Tween Tuesday, hosted by GreenBeanTeenQueen.
I know this series is published and publicized as teen, but I think it has great appeal for tweens who love a rich fantasy.  It was remarkably easy to read as well and will definitely have broad appeal in its age ranges - for both teens and tweens.

The Dark City by Catherine Fisher
Publisher: Dial (Penguin)
Publication date: May 2011
ISBN: 9780803736733
Source: ARC provided by publisher

The Dark City #1 (Relic Master)

Summary from the publisher:
"Welcome to Anara, a world mysteriously crumbling to devastation, where nothing is what it seems: Ancient relics emit technologically advanced powers, members of the old Order are hunted by the governing Watch yet revered by the people, and the great energy that connects all seems to also be destroying all. The only hope for the world lies in Galen, a man of the old Order and a Keeper of relics, and his sixteen-year-old apprentice, Raffi. They know of a secret relic with great power that has been hidden for centuries. As they search for it, they will be tested beyond their limits. For there are monsters-some human, some not-that also want the relic's power and will stop at nothing to get it."

Things I Liked:
As you know, I adored Catherine Fisher's other books, Incarceron and Sapphique, so I was super excited to get an ARC of the first in this "new" series.  In some ways, it felt similar to her other books, but in many ways it was different.  It has the same unique and interesting world that has many secrets to be unraveled.  Initially, it seems Anara is just another fantasy world with no relation to us.  As the story unravels, bit by bit, hints are dropped here and there that give us a glimpse of much more.  I love the complete world Fisher has created and the feeling of so much history behind it.  I think that is one mark of really great fantasy, when the world that's created has such depth and history that it almost feels real.  I was definitely sucked into this new story and I can't wait to fit more pieces into the puzzle of this series.

Things I Didn't Like:
While it did have some similarities to Incarceron and Sapphique, it lacked the complexity and depth that series has.  It is more simplistic and definitely doesn't have (at least not in this first book) the same level of writing and the characters are not quite as intriguing.  Still, a fantastic new series for fans of Fisher and good fantasy.

Read-alikes:
Incarceron and Sapphique by Catherine Fisher
Reminded me of Beyonders by Brandon Mull

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: none
that I recall...

mrg-factor: none

v-factor: ->
a bit, but nothing graphic

Overall rating: ****

I'm super excited that the sequels will be released so closely to one another!  That's definitely an added bonus.  To learn more about the series, visit the Relic Master website.  The release dates for the next three books are:
Book Two: The Lost Heiress, June 14
Book Three: The Hidden Coronet, July 12
Book Four: The Margrave, August 9

For the giveaway, I have two copies of The Dark City, thanks to Penguin and Big Honcho Media, to give away!  Also, I managed to get two ARCs of the book, so I have an additional copy of my own I'm giving away.  So, three copies up for grabs!  To enter, fill out the form below.  (US only, must be 13 or older to enter.)  You have two weeks to enter, until June 14th!



If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage


Posted in , , , , , , ,

The Neon Court

7:00 AM Nikki

Matthew Swift is the epitome of the urban sorcerer. Proof: he takes the bus. But there are ways he's not your usual sorcerer, the least of which being that he serves as the Midnight Mayor of London. He also shares a body with the blue electric angels. And he's got a conscience.

But being the Midnight Mayor is not all roses and bon-bons. Sure he's got a fleet of aldermen to do his bidding...assuming they'd listen to him (it's hard to take a guy seriously when he wears grubby t-shirts). And sure he's powerful enough to have defeated the destroyer of cities in THE MIDNIGHT MAYOR. But now in THE NEON COURT, the underground Tribe and the fae Neon Court have declared war over a murder—with London as the battleground—unless Swift delivers the chosen one.

THE NEON COURT starts off chaotic, like the first two in the series, jumping right into the action. We're swiftly caught up in Swift's dilemma: Oda, the vigilante from the previous novels, has somehow magically summoned Swift into a burning building. He arrives to find Oda's blood all over the floor and a gaping hole in her heart. But what does Oda's rather fatal condition (strangely enough, she's not dead yet) and the war have to do with each other? Well, it takes the entire novel to figure it out.

If you enjoyed A MADNESS OF ANGELS and THE MIDNIGHT MAYOR, then THE NEON COURT is more of the same awesomeness. You could read NEON without having read the previous two, but there will be a few confusing spots as a result. Kate Griffin has kept a consistent momentum and voice across the series, even if the plots are somewhat similar: everyone in London is gonna die unless Swift saves them. And obviously he's the only one who can do it.

Swift is a complicated character. He's easy enough to like, and his first-person PoV is engaging. Well, there is, however, the odd use of 'we', when referring to himself and the angels that inhabit his body—and therein stems the complications of personality. The electric blue angels are pure energy, magical beings without thought of the future, who take action when they see the need. But they're forever bound to a mortal body who must deal with the consequences of those actions. It makes for an interesting dynamic. Fortunately, Swift isn't a wimp or else the angels would have killed him long ago from sheer negligence. He's clever and creative, as he moves around London, trying to help Oda, and stop the war between the Neon Court and the Tribe. Poor guy wants to do the right thing, but sometimes it's just impossible.

As a result of the events at the end of THE MIDNIGHT MAYOR, Swift now finds himself with an apprentice: Penny. One can't let a powerful sorceress loose on the city without proper training first. Like Swift, she's no wimp, but then again she's new to this whole magic business, and sees things for the first time that are mighty troubling. Their interactions are entertaining; the dialogue gets silly at times, but on the whole it's clever and snappy. Oda, whom we knew little about in previous novels other than she's a psycho, magic-hating, gun-toting, religious zealot, gets more back story. It's presented in clunky way, but is still important to the story.

Griffin must have decided to have a little fun with this plot, so she took the 'chosen one' trope and turned it on its head. What does it mean to be 'chosen'? Who does the choosing? She also explores themes of relationships—but not the romantic kind, her books don't have the sexuality found in the majority of urban fantasy. Here, it's the relationships between siblings, co-workers, the people you hardly know but who seem to affect you, nevertheless, and how these relationships shape events.

One of the best things about this series is the urban magic, how it's called up by the routines of life and environment that is the city. Griffin's prose brings out the details: the smells, the sights, the sounds that makes the city hum with the magic energy that people like Swift can tap. The prose will catch some readers off guard, even those who like reading urban fantasy, because it's less straightforward. The pace is consistent and quick, but is still slowed down by the more descriptive prose. These things didn't bother me, and are ultimately rewarding.

By the time I got to the climax, I was all wrung out. Swift seems like he's going to fall apart at any moment. I have no idea how he's going to possibly survive. Every imaginably horrible thing has happened. And it all leads up to a...climax that falls a tad short. It does all make sense, and if I'm being honest it did make me tear up, but it didn't quite match the rest of the story. It works. Mostly. But in THE NEON COURT it's the journey more than the destination.

Recommended Age: 16+
Language: Penny the wise-cracking apprentice has a serious potty mouth.
Violence: Yep. Poor Swift gets beat up a lot. There are quite a few fights and graphic imagery. The body count gets uncomfortably high.
Sex: Not even the least whiff of romance.


Posted in , ,

Winners in the Armchair BEA Giveaway!

9:24 AM mixagrip

Sorry I postponed announcing the winners - hopefully no one was kept in too much suspense :)

I chose two winners!  The winner of the signed ARC of Across the Universe by Beth Revis is...

Devan of Book Strings

The second winner, who is getting two bookmarks signed by Ally Condie and Andrea Cremer, is...

Julie of My Book Retreat

I've contacted both of you and will have the prizes sent out soon. Thanks everyone for entering the giveaway and for stopping by my blog for Armchair BEA!

And a happy Memorial Day to all you Americans!

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage


Posted in , ,

The Penelopiad

6:17 AM Nikki

The Penelopiad: The Myth of Penelope and Odysseus. Margaret Atwood. 2005. 220 pages.

Now that I'm dead I know everything. This is what I wished would happen, but like so many of my wishes it failed to come true. I know only a few factoids that I didn't know before. It's much too high a price to pay for the satisfaction of curiosity, needless to say. Since being dead -- since achieving this state of bonelessness, liplessness, breastlessness -- I've learned some things I would rather not know, as one does when listening at windows or opening other people's letters. You think you'd like to read minds? Think again. Down here everyone arrives with a sack, like the sacks used to keep the winds in, but each of these sacks is full of words -- words you've spoken, words you've heard, words that have been said about you. Some sacks are very small, others large; my own is of a reasonable size, though a lot of the words in it concern my eminent husband. What a fool he made of me, some say. He got away with everything, which was another of his specialties: getting away. He was always so plausible...

The Penelopiad is a novel retelling of the Greek myth of Penelope and Odysseus. The story is told essentially from thirteen points-of-view. That is if you count each of the twelve maids as a person, an individual. In alternating chapters, we hear from Penelope, the faithful wife of Odysseus, and from Penelope's twelve maids, beautiful young women who were raped and harassed by Penelope's suitors while her husband was missing in action. While Penelope's voice stays the same throughout the novel, the narration by the maids varies throughout. Almost like a kaleidoscope. These twelve voices are united together as one; they are a chorus begging to be heard, and a chorus demanding justice. I found these chapters to be the most creative. Not that I didn't enjoy Penelope's side of things. I did. How perhaps only in her death did she begin to realize what a jerk Odysseus was. How he had a way of spinning things always to his advantage, a way to make himself appear to be the hero no matter the facts.

I thought The Penelopiad was well-written. It was creative, compelling, and  easy to read. (I'm not so sure you'd even need to be all that familiar with the original myth.) I liked it. I'm very glad I read it. It was definitely an enjoyable way to spend an afternoon. But I'm not sure that I loved it.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews


Posted in , ,

The Sunday Salon: Week in Review #22

2:24 PM Nikki

What I reviewed at Becky's Book Reviews

What Happened To Goodbye. Sarah Dessen. 2011. Penguin. 416 pages.
The Miles Between. Mary E. Pearson. 2009. Henry Holt. 272 pages.  
Some Buried Caesar. Nero Wolfe Mystery. Rex Stout. 1938. Random House. 288 pages.
The Virginian. Owen Wister. 1902. Penguin Classics. 370 pages.
A House Divided. Pearl S. Buck. 1935/2006. Moyer Bell. 348 pages.
Peony. Pearl S. Buck. 1948/2006. Moyer Bell. 352 pages.
The Last Chronicle of Barset. Anthony Trollope. 1867.  928 pages.

What I reviewed at Operation Actually Read Bible

Our Awesome God. John MacArthur. 1993/2001. Crossway Books. 176 pages. 

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews


Posted in

June Reading List

2:14 PM Nikki

I haven't tried sharing lists of what I'm *hoping* to read lately. So I thought I'd try it for the month of June. Making a list is very fun for me, but I'm not always great at sticking to the lists I make.

I do hope to participate in MotherReader's 48 Hour Reading Challenge next weekend (June 3-5). (I haven't decided if I'll be starting Friday afternoon or Friday evening.) So some of these books I'm "saving" just for that event. Several of the adult books are for blog tours.

Middle Grade/Young Adult

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray
This book begins with a plane crash. 
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (6/3/2011)
The monster showed up just after midnight. As they do.
As I Wake by Elizabeth Scott (6/4/2011)
Wake up. I'm in bed. Sheets and blankets tucked around me, my legs sprawled out like I've fallen. 
Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott
I lean forward and look at Tess.
Chime by Franny Billingsley

I've confessed to everything and I'd like to be hanged. Now, if you please. I don't mean to be difficult, but I can't bear to tell my story. I can't relive those memories--the touch of the Dead Hand, the smell of eel, the gulp and swallow of the swamp.
Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm (6/3/2011)
My brother Wilbert tells me that I was the first ever girl born in Nasel, that I was A Miracle. He tells me this as we stand at the edge of the water, on the Nasel River, watching it rush by crazily. He is trying to cheer me up.
The Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm
My brother Wilbert tells me that I'm like the grain of sand in an oyster. Someday I will be a Pearl, but I will nag and irritate the poor oyster and everyone else up until then. 
Raider's Ransom by Emily Diamand.
Cat puts up his nose to sniff the breath of wind barely filling the sail, and opens his small pink mouth to speak. "Yow yow," he says, and I know what he's thinking: We're nearly there.
Waiting for Normal by Leslie Connor
Maybe Mommers and I shouldn't have been surprised; Dwight had told us it was a trailer even before we'd packed our bags. 
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
We'd been driving for about seven thousand years. Or at least that's how it felt.
Theodosia and the Eyes of Horus by R.L. LaFevers
I hate being followed. I especially hate being followed by a bunch of lunatic adults playing at being occultists. 
Theodosia and the Last Pharoah by R.L. LaFevers
Even with the windows closed, the sand still managed to creep into the railway car and find its way into the most inconvenient places. 
The Necropolis by PJ Hoover
Flashing lights inside his brain was not the way Benjamin wanted to start his day--especially when his day was starting at three in the morning. If only he could travel back in time to midnight and sleep for three more hours.
I Shall Wear Midnight by Terry Pratchett
Why was it, Tiffany Aching wondered, that people liked noise so much? Was was noise so important?
The Dark and Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan
 This city used to be something once. I've seen pictures of the way it gleamed--sun so bright off windows it could burn your eyes. At night, lights shouted from steel like catcalls, loud and lewd, while all day long white-gloved men rushed to open doors for women who tottered about on sky-scraper heels.

Adult

Hope Rekindled by Tracie Peterson (6/2/2011)
"You...you can't marry him," Jake Wythe declared, taking Deborah Vandermark by the arm. 
Lady of Bolton Hill by Elizabeth Camden
"Come on, boy. Your dad needs you."
How Huge the Night by Heather Munn and Lydia Munn
"Isn't that beautiful, Julien?"
The Sweetest Thing by Elizabeth Musser
I met Dobbs on the day my world fell apart.
Pompeii by T.L. Higley
Ariella shoved through the clogged street, defying the mob of frantic citizens.
Martha by Diana Wallis Taylor
Martha watched her father walk slowly up the road as the afternoon shadows appeared, and he was smiling.
Miss Marjoribanks by Margaret Oliphant
Miss Marjoribanks lost her mother when she was only fifteen, and when, to add to the misfortune, she was absent at school, and could not have it in her power to soothe her dear mamma's last moments, as she herself said.
Ruth by Elizabeth Gaskell
There is an assize-town in one of the eastern counties which was much distinguished by the Tudor sovereigns, and, in consequence of their favour and protection, attained a degree of importance that surprises the modern traveller.
The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun (6/2/2011)
Jim Qwilleran, whose name had confounded typesetters and proofreaders for two decades, arrived fifteen minutes early for his appointment with the managing editor of the Daily Fluxion. 
True Grit by Charles Portis (6/3/2011)
People do not give it credence that a fourteen-year-old girl could leave home and go off in the wintertime to avenge her father's blood but it did  not seem so strange then, although I will say it did not happen every day.
The Sunne in Splendour by Sharon Kay Penman
Richard did not become frightened until darkness began to settle over the woods.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Serene was a word you could put to Brooklyn, New York. Especially in the summer of 1912. Somber, as a word, was better. But it did not apply to Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Prairie was lovely and Shenandoah had a beautiful sound, but you couldn't fit those words into Brooklyn. Serene was the only word for it; especially on a Saturday afternoon in summer.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews


Library Loot: Fourth Trip in May

12:26 PM Nikki

New Loot:

Under a War-Torn Sky by L.M. Elliott
A Troubled Peace by L.M. Elliott
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
The Temple of the Muses (SPQR Mystery #4) by John Maddox Roberts
Daughter of Venice by Donna Jo Napoli
The Year of My Indian Prince by Ella Thorp Ellis
Catnap by Carole Nelson Douglas
Wish You Were Here by Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown
True Grit by Charles Portis
Chime by Franny Billingsley
Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm
The Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm
Dickens' Fur Coat and Charlotte's Unanswered Letters by Daniel Pool
The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun
The Cat Who Turned On and Off by Lilial Jackson Braun
The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
The Light Fantastic by Terry Pratchett
Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett

Leftover Loot:

The Catiline Conspiracy (SPQR Mystery #2) by John Maddox Roberts
The Sacrilege (SPQR Mystery #3) by John Maddox Roberts
Three Complete Novels: A, B, C by Sue Grafton
The Nursing Home Murders by Ngaio Marsh
Death and the Dancing Footman by Ngaio Marsh
Three at Wolfe's Door: A Nero Wolfe Threesome by Rex Stout
Death of a Doxy by Rex Stout

Library Loot is a weekly event co-hosted by Claire and Marg that encourages bloggers to share the books they’ve checked out from the library. If you’d like to participate, just write up your post-feel free to steal the button-and link it using the Mr. Linky any time during the week. And of course check out what other participants are getting from their libraries.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews


Posted in

The Armchair Stops Here

10:58 AM mixagrip


Well, another Armchair BEA has come to an end.  It was fantastic, as it was last time.  A huge thank you goes out to all of the organizers of this event!  All that time and effort really made those of us who didn't get to go to BEA feel like we were a part of something just as fun.  Here's what happened this week:

Day 1: Welcome to my blog - intro to me!
Day 2: Enter my giveaway for a signed ARC of Across the Universe by Beth Revis
Day 3: Read my interview with Laura of Tattooed Books
Day 4: My advice on how to win publishers and influence bloggers
Day 5: Blogging about blogging: the blog is not my life 

My favorite part of Armchair BEA was meeting and getting to know other bloggers.  I loved attempting to be a part of the twitter party (even though it was a bit overwhelming at times).  I loved hopping around different blogs to find new book friends and especially all their advice about blogging relationships and blogging tips.

It was awesome to watch Emily's videos of what it's like to be at BEA and to see all those cool photos.  And the giveaways!  I won't lie: those were amazing (though, I've got some serious inability to win, apparently).  So, obviously I'll be participating next year (and probably the next many years, since it will be a LONG time before I get the funds/time to make it to BEA).

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage


Posted in , ,

Book Review: Divergent by Veronica Roth

10:21 AM mixagrip

Divergent by Veronica Roth
Publisher: HarperCollins
Publication date: May 2011
ISBN: 9780062024022
Source: ARC sent by publishers

Divergent (Divergent Trilogy) 

Beatrice has spent her life in the Abnegation faction, where selflessness is the most prized attribute.  But, when she turns sixteen and gets to choose whether to stay with her family in Abnegation or go somewhere else, she decides to leave it behind, along with all the feelings of inadequacy for not being selfless enough.  Choosing Dauntless, however, ends up being a lot more difficult than she originally thought, as she must fight for her life every day.  Danger is lurking around every corner, and not just because of the deadly secret she's keeping.  She will have to face many threats from inside Dauntless and from outside it as well.

Things I Liked:
This was a fantastic story that sucked me in right from the beginning.  It definitely has the appeal that Hunger Games has, with the action-packed fast-paced story that has you flipping pages as fast as your fingers will allow and reading late into the night because you simply can't put it down.  I flew through this one, devouring the dystopian goodness and loving Beatrice/Tris for her conflicted feelings and her unique personality among the many around her.  She was most definitely not the perfect main character, but made bad choices and good, as well as struggled with issues many of us faced as teens and continue to face today.  Every page is stuffed with details of this interesting future world, not to mention all kinds of fighting for life and struggling to survive.  It's definitely another of my favorite dystopians of the year. 

Things I Didn't Like:
I did start to think it might be just a little bit over-the-top in its non-stop action.  I mean, pretty much every bad thing that could happen does.  But, most of the time, I was glued to the pages, unable to pry my eyeballs from the story, so this is a very minor quibble.  

Read-alikes:
Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
The Maze Runner and The Scorch Trials by James Dashner

BOOK CONTENT RATINGS:
s-factor: !
a few here and there

mrg-factor: X
some implied, nothing explicit

v-factor: ->->->
quite a bit, some disturbing

Overall rating: *****

Any other new dystopians that you've enjoyed recently?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage


Posted in , , , , ,

The Last Chronicle of Barset

8:47 AM Nikki

The Last Chronicle of Barset. Anthony Trollope. 1867.  928 pages. 

'I can never bring myself to believe it, John.' said Mary Walker, the pretty daughter of Mr. George Walker, attorney of Silverbridge. 

I love Anthony Trollope. I do. You know I do. So finishing The Last Chronicle of Barset was bittersweet for me. On the one hand, I loved it. It was such a great book. There are so many old friends to be found within it. So many characters that I've come to know and love through the first five books--The Warden, Barchester Towers, Doctor Thorne, Framley Parsonage. The Small House At Allington. And it was great to visit with them again. To reconnect with them. There were many new characters to love as well. So I loved it cover to cover. On the other hand, perhaps because it was so wonderful, it made it all the more difficult to say goodbye.

When Mr. Crawley, the curate of Hogglestock, is accused of stealing a cheque, everyone in Barsetshire begins to take sides. Some feel that he couldn't possibly have meant to steal the money, there has to be a valid excuse as to why his wife tried to spend another man's cheque to pay her bill. Others feel that he's guilty. What valid excuse could any man have for having another man's cheque in his possession? This Mr. Crawley may be a clergyman, but he also must be a thief. You might think that the church would stand by him. At least until he's been found guilty and punished by the courts. But the bishop and his wife, Mrs. Proudie, are his harshest critics. She is demanding (or should I say commanding) that he resign. She would call for his resignation because he looks guilty. Even if the courts were to clear him, I think she would want him gone. (Not that every clergyman agrees with the bishop and his wife. In fact, some lean more towards believing Crawley to be innocent because Mrs. Proudie is so sure of his guilt. And they wouldn't want to agree with her on any subject.)

Many people are upset by the Crawley's misfortune. Especially Grace Crawley, his beautiful daughter, and her suitor, Major Henry Grantley, the second son of Archdeacon Grantly. His father has been very firm in opposing this match. Yet Major Grantley can't turn his back on the woman he loves. And speak to her he must. If she'll agree to marry him, then he'll be truly happy. Of course, she is refusing to answer yes or no until her father's trial is over. If her father is found guilty, we're led to believe she would never ever consent to be his wife. (One of my favorite scenes in the entire novel is when Archdeacon Grantley goes to visit Grace Crawley. He approaches her full of anger and wrath, determined that he'll speak bluntly and forcefully with her. Yet by the end of the scene who has won the day?!) So I loved this romance, I did.

The other romance--of sorts--is Lily Dale and Johnny Eames, a non-couple we first met in Small House at Allington, he's still madly in love with his Lily. And she's still stubbornly refusing to even hear him speak of love and marriage. She will never, ever, ever, ever, ever marry. He's not convinced that his love is hopeless. And he's not alone in thinking that his romance is hopeless--there are so many supporters on his side, so many hoping that Lily will one day say yes. But who is more stubborn? Readers learn the answer to that in this final volume.

Of course, those are just some of the stories within The Last Chronicle of Barset. I wish I had some quotes to share. But I've probably marked over a hundred pages--and I couldn't begin to pick and choose from that many. But trust me. Trollope is Trollope and his writing is wonderful like always!

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews


Posted in , , , ,

The Miles Between (YA)

8:04 AM Nikki

The Miles Between. Mary E. Pearson. 2009. Henry Holt. 272 pages. 

I was seven the first time I was sent away. This raised eyebrows, even among by parent's globe-trotting friends, and I was brought back home in short order. Rumors are embarrassing, you know? A nanny was employed, but that only partially solved their problem. I was still in the house. I was seen and heard. When I turned eight years old, it seemed reasonable enough to send me off again. And they did. They never kept me at any one place for long. 

Des (Destiny) Faraday, our narrator, doesn't have many friends. Then again, she doesn't want any friends. Readers meet her on October 19th, a day that Des has come to dread year after year, though readers aren't quite sure why. Wanting to take control of her life, Des rips the page right off her calendar. Things seem to be off on a shaky start. Until she meets a stranger. Until she asks for one fair day in the universe. Until she finds a car with a running engine. Until she finds three companions that need escape from Hedgebrook Academy--a boarding school--just as much as she does. Can one day of freedom on the road change lives? Perhaps.

I enjoyed The Miles Between. It was emotional--very emotional in places. Though the novel only covers one day, there is so much growth and development. Destiny is changed by this day--and it's a wonderful thing to see. And the writing is lovely. I would compare it to Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta, but I think The Miles Between is an easier read, a less-intimidating read.

There are so many different ways of being good. It's all about perspective. (35)

The world before us is a postcard, and I imagine the story we are writing on it. (45)

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews


Posted in , , , , ,

Peony

6:43 AM Nikki

Peony. Pearl S. Buck. 1948/2006. Moyer Bell. 352 pages.

It was spring in the city of K'aifeng, a late spring in the northern Chinese province of Honan. Behind the high city walls the peach trees, planted in courtyards, bloomed earlier than they did upon the farms spreading over the level plains around the moat. Yet even in such shelter the peach blossoms were still only rosy buds at Passover.

Is it possible to be fascinated by a book that you don't quite like? I think so for I found Peony by Pearl S. Buck to be completely fascinating and compelling and yet not quite to my liking. Narrated by a bondmaid, Peony, readers learn about a Jewish community living within the Chinese city of K'aifeng in the early 19th century. Peony, a Chinese servant who was "bought" as a young child to be a companion to the couple's young son, David, a woman who comes to fall in love with him. It is an all-consuming, sometimes quite manipulative love, a forbidden love, but a forever kind of love nonetheless.

Ezra and Madame Ezra could never accept this servant as a daughter-in-law. But both are fond of her in their own way. As for David, he couldn't imagine life without Peony nearby. He promises that as long as he lives, she'll always always have a place in his home. But does he love her? At the beginning? Not really. Does he even know what love is?!

It is Madame Ezra's greatest desire for her son, David, to marry Leah, the daughter of the rabbi. It is her greatest desire that her son will come to embrace the Jewish faith, study under the rabbi, and maybe just maybe take his place since the rabbi's son, Aaron, is no good. She even invites Leah to live with them in their home. Hoping that Leah will be able to persuade David that he is more Jewish than Chinese. (David's father, Ezra, had a Chinese mother and a Jewish father.)

But. David is more like his father, Ezra, than his mother. David tries to learn about Judaism from the rabbi. He reads what he is supposed to read. He studies what he is supposed to study. But he has a hard time believing that God is real, that his people are chosen, that a wrathful God--a jealous God--could be a good God, a holy God, a just God. Instead, David comes to believe that religions are mostly the same--all man-made and essentially nonsense. He's closer to "accepting" the teachings of Confucius than the teachings of the Torah. He brings the rabbi to despair and breaks his mother's heart--for a time at least.

So his mother is pushing him to marry Leah. And Peony is pushing him to marry a pretty (but mindless) Chinese girl, Kueilan. For she believes that she could get along better with her than Leah. That if he chooses Leah--and the faith--that she'll be pushed out of his life. She even goes so far as to write both sides of their love letters! Peony has flaws--plenty of flaws! And it wasn't easy for me to stay on good terms with her.  

So Peony chronicles the lives of this Jewish family. It examines the tension between being Jewish and being Chinese. It examines how living in China for several centuries--at least--has had an impact on their faith, their culture, their teachings. It explores the decay of this community. How almost each generation weakens the faith, weakens the community. Each generation coming to compromise more and more of their faith.

So I liked elements of this one. I found the story itself to be fascinating. The novel covers several decades--at least--of this Jewish community from the point of view of one prominent family. And the afterword by Wendy R. Abraham was equally fascinating. I learned how much was fact, how much was fiction. How Pearl Buck played with the chronology a bit, but was true enough in some ways to do this community justice. But. I can't say that I "liked" the characters themselves--David and Peony especially. I found my heart breaking--along with his mother's heart--when David rejected faith in the one true God. I found it sad--very sad--to see the decay of the faith. How when the rabbi died there was no one within the community to take his place, there was no one left to carry on his work, his teachings. And Peony? Well. I found her to be selfish and manipulative and deceitful. So I liked some things; didn't like other things.

I did find it to be well-written. I think I liked this one more than the Good Earth trilogy, but I still think Kinfolk is my favorite.

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews


Posted in , , , , ,

A House Divided

6:22 PM Nikki

A House Divided. Pearl S. Buck. 1935/2006. Moyer Bell. 348 pages.  

In this way Wang Yuan, son of Wang the Tiger, entered for the first time in his life the earthen house of his grandfather, Wang Lung.

The third book in Pearl S. Buck's The Good Earth trilogy. (The first two books are The Good Earth and Sons.) Is A House Divided the best of the three? Perhaps if you prefer books where characters actually have names (and some character development).

At the end of Sons, Wang Yuan had returned home to face his father. He'd been sent away to school--to learn how to become a soldier--and now he's returned. In Sons, I didn't quite grasp why he had come home. I knew he was angry--very angry. And I knew his father was shocked--very shocked--by his son's new beliefs, new philosophies. But I didn't know at the time exactly WHAT that meant for them both.

Within a few paragraphs of A House Divided, however, it all became clear. When Yuan came home it was because if he stayed at the school, if he stayed in this new army, this new revolution, it would just be a matter of time before he'd be marching against his father and his father's way of life--against the scattered war lords that dominated the country. And so when it came down to it--he chose his father. Not because he agreed with his father. Not because he wanted to step into his father's place. No, he still rejects almost everything his father stands for. But he's choosing to remove himself from both extremes, he's choosing not to do battle or choose sides at all.

So Yuan cannot--or should I say will not--stay in his father's home. So where can Yuan go? Well, after a very brief stay in his grandfather's hut in the country--Wang Lung--he decides to go to the city to see his half-sister, Ai-lan, and his stepmother. (Is stepmother the right word? His father had two wives. One wife chosen by Wang the Merchant, one wife chosen by Wang the Landlord. I believe he calls her mother but she's not his biological mother.) He remains with them--in the city--for quite a while! In the city, he goes to school--not to learn the art of war, of soldiering--but to pursue his own interests. And he has many interests. He wants to know everything, to learn everything. He wants more, more, more. Part of him is interested in beauty and nature and poetry. And another part of him is interested in agriculture, in farming. He wants to know THE BEST way to work the land. There is a part of him that would love to return to the land and be a farmer, an educated farmer, a farmer who can read and write and philosophize, but a farmer nonetheless. But his life with his half-sister and two cousins Meng and Sheng, leads him into a little trouble. For new ideas abound in the city. And some of these ideas are a little dangerous. There comes a time when his new home is no longer safe...

So Yuan goes to the United States. What will he learn there? Will he be happy? Will he be miserable? Will he hate himself for loving it? Or love himself for hating it? When he returns--how will he see his country? Will he be able to find a place to really belong in China? Will Yuan ever stop over-thinking everything in his life?  

Wang Yuan is SO different from his father, Wang the Tiger. And it was nice to see that change, that contrast. But Yuan's periods of self-doubt and self-loathing--which we see cover to cover--became tiresome. I'm not saying that he wasn't believable as a character, that he wasn't developed enough. It's just that it kept me from liking him as much as I'd hoped at the start. The first third of the book, I thought, held great promise. I was liking Yuan--pleasantly surprised that I was liking him since I hadn't really "liked" Wang Lung or Wang the Tiger--but in the end I didn't really grow to love him.

However, I can say that while I didn't *love* him as a character, I can see how Yuan's inner turmoil matches that of China, that of his generation, those torn between loyalties to the older generation and these new ideas of revolution and freedom. Yuan is not alone in his angst. 

Yuan on his "father's love."

He has never loved me all his life long! He thinks he loves me and that he holds me the only dear thing he has, and yet never once has he asked me what I really want to do, or if he did, it was to refuse me if what I aid was not his wish, so that I always must take thought to say what he wanted and I have had no freedom! (5)

Yuan on why he can't be a soldier:

I cannot kill--I am not brave, I know. The truth is I cannot hate wholly enough to kill a man. I always know how he feels, too. (44)

Yuan on the poor:

At this time of his life Yuan loved pleasure, and he was unwilling to see the poor, and yet he was so shaped within that he saw them all even while he wished he did not. (68)

Yuan on having sons of his own:

Yes, one day he would have sons. But those sons--they should be free--free of any shaping from him who was their father! They should not be made for soldiers, nor shaped for any destiny, nor bound to any family cause. (266)

© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews


Posted in , , , ,

Armchair BEA: Blogging is NOT My Life

8:52 AM mixagrip


Today's Armchair BEA topic is blogging tips and I really only have one or two thoughts on this.  Go to the Armchair BEA site for more extensive advice :)

I "attended" the twitter party last night and boy was it crazy!  One thing I noticed being RTed over and over was something @BookaliciousPam said (and of course I can't find it now).  Essentially, book bloggers sometimes feel like they HAVE to post.  But we don't.  If you don't want to or don't feel like it, don't!!  It's much easier (for me) to say than to follow through.  I hate missing more than a day or two, but sometimes you just gotta take a break.  And honestly, this is the best and only piece of advice I have for finding balance in life and blogging: to remember that blogging really isn't my life.  Even though it feels like it sometimes :)


I would like to talk about what memes and blogging events you think are the best.  The only one I regularly do is Tween Tuesday from GreenBeanTeenQueen and I plan to continue that.  I like having a chance to focus on non-YA books for a change.  Also, I like Retro Friday Reviews from Angieville, though I've been anything but consistent.  I think having events/memes that focus on stuff I don't regularly review or talk about is good for me.  It helps keep the content fresh and interesting.  For the most part, I've kind of done my own events like Listless Monday, I Actually NEED It, Name that Book, Double Features, Cover Sillies, and Libraries Around the World.  

Are there events out there that you think I should totally be participating in?  What are your favorites?

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage


Posted in , ,

Black Blade Blues

7:00 AM Nikki

Sarah Beuhall is pretty sure she needs therapy. Her personal demons of doubt and self-identity keep her from being happy with her life, even though at first it appears to be going well. She's got a job she loves (blacksmithing; props for a local B movie director), beautiful girlfriend who loves her (Katie), and a chosen family in her Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA) reenactor friends--so why does everything still seem to go wrong?

But none of those problems are nearly as bad as the ones that revolve around her ownership of a black-bladed sword: these more immediate problems involve dwarves, Old Norse gods, and dragons. BLACK BLADE BLUES (no, I can't believe he named it that, either) by J.A. Pitts is your typical urban fantasy novel with some gettin-together by the main characters, the heroine learning that magic really exists, and swords--don't forget the swords.

The story takes places in modern-day Seattle, and even though Sarah likes fighting in skirmishes at the occasional Ren Fair, she's never believed that magic really exists. That is, until a movie extra claims he's a dwarf and that the black-bladed sword Sarah bought at an auction is magic. Then everything changes.

BLACK BLADE BLUES starts off slow. This is an urban fantasy novel, and UF is generally shorter, so a writer can't dilly dally with set-up and has got to start out at a dead run. He doesn't. Pitts probably thinks that the short chapters would solve the pace problems and choppy flow. They don't. Neither can they successfully hide awkward progression. You don't even really know what the "story" is until well past page 100.

Sarah is the first-person PoV, but we occasionally see third-person via Katie, or a dragon (in human form) and a witch who consider the Northwest their territory, the people in it as chattel. Sometimes these switches help to advance plot and they're often more interesting than Sarah's part of the story; Katie's PoV scenes are used to advance the romance. However, it's Sarah's voice that will hook readers long before the plot, or before even liking her as a protagonist: it's full of attitude, sarcasm, and opinions. But readers will have a hard time liking Sarah since she spends so much time questioning Katie's attraction to her, she's got a dismal self body image, and she ruminates on an unpleasant childhood with a religious nut father--all of this was ham-handed and gloomy. On the plus side, while the F/F protagonist's relationship is an important part of the story, it doesn't feel like it's there for diversity's sake, and was for the most part believable.

Pitts' prose does get cliché. The conversations are vapid. The storytelling style is engaging and easy enough to read, but the action scenes nothing to get too excited about. The climax is a SCAdian dream come true, and becomes over-the-top with trolls, dragons, and witches fighting reenactors on their horses and using homemade swords and mail. If you're looking for nerdy fun, then great, this is for you. Personally I thought it was a little silly.

What we end up with is a mixed bag, and a result I'm not really certain who the target audience is. Lesbian blacksmith protagonist who's uncomfortable with her sexual orientation, and becomes an important player in the fight against evil. Dragons and witches vying for control over humans, but we don't really understand why or how. SCAdian reenactors who on the outside seem really cool, but not much time is spent in that world other than the convenience of Sarah having friends who can call up an army to fight trolls. So, yeah, I'm going to have to say skip this one.

Recommended Age: 16+
Language: An infrequent smattering of various profanity and crude slang
Violence: Yes, the climax chapters get brutal, but the action could have been better done
Sex: Lots of innuendo, references same-sex encounters with some detail; however, there are no graphic 'on screen' scenes


Posted in , ,

Armchair BEA: How to Win Publishers and Influence Bloggers

6:21 AM mixagrip


Ok, right from the start, let's just say I'm the one in need of advice about blogger/author/publisher relationships. I'll be reading everyone else's relationship posts religiously for some tips.  Mind you, I have some contacts with publishers, publicists, and authors, but I'm definitely not a model for others to emulate.  So, with that oversized grain of salt, here's my two cents:

1. Remain courteous no matter what.  Seriously, imagine being face to face with them, would you say nasty things?  No.  If someone is making you angry, cool off before you shoot them an email (or twitter/other social network something nasty).  Personally, I've never been that angry, since they are all really nice, even when I give them a not-so-amazing review.  

2. When receiving a review request from an author, think carefully about the book.  If it's an author that is tried and true good for you, then you can probably accept a request without worrying.  For those you know less about or if a book doesn't sound like something you would like, don't feel bad declining.  I think sometimes they'd rather have you decline than accept and hate it.  And believe me, it's hard to send a not-so-glowing review of a book to the author.  I've done it.  It stinks.

3. Don't be afraid to send out requests for books you're interested in!  Maybe this only applies to a small minority like me, but I was absolutely terrified to send requests to publishers.  I've only done it a few times, but every time they politely responded or simply sent the book without a response.  Either way, there was no pain involved.  Give it a try.

4. On the other hand, don't overdo it.  Don't request too many books, especially all at once, especially if you are very new at blogging.  I've heard this over and over from much smarter bloggers and it rings true to me too.  I didn't send a request until I'd been blogging for at least 2 years.  Not that you have to be like me, but wait a few months at least.  And don't forget to send them info about your blog, your stats, and your mailing address.

Other Book Bloggers:
Again, I'm not very good at blogger relationships, but here's my experience.  You can make fantastic personal connections online, but meeting bloggers in person definitely solidifies friendships.  I was so lucky to meet up with bloggers in Utah (see all these Utah Book Blogger Social posts) and I joined Suey's excellent book club as a result as well.  I made some of my best book-y friendships during those socials, so I highly recommend trying it out.  Now I just gotta find me some Arizona blogging friends...

Some of the Real-life Book Blogging Friends
Suey of It's All About Books
Natasha of Maw Books
Jessica of The Bluestocking Society
Kim of Good Clean Reads
Jenny of Alternate Readality
Emily of Emily's Reading Room 
Britt of Confessions of a Book Habitue
Julie of A Small Accomplishment

Meeting other bloggers is one thing that really makes missing BEA and ALA events suck.  Still, relationships can (and do) flourish virtually.  I'm open to receiving your advice about that, cause it's definitely something I could work on.

If you buy through my Amazon linkage, I will get a very small percentage


Posted in , ,

The Virginian

8:05 AM Nikki

The Virginian. Owen Wister. 1902. Penguin Classics. 370 pages.

Some notable sight was drawing the passengers, both men and women, to the window; and therefore I rose and crossed the car to see what it was. I saw near the track an enclosure, and round it some laughing men, and inside it some whirling dust, and amid the dust some horses, plunging, huddling, and dodging. They were cow ponies in a corral, and one of them would not be caught, no matter who threw the rope.

I do not read many westerns. (If I remember correctly, this is only my second or third western. Depending on if you count These is My Words by Nancy E. Turner. My first western was Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey.) In fact, I have always believed myself to be completely allergic to the genre. Me? Like a western?! Really?! Well, I did more than like this one. I loved it. I maybe even loved, loved, loved it. While I'm not sure that I can echo what Dolce Bellezza said in her review: "It will definitely be in my top ten list for the year, and quite possibly for my life." I definitely agree that it is worth reading. I was very happy to be so surprised!

The Virginian is a collection of interconnected stories. Some are more "connected" than others. Some of the stories are told through a first person account, a first person narrator, whom we come to know simply as Tenderfoot or The Tenderfoot. He's an Eastern man that has come west to Wyoming territory. And The Virginian, our real hero, is his protector as this newbie is learning his way.
When Judge Henry ascertained that nothing could prevent me from losing myself, that it was not uncommon for me to saunter out after breakfast with a gun and in thirty minutes cease to know north from south, he arranged for my protection. He detailed an escort for me; and the escort was once more the trustworthy man! The poor Virginian was taken from his work and his comrades and set to playing nurse for me. And for a while this humiliation ate into his untamed soul. It was his lugubrious lost to accompany me in my rambles, preside over my blunders, and save me from calamitously passing into the next world. He bore it in courteous silence, except when speaking was necessary. He would show me the lower ford, which I could never find for myself, generally mistaking a quicksand for it. He would tie my horse properly. He would recommend me not to shoot my rifle at a white-tailed deer in the particular moment that the outfit wagon was passing behind the animal on the further side of the brush. There was seldom a day that he was not obliged to hasten and save me from sudden death or from ridicule, which is worse. Yet never once did he lose his patience; and his gentle, slow voice, and apparently lazy manner remained the same, whether we were sitting at lunch together, or up in the mountains during a hunt, or whether he was bringing me back my horse, which had run away again because I had again forgotten to throw the reins over his head and let them trail. (45)
But other stories are told in third person. Through a series of adventures, we get to know The Virginian; we get to know the people close to The Virginian. The men he works with and respects. The men he works with and doesn't respect. His friends. His enemies. My favorite of these may just be the woman, the "school teacher spinster" whom he falls in love with, Miss Molly Wood. 

 I found myself enjoying not just the characters, not just the stories, but the writing style itself. After the clumsiness of Zane Grey (at least in Riders of the Purple Sage) I was happy to see a western written by someone who could really write. There was just something about this one that worked for me. It was dramatic. It was suspenseful. It was humorous. It was emotional. It was romantic--in places. Some of my favorite scenes were the ones between The Virginian and Miss Molly Wood. I loved their courtship. How steady he was, how stubborn she was. How he took the time to read *most* of the books she loaned him. How he was fond of a good book--Shakespeare especially. But how he really didn't get why she loved Jane Austen so much! I liked their conversations on the books he read. I liked his conversations with her in general.

But The Virginian isn't just a romance. I mean there is a happily ever after at the end. But in between all the courting scenes--and there are really only a handful--The Virginian is busy working and riding and managing the Judge's ranch--he's foreman--and generally seeing that justice is done. (Because there are cattle thieves about!) So there is plenty of action and adventure and humor. There's plenty of good fun in this one. But it's not without its darker moments, its life-and-death moments.

Favorite quotes:

The Virginian was grave in bearing and of infrequent speech; but he kept a song going--a matter of some seventy-nine verses. Seventy-eight were quite unprintable, and rejoiced his brother cow-punchers monstrously. (62)

No one of her admirers had ever been like this creature. The fringed leathern chaperreros, the cartridge belt, the flannel shirt, the knotted scarf at the neck, these things were now an old story to her. Since her arrival she had seen young men and old in plenty dressed thus. But worn by the man now standing by her door, they seemed to radiate romance. (83)

Molly Wood was regarding him saucily. "I don't think I like you," said she.
"That's all square enough. You're goin' to love me before we get through. I wish yu'd come a-ridin', ma'am."
"Dear, dear, dear! So I'm going to love you? How will you do it? I know men think that they only need to sit and look strong and make chests at a girl--"
"Goodness gracious! I ain't makin' any chests at yu'!" Laughter overcame him for a moment, and Miss Wood liked his laugh very much. "Please come a-ridin," he urged. "It's the prettiest kind of a day."
She looked at him frankly, and there was a pause. "I will take back two things that I said to you," she then answered him. "I believe that I do like you. And I know that if I went riding with you, I should not have an immature protector." (85)

"And now I'll not see you for quite a while. I am going a long way. But I'll be very busy. And bein' busy always keeps me from grievin' too much about you."
Strange is woman! She would rather have heard some other last remark than this.
"Oh, very well!" she said. "I'll not miss you either."
He smiled at her. "I doubt if yu' can help missin' me," he remarked. And he was gone at once, galloping on his Monte horse. Which of the two won a victory this day? (94)

If words were meant to conceal our thoughts, melody is perhaps still thicker veil for them. (142)




© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews


Posted in , , , ,
Twitter Delicious Facebook Digg Favorites More
RSS FeedSubscribe to our RSS feed!
Follow me on Twitter!Follow me on Twitter!