Bogormen

A Celtic Witch - Debora Geary

Thu, 23 May 2013 08:22:54 GMT

Title: A Celtic Witch (A Modern Witch #6)
Author: Debora Geary
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 247
Date read: May 2013

Cassidy Farrell is a world-class Celtic fiddler. And if she has her way, that's exactly who she'll stay.

Except that's not what the rocks have in mind. Or a certain fetching spell. Or the truth working its way free in her own heart.

Can the music, and perhaps a certain grumpy curmudgeon and his baby girl, help Cass find her life's new song?

The second-to-last book in the series :) The last one will be out in June.

This one was strangely slow to start compared to some of the others, but once it did, it took off with a vengeance. Not much page-time for the Californian witches in this one, which was a shame, but on the other hand I appreciated all the page time that Marcus got. Such a sweet story :)

A Different Witch - Debora Geary

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:39:31 GMT

Title: A Different Witch (A Modern Witch #5)
Author: Debora Geary
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 260
Date read: May, 2013

Twenty months ago, Jamie and Lauren crashed a coven meeting in Chicago - a visit they barely remember. For Beth Landler, it was the moment that fractured her circle and awakened her need for an entirely different kind of magic.

The kind only found in Witch Central. If she can dig up the courage to go.

A fetched witch who doesn't immediately love the Witch Central? Gasp! How is that even possible?! But it made for an interesting twist, and I can well imagine how somebody with aspergers could feel more than a little overwhelmed by the hustle and bustle of the Sullivan-Walker circus :) I thought Debora Geary handled it well, and I actually really appreciated that we got to see Beth again. I hadn't stopped to wonder what became of her since the first book, but I really should have.

And as always - love the kids :D

Perfume - Patrick Süskind

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:45:31 GMT

Title: Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
Author: Patrick Süskind
Genre: Historical Fiction
Rating: 2.5/5
# pages: Audiobook ~9hrs
Date read: May, 2013

In the slums of eighteenth-century France, the infant Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is born with one sublime gift - an absolute sense of smell. As a boy, he lives to decipher the odors of Paris, and apprentices himself to a prominent perfumer who teaches him the ancient art of mixing precious oils and herbs. But Grenouille's genius is such that he is not satisfied to stop there, and he becomes obsessed with capturing the smells of objects such as brass doorknobs and frest-cut wood. Then one day he catches a hint of a scent that will drive him on an ever-more-terrifying quest to create the "ultimate perfume" - the scent of a beautiful young virgin.

I'm having a really hard time figuring out how to review this. The plot was very weird, and the main character - though fascinating - was so entirely unsympathetic that I didn't even mind that he died at the end.

Apparently this has been turned into a movie? I can't even begin to imagine what that would be like!

A Nomadic Witch - Debora Geary

Mon, 13 May 2013 09:27:43 GMT

Title: A Nomadic Witch (A Modern Witch #4)
Author: Debora Geary
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 263
Date read: May, 2013

Spring brings a traveler to Nova Scotia - a tiny babe who will turn Marcus's life upside down and reincarnate the horrifying events of his past.

Can Marcus find his way through the pain to love and healing? And can the witching community finally learn to keep their astral travelers safe?

We're back in Nova Scotia, and this time it's Marcus, rather than a "fetched" witch, who is the main character of the book.

Unlike the other books in the series, I wouldn't really call this a feel-good book. It's still a great read, but absolutely heart-wrenching in places. I commend Debora Geary though. She could easily have taken the easy way out with some of her choices, but she stuck to the hard truth, which I think strengthened the story.

It did make me sit and sob into my Kindle at times though.

But a terrific read nonetheless. I'll definitely be purchasing the later books in the series as well as some of the "inbetween" ones.

A Reckless Witch - Debora Geary

Mon, 13 May 2013 09:27:09 GMT

Title: A Reckless Witch (A Modern Witch #3)
Author: Debora Geary
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 304
Date read: May, 2013

As a child, Sierra Brighton traveled the world. She swam with the baby whales, danced in storm funnels, and lived in complete magical freedom. And then Momma died and Sierra ended up in foster care, an unhappy and very secret witch.

Fetched by Nell's spell, she'll no longer need to do magic on lonely beaches - but can Sierra learn to use her power safely? Or will her reckless blood put Witch Central at risk?

I'm seriously in love with this series :) For this one we're back in California, and I think I might like that setting a tiny bit more - although with Net-travelling it hardly makes much of a difference any longer.

Sierra is such a sweet witch, and the love the others show her - not to mention their easy way of immediately adopting her, just when she needed it the most - brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion. I especially loved Devin and wish we could have seen more of his and Lauren's relationship.

Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!

Mon, 13 May 2013 08:57:25 GMT

Title: Welcome to the World, Baby Girl!
Author: Fannie Flagg
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3.5
# pages: 467
Date read: May, 2013

Once again, Flagg's humor and respect and affection for her characters shine forth. Many inhabit small-town or suburban America. But this time, her heroine is urban: a brainy, beautiful, and ambitious rising star of 1970s television. Dena Nordstrom, pride of the network, is a woman whose future is full of promise, her present rich with complications, and her past marked by mystery.

It took me a lot longer to finish this than the book in any way deserved. This was partly me getting sidetracked by other books and projects, partly the fact that it took until the last 150-200 pages for me to fully connect with Dena. I didn't like her much at first, but realize in hindsight (always 20/20 of course ;) ) that I probably wasn't really supposed to. She grew on me though, and I liked the way all the ends were tied up nicely.

But reading about how people of colour were treated as recently as 50 years ago always gets my blood boiling :(

A Hidden Witch - Debora Geary

Tue, 07 May 2013 09:33:54 GMT

Title: A Hidden Witch (A Modern Witch #2)
Author: Debora Geary
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 300
Date read: May, 2013

Elorie Shaw, steeped in the traditions of the Nova Scotia witching community, but not a witch. The fetching spell must have goofed this time... or did it? Travel to Fisher's Cove, Nova Scotia, where Moira is matriarch and the old ways are nurtured and passed to the next generation. Where a crotchety old witch makes small children cry and builds walls around the silent pain in his heart. And where Elorie - sea-glass artist, inn owner, and Moira's granddaughter - makes her home. The old magics are strong here. Which is all fine and good until the fetching spell pulls Elorie into Witches' Chat. Because she's not a witch. Or at least not any kind of witch the old ways recognize...

Not quite as good as "A Modern Witch". Probably in part because now I knew what quality of book to expect, and in part because I wasn't quite as smitten by Elorie as I was by Lauren.

Still a delightful book though, and I read it in one day. It's lovely to read a book where people are just genuinely nice towards one another. There's no major conflict, no big climax - just a cozy feeling of getting to know a particular group of people. Some people may miss the presence of an actual plot, but I love it :)

A Modern Witch - Debora Geary

Sat, 04 May 2013 20:37:13 GMT

Title: A Modern Witch (A Modern Witch #1)
Author: Debora Geary
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
# pages: 299
Date read: May, 2013

Can you live 28 years without discovering you're a witch?

Lauren is downtown Chicago's youngest elite realtor. She's also a witch. She must be - the fetching spell for Witches' Chat isn't supposed to make mistakes. So says the woman who coded the spell, at least.

The tall, dark, and handsome guy sent to assess her is a witch too (and no, that doesn't end the way you might think). What he finds in Lauren will change lives, mess with a perfectly good career, and require lots of ice cream therapy.

This book had me hooked already on page two, when I discovered that at least some witches in this universe wrote witching spells using computer code! As an IT consultant myself, this was something that immediately appealed to me and I fell instantly in love.

Fortunately the rest of the book more than lived up to my expectations. Granted, it doesn't have the most complex or innovative plot, but it's just a genuinely pleasant book. I loved the characters, and their antics had me laughing out loud so often that my husband started wondering what was up. I fell in love over and over with each new situation, and found myself tearing up from their happiness more than once.

This is a true comfort book, and I have a hard time remembering when I've last fallen THIS hard for a new book. It's an instant favourite.

Fried Green Tomatoes - Fannie Flagg

Wed, 01 May 2013 13:08:19 GMT

Title: Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
Author: Fanny Flagg
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 416
Date read: May, 2013

It's first the story of two women in the 1980s, of gray-headed Mrs. Threadgoode telling her life story to Evelyn, who is in the sad slump of middle age. The tale she tells is also of two women -- of the irrepressibly daredevilish tomboy Idgie and her friend Ruth, who back in the thirties ran a little place in Whistle Stop, Alabama, a Southern kind of Cafe Wobegon offering good barbecue and good coffee and all kinds of love and laughter, even an occasional murder.

Very cozy book, even though the writing style did take some getting used to. But it's actually one of the odd books where I'd say the book and the movie are equally good - or perhaps that's just because I knew the movie too well before reading the book.

It's not a page-turner - evidenced by the length of time it took me to finish it - but just a nice, comfortable read.

School Spirits - Rachel Hawkins

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:32:45 GMT

Title: School Spirits
Author: Rachel Hawkins
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 304
Date read: April, 2013

Izzy and her mother are Brannicks. Trained to fight mosters from a very young age. It's all Izzy has ever known, but after her sister mysteriously disappears during a job, her mother decides it's time for them to take a break. Fortunately rumours of a haunting at a small high school have surfaced, so for the first time in her life Izzy will be pretending to be an "ordinary" teenager - which turns out to be more difficult than it sounds when you have absolutely no frame of reference.

Fortunately for Izzy, the high school Paranormal Mystery Society (PMS) is ready to welcome her with open arms, but keeping her distance and remembering that "it's just a job" turns out to be harder than Izzy expected when faced with friends like Romy, Anderson and especially Dex.

Turns out the haunting is very real - and more sinister than Izzy originally had thought. The ghost is able to do things no regular ghost should be able to... which means that there's a hedge witch involved somewhere.

This spinoff series to Hex Hall is off to a good start. I was hesitant at first, because I wasn't sure Rachel Hawkins could make it work, but she proved me wrong, and provided a delightfully engaging read. I really liked the members of PMS and how it was obvious that they weren't friends just because they were all considered freaks and had no one else to turn to, but because they genuinely liked each other, and liked Izzy. I thought there was a good balance between Izzy's monster-hunting antics and her relationship with her new friends, but I would have liked to see more interaction with her mother. Hopefully that'll come in the sequel :)

Running Out of Time - Margaret Peterson Haddix

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:32:07 GMT

Title: Running Out of Time
Author: Margaret Peterson Haddix
Genre: YA
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 192
Date read: April, 2013

Jessie lives with her family in the frontier village of Clifton, Indiana, in 1840 -- or so she believes. When diphtheria strikes the village and the children of Clifton start dying, Jessie's mother reveals a shocking secret -- it's actually 1996, and they are living in a reconstructed village that serves as a tourist site. In the world outside, medicine exists that can cure the dread disease, and Jessie's mother is sending her on a dangerous mission to bring back help.

But beyond the walls of Clifton, Jessie discovers a world even more alien and threatening than she could have imagined, and soon she finds her own life in jeopardy. Can she get help before the children of Clifton, and Jessie herself, run out of time?

Really fascinating and creepy story. I'd had it recommended to me as "that book it seems like M. Night stole his idea for The Village from", and I can definitely see why! It kept me hooked till the very last page.

The perfect read for Dewey's Read-A-Thon.

Debt of Bones - Terry Goodkind

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:31:31 GMT

Title: Debt of Bones (Sword of Truth Prequel)
Author: Terry Goodkind
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 116
Date read: April, 2013

Abby's struggling to win the aid of the wizard Zedd Zorander, the most important man alive. Abby is trapped, not only between both sides of the war, but in a mortal conflict between two powerful men. For Zedd, who commands power most men can only imagine, granting Abby's request would mean forsaking his sacred duty. With the storm of the final battle about to break, both Abby and Zedd are caught in a desperate fight to save the life of a child... but neither can escape the shadow of an ancient betrayal. With time running out, their only choice may be a debt of bones. The world - for Zedd, for Abby, for everyone - will never again be the same.

More a novella than a novel in its own right, and it won't make much sense unless you are familiar with the Sword of Truth universe - at least the first book anyway.

That said, to one very familiar with the Sword of Truth universe, it was a fun insight into Zedd's life before the events of Wizard's First Rule. It was a quick and easy read, but I'd recommend it only to people who want to "know more about Zedd" as the plot itself was nothing special.

Close My Eyes - Sophie McKenzie

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 08:06:43 GMT

Title: Close My Eyes
Author: Sophie McKenzie
Genre: Suspense
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 400
Date read: April, 2013

It's been eight years since Gen Loxley lost her daughter, Beth: eight years of grief in which nothing's really moved forward, for all that her husband, Art, wills it to. Gen, once a writer of novels, has settled in to a life of half-hearted teaching, while Art makes his name and their fortune - and pressures her into trying IVF once again. For Gen, it seems a cruel act of replacement; life without Beth is unthinkable, unbearable - but still it goes on. And then a woman arrives on Gen's doorstep, saying the very thing she longs to hear: that her daughter was not stillborn, but was spirited away as a healthy child, and is out there, waiting to be found...So why is Art reluctant to get involved? To save his wife from further hurt? Or something much more sinister? What is the truth about Beth Loxley?

Very unputdownable, and if it hadn't been for the epilogue I might even have given it a fifth star, but I didn't care for the epilogue at all, and it kinda ruined the rest of the book for me.

But ignoring the epilogue this is the psychological thriller genre when it's best. A woman knowing something is wrong, but being made to question herself and even her own sanity by everybody around her as she tries to figure out what is wrong. For a time I worried whether Sophie McKenzie could work out a decent ending, but she actually managed quite nicely on that account.

There were parts I didn't find completely realistic, but fortunately it was more a vague unease than actually asking me to suspend my disbelief altogether. I still don't really see something like this happening IRL though.

A thrilling book. I just wish she hadn't added (or I hadn't read) the last 2 pages.

The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books - Walter Moers

Sun, 14 Apr 2013 17:03:39 GMT

Title: The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books (Zamonien #6)
Author: Walter Moers
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 430
Date read: April, 2013

Over two hundred years ago Bookholm, the City of Dreaming Books, was destroyed by a catastrophic firestorm. Optimus Yarnspinner, who witnessed this disaster, has since become Zamonia's greatest writer and is resting on his laurels at Lindworm Castle. Spoilt by his monumental success and basking in adulation, he one day receives a disturbing message that finally reinvests his life with meaning: a cryptic missive that lures him back to Bookholm.

Yarnspinner has scarcely set foot in the city before he falls prey to its spirit of adventure. He is reunited with old friends like Inazia Anazazi the Uggly and Ahmed ben Kibitzer the Nocturnomath, but he also encounters the city's new marvels, which include the mysterious Biblionauts, the warring Puppetists, and the city's latest craze, the Invisible Theatre.

Yarnspinner strays ever deeper into the Labyrinth of Dreaming Books, which seems to wield a strange power over Bookholm's destinies. He is eventually drawn into an irresistible maelstrom of events far more sensational than any of the adventures he has previously embarked upon.

I'll tell you straight away what I wish I had known before starting this book: This is not a complete story! Instead it is the first volume in what currently looks to be a 2-volume clunkster.

Had I known that I think I would have enjoyed The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books a lot more than I did, but I spent most of the book wondering when on earth the action would actually start. As such it is obviously not nearly as good as any of the other Walter Moers books I have read, but considering just how much I loved them, I'm willing to give him a chance to redeem himself in the second volume. Had it been almost anybody else I would probably have been too annoyed with him for pulling such a stunt.

It still had spots of brilliance, but as a whole, it simply just couldn't live up to neither my expectations nor his other novels.

Heaven to Betsy - Maud Hart Lovelace

Sat, 13 Apr 2013 10:35:41 GMT

Title: Heaven to Betsy, Betsy in Spite of Herself
Author: Maud Hart Lovelace
Genre: Classic, YA
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 704 (337 + 367)
Date read: April, 2013

Heaven to Betsy
Betsy Ray is loving every minute of freshman year at Deep Valley High-with new and old friends all around her...not to mention boys! But most intriguing of all is the one she and her best friend, Tacy, dub "the Tall Dark Stranger."

Took me forever to read this. It wasn't bad, but just never completely caught my attention so I'd only read a chapter here and a chapter there. Finally this morning I got stubborn and sat down to finish it. The irony is that it's really a fast read - I read the last 50 pages in 25 minutes.

I've heard about the Betsy-Tacy series forever and have been looking for them at least since 1996. I finally just took the plunge and bought this two-for-one book, knowing that they weren't the two first books in the series, but having been told by a friend that if I was to start reading them at my age, these would probably be the ones I'd like the most.

Unfortunately I only sort-of liked it. I know it's a classic, and if I'd read it as a tween/teen I would probably have loved it, but as it was I didn't think it quite stood the test of time without the rosy-coloured glasses of nostalgia. Having finally finished Heaven to Betsy, I think I shall leave it at that... at least for now.

Betsy in Spite of Herself
Not yet read.

Nordkraft - Jakob Ejersbo

Thu, 11 Apr 2013 11:14:21 GMT

Title: Nordkraft
Author: Jakob Ejersbo
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 421
Date read: April, 2013

The drug scene in Aalborg in the first half of the 1990s - a novel in 3 parts.

In part one we meet the pusherfrau (always pronounced in German) Maria, who smuggles hash for Asger. It's constantly on the verge of disaster, and Asgar's junkie-dogs, Ulla's breasts, the police, Maria's mother and the Iranian deserter doesn't make it any easier.

Part two is about Allan's fight to get away from his old life. But the past doesn't appreciate being ignored, and his new flame, Maja, finds it difficult to believe him.

Part three takes place when one of the friends die of a drug overdose, and the others meet at his funeral.

This is considered a Danish classic, and now that I've read it, I can understand why. I thought it would be dark and difficult to get through, but that wasn't the case at all. This is social realism when it's best. Usually I'm not fond of that type of book at all, but Jakob Ejersbo just makes it work. He definitely has a way with words! As soon as I got more than a few pages into it, I was hooked and really didn't want to put it down. I stayed up much two late two nights and was almost late for work one morning, just to read a little bit more.

I really got to like the characters and loved that Ejersbo didn't take them from "bad to worse" (which seems to be par for the course in books focusing on social realism) but actually planted seeds of hope here and there.

5 stars for the first two parts, 4 stars for the last one. I missed a proper conclusion to the first two story lines, and though they were both hinted at in the third part (although Maria's more than Allan's), I would have appreciated a few more details.

The Eternity Cure - Julie Kagawa

Wed, 10 Apr 2013 10:58:21 GMT

Title: The Eternity Cure (Blood of Eden #2)
Author: Julie Kagawa
Genre: Dystopian, Paranormal
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 448 pages
Date read: April, 2013

"The Eternity Cure" picks up 9 months after "The Immortal Rules" left off. Having left Eden behind, Allie is hunting down Sarren, looking for a chance to save Kanin, her sire. Along the way Allie meets up again with both friends and foes - some more expected than others, and Allie will soon learn that becoming undead was the easy part, and her struggles are far from over.

I know this is more than just a little vague, but I really appreciated not knowing what was ahead of me and don't want to rob any other readers of the surprises that are in store. In many ways "The Enternity Cure" is just as good - if not even better than "The Immortal Rules" as the struggles become more complex than just "kill or be killed". I liked seeing the complex interactions between Allie and Jackal, even though I never cared for him much, and was fascinated by the descriptions of the vampires and the pets in New Covington.

The end was even more cliff-hanger'ish than "The Immortal Rules", which did disappoint me somewhat at first. But for once I was very grateful for the epilogue - otherwise I'm not sure I would have been too keen on reading the next book in the series.

Gregor and the Code of Claw - Suzanne Collins

Tue, 09 Apr 2013 12:29:49 GMT

Title: Gregor and the Code of Claw
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: Fantasy, YA
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 412
Date read: April, 2013

Everyone in the Underland has been taking great pains to keep "The Prophecy of Time" from Gregor. Gregor knows it must say something awful but he never imagined just how awful: It calls for the warrior's death. Now, with an army of rats approaching, and his mom and sister still in Regalia, Gregor the warrior must gather up his courage to help defend Regalia and get his family home safely. The entire existence of the Underland is in Gregor's hands, and time is running out. There is a code to be cracked, a mysterious new princess, Gregor's burgeoning dark side, and a war to end all wars.

Dark and sad. I found myself crying more than once. And I didn't care terribly for the ending. This is one series where I would have liked an epilogue, because to have it end where it did was just depressing... although I guess it was just open enough to leave room for hope. At least that's what I'm going to tell myself.

That aside, as a whole, I think this was the best book after the first one. If my rating doesn't reflect that, it's because of the sad mood I've been left in after turning the last page. I literally sat pressing the button 4-5 times, because I couldn't believe this was the end. Lizzie was amazing in this one, and I loved how Suzanne Collins planted small seeds in earlier books to create a relationship between her and Ripred. Beautiful :)

An excellent series. I'm glad to have read it.

Gregor and the Mark of Secret - Suzanne Collins

Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:30:22 GMT

Title: Gregor and the Mark of Secret (Underland Chronicles #4)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: Childrens, Fantasy
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 343
Date read: April, 2013

It's only a few months since Gregor and Boots returned from the Underland, leaving their mother behind to heal from the plague. Though Gregor's family receives frequent updates on her condition, they all know Gregor must return to fulfill his role as the warrior who is key to the Underlanders' survival. Accompanied by his now-talkative little sister Boots, still considered the honorary "princess," Gregor joins forces with another princess--12-year-old Luxa--and Ripred the rat to defend the Underlanders and the vulnerable "Nibblers," or mice, from the rat army.

If possible, even darker than the other books in the series, and the only one to end with a cliff-hanger as well! Of course now I HAVE to read the last one... only I hope that it actually is the last one, and that Suzanne Collins didn't just leave the series hanging to focus on The Hunger Games instead.

Anyway, I'm still enjoying this series. I couldn't find this one as an audiobook so read it as an ebook instead, and while it did loose a bit of its charm by not having a narrator to do the voices of especially Boots and Temp, the plot and the growing relationships between the characters still made it well worth reading. I especially enjoy seeing the relationship between Gregor and Luxa and Gregor and Ripred.

Light - Michael Grant

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 19:45:17 GMT

Title: Light (Gone #6)
Author: Michael Grant
Genre: Dystopian
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 432
Date read: April, 2013

It's been more than a year since every person over the age of fifteen disappeared from the town of Perdido Beach, California. In that time, countless battles have been fought: Battles against hunger and lies and plagues and worse, battles of good against evil, and kid against kid. Allegiances have been won, lost, betrayed, and won again; ideologies have been shattered and created anew, and the kids of the FAYZ have begun to believe that their new society is the only life they'll ever know. But now that the Darkness has found a way to be reborn, the tenuous existence they've established is likely to be shattered for good. Will the kids of Perdido Beach even survive?

After having waited for this for almost exactly a year, I was very glad to discover that it completely lived up to my expectations. I'd been a bit worried whether or not Michael Grant would be able to draw the series to a satisfying close, but I think he managed very nicely. I liked the various resolutions and how some people ended up redeeming themselves in a believable and not-too-tacky manner.

It was nice to once again pick up a book I couldn't put down - I read this in just over 24 hours and enjoyed every minute of it.

Casting Spells - Barbara Bretton

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 08:47:25 GMT

Title: Casting Spells
Author: Barbara Bretton
Genre: Paranormal
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 320
Date read: March, 2013

Sugar Maple looks like any Vermont town, but it's inhabited with warlocks, sprites, vampires, witches and an ancient secret. And Chloe Hobbs, owner of Sticks & String, a popular knitting shop, has a big secret too. She's a sorcerer's daughter in search of Mr. Right and she's found him in Luke MacKenzie, a cop investigating Sugar Maple's very first murder. Bad news is he's 100% human, which could spell disaster for a normal future with a paranormal woman like her.

A fun mix between the knitting novels that I love and the paranormal novels that I love :) There wasn't quite enough knitting in it for my tastes, but on the whole I really enjoyed it. It's been awhile since I completely disappeared into a book, so it was nice to discover I still could ;)

It isn't high literature, and there were aspects I thought were glossed over too quickly, but for pure entertainment it fit the bill, and I can always hope some of the remaining questions will be answered in later books in the series :)

What Were We Thinking - Nancy Sathre-Vogel

Tue, 02 Apr 2013 08:45:54 GMT

Title: What Were We Thinking?
Author: Nancy Sathre-Vogel
Genre: Memoir, Cultural
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 305
Date read: March, 2013

Before there was a family on bikes, John and Nancy teamed up for the ride of a lifetime. We arrived into Pakistan with little more than bikes and dreams. This book tells the story of that year on the road, and of our unlikely romance.

Not quite as good as "Twenty Miles Per Cookie" or "Changing Gears", but still WELL worth the read :) Although the title is very apt - what on earth were they thinking? ;)

I enjoyed reading this story of "how it all began" and getting to know more of the earlier stages of Nancy's and John's life. However, unlike their touring in the Americas, I have no real desire to visit that part of Asia, so though very interesting to read, it didn't give me the same kind of wanderlust.

Like Nancy, I was appalled by how she was treated by men and children in especially Pakistan and India. I would like to think that things have improved since 1990, but never having been to either country, I honestly don't know.

Still, I've got to agree with Nancy that the best way to experience a country is on bike, and for that reason I'd love to "do" New Zealand on bike some day... Until then, does anybody know of a book I could live vicariously through??? ;)

The Wind on the Moon - Eric Linklater

Wed, 20 Mar 2013 14:39:17 GMT

Title: The Wind on the Moon (Part 1)
Author: Eric Linklater
Genre: Childrens
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 201
Date read: March, 2013

In the English village of Midmeddlecum, Major Palfrey asks his two daughters to behave themselves while he is off at war. Sighs Dinah, "I think that we are quite likely to be bad, however hard we try not to be," and her sister Dorinda adds helpfully, "Very often, when we think we are behaving well, some grown-up person says we are really quite bad. It's difficult to tell which is which." Sure enough, the mischievous sisters soon convince a judge that minds must be changed as often as socks, stage an escape from the local zoo (thanks to a witch's potion which turns them into kangaroos), and - in the company of a golden puma and silver falcon - set off to rescue their father from the tyrant of Bombardy.

My school library back in primary school had this book, and it was one of my absolute favourite books. I think I must have taken it out about once every 6 months on average. Then I left primary school, and somehow didn't think about it in years. When my grandparents died, I inherited their copy of the book, but just never got around to rereading it. All in all, I think it's been 15-20 years since I read it last.

Somehow I got thinking about it recently, and got an urge to reread it. I was a tiny bit reluctant to start, as I wondered if it could at all live up to my expectations. Not all books can stand the test of time and be equally as good at age 33 as at age 10. However I really wanted to read it out loud to my nieblings.

And fortunately it turned out that "The Wind on the Moon" is just as good at age 33 as at age 10, and I loved every minute of rereading it. The edition I've gotten hold of has been translated by Queen Margrethe II, and I must say she's done a TERRIFIC job! Nothing shows a translators faults (or linguistic mistakes in general) as clearly as reading the book aloud, and her language just flows and makes it a delight to read.

It's wonderfully gratifying to revisit a childhood favourite and still find it worthy of your love.

Ender's Shadow - Orson Scott Card

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:01:25 GMT

Title: Ender's Shadow (Shadow #1)
Author: Orson Scott Card
Genre: Sci-fi
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 469
Date read: March, 2013

Growing up is never easy. But try living on the mean streets as a child begging for food and fighting like a dog with ruthless gangs of starving kids who wouldn't hesitate to pound your skull into pulp for a scrap of apple. If Bean has learned anything on the streets, it's how to survive. And not with fists. He is way too small for that. But with brains.

Bean is a genius with a magician's ability to zero in on his enemy and exploit his weakness.

What better quality for a future general to lead the Earth in a final climactic battle against a hostile alien race, known as Buggers. At Battleschool Bean meets and befriends another future commander - Ender Wiggins - perhaps his only true rival.

Only one problem: for Bean and Ender, the future is now.

While Ender's Game is one of my all-time favourite books, I never really got hooked by the later books in the Ender saga. Still, I wanted to read more about Ender Wiggins, so finally decided to give this one a chance - the events of Ender's Game as told by Bean - the smallest kid in the Dragon Army.

I'm glad I did. Sure, it's still not exactly as good as Ender's Game, but it's a lot better than Speaker for the Dead (book 2 of the Ender saga), and I loved revisiting the events of EG from a different perspective. Bean isn't quite as lovable as he appeared in EG, but Card made it work, and Bean definitely had my sympathies, even if he didn't prompt the same level of devotion as Ender did. Oh, and the ending brought tears to my eyes :) Very fitting :)

So now I once again want to read more about this universe and am contemplating whether I should continue with Bean and the Shadow series, or return to "Xenocide" and the Ender saga.

Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods - Suzanne Collins

Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:00:48 GMT

Title: Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods (Underland Chronicles #3)
Author: Suzanne Collins
Genre: Childrens, Fantasy
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: Audiobook ~8hrs
Date read: March, 2013

Book Two left off with Gregor reading the Prophecy of Blood: a prophecy that calls for Gregor and Boots to return to the Underland to help ward off a deadly plague. But this time, Gregor's mother refuses to let him return to the Underland... until the rat Ripred assures the family that Gregor and Boots are just needed for a short meeting, which the crawlers will attend only if their "princess" Boots is present. Gregor's mom finally relents, on the condition that she go with them. The Underland plague is spreading, and when one of Gregor's family is stricken, he begins to understand his role in the Prophecy of Blood, and must summon all his power to end the biological warfare that threatens the warmbloodedcreatures of the Underland.

A children's book, and like the earlier books in the series, actually nothing special to look at. Yet it has charmed me completely. I think this may have a lot to do with the narrator - I think it might just be one of those books that's better read aloud than read yourself. The plot is fairly standard, but it is a nice comfort read that doesn't even need the rosy glasses of nostalgia to make me enjoy it.

A few surprises about the plague in this one though. I'll be interested to see what happens next.