Now that I'm just catching up with my blog postings, it's going to be difficult to write reviews on books I read nearly a month ago, especially as I've read a multitude of great books recently. So, this will be an "edited for television" book review (which no doubt will please some of you no end..!!).
Marianne Curley
Guardians of Time: The Named, The Dark and The Key
This trilogy is about 16 year old Ethan, who discovers he has the ability to travel back in time. The plot concerns Ethan learning to use his skills to intercept the dark forces intent on unraveling history for their own purpose...of course, an evil purpose. At the same time, Ethan is a normal high school kid, with all the problems associated with being a teenager, without adding in the "save the world" bit. It was a good series: complicated, tense, exciting, with lots of action and suspense.
Alison Croggon
Books of Pellinor: The Gift, The Riddle, The Crow and The Singing
This was an amazing quartet. It was supposed to be "young adult" reading, but heck with that. The plot was very intricate, loads of passionate, inspiring characters, really thrilling, scary moments, a vividly described world of monsters, magic and Darkness. All 4 books are nice and thick, too, so I could really get absorbed into the story. Maerad is a young slave woman who gets accidentally rescued early in the first book, by a mage, Cadvan, who discovers she is magically gifted. Through fair means and foul (good guys and bad), it's determined that Maerad is the only one who can restore the balance in the Seven Kingdoms. The quest involved is to find the Treesong, the only thing able to defeat the Dark. Everyone thinks Maerad is the one to do so, though she doesn't have a clue what the Treesong is, or where to find it. The 4 books roam all over the Seven Kingdoms, and the longer the quest goes on, the more Maerad learns, not only about the Treesong, but about herself, and her abilities. This was such a wonderful, lengthy, great read. I was really sorry when I finished the last book.
Christopher Ransom
The Birthing House
I'm not sure what I think about this book. The writing was excellent, so I kept reading, though wasn't too sure where I was going. It was a surprisingly creepy story about a couple, Conrad and Jo, who move into an historic Victorian house, looking for a new start. Conrad is given an old photo album with pictures of the early Victorian inhabitants of the house when it was used as a home for unwed mothers. Things start to take a Stephen King turn for the worse at this point when Conrad seems to recognize one of the women in a group photo: his wife..!! My only complaint was the ending. I swear, either I'm losing it, or my brain functions on a different level than other people, because damn, I didn't understand the end at all. According to the book jacket: "The Birthing House grips from the first line to the terrifying final twist." That's all well and good, and yes, the end was really scary and twisted, but the deal is: I didn't get it....!!!!!
Daisies, River Forks Park, Roseburg, Oregon 2011
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Catch Up
Apparently I am no better at keeping up with my blog than I am with my handwritten journals...!! I don't know how the time has flown by since my last posting---it's hard to believe it's mid-February already and I'm just sitting down to write again. Life has a way of interfering with the best of intentions, doesn't it..??
I thought I would just recap some events that still stick in my mind from the past 6 weeks, then in another blog I will do my January book review. That will pretty much get me back on track, I hope.
January
Barack Obama.
Alan wanted to watch the Inauguration, but after 8 years of the Bushwacker, I just couldn't be bothered with anything to do with politics. Somehow though I ended up watching anyway, and honestly, I can't believe what I would have missed..!! His speech was the epitome of what we need in a leader: honesty, compassion, realism, and a faith that as Americans we can do anything we set our minds to, no matter the difficulty, or what has come before. I felt, for just a shining moment, that here was someone to believe in. Finally. I have always been a proud American, but that day I was a hopeful proud American.
Watching that war mongering, greedy bastard Bush flying out of the Capitol, and out of our lives forever, was the second shining moment for me. Ah, it was such a good day....
Birthdays.
January is also birthdays. We got Ozzy some toys for his 6th birthday, he had some extra treats for dinner, and I tried hard not to yell at him for his hysterical barking...which didn't work. Even birthdays can't prevent me from trying to stop his maniacal behavior: at the mailman, other dogs walking past the gate, birds, or anything that apparently offends his delicate sensibilities...!! I swear, if a pin dropped 4 blocks away, he'd have to bark about it. He's so adorable, loving and brilliantly intelligent, I drives me nuts that his one unredeeming quality is so blasted annoying. He guards the front door (because we all know mail is lethal), he guards the garden (because birds are enemies of epic proportions), he guards the gate (because all other dogs are possible interlopers), and he guards the front living room window to better keep track of his domain. Honestly, he takes his job WAY too seriously and I wish he'd just retire and go fishing..!!
For Alan's birthday we went out to dinner with some friends to a new restaurant, Bar Napoli. New to us, not the city. Because it was Naples food, I thought we could pretend we were back in southern Italy for a few hours. The plan wasn't bad, and the food was great, it was just the 20* wind chill and freezing cold that ruined the illusion..!! Still, we had fun, and it was great to see Jack and Alice and share some vino and food.
Alan and Morag share the same birthday, so as usual, I baked a birthday cake, cut it in half, and Alan and Morag each get a half. I've been doing this for some years now, and it's really fun, plus Alan and I don't need to eat an entire cake ourselves---not that we're not tempted..!!
I also thought about Tyler, and wished him a Happy Birthday though he's no longer here. He would have been 36 this year, and I still miss him so much. I used to always give him a great new book for his birthday, and even now after several years, I find myself thinking "Tyler would like this one" when I'm in the bookstore. Sigh. Wish you were here kid.
February
I don't know what happened that February came so fast. The weather here in Edinburgh gets really crappy in February, and this year was no exception. We've had endless freezing temps, plus last Monday we got snow. I liked it at first, but it would sort of melt during the afternoons, then snow again, then freeze overnight, so walking Ozzy was totally treacherous and definitely not fun. There's nothing like that first day/night of snow though, is there..?? It's so beautiful, and quiet. Course, after the first day it's just rude and annoying and a pain.
I spent lots of time reading (natch), and would have watched some television if there'd been something even remotely interesting to watch. And, don't you wonder how there can be 500 TV channels, and still there's nothing to watch..?? How can that be..?? Good thing I love to read more than anything, and luckily this winter has been filled with a great array of books to escape into.
Valentine's Day yesterday was good. Alan and I decided to send each other email valentine cards, which was funny. It saved some money and we each had to troll through lots of ecards to find the right ones, so it was just as meaningful as if we'd spent the time and money at the store. I made a pear tart (his favorite), and we had a romantic dinner at home, and enjoyed ourselves immensely. And that's all anyone needs to know about that...!!
Poppy, Morag's wee dog, has been ill since Wednesday, causing all kinds of concern from those of us in the neighborhood who love her (or I should say them). The vet can't seem to figure out what's wrong, though today when I saw her, she does seem a bit better. It's really dreadful when your dog is ill and there's no discernible reason for it. Today Morag brought Poppy over so I could help give her one of her pain pills. It didn't work, though Ozzy managed to snag the damn cheese (with medicine inside). Cripes. Oh well, my abiding hope is the pain meds will kick in, knock Ozzy out, and I'll have a peaceful afternoon...!!
Lorna and Derek, across the street, called us over this morning, to meet their new puppy. They recently lost their wonderful old Westie, Callie, and wanted to get another dog as soon as one became available. I thought they might go for another Westie, but they once had a Boxer and wanted to go that route again. So, over we go, to meet Harvey..!! And good grief, if he isn't the cutest pup I've seen in ages..!! He hasn't had his tail docked, or his ears ruined, and honestly, it makes the breed so much more attractive to see one au natural, rather than cosmetically altered. He's 10 weeks old, and too cute for words, though judging by the size of his feet, they'll have to change his name to Godzilla before too long..!! I don't think I've ever seen a Boxer puppy, and they are just wonderful. He's all gangly legs and twitching tail and butt, and just as perky and happy as can be. A great wee pup, for sure.
Well, there goes Ozzy, tearing down the hall to bark out the living room window at some offender or another. Time to yell, get a cup of coffee, and grab my latest book. Feels good to have caught up with things, so a good Sunday afternoon's writing and I'm off for now.
I thought I would just recap some events that still stick in my mind from the past 6 weeks, then in another blog I will do my January book review. That will pretty much get me back on track, I hope.
January
Barack Obama.
Alan wanted to watch the Inauguration, but after 8 years of the Bushwacker, I just couldn't be bothered with anything to do with politics. Somehow though I ended up watching anyway, and honestly, I can't believe what I would have missed..!! His speech was the epitome of what we need in a leader: honesty, compassion, realism, and a faith that as Americans we can do anything we set our minds to, no matter the difficulty, or what has come before. I felt, for just a shining moment, that here was someone to believe in. Finally. I have always been a proud American, but that day I was a hopeful proud American.
Watching that war mongering, greedy bastard Bush flying out of the Capitol, and out of our lives forever, was the second shining moment for me. Ah, it was such a good day....
Birthdays.
January is also birthdays. We got Ozzy some toys for his 6th birthday, he had some extra treats for dinner, and I tried hard not to yell at him for his hysterical barking...which didn't work. Even birthdays can't prevent me from trying to stop his maniacal behavior: at the mailman, other dogs walking past the gate, birds, or anything that apparently offends his delicate sensibilities...!! I swear, if a pin dropped 4 blocks away, he'd have to bark about it. He's so adorable, loving and brilliantly intelligent, I drives me nuts that his one unredeeming quality is so blasted annoying. He guards the front door (because we all know mail is lethal), he guards the garden (because birds are enemies of epic proportions), he guards the gate (because all other dogs are possible interlopers), and he guards the front living room window to better keep track of his domain. Honestly, he takes his job WAY too seriously and I wish he'd just retire and go fishing..!!
For Alan's birthday we went out to dinner with some friends to a new restaurant, Bar Napoli. New to us, not the city. Because it was Naples food, I thought we could pretend we were back in southern Italy for a few hours. The plan wasn't bad, and the food was great, it was just the 20* wind chill and freezing cold that ruined the illusion..!! Still, we had fun, and it was great to see Jack and Alice and share some vino and food.
Alan and Morag share the same birthday, so as usual, I baked a birthday cake, cut it in half, and Alan and Morag each get a half. I've been doing this for some years now, and it's really fun, plus Alan and I don't need to eat an entire cake ourselves---not that we're not tempted..!!
I also thought about Tyler, and wished him a Happy Birthday though he's no longer here. He would have been 36 this year, and I still miss him so much. I used to always give him a great new book for his birthday, and even now after several years, I find myself thinking "Tyler would like this one" when I'm in the bookstore. Sigh. Wish you were here kid.
February
I don't know what happened that February came so fast. The weather here in Edinburgh gets really crappy in February, and this year was no exception. We've had endless freezing temps, plus last Monday we got snow. I liked it at first, but it would sort of melt during the afternoons, then snow again, then freeze overnight, so walking Ozzy was totally treacherous and definitely not fun. There's nothing like that first day/night of snow though, is there..?? It's so beautiful, and quiet. Course, after the first day it's just rude and annoying and a pain.
I spent lots of time reading (natch), and would have watched some television if there'd been something even remotely interesting to watch. And, don't you wonder how there can be 500 TV channels, and still there's nothing to watch..?? How can that be..?? Good thing I love to read more than anything, and luckily this winter has been filled with a great array of books to escape into.
Valentine's Day yesterday was good. Alan and I decided to send each other email valentine cards, which was funny. It saved some money and we each had to troll through lots of ecards to find the right ones, so it was just as meaningful as if we'd spent the time and money at the store. I made a pear tart (his favorite), and we had a romantic dinner at home, and enjoyed ourselves immensely. And that's all anyone needs to know about that...!!
Poppy, Morag's wee dog, has been ill since Wednesday, causing all kinds of concern from those of us in the neighborhood who love her (or I should say them). The vet can't seem to figure out what's wrong, though today when I saw her, she does seem a bit better. It's really dreadful when your dog is ill and there's no discernible reason for it. Today Morag brought Poppy over so I could help give her one of her pain pills. It didn't work, though Ozzy managed to snag the damn cheese (with medicine inside). Cripes. Oh well, my abiding hope is the pain meds will kick in, knock Ozzy out, and I'll have a peaceful afternoon...!!
Lorna and Derek, across the street, called us over this morning, to meet their new puppy. They recently lost their wonderful old Westie, Callie, and wanted to get another dog as soon as one became available. I thought they might go for another Westie, but they once had a Boxer and wanted to go that route again. So, over we go, to meet Harvey..!! And good grief, if he isn't the cutest pup I've seen in ages..!! He hasn't had his tail docked, or his ears ruined, and honestly, it makes the breed so much more attractive to see one au natural, rather than cosmetically altered. He's 10 weeks old, and too cute for words, though judging by the size of his feet, they'll have to change his name to Godzilla before too long..!! I don't think I've ever seen a Boxer puppy, and they are just wonderful. He's all gangly legs and twitching tail and butt, and just as perky and happy as can be. A great wee pup, for sure.
Well, there goes Ozzy, tearing down the hall to bark out the living room window at some offender or another. Time to yell, get a cup of coffee, and grab my latest book. Feels good to have caught up with things, so a good Sunday afternoon's writing and I'm off for now.
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