The Last to Know

This week I'm reading The Last to Know by Melissa Hill. After I finished Skylight Confessions I've vowed off of reading Alice Hoffman books for at least six months. I thought that Skylight Confessions had some haunting characters, but the overwhelming feel of the book was so melancholy and filled with such loss that I just can't bear to read anything else by Hoffman. Skylight Confessions is a moving book of love and loss through three generations. What begins as a chance encounter between a man who gets lost on his way to a party and asks for directions from a beautiful stranger in the mooonlight turns into a story which charts the destruction of an ill-fated romance. What engaged me about this novel was the illusions to fairy tales and the clever work the author does making each character's story relate to the larger fairy tale theme that dominates the novel.

So, this week I've moved onto something lighter-- hopefully. One of my friends was raving about this book. I'm about a hundred pages in and so far it feels lighter than my last reading selection-- so with any luck this will snap me out of my melancholy funk (which has settled on me after finishing my last book).

I'd also like to take this moment to mention that as I'm on holiday for Easter break I'm going to try to get a few blog posts ready to go so that I can be more consistent in my posting! Phew!

Halloween Reading Round Up

Ok, I'm a nerd. I'm a really big fan of reading Halloween themed books in October. I said it, now you can mock me. Thus far, I've managed to kick off the season in style and read three completely different horror themed novels (one of them is really a chick lit though).

Blood is the New Black
Did you ever wonder what would happen if you tossed some vampires into The Devil Wears Prada? Something very similar to this novel, I'd suspect. Blood is the New Black centres around a lowly intern who unintentionally is offered a position at Tasty the ultimate fashion magazine in NYC. She soon finds out that she has to put up with a lot more than competitive fellow interns and back stabbing assistants, her boss is a real blood sucking bitch! What follows is an at times hilarious account of her adventures in the world of high fashion and vampire slaying. While not the most brilliant novel I've read this month, something about the lightness of the story just drew me in.

The House of Lost Souls
A good ol' fashioned ghost story. I was a bit sceptical about this book as I'm not keen on ghost stories, but my friend gave me a proof of this title a told me I HAD to read it. I found the voice of the author a bit difficult to get into, but once I did I was up till am racing through the novel. Set in London, The House of Lost Souls is a chilling story of a haunted house, satanic rituals, and of course a climax of good versus evil. While I found the ending problematic and a bit rushed, I thought the story was engaging and worth reading.

World War 'Z'
Did you ever wonder what would happen if a zombie epidemic were to take over the world? I adored this book. The concept behind it is so simple (an oral history of people who survive the 'war') and yet as a parable the message is so important. The book follows the world's descent into madness, fear, nuclear war, and chronicles what mankind had to overcome and endure to survive in a world of zombies (and nuclear winter). I read this book with all the lights on in my flat and absolute terror (even though the characters relating their part of the story had to have survived as the book is an oral history). I guarantee you, this book doesn't disappoint.

Right, I'm off home to curl up with a good scary movie (and protective hubby to cuddle next to) and a glass of wine. Happy reading!

What I'm Reading: The Lightning Thief (redux)

As promised-- my review of: The Lightning Thief

Now-- let me preface this review by saying that I'm not a book snob. I've met lots and lots of book snobs in my life and I can't stand them. I'm talking about the people who refuse to read anything unless its a literary masterpiece. Oh please! Get over yourself. I read for the thrill of the story, the engaging characters, and the use of language. Also, I read for pleasure-- and if your book is too dense for me to enjoy, then I wont. I'm not afraid to say that.

However, over a year ago when my friend suggested I read The Lightning Thief, I completely ignored her. I wasn't really interested in the premise of the book and thought it was just 'the next Harry Potter' a marketing term that makes me cringe (which will be discussed in a later blog). Even though I adore children's literature-- I gave this book a pass. It wasn't until a box of books arrived at my job (containing The Lightning Thief) that I finally buckled down and read the book.

After reading the first three books in the series back-to-back I'm not sure why I procrastinated so long. Rick Riordan's books are a complete joy! His books are funny, witty, and above all LIGHT HEARTED. Its the sense of fun and adventure that hooked me.

Percy Jackson is your average twelve-year-old dyslexic trouble marker (oh, and the son of the sea god). When he discovers that his Math teacher is a Harpy and his best friend is a satyr, he realizes he's in for even more trouble.

Percy is sent to a summer camp Half Blood Hill (very unfortunate name) where he finds out that the Greek Gods and Goddesses are very much alive and actively interfering in the mortal world (they have now relocated to a new 'Mount Olympus' on top the the Empire State building). He and his fellow campers are all 'half-bloods' or half mortal/half demigod. All of the campers are trained in battle combat (with ancient weapons of course), archery, and survival skills they are being groomed to be 'heroes' and change the fate of the world.

When Zeus's master lightning bolt goes missing it is Percy's task to retrieve it. Aiding him in his quest is a feisty daughter of Athena and his trusty satyr pal. What follows is a rip-roaring quest through America (with Medusa owning a garden statuary shop and cooking the best burgers in town) wherein Percy and his friends find themselves face to face with mythological characters. Riordan's humour makes this book read like a treat. While its moral isn't the deepest and at times I wished that Riordan would have explored less common mythological creatures I highly recommend this book.

Honestly, the book is so slender that I'm afraid to say anymore (I don't want to give away too much of the plot). Pick this one up-- you wont regret it.

What I'm Reading: The Lightning Thief

Did you ever wonder what the Greek Gods and Goddesses got up to these days? Did you assume that they had safely passed into the realm of myth and children's stories? Think again!

Check back next week to hear all about the series that has me turning pages like lightning....

What I'm Reading: Jasper Fforde's The Eyre Affair

I have to admit, I wasn’t crazy about this book right away.

The Eyre Affair is a mystery/fantasy—an interesting blending of the genres. In a world where the arts dominate daily life, detective Thursday Next must catch arch-fiend Acheron Hades. Hades has stolen a machine that allows people from the “real” world to enter the worlds of individual books. They can change stories and even bring fictional characters over into the real world. Hades is using the machine to kidnap characters of famous novels and hold them for ransom.

In Fforde’s vision of the world, literature and the arts dominate society. There’s a lively black market for forgeries of famous manuscripts; when we first meet Thursday, she’s working as a LiteraTec, breaking up crime rings of counterfeit literature. French impressionists lurk in alleyways and assault surrealists, who riot in the streets. Baconians go door to door, proselytizing that Sir Francis Bacon wrote Shakespeare’s plays. Panhandlers recite Longfellow to earn their handouts. Fforde clearly loved his literature, but at first it was a little too cutesy for me. It seemed like an interesting construct of a world, but I didn’t know if it was interesting enough for me to want to stay with it for 300 pages.

I think one of the reasons I wasn’t wild about it to start with was the lack of characterization. Good characters really draw me into a story, and fantasy and mystery are both genres that traditionally depend on crystal-clear characterization. But Fforde is clearly more interested in his world than in his characters. The heroine is strong and fearless, but she's not fascinating--although she is funny, in a dry sort of way, and she has a cool backstory. But her love interest, her fellow law enforcement officers, and others she interacts with aren’t quite real enough for me to become invested in this world.

Acheron Hades perked the story up when he made his first appearance; he’s a formidable rival who can exert some sort of mind control on his adversaries. And I started to allow myself to be won over when Thursday goes to see Richard III. This is no ordinary production of Richard III, however. It’s been playing regularly for fifteen years. It’s got audience participation like you’d get at a showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show, and the audience puts on the play. If there was a showing like that in my town, I’d become a regular. And I have to admit, this book is slowly beginning to grow on me. Like a fungus.

I haven’t finished the book yet, so I can’t give you the final verdict on it just now. Will Thursday Next catch Acheron Hades and save Jane Eyre? Will she get back together with estranged boyfriend Landen, or will she succumb to the charms of her coworker/vampire, Spike? Will I stay interested enough to finish the book? Hard to say at the moment…we’ll have to wait and see.