End of Year Review

Hello! Happy almost 2017!

I am sorry that I've neglected this blog for the past two months. It has been hectic with the holidays and my new job, but things are winding down now. I only finished one other book this year since my last review and that was The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. I was not a fan but did not have the heart or energy to write about why. I am currently reading Prince Lestat and the Realms of Atlantis by Anne Rice, but like all Anne Rice books I am taking my time and savoring slowly. That will probably be my first review of 2017.

I thought it would be fun to do a Top 10 list to end the year. I did not start this blog until March so some books on the list did not get a review, but I will link to the reviews for the books that got one! These are in no particular order, but here goes.

Heidi in Bookland's Top 10 of 2016
Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds (Also Redemption Ark from the same series)
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
The View From the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman
Saga by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (There are reviews for books 3-7, just search the Harry Potter tag!)
The Dharma of Star Wars by Matthew Bortolin
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Honorable Mention: I Hate Fairyland by Skottie Young

A few of the books on my list were books that I reread this year. I debated on whether or not to include them and decided that because they were so enjoyable it was alright to include them here. Harry Potter was by far the most fun I had reading this year. If you followed my journey you know that this was the first time I read the entire series from beginning to end and I loved it. I will remember these books most when I reflect on my reading life this year.

My Goodreads goal was to read 52 books. According to the site I read 45, but according to my own list where I write a book once I have finished it, I read 48. Either way I did not reach my goal but I did come close! I am lowering my goal for 2017 to 48 books in the hopes to at least maintain that level of reading or maybe even surpass it.

I did not finish the Reading Challenge that my husband and I were doing. I believe it contained 40 categories and I did not fulfill 11 of them. Close again, but not close enough. (Although I do believe I beat my husband in the challenge!) We have decided not to do the challenge next year, fun as it is. There are a lot of books we end up setting aside that we want to read so that we can read books for the challenge and neither of us was happy about that this year. So next year will just be a "follow your heart" kind of reading year and I am so much looking forward to that.

I wish you all a wonderful new year and I hope 2017 is filled with many wonderful books!


"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself.

 

I hope you will have a wonderful year, that you'll dream dangerously and outrageously, that you'll make something that didn't exist before you made it, that you will be loved and that you will be liked, and that you will have people to love and to like in return. And, most importantly (because I think there should be more kindness and more wisdom in the world right now), that you will, when you need to be, be wise, and that you will always be kind.

And for this year, my wish for each of us is small and very simple.

And it's this.

I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes.

Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something.

So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life.

Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it.

Make your mistakes, next year and forever."

 

- Neil Gaiman

Harry Potter and The Cursed Child by JK Rowling, John Tiffany, and Jack Thorne *contains spoilers*

This review will be a little bit different due to the fact that Harry Potter and The Cursed Child is a script and not a novel. Thus, it will be difficult to critique it in the same way since it is mostly dialogue. Don't get me wrong, I love Shakespeare and a good play will garner a shining review from me any day, but this was not Shakespeare. I should have heeded my husband's warning and stayed far away.

When Harry Potter and The Cursed Child was announced my husband swore he would never read nor see the play because it was only based on Rowling's idea and not written by her. I defended the play saying that she would not have put her name to something she did not stand behind or believe in. Plus, if the ideas were hers and just written by someone else, what could be wrong? (I now remind myself that this is exactly what fan fiction is and that does not always turn out well.) After finishing the Harry Potter series I was dying for more and so I went out to purchase the play. I read it within two days. During that time I went from enjoying the play, to loving it, to absolutely hating it.

My biggest issue with the script was that it did not really answer as many questions as it presented. There was a lot of lacking description and, while I initially thought this was okay and chalked it up to the medium in which is was presented, in the end there was too much that I did not understand. One of the things I, and so many others, love about the Harry Potter series is that the world has logic. Everything in it makes a certain kind of sense and is explained fairly well. So to have various questions about the logic of the play come up and then never be explained, was very frustrating.

Some of these questions had to do with the massive amount of time jumping. There were inconsistencies with the time as well as how it all worked. I was wondering how all of this time jumping wasn't screwing up the minds of the people doing it. I was also frustrated by the portrayal of the old characters. Ron was made out to be some complete buffoon who only showed up for comic relief and had no real substance, which made his relationship with Hermione seem even weirder than it already was. Malfoy was believable and so was Hermione. Harry seemed overly whiny and heroic, more so than normal. There were odd moments where it felt like a Harry Potter novel and then even more odd and bigger moments where it felt like weird fan fiction. The sad thing is that I loved the two main characters of Albus and Scorpius. If Rowling herself wrote something about them I would definitely be up to read it.

Another disappointment was that the whole play focused on Cedric Diggory's death, which seemed like a weird focus. This was coupled with a strained father/son relationship between Harry and Albus which did not seem like a genuine problem and more a plot device. Not to mention the fact that Albus and Scorpius should have ended the play as boyfriends and then didn't, for reasons unbeknownst to me. And then there was the whole Voldemort having a daughter thing that was hardly explained at all and thus made no sense. Overall, it was a disappointing read.

If the play makes its way to America and I have a chance to see it, I will more than likely go. But do I see Harry Potter and The Cursed Child as true Harry Potter canon? No. If anything, it is a decent attempt at believable fan fiction that completely failed. Not only am I disappointed with the script overall, I am disappointed Rowling put her name to it. While her ideas may be fine, the interpretation of them did not do her world justice. I'd say skip this script and stick to the old Harry Potter books, that is where Rowling and her ideas shine brightest.

The Foundation by Isaac Asimov

My husband and I recently started a small book club with some friends focusing on sci-fi and fantasy. We decided a great beginning book would be one of the classics, The Foundation by Isaac Asimov. We were wrong. This was a book that dragged on and on, seemingly without a point, and then just ended.

This book was set in space but so little of it actually focused on that aspect. It was just a bunch of politics with cheesy lines like "Oh great galaxies!" thrown in every now and then. None of the science fiction was explained. The planets that were traveled to were not described. The book is split up into five parts but each part jumps into the future with a new character and does not explain what happened in the time between. Thus there is no character development whatsoever and no point in getting attached to any characters because they are cardboard pieces thrown away as soon as their respective part has ended.

I know all of this seems harsh, but I am someone who has always tried to read classic literature. Even if I do not enjoy a novel I can usually discern what it is about the book that made it classic (with the exception of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but that is another story). So I did try to look at The Foundation from all angles to see what it was that made this a cornerstone of modern science fiction, and I just could not find anything. There was no real plot, no rising action or climax or resolution, no character development, and not very much science fiction at all.

The comment was made that perhaps this book is so important because of the series it is a part of, or at least the original trilogy. This may be true, but I think that books need to be able to stand on their own to be considered "good" or "classic". So maybe Asimov's Foundation series is what most look at as a "foundation" for science fiction, but I do not intend to continue reading to find out.

In conclusion, there are much better science fiction books out there. If you are looking for a classic I hear that Dune is really good. I always love Alastair Reynolds. Even the Star Wars books I have read are better than The Foundation. Does this mean I will never read a book by Asimov again? Not necessarily. I have heard great things about I, Robot. I also know that Asimov began this series when he was twenty-one, so perhaps this book is just an example of immature writing and Asimov gets better. For now, I will be exploring other books, but maybe one day I will return to Asimov's world.  

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

This was the fifth or sixth time I have read The Time Traveler's Wife. When I first read the book it was right after I saw the film and then I read it every year at least once. But it has now been about four or five years since I picked it up and a lot of life has happened to me. I always love rereading books but especially books that I consider a favorite because I like to see how my perception of the book changes as I have changed. In the case of The Time Traveler's Wife, I have not read the book since I got married and lost my baby. I will not use this post as a personal reflection about those experiences and this book, but I will say that after rereading it this time I felt that I understood the characters on a deeper level and parts of me felt more healed. I also made the exciting discovery that my husband and I share the same wedding anniversary as Henry and Clare, and some deep nerdy, bookwormy part of me was really happy about that. All in all I finished the novel loving it more than I have ever loved it in my past read throughs. This is a beautiful piece of literature, let me tell you why.

Audrey Niffenegger does a fantastic job of explaining time travel. It is not something that Henry understands so of course the reader cannot fully understand either, but I feel like she does a good job at not losing the reader when jumping through time. It helps that each section begins with the complete date as well as the ages of Henry and Clare at that time. This time I felt that I understood the time traveling in a better way and perhaps she meant for it to be that way. I love that Niffenegger also writes the novel from both Henry and Clare's perspectives. It adds so much to the depth of the story and their romance.

I have long considered this novel to be one that every couple should read. The characters are so real and even though their problem is extraordinary, unless we all time travel and I just did not know, they still handle the issues that come with it in a very human way. There are sensual moments and funny moments and heartbreaking moments. Every page of this book is filled with wonder and life. Many questions and themes are talked about and in some ways this book is more philosophy than romance. Questions about time and how it works or what it is, questions about fate and cause and effect, questions about meaning; these are all elements of The Time Traveler's Wife. Books that are beautiful are one thing, but books that are beautiful while also making you think are quite another thing. A rare thing.

This novel spans so much time that it would make or a lengthy post if I picked it apart thoroughly. So I am not going to do that. I also think that it is a novel everyone should experience for themselves, (I know I have said this about other novels but this is a big one), thus I do not want to spoil parts of the story. I will just say that my favorite parts are some of the more ordinary moments between Henry and Clare, which I feel is what Niffenegger wanted for the reader because these are the moments Henry and Clare love as well. I love that this book has so many cultural references and is full of so much poetry. This was the first book I ever dog-eared and it has more pages eared than not. I love that this book is not a romance novel entirely and not a science ficton novel entirely. It is hard to categorize in fact. It simply is, which is maybe another purposeful point made by the author.

Read this book. Read it because when you finish it you won't be dreaming of a better partner, you will want to love your partner more. Read it because it will break your heart but in the best way. Read it because you will love it. My reading of it this time left me feeling full and it was the first time that I finished this book and immediately wanted to dive back into its pages. This is not a book I would recommend to everyone though, it is a special book. One I would only give to a select few people in my life, which is a bit like love in a way I suppose and this book is full of love. See the film but not until after you have read the book. Know that this book will captivate you and so you must have a good chunk of time set out to read it. And most of all know that The Time Traveler's Wife will change you in some way but that, for me anyway, that is the best part of it all.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

I have finished! This was my first full read through of the Harry Potter series and I could not have loved it more. I had read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows before, but reading it along with the other books gave me a new perspective.

As always, J.K. Rowling created a beautiful novel, as well as a perfect end for her beloved series.While I am not a fan of the epilogue and overly exaggerated happily ever after, I do think it is nice that she tried to leave her readers with some, but not all, of the ideas for how Harry, Ron, and Hermione went on to live their lives. I also appreciated that J.K. Rowling was not afraid to kill her characters. It often irritates me when authors don't have the guts to kill their creations, because obviously that is not how real life works. So even though it is painful every time I read this book to re-live the deaths of so many beloved characters, I cannot be upset. Dobby has the saddest death next to Snape, but I also mourn the loss of Hedwig, Lupin and Tonks, and Fred.

Speaking of death, I have been waiting for six posts now to talk about Severus Snape!! I always loved him because I felt like he was the only teacher who saw Harry for the whining and entitled kid he was. Even though his loyalty was questioned multiple times, I felt like after awhile it became obvious that this was due to the fact that he was not a bad guy but made to look like one. Thus when I read the seventh book six years ago I was elated and had an "I told you so" attitude about the fact that Snape is the best character in the entire series. Rereading that chapter was painful but also fulfilling because this time I knew it was coming and was upset I could not stop his death but also excited to relive the moments when Snape reveals his true self.

In the past I counted the seventh book as one of my favorites, and I still do, but I think the official order of favorites goes: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, and then Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. The reason that this book is the last of my favorites is just because I felt it was a bit slow going in the middle. The scenes where Harry and Hermione (and sometimes Ron) are moving from place to place trying to figure out where Horcruxes might be is boring. There is a lot of drama between all of them and it demonstrates what the world has come to now that Voldemort is in charge, but it does not feel like it moves the story along. I don't feel like things truly get started until the visit to the Lovegood's house.

The scene breaking out of Gringotts is amazing as well as the scene where Mrs. Weasley kills Bellatrix Lestrange. Finding out about Dumbledore's past is also a favorite of mine because it proves he was not always a great person and not as well liked as many believe. Since I am one of the very few who did not like Dumbledore, then I appreciate these themes throughout the book. I also enjoyed that overall we learn about magic and its limits, or previously supposed limits. The small examples are too many to list but of course the biggest are the Horcruxes and the Deathly Hallows. It is fitting that in her final book Rowling would go beyond the limits of magic and explain and create elements that many in the wizarding world have not heard of or don't believe in.

In conclusion, this is a wonderful book. And the series of Harry Potter is a fantastic series. Although it took me a long time to read the entire series in order, I am glad that I did. I wish it had been earlier in my life. This is a series I now love. A series I plan to read to my children at an early age so they can grow up with the magic of it. If you somehow have not read this series, I encourage you to do so. I read them along with my fairy godmother who knows nothing of this series at all. It was so much fun to see a grown woman delight in the surprises and wonder of these books and it showed me that age is not a factor when it comes to feeling magic. I now understand why so many enjoy and praise these books, they are the Narnia of our generation.

Stardust by Neil Gaiman

I first read Stardust three years ago when I discovered Neil Gaiman. It was not my favorite of his novels, and even though I read through it quickly, I was left uninspired. I later found out the inspiration for the book had come from a night in Arizona, where I live, and was sad that I did not enjoy the book more. Then earlier this year I read his collection of nonfiction The View From the Cheap Seats. In this collection he has several pieces on fairy tales, including a few about the fairy tale he created, Stardust. I now have more appreciation for fairy tales and what they represent, so I decided to go back and reread the book. This time I listened to it via audio book which I think really helped since Neil Gaiman reads all of his novels. So I was able to hear the story told in the way that the author had intended.

I was still not "starstruck" by anything in this novel. Overall it lacked the Gaiman-esque feel that I have become addicted to. But I was able to enjoy the simple telling of a tale entirely his own and meant to be told in such a way. Maybe I just did not appreciate the simplicity enough the first time around, but this time I was in awe of it. I could just imagine Neil writing this book and sitting down carefully choosing which words were or were not necessary. In fact I would imagine that Stardust took just as much precision to write, if not more, than many of his other novels because of the type of book it is. Neil Gaiman wanted it to sound like a fairy tale of old, one that had been passed down for centuries and would continue to be passed down, and I feel that he succeeded.

None of the characters particularly stood out, and perhaps that is part of why I don't love this novel. But I do enjoy the changes in the star, Yvaine, and Tristran's feelings towards not only one another but also their original wishes. I love the land of Faerie as well and the ways that Neil Gaiman describes it.

So, do I recommend this book? Yes, just not as an introduction to Neil Gaiman. After you have read something else of his, then pick up Stardust.

Overall, the story is charming but not memorable, and yet I can feel that I will one day read it again. Not just because it is a fairy tale written in modern times that feels timeless, but also because it is a fairy tale told by Neil Gaiman. I will read it again because simple stories like these, full of magic and life, are important. They remind us where stories began. They remind us that fairy tales are not just for children. And these reminders need repeating, whether we know it or not.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

The Harry Potter read through continues! I have just finished the last of the books I had not previously read. I will still be re-reading the seventh though as I promised my husband I would read them all and I also enjoy that book.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince surprised me. It has never been my favorite film, as it is so dark. Yet it is my husband's favorite book from the series. So I entered it with an open mind and actually loved it. I don't know if it beats out #3 but I do think I enjoyed it more than #4. Oddly, the book seemed less dark than the film, at least until the end. I don't know. I just loved it! I read this book really fast and stayed up late last night to finish it. And once again I am in awe of the layered writing of J.K. Rowling. She continues to open her world a little more with each book and this one took me to the communication between the Muggle and Magic Ministers. This was not only very neat but also gave me that "oh shit" moment. Voldemort is BACK guys.

Even though I agree that Harry should not have been "cheating" in Slughorn's class, I do love the Half-Blood Prince potions book and all that it allows the reader to learn about the Wizarding world.
I enjoyed seeing a vulnerable side of Malfoy for once. I will always believe he is more a victim of bad parenting than inherent bad traits. The Pensieve is one of my all-time favorite things about the Harry Potter world and so of course I enjoyed all of the lessons with Dumbledore in which the two dive into memories. As these lessons are also what finally reveal Voldemort's story, I enjoyed that as well. I think villains are fascinating and learning their origin stories reveals so much. Plus, horcruxes.


Tonks is one of my favorite characters and I liked seeing more of her in this book. Although not nearly enough. It was because of her that I learned how and why Patronuses can change. (Side note: Her and Lupin are the cutest couple.) Speaking of couples, I do hate how in the midst of all the shit going on everyone in this book starts hooking up. I know that its an age think and Rowling was just trying to remind the reader that these people are still kids, but it just seemed to fill a lot of empty space. And I'll never understand the Ron and Hermione thing. This is the crux of my issue with this series, that it is at its heart, for kids. There are so many neat things and details that could be expanded on, especially if the books were written with the detail of something like The Lord of the Rings, but she doesn't do that. Granted, her writing is so superb that anyone can enjoy the books, but I just crave the rich details of this world!! Maybe that is why everyone is so obsessed with this series though??

Last but not least, Dumbledore. He has been an interesting guy from the beginning and no doubt a great wizard, but, I don't like him. I know this is such an unpopular opinion, don't hate me. I just don't understand why he cares about Harry the way he does and I think he allows Harry to get away with things he shouldn't. Dumbledore also seems more conceited than wise and I feel that in a way he is selfish. I really struggled this book with Dumbledore. And while I know his death is sad for many people and strengthens Voldemort....I don't really care. So before you yell at me I ask that you help me. Explain to me why Dumbledore is so beloved. Do it in a comment. Send me a message. Because I want to understand, I do.

Overall, this was a beautiful book. I enjoyed it immensely and I am diving straight into the seventh book once I finish this post. Definitely a favorite and I cannot believe it took me so long to actually read Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.

Bossypants by Tina Fey

I only decided to read Bossypants to fulfill the category of "Book by a Comedian" in the book challenge I am doing with my husband. I have always enjoyed Tina Fey's work, (who doesn't?), and since Bossypants is short I thought it would be the perfect book. I am happy to say that I was right.

This book is part autobiography and part guide to being Tina Fey, sort of. She includes pictures for context from various points in her life and a lot of her tips having to do with being a boss in a world mostly full of men. Tina does not disappoint and gives plenty of laughs throughout. I often laughed out loud and then had to reread passages to my husband because of how funny I found them. I don't know if I can even pick a favorite funny part! She has the talent of not only being funny on a screen, but also on the page. This probably has to do with the fact that first and foremost Tina Fey is a comedy writer, which I was unaware of until reading her book. This style of writing also allows her to be candid in a way that does not feel uncomfortable because she is able to laugh at herself.

Tina intersperses personal chapters with anecdotal or random chapters, which makes the book feel inconsistent but also lends the book its charm. Some of my favorite random chapters are: "The Secrets of Mommy's Beauty" and "I Don't Care if You Like It".
The overall theme of many of these chapters is just to be who you are, unapologetically, because that is what Tina did and now her life is awesome. In "The Secrets of Mommy's Beauty" Tina lists 12 secrets for how to be beautiful. My favorites are #9) When it Comes to Fashion, Find What Works for You and Stick with It, and #12) The Most Important Rule of Beauty, which is, "Who cares?".

Bossypants is not all laughs and glamour though, there is some really serious stuff nestled between its pages. Tina writes a lot about her struggles both in and out of the comedy world with sexism. She begins these struggles as a young woman and tells of the time she knew she was a grown woman when someone yelled something nasty at her, saying that this is the moment most women know they are grown. (I can attest that this is true in some respect. I first had someone yell something gross at me when I was 16. Even though I had felt grown up before then, what 16 year old doesn't, I knew that now the world saw me as one.) Tina recounts a time that a director told her that three girls in a scene was too many and later goes on to talk about a scene she was in with three girls (I know what you are thinking but not in that way). And of course she talks about creating her own television show "30 Rock" and what it meant to be the boss of so many people. There are other moments as well but these in particular really stuck with me. I think a woman like her in comedy is just what we need to start changing the sexism so inherent in that scene. One of the best ways to start making change is just to tell you story, which is exactly what this book is.

Tina touches on other elements of sexism such as competition between girls, photoshop, ageism surrounding older women in comedy (and by older she means 40), motherhood and working, judgemental mothers, and so much more. I don't want to give it all away because then you would not read the book and you should read the book!

A couple more of my favorite moments are her story about her honeymoon in the chapter aptly titled, "My Honeymoon, or A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again Either"; and her story about impersonating Sarah Palin on SNL which is told in the chapter, "Sarah, Oprah, and Captain Hook, or How to Succeed by Sort of Looking Like Someone".

The only complaint I have is that this book is too short! I felt as though the end was just there. It ended in a non-satisfying way and I was left wanting more. But I don't know if that is really a complaint, more of a compliment.

Overall, I highly recommend Bossypants. If you love Tina Fey, you'll love it. If you are a feminist, you'll love it. If you like laughing, you'll love it. Tina Fey is a wonderful writer. I finished the book and started watching "30 Rock" on Netflix. I now want to rewatch "Mean Girls" and seek out any and everything else she has done. She is brilliant and I cannot wait to see what she does next.

Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling

This is one of two Harry Potter books I've never read any part of. (Until recently I had only read small parts of the fourth book and I have no yet read the sixth book at all). You can look at some of my previous Potter posts to learn more of my story with these books, but today I am just going to remind you that I am reading the whole series for my husband who is a Harry Potter fanatic.

It took me a long time to begin this book. I finished the fourth novel back in May and did not start this one until the beginning of July. Then it took me the entire month to finish. I read it in pieces as I finished other books and only just sat to work through the remaining two-hundred pages. I think it took me some time to really dive into this book because it is the beginning of truly dark times in the wizarding world. What with my recent life experiences and struggles with anxiety, dark books can only be read at certain times. Once I was able to sit and dive into this story, I was not impressed. the first two or three hundred pages seemed to drag on and on and on. And through most of this book Harry is just whining and being angsty about life. Yeah, he has had some shit happen to him, but that doesn't give him the right to be rude to everyone around him. Reading that mindset was not fun nor did it make me want to know what happened next, unless whatever happened next was going to get Harry to STFU. Plus I am forever angry that Sirius died. So, I struggled, but I finally finished.

I will say that I enjoyed the continued progression Rowling makes into the wizarding world as this book focused a lot on the Ministry of Magic and St. Mungo's Hospital. She is a fantastic storyteller. I enjoyed the bits about occlumency the very best, as well as the scenes where I learned more about Snape. I loved Firenze becoming a teacher and the way he set up the classroom. Umbridge is and forever will be one of my favorite characters for the sheer fact that she is so ridiculously evil it is entertaining. The scene where Fred and George leave school is legendary.

Overall, Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix was an okay book. Out of the five I have read so far it is tied with The Chamber of Secrets for being my least favorite. (The Chamber of Secrets might even be better just because it is shorter). In context of the series it is an important book, just not the best one. The interesting thing is that many people claim this as their favorite. If you are one of these people, I would love to know why that is so that I can see this book from a new perspective. Until then, it is not one I plan to return to. I am still enjoying the series though! So stay tuned for my reviews on the final two books.

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

I had never heard of Carlos Ruiz Zafon before two years ago. One day my now father-in-law told me about a book he had just finished called The Shadow of the Wind. He did not tell me much about it, but he showed me a quote he had written down from the novel: "The art of reading is slowly dying, that it's an intimate ritual, that a book is a mirror that offers us only what we already carry inside us, that when we read, we do it with all our heart and mind, and great readers are becoming more scarce by the day.” I fell in love with the quote and wrote down the name of the book. A few days later, in midsummer I bought and began reading The Shadow of the Wind.

The book takes place in Barcelona, Spain in in the early-mid 1900s and follows a boy named Daniel Sempere. He works at his father's bookshop Sempere and Sons. One night, when he is around ten years old, his father takes him to the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and tells Daniel to choose a book which he will have to protect for the rest of his life. Daniel chooses a novel called "The Shadow of the Wind" by Julian Carax. After reading and falling in love with the book Daniel wishes to find out more about the author. This leads him down a path full of intertwining stories, dark mansions, tragic love, and more. I don't want to write any more about the plot because it is a story best experienced if you know as little as possible going in.

There was one night in particular during my first encounter with this novel where a thunderstorm takes place and many frightening things happen. I was home alone that night and a thunderstorm began to rage outside of the window. I was so interested in what was going on in the story bu also frightening. I sat curled up in a blanket, with all of the lights on, against a wall and continued on reading. But it is an experience I will not forget and that I look back on fondly. That is the type of moment that bonds you with a book forever.

Prior to reading The Shadow of the Wind I knew very little of Barcelona, or Spain in general. The book made me curious. I was lucky enough to go last year on my honeymoon and was swept away with how accurately Carlos Ruiz Zafon had described the city. I kept expecting to run into Daniel or stumble upon the Cemetery of Forgotten Books around every corner. I could go on and on for my love of that beautiful city, but suffice it to say that reading the book feels almost as wonderful as being there. Barcelona is a place of magic.

This brings me to the present day where I just finished rereading The Shadow of the Wind for the first time. I actually listened to it via audio book, which was an experience in and of itself because it featured music composed by the author. This added greatly to the atmosphere. The narrator was also superb. And yet, I did not like listening to the novel as much as reading it. I feel like this book, the great ode to reading and books that it is, is truly meant to be read. But if audio book is your only way to hear this tale, you could do worse than the audio for The Shadow of the Wind.

There are two other books set in the world of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and a fourth due sometime soon. I recommend them and might do a review someday, but The Shadow of the Wind is the best of them all.  The Shadow of the Wind is close to my heart. I have loved it since the moment I read the first page. It is a book I intend to return to many times and a book I want to give to my children (when they are a bit older). It is a book full of many things, but most of all, it is full of magic.

Armada by Ernest Cline

Armada is a fast paced ride through sci-fi references and pop culture nods. Ernest Cline did a good job of mixing not only 80's references but modern references. I enjoyed that because I understood the current "Leeroy Jenkins" reference and the Patrick Rothfuss nod; in comparison to Ready Player One which mostly focused on the 80s.

What I have learned about Ernest Cline as a writer is that his stories can be a bit predictable. This did not bother me in Ready Player One because of all the action and moments that happened between the beginning and the end. In fact there is a point in that book where I wondered if what I had predicted all along was utterly wrong. But in Armada I found myself predicting what would happen and then turning the page to see it happen, over and over again. The only thing interspersed between these moments were fight scenes, whether real or in the video game, that were described in such painful detail that after the third one it just felt like they were there to take up space.

Armada did have some interesting theories, especially the idea that video games were created and funded by the government to train civilians how to fight aliens, but the theories were not overly original. It felt like Ernest Cline had taken a lot of scenes from his favorite movies and books and then smashed them all together into a novel. Now let me say that this is not a bad thing, it was really nerdy and cool and I loved it, but it just did not make me go "wow" at the end.

The only other complaint I have is the lack of deep underlying narrative. Armada seemed to be just a book about video games and alien invasions and then it turned out to be just that. There is a moment at the end that seems to try to make up for this by implying that humans need to be more compassionate and less war-driven, and I agree, but it did not feel like this was a point being reinforced over and over again throughout the novel.

I did enjoy that there was less of a love story in this novel. And I love that Ernest Cline wrote about a female president and a single mom who is kick ass and other women who can shine in their own right. I love that he writes nerdy books that feel accessible to me, not only as a nerd, but as a woman. Like I stated above, I also loved the many nods to current pop culture. This book was a fast read and full of action, which was a nice change of pace from the last book I read. I enjoyed Armada immensely, I just did not finish it and immediately want to start reading it again like I felt with Ready Player One.

Now perhaps it is not fair for me to compare Armada to Ready Player One. And maybe I would feel differently had I read them in reverse order. But Ernest Cline has only written two books and so it is inevitable that they will be compared. The thing is that I don't know if I would have even read Armada had I not loved its predecessor so much. This book just felt lackluster, I guess.

All of that being said, I think Armada will make a great movie. It has all the elements to help it translate beautifully to film and I will be one of the first in line to watch. I really enjoy Ernest Cline's writing and intend to read the next book he releases. Overall, I just feel that if I had to choose between Armada and Ready Player One to recommend to a reader, it would be Ready Player One every time. But if you like spaceships and video games and have an afternoon to kill, this is a great book for you.

Redemption Ark by Alastair Reynolds **spoiler warning**

Until four years ago, the closest I had come to reading science fiction was when I was ten years old or younger and reading Star Wars books. The older I got I seemed to think that science fiction was boring and uninteresting, not true literature, etc. I thought this about quite a few genres. When I stumbled across Neil Gaiman, and fell so in love, I suddenly was thrust into a world of new possibilities. The man had written in almost every genre and medium possible. So, with time, I began to let go of old prejudices but I had still not ventured into sci-fi. Then last year a good friend suggested a book called House of Suns by an Alastair Reynolds. From what he told me, I was interested. And he promised it was not cheesy or boring. I bit the bullet and bought the book.

The thing about Alastair Reynolds is that his writing is smart. I mean really smart. This guy is an astrophysicist turned author. So when he writes about space and science, it is almost on a textbook level. I am slightly ashamed to admit that he is the only author who has ever made me feel stupid. I have always had a high reading level. I read Pride and Prejudice at 11 (I wish I was kidding). So I do not tend to feel inferior to any level of writing or type of novel. And yet when I read Reynolds, he makes me feel, for the first time, like his writing is above my comprehension level. But that is part of why I love him. Thus when I first begin any of his novels, and  Redemption Ark is my third, I have to shut off the part of my brain that wants to fully and truly understand all that is happening. Unless I have a super high-tech space dictionary next to me, which I don't, I have to accept I will not understand every word used. It takes a bit of time and effort to get into a Reynolds novel, but it is so worth it.

So I loved House of Suns, but it was a stand alone novel. Eventually I went back to the book store and decided to dive into Reynolds first novel, which was the beginning of a series, called Revelation Space. That novel was the first book I read this year and I loved it even more than House of Suns. Redemption Ark is the second book in the Revelation Space world and I loved it. Both of these novels are full of rich storytelling and immersive space opera-ness. What I love is that even if Reynolds follows many characters for the first half of the novel, he will always end up throwing them together for the second half, and that is where the fun begins.

Redemption Ark brought back my favorite character of Ana Khouri, whose history is easier to explain if you just go find the books. She is a badass woman (as all of Reynolds' women are in their own right, another reason to admire him) and I enjoyed being able to follow her continued story as she tries to save the planet of Resurgam from certain destruction. The Inhibitors, a race of machines whose sole purpose is to squash out star-faring life so as to preserve not star-faring life, have awoken and are in the midst of building a frightening weapon to kill the planet. The story is more complex and rich than that, but I would fail miserably if I tried to explain it.

This series deals overall with the existence of the Inhibitors and what that means for mankind. There is mystery combined with fear, and sometimes horror, in all of Reynolds' novels and it keeps me engaged. But at the same time Reynolds' finishes each of his novels in a satisfying enough way that it could stand on its own. This man is truly brilliant and I have nothing but respect and awe for his writing. Especially because he has said that he never writes about something he does not think could actually happen or exist someday, (which is a bit frightening when I think of the idea of the Inhibitors).

The character of Nevil Clavain, who is introduced in this book, is one of the most fascinating and complicated of any of Reynolds' other characters. His story is long and not fully explained, but the glimpses at his past are intriguing. Part of why I loved this novel so much as because of this character. In fact I would recommend the book on Clavain alone. He is one of the few humans who used to live on Earth and his memories of it are insightful. His history alone seems to be the history of humans in space. Overall, I think Redemption Ark is my favorite Reynolds book so far and I recommend it, especially if you've already read Revelation Space.

Alastair Reynolds is, in my opinion, a poet and professor. It is hard to truly describe the beauty of some passages that, while they are talking about very foreign elements, use metaphors that seem stolen from a poem. Combine this with his astrophysicist background and grand ideas of space and time, and Alastair Reynolds may be the most brilliant author there ever was. He just hides in the science-fiction section. I am forever grateful I took my friend's suggestion. I am grateful I opened my mind and ventured into the world of unknown genres. Even if everything else I read is shit, finding Reynolds will be the one payoff for roaming into the science-fiction aisle.

The View From the Cheap Seats by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman is my favorite author. He is also one of my favorite people, just in general. If you want an example of why, just watch this. He is an inspiration and also a creative powerhouse. This man is so prolific that he has done almost everything (and continues to): comics, books of all kinds, movies, tv shows, you name it. So for an aspiring writer he is basically the equivalent to Beyonce. (Although I do also love Beyonce.) I had the chance to meet him 4 years ago and that moment changed my life. (I cried, he shook my hand, it was a good moment.) I am going to see his "An Evening With Neil Gaiman" show next April. But I digress....at another time I will write a big gushy post about Neil Gaiman. Today I am going to stick to my thoughts on his recent book release, the nonfiction collection The View From the Cheap Seats.

Anything by Mr. Gaiman makes me a very happy reader. I bought this book the day it came out and began reading it right away but made myself take all of June to finish it because I liked knowing I had fresh Neil things to read sitting in my room. I was initially worried though because it was a book of nonfiction. I like nonfiction, but even the best of us have to admit it can be boring sometimes. I was pleasantly surprised to find that nothing in this book was boring, not even the introductions to books that were, obviously, not included.

The book is split up into ten sections and within each section are articles or speeches or introductions that fall within the category of that section. I was very happy that his Make Good Art speech had its own section and was the only piece included there. Neil managed to make me scared with his articles and introductions to Edgar Allan Poe or Dracula. He made me cry with a few articles about Amanda Palmer and Anthony Martignetti and Syria. He made me smile and laugh and nod my head in agreement with so many of his other pieces. In the end I felt happy and whole. I now have a list of books, authors, comics, films and artists to look up and enjoy. Surprisingly, The View From the Cheap Seats has become one of my top favorite Neil Gaiman books.

I do not necessarily recommend it for someone who wants to get into reading Neil Gaiman, but I would recommend it to someone who enjoys his work or has at least read one of his fiction novels. But even if one has not read a Neil Gaiman book and wants to go against my advice, one would still enjoy this book. It is full of wisdom and wit and love and wonder. It is, assuredly, a Neil Gaiman book.

I want to finish this review with a list of some of my favorite pieces from The View From the Cheap Seats. I read the book in order, but it certainly does not have to be read that way, so if you want to just peruse a few pieces listed below are my favorites:

- "Why Our Future Depends on Libraries, Reading and Daydreaming", page 5
- "Telling Lies for a Living...and Why We Do It", page 16
- "The Pornography of Genre, or the Genre of Pornography", page 39
- "What the [Very Bad Swearword] Is a Children's Book, Anyway?, page 77
- "Harlan Ellison: The Beast That Shouted Love at the Heart of the World", page 117
- "SIMCITY", page 154
- "Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451, and what Science Fiction is and Does", page 177
- "2004 Harvey Awards Speech", page 300
- "Some Strangeness in the Proportion: The Exquisite Beauties of Edgar Allan Poe", page 317
- "Hi, by the Way: Tori Amos", page 389
- "Once Upon a Time", page 423
- "Make Good Art", page 451
- "The View From the Cheap Seats", page 463
- "The Dresden Dolls: Hallowe'en 2010", page 470

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald (Spoiler, it is actually a horror story)

I first read The Great Gatsby when I was 15 for school. I did not think I would find such a book entertaining. Although I liked classics, I preferred Jane Austen, and this did not sound close to that type of novel. I was surprised to not only be captivated so much by the story but to finish it all in one sitting. The story of a man so in love with a woman who, while she loved him, was ultimately quite selfish fascinated me. And the unexpected, tragic ending made the story all the more interesting and memorable.  A couple of years later when I was 17 my family moved and the school I was enrolled in happened to read Gatsby during Junior year. So for the second time in my life, also for school, I read the novel. The course work focused more on details, especially the use of color, throughout the novel and I was able to see the work in a more academic light. I understood more deeply how wonderful of a novelist Fitzgerald was. The Great Gatsby became one of my favorite books. It was in that class I watched my first film version, the 2000 version with Paul Rudd as Nick Carraway. While I did not love the movie, it was interesting to see a book come to life in such a perfect way on film, as this so rarely happens. But the story seemed to translate well, even if it could have been an aesthetically better film.  Luckily, a better film was made only a few years later.

When I was 19, the Baz Luhrmann directed version of the film was released. My favorite actress played Daisy, Leo DiCaprio played Gatsby, Tobey McGuire played Nick (which is perfect because I dislike Nick as a character and Tobey is not a favorite actor of mine). Overall the casting was spot on. Luhrmann was a wonderful choice to direct such a huge film, especially the party scenes. My only concern was that Jay-Z was in charge of the music, and all of it was modern. I reread the novel before the film came out and again was swept into the romance of Gatsby and Daisy. When I saw the film I was even more in love. The soundtrack was actually perfect. It allowed for modern audiences to ground themselves in the 1920s and really feel the energy of that time. Party music from the 20s probably would not evoke the same feeling now, but party music from now over scenes from the 20s would. I cannot speak highly enough of this film. But I have digressed....

Over the weekend I reread The Great Gatsby much like I had the first time, all in one sitting. I chose it as my "book that takes place during summer" for mine and my husband's reading challenge. It has been three years since the last time I read the novel. A lot has happened in my life since then and I was surprised to see how the shape of this story changed through my new eyes. But I realized that while The Great Gatsby may be a good novel about class differences and nouveau riche and old, and it may be a good love story, and a good example of that time period; The Great Gatsby is actually a horror story. 

Let me explain: The first time one reads this novel, you are swept up in the parties and love story, so when Gatsby dies you are sad but that is all. The following times you might focus on the love story, and still be saddened by the end, but perhaps hoping this time Gatsby will live. However, reading it now and knowing Gatsby dies, and there is nothing I can do to save him, I was dreading the end the entire time. As I read each scene where there was a party it just seemed like an overly obvious way to cover up the horrific tragedy of the finale. The lies Gatsby tells, the rumors that swirl about his shady past and identity, all of these suddenly were screaming clues that the inevitable end of this novel was Gatsby's death. Gatsby in and of himself seemed haunted by his love of Daisy. Reading it this time I saw him as nothing more than a ghost, a man already dead whose last chance at life was Daisy's requited love. I realized that even if he was not unfairly shot by Wilson, who was under the incorrect impression that Gatsby was his wife's lover, the end of the novel would probably still have culminated in Gatsby's suicide. 

This time around I noticed more sentences that spoke about the American way of life and commented on society and the human condition. I don't know how they escaped me in the past but suddenly I was reading a novel with great depth of thought, not just plot. A novel full of the depravity of life and the emptiness of hot summer days and money. Gatsby never belonged in that world and yet there he was. I am still processing this new realization. I am sure my next read of this novel, because I know it is one I will revisit often in my life, will provide even further insight to this new concept. For now know that The Great Gatsby is a wonderful novel. If you have not read it, go do so now (and I apologize for putting ideas in your head beforehand, it is a novel read best when you know nothing about it); if you have read it, go reread it and let me know how it has changed for you. Do you dread the party scenes as much as I? 

"They were careless people, Tom and Daisy- they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money or their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made..."

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

I am ashamed to say that until now I have read nothing by Ray Bradbury. But I am proud to say this was my first Bradbury novel.

I read Fahrenheit 451 in two sittings, one small burst and one long one. Both times I had to take a nap. I don't know if the napping is related, but the book does have a heaviness to it. A lingering panic that creeps around the edges of the plot and exhausts you. I was happy to have finished the book but I was not happy because of the book. In fact this novel left me feeling quite depressed. I was depressed because so many elements of Bradbury's world mirror our own, because even though this cautionary tale is over 60 years old I see a similar pattern, and most of all I was depressed because no one had ever made me read this book. And yet I felt like this should be required reading. (I know in most places it is but it never was for me, sadly).

The main character of Guy Montag is not exactly likeable. I am still not sure whether Bradbury intended for the reader to like Montag or not or if it even mattered. What mattered was that Montag moved the plot along wonderfully.  This is not a novel you read for the characters, although the characters are necessary, this is a novel you read for the society. And if you pay close attention to every element Bradbury paints into the background, you will see the world is our world. Maybe not now, but definitely in the future. It is a world where people self medicate so regularly they unintentionally commit suicide. Where they are so far in doubt about their unhappiness that they believe life is perfect, so long as the entertainment stays on. A world where entertainment via all immersive television is the main source of pleasure and time spent. Books are not only burned but their initial existence questioned because they don't have to do with real people. And yet, these people do not care about the others around them. Death is nothing, a shrug of the shoulders. No one discusses ideas or thinks anymore because all of their time is spent having ideas and opinions shoved into their head by entertainment.

All of this so deeply echos of this information age. The iPhone era. Social media and all that jazz has more often hindered interaction than helped it. Bookstores are closing. Two hour Amazon delivery exists. Are we heading into our own version of Fahrenheit 451? Only reading the novel, will ironically and appropriately, help you form your own opinion on that matter. There are few books I think should be required reading, but this is one of them.

Hello Summer!

Hi there! It has been a while since I have posted so I just wanted to do a quick update. I promise a new post is coming soon!! I have been bad about sitting and reading lately. Don't worry, I am always reading. I just haven't been great about committing to sitting and finishing a novel.

I did get about a quarter of the way through The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver but was somewhat bored. I did not hate it and perhaps one day I will revisit it, but for now I returned it to my bookshelf. I am very behind on my Harry Potter challenge. My reading partner has already finished Book 5 but I have yet to start it, so that is high up on my list. I started Absolution Gap by Alastair Reynolds but haven't made a real dent in it yet. And then Neil Gaiman's new book, The View From the Cheap Seats, came out and so I dropped everything to begin reading that. Thus I am now in the middle of two books and really need to begin a third and I get another Audible credit this week.

What does that long list mean to you?

It means that hopefully starting by the end of this week or beginning of next, I will begin to have reviews on all of the books mentioned above. Probably Neil Gaiman first, if I am being honest, because he is my reading crack and I adore him. I have a goal of reading 52 books this year and am currently at 23. So I need to focus this summer and read away! The difficult part is that many of these books need to somehow count for the reading challenge I am doing with my husband. So sometimes I have trouble because a book I am dying to read won't count for the challenge. Who knew reading could be so hard?!

Really though, I want to thank you for reading my blog and ask you to not give up on me. I want to stay consistent with reading AND posting, so give me a few days and I'll be back at it. Happy Summer!

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline *spoiler warning*

Original Fan Poster by Harlan Elam @harlanelam on Twitter

I only recently heard about Ready Player One, but once I heard of it I started seeing it everywhere. I took this as a sign form the Book Gods that this was a book I needed to read soon. My husband and I got it for our April Audible download and he zipped through it. I did not start it until last week. I listened to it in 3 chunks. The first night I listened to half of the 15 hours. It was just so good!

Let me start this by saying that I finally am thankful to my father for what I previously considered useless knowledge of 80s pop culture. Thanks to him I actually knew and geeked out over the many, seemingly random, tidbits of 80s music, movies, and games mentioned throughout this novel. That made me feel pretty cool.

I did not grow up in the 80s but still have an appreciation for that decade in my own way. Ready Player One actually takes place in the future but most of the world is plugged into a virtual reality game called the OASIS. Much of the Oasis is inspired by 80s pop culture because the creator grew up during that time. When the creator, James Halliday, dies he leaves a video stating that hidden within the game is an Easter Egg. Whoever finds this easter egg will win a huge prize. I loved the nod to Willy Wonka with this plotline.

The main character, Wade, or Percival as he is known in Oasis, is someone I immediately liked. He was not annoying like I anticipated. I worried that since he is a know it all to an extent that after a few chapters I would end up hating him, but I just kept on enjoying Percival. Art3mis is my next favorite character. I enjoyed her badass-independent woman vibe. Us gamer girls need good representation and Ernest Cline gave us that. He did so as well with an unexpected twist when the reader finds out that Aech is actually a girl, and a lesbian at that. My inner womamly sisterhood did a dance when I read that scene.

What I loved most about Ready Player One, aside from the fact that it was basically one big nergasm, was that Ernest Cline takes the reader on such a journey. I began the novel thinking it would be lame and predictable. Guy wins contest, guy gets girl, nothing exciting happens, the end. And...that is what happens, except there is definitely excitement. By the time the climax happened it did not matter who got the egg, so long as IOI didn't. I got so involved in the whole world of Oasis that I just wanted the true fans and gamers to win the prize. And when the book ends on the boy gets girl scene, it did not feel cliche because Percival and Art3mis had been through so much I just wanted them to be together. Even the tiny bit of cliche-ness felt more like a nod to classic 80s films than a cop out ending.

Overall, Ready Player One was a very textured novel, dealing with themes of reality, creativity, nostalgia, where we come from, and what defines who we are. I am sad that I listened to this as an audiobook, but it has just convinced me to go out and buy a physical copy to read again. This has become a Top 10 favorite. I am anxiously awaiting the film (directed by Spielberg) which I know will be amazing. And I went out yesterday to buy Cline's newest novel Armada. Both of his books are being turned into films and Cline is writing the screenplay for both, something else that I think is pretty awesome.

If you know and love anything about 80s pop culture, if you love gaming of all kinds, if you are a nerd of even the smallest kind...read this book. It might not change your life, but it will make you excited for life.

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is a book I have had for awhile but never actually sat down to read. While I was in bed last week I pulled it out because my husband and I are doing a 2016 Reading Challenge and "autobiography" is one of the categories. I did not know much about Maya before I began the book, other than having read some of her more popular poetry, so it was exciting to get to know her more through her first autobiography.

The book really took me out of my element and into a world I am not familiar with. I could not relate to much of what she went through, but what I loved was that Maya's writing made me still care about what she was going through. My heart broke when she described her sexual assault at a young age. I was elated when she got the job as a trolley conductor in San Francisco. And at the very end as she describes sleeping with her newborn son and having him cuddled up against her I melted. The most striking thing about this whole book is that Maya is, essentially, alone. So there is not really anyone else to root for and those people who are around are not the most likeable people, aside from maybe her brother.

Maya Angelou looks at her life and describes it in such a way it is difficult to believe you are reading a book about the person it is written by. For her to be able to really look at elements of her life in a social, as well as personal, context and relate them back to racism and sexism and ageism was profound. This book felt like not only a reflection on Maya Angelou's early life, but also an examination of the life of someone living in a world full of oppression. Most of all, this book is a lesson and a gift. I hope to soon continue reading through Maya Angelou's autobiographies.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling

I told my whole Harry Potter life story here, so I am going to jump into this review. This is the first HP book I have not read all the way through as I always struggled to finish it. Once I got past the world cup this time I knew I'd complete the novel. I was actually surprised that I ended up loving this book as much as the third book!

I loved Hermione's obsession with saving house elves via S.P.E.W. (I've been scouring Etsy for spew pins because I need one!). I really enjoyed how much more in depth this novel was with Hogwarts education and how much more Sirius Black is in this book than in the fourth movie. The other schools were interesting to learn about, even if the knowledge was minimal. And of course I loved reading about the tasks of the Tri Wizard Tournament. The second task in the lake is my favorite, visually in the movie, and description in the book. (Although I hated that they changed who gave Harry the gillyweed. I always loved that Neville did it in the movie and even though I love Dobby, was kind of sad he was the one instead. Oh movie adaptations...sigh). I loved the Weasley's involvement in the book as well and also lamented the many scenes left out of the movie. Especially because the scene in the beginning when they come pick Harry up from the Dursley's was one of my favorite scenes I've read in any of the books so far!

I am really enjoying the unfolding of this world. Rowling has done a good job of pacing everything. Book 1, you meet everyone and get acquainted with wizarding customs. Book 2, expands on that a bit and the history of Hogwarts. Book 3, we see more of the world via Hogsmeade. Book 4, the world expands further and new schools are introduced. As a fellow writer I admire this slow and beautiful explanation of a world so vast I know Ms. Rowling hasn't written half of what is probably in her head. I can't wait to begin the fifth book as that is one I haven't even touched. Even though I have seen all of the films, there is still so much to be discovered in the novels that I am finding myself almost as excited as if I knew nothing about the series! Overall, The Prisoner of Azkaban is still my favorite, but The Goblet of Fire is a close second.

I Hate Fairyland by Skottie Young

This will be a shorter post, mostly because I read this graphic novel while hyped up on Vicodin after my miscarriage. Although I will say that the Vicodin probably enhanced this gory, fairy filed adventure. But kids, don't try that at home. In fact kids, don't read this graphic novel.

I Hate Fairyland is written and illustrated solely by Skottie Young, so from the get go he got points for being a double threat. This comic follows a girl named Gertrude who at a young age gets whisked off to fairyland...and gets stuck. Her decades spent among these colorful folk has filled her with a deep hatred of all things happy and fun. She gallivants across the land in search of a key to get her home with a fly as her partner. While on this decades-long quest she murders moons and massacres stars. She eats mushroom people and robs banks. It is a highly indecent and entirely hilarious take on the classic fairy tale dilemma of needing to go on a quest to return to one's home.

Even though I did not want to hate fairyland I came to see it through Gert's eyes and enjoyed her bloody romps through the various lands. She reminded me that not everything sugar coated and rainbow filled is fun 24/7 and exemplified the old phrase, "be careful what you wish for". This was the perfect thing for me to read after going through something so deeply horrible. It made me laugh and forget myself for a little while in a world not too dark but full of enough angst and evil to not feel like I was reading a Disney comic. If you like blood and fairies and destruction and comics, then go to the store and buy Volume One of I Hate Fairyland as soon as you can, but skip the Vicodin.

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

I first heard about Me Before You from my father-in-law who recommended it to me almost two years ago. It sounded interesting and I started seeing it in stores but I just never felt the urge to grab it and read it. Then I heard there was a movie coming out with Emilia Clarke, who I love on Game of Thrones. So I decided I should actually read the book before June. I ended up downloading the audiobook on Audible so that I could listen while doing other things and it took me a month to finish. Granted, in that month I only listened to it maybe 4 times in large chunks, but my point is that I was not captivated enough to keep listening.

Image taken from Wikipedia

The main character, Louisa, is flat. Everyone around her tells her this and she knows it, but is content. That alone is not why I disliked her, although I was sick of it being repeated so much throughout the novel. I cannot even say that I truly disliked her, I just didn't like her. And then Will, the other main character, has his own issues but is at least interesting. However, his whole purpose in the novel seems to be to liven up Louisa, even to the end. I just could not get why I needed to be reading a book about someone who did not care about "finding herself" and yet was being forced by so many people in various ways to change. I know there is a sequel, so maybe in there she actually does something conducive with all this change, but within this book alone she is just kind of....there.

The love story, which I don't even think can truly be called that, is confusing throughout the novel and then when things finally come to a point Will exhibits the ultimate act of selfishness. Although depending on one's point of view, he finally got to make a choice in how his life went, and it just did not include Louisa. I don't know. I was pretty frustrated by the scene in which one expects undying love to be proclaimed. I will leave it at that so as not to spoil the entire scene, but just be aware it is pretty disappointing.

I also really did not understand or care for the random chapters from the point of view of Will's mother, Louisa's sister, and Nathan. They did not really seem to move along the story and I hated being inside Camilla and Katrina's heads. In fact, none of the family members are close to likable throughout the whole novel and so it made no sense to throw random point of view changes into the novel.

Overall, I was less than impressed by this book. I think it might make a better movie than a novel, so I will be seeing the film to compare. However, I do not really recommend it
. It is glorified fluff. Nicholas Sparks' novels are better if you want to read a random book about romance that won't have a fulfilling ending.

**Personal Post**

I am sorry for the lack of posts this week. I have two posts I need to write. Unfortunately this week my husband and I found out we lost our baby. Physically and emotionally I am not feeling well. Hopefully I can get a post up mid-end of next week. From then on I will try to continue on a regular schedule. Thank you.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

I heard about A Darker Shade of Magic after I found out about its sequel, A Gathering of Shadows. Reviews were comparing it to one of my favorite Neil Gaiman novels Neverwhere. When I looked further into the novel I found the first one and found out there was also meant to be a third, so I got excited and next time I was at a bookstore I picked up ADSOM.

The beginning was slow going. It took me some time to really get into the novel which I think was due to the fact that I never connected with the main character, Kell. And even though I was interested in the three Londons and the system of magic that Schwab describes, I still had trouble really wanting to continue reading.

Once the character of Lila Bard was introduced I was slightly more interested, but still felt a lack of enthusiasm. The plot did not pick up until almost 200 pages in, which is halfway through the novel, and that was frustrating as well. I have not appreciated many novels that take a long time to get the story going. On top of all of this, the novel, which is not YA, felt like a YA novel. It lacked the depth of an adult fantasy novel and the characters all felt paper thin. However, V.E. Schwab did do a good job of not making the ending easy. She made sure her characters went through things in a believable manner, and for that reason, I did not actually hate this book.

I liked the novel enough to be excited about meeting the author. V.E. Schwab will be at Phoenix Comic Con in early June, which I am going to, and so I will be able to hopefully go to some panels and maybe even get my book signed. Sure, I wished the characters were more substantial, but Lila's story seemed to hint at obtaining more depth in the sequel. And I wished the plot had moved more quickly, but I appreciated the lengths Schwab went to to describe her system of magic. So, all in all, it was an enjoyable book. I am not sure yet if I will read the subsequent novels, but this is a book I think the right kind of person would like. And who knows? Maybe the sequels will give me the depth and substance I wanted in this novel. So perhaps I am being a bit too harsh, but I can't say for sure at the moment.

Saga by Brian K. Vaughan (writer) and Fiona Staples (artist)

First, I would like to apologize for not posting last week. I was not having the best time and did not finish any books. (Shocking, I know). But I am back this week in abundance and will be posting at least once, if not twice, more before the week is over! To give you a preview, I am currently reading:

-A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E Schwab
-Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (audiobook)
-The Goblet of Fire by J.K. Rowling

So that is what you have to look forward to, review-wise! Okay, now on to what this post is really about.

I need to begin this by saying that I was never into comics. I mean, never. If anything, I looked down on people who read them. I thought they were childish and for people who could not, or would not, tackle the comprehensive world of fiction. Then when I was 16 my ex-boyfriend gave me The Crow. I read it and, to my surprise, enjoyed it. But I was still naive because it was a "graphic novel" which was, obviously, different from a comic book. (Oh the things we think when we are young!). Fast forward to a few years ago and I discover Neil Gaiman, who I fall madly in love with. I devoured everything he had written that I could get my hands on. And when I ran out of books, I was left with the vast library of comic and graphic novel work he had produced. So I bought the first Sandman graphic novel. I loved it. Now, I have only read two Sandman graphic novels and two of Gaiman's stand alone graphic novels, so I am still very much a beginner, but I was impressed at how rich the storytelling actually was. That combined with the amazing artwork and I was captivated. I don't know that it made me a comic buff necessarily, but it definitely taught me a lesson and gave me an appreciation for this world. Unfortunately, I never dove into anything else in the comic world, until this past weekend.

There had been articles and suggestions made about Saga in my realm of social media and friends since about two years ago. Yet nothing I saw sparked my interest enough to actually pay attention. I had seen the cover of the first comic and enjoyed the evocative nature of it. (Who wouldn't love a bad ass looking winged-lady breastfeeding?) Recently I had been hearing about it again and the cover kept coming to mind. So last week I was at Barnes and Noble with my husband and went to the comic section to check it out. Much to my pleasant surprise, all Image comics, (Image is the publisher), were on sale for "buy 2 get the 3rd free". Then of course I had to buy the first three. This felt like a sign from the reading gods.

I started the first graphic novel the next day and finished it almost faster than you can say "saga". I jumped right into the second one and am only taking a break from going on to the third one so I can write this post. I now own all five available graphic novels (each one contains six comics) and plan to subscribe to the comics once they start up again later this year so that I do not have to wait months between the graphic novel releases. Yep, I have become a comic nerd.

What I love about this series is pretty much everything. The main characters, Marko and Alana, are on this mission to raise their baby Hazel as far from the war between their worlds as possible. At the heart, Saga is all about family. I don't know if it is the fact that I am pregnant for the first time that plays into my love for this story or the fact that it is just a great story, but I feel like it is definitely a bit of both. Brian K. Vaughan's world is weird and inventive and full of the fresh-ness that I appreciate in anything science-fiction. His ability to give even the evil characters an interesting narrative with depth is something else that speaks to his true talent as a storyteller. I feel like I can't turn the pages fast enough and yet I want to turn them all bad and read them all over again.

Alana is my favorite character. Not just because she is a woman, but because she is strong without losing her femininity. I feel like so much of Hollywood and other creative outlets nowadays focus on overly masculine women or overly feminine women. Part of the reason I loved the new Star Wars is that I feel Rey was similar to Alana. These are the women I can most relate to because I have never felt like a girly-girl, but I've never felt like a tom-boy either. So reading Saga and watching Alana be a wife, mother, and a warrior is just all around awesome and inspiring. But all of this is not to say that I do not love Marko and other characters as well, its just that if I could be anyone, right now I would pick her.

Saga also does an amazing job of dealing with gritty topics such as race, sex, and age. There are moral questions raised and eyebrows left un-raised at things other art and literary forms would never even discuss. Or if they did discuss it, it would be in an in-your-face way or with tongue in cheek. I think the fact that this is a rare, if nonexistent, feeling for me when reading these comics says a great deal about the writing and artistry.

Last, but not least, I have to gush over Fiona Staples artwork. It is breathtaking. The scary scenes are horrifying. The awkward scenes of robots sitting on toilets are still asking to be stared at. The loving scenes emanate the emotions off of the page. And the facial expressions of each character seem as real as if they were sitting right across from me. I want to take certain pages out of Saga just to hang them on my wall. Even if you hate good storytelling, you have to read this series for the great artwork.