A Guide to L-Space

St. Thomas Aquinas by G.K. Chesterton

2010-09-06T19:45:00.001-04:00

This book was another from the cruise, and although it's fairly short it's not exactly a quick read. I'd been looking forward to reading it for several years, ever since I discovered that one of my favorite authors wrote matching biographies of possibly my two favorite saints: St. Francis and St. Thomas Aquinas. It seemed like a perfect combination, but I've got to admit that the book didn't

Planet Narnia by Michael Ward

2010-07-31T09:44:00.000-04:00

We got to go on a Caribbean cruise a few months ago, and in addition to being a ton of fun, it allowed me to actually catch up on some "real book" reading (as opposed to audiobooks, which constitute about 90% of my reading list). Near the top of my list was Planet Narnia: The Seven Heavens in the Imagination of C. S. Lewis, a literary analysis of the Narnia series that makes a rather interesting

The Lighting Thief by Rick Riordan

2010-05-27T19:45:00.000-04:00

Whoa, I've got a backlog building up :-p not as much spare energy as usual. But if I wait too long, everything's going to start running together, so here's a quick one:This first book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series is a fun romp--modernized Greek mythology given the Harry Potter treatment. Twelve year old Percy Jackson is a lovable misfit, transferred from one school to another

Changing Planes by Ursula K. LeGuin

2010-04-20T20:44:00.001-04:00

It usually takes me a little while to warm up to Ursula K. LeGuin's writing, but once I do it's always enjoyable. I'm entirely sure why, maybe it has something to do with her characters or her tone, but I remember that I made it through the first two books of the Earthsea sequence with somewhat lukewarm reception before the third book really caught my interest. It may be that she spends quite a

Guess What?

2010-04-14T20:43:00.000-04:00

What to Expect When You're Expecting, 4th edition by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon MazelMayo Clinic Guide to a Healthy Pregnancy by Roger W. Harms, MD (ed)Yep! It's finally time for a family that includes more than canine children ^_^ Due date is Oct 30th, and we're super-excited!So, as soon as we found out and the first rush of excitement turned to "oh wow, we have no idea what we're doing here", it

Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer

2010-04-13T19:32:00.000-04:00

Finished!That's not quite the same relief I felt on finishing the Tales of the Otori series, which was a release from a tale that had become somewhat tedious and slogging. Finishing the Twilight series was more like getting to the end of a particularly terrifying zip line--it was exhilarating, crazy, and impossible to escape, but in the end, great to have your feet on the ground again.This

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

2010-02-08T22:00:00.001-05:00

On the surface, The Lovely Bones sounds like it's going to be a very depressing book; thirteen year old Suzie Salmon is raped and murdered, and watches her family from the afterlife. And while the first part of the book is just as bad as you'd imagine with that premise, it grows into a beautiful story as her family rebuilds (eventually, and mostly) from the tragedy.I'd heard the title of the book

Eclipse by Stephanie Meyer

2010-01-26T20:53:00.000-05:00

Still reading Twilight :-p Not too much new to comment on for this one, other than a further observation on what's appealing about the books: the series is essentially a fanfiction of itself. (I feel like the term incestuous applies here, but in the interests of making this a quick post, won't try too hard to work it in)This volume in particular seems to be extremely indulgent with its readers;

Nicholas Nickleby by Charles Dickens

2010-01-23T19:00:00.002-05:00

I don't know if I've ever read a Dickens novel that I didn't like, and Nicholas Nickleby is no exception. It's Dicken's third novel and has a much more continuous, cohesive story than Pickwick Papers, but it isn't quite as funny or light-hearted. If you're trying Dickens for the first time, I'd say this isn't a bad place to start.I'd love to write more, but my backlog of reviews is growing, so

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer

2010-01-13T22:00:00.000-05:00

Continuing with the Twilight series, I'd say this second book is a actually a tiny bit better than the first, but still continues the original's fine traditions of melodrama and the tone of a dime-store romance novel. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure that the advantage is due to Edward's disappearance for about 75% of the book, a happy coincidence that is unlikely to occur again in the series. To

The Light that Failed by Rudyard Kipling

2010-01-06T23:04:00.003-05:00

This book was another one that I picked up used because it was a title I'd never heard from a famous author. I loved Kipling's stories while I was growing up, and although The Light that Failed is very different from his adventure stories, Kipling's captivating storytelling and compelling voice comes through in full force.The story is a romance between a young war correspondent who returns to

The Harsh Cry of the Heron by Lian Hearn

2009-12-27T21:32:00.001-05:00

Finally finished! Its kind of sad when that's the first impression I have of finishing a series. But that's honestly about right. By the fifth book the beauty and novelty of the setting has begun to lose its effect, and as I discovered awhile ago, the story isn't particularly interesting and the characters tend heavily towards annoying.Although I appreciate that Lian Hearn gives her Hero the full

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer

2009-11-08T23:10:00.003-05:00

Yep, I did it. I finally gave in and read the latest fangirl craze that's spawning all the vampire-themed novels, movies and TV shows. Despite the tepid to horrified reviews I'd heard, despite the fact that I've always considered vampire stuff to be rather silly, and despite the creep-out factor I get every time Robert Pattinson shows up on posters and magazine covers, I gave it a try.Somewhat to

Cesar's Way by Cesar Millan

2009-11-02T22:38:00.004-05:00

So, the full title is Cesar's Way: The Natural, Commonsense Guide to Understanding and Correcting All Common Dog Problems by Cesar Millan, Melissa Jo Peltier and John H. Mayer, but that wouldn't all fit in the title line.We recently adopted a new puppy to be a playmate for our first dog, and I figured that with so many furry bodies around, it wouldn't be a bad idea to read up on them.Gratuitous

South Sea Tales by Jack London

2009-10-26T20:41:00.000-04:00

I read this book almost a year ago, back when I was actually posting, but I've got it queued, so here goes:I tend to associate Jack London with icy cold settings and dogs (whether White Fang or The Sea Wolf, there's still plenty of cold + dog connotation), but it turns out he traveled and wrote about the sunny south as well. (No dogs in these either, for what it's worth) Not that the stories are

Back?

2009-10-25T21:32:00.004-04:00

Hi!Okay, reeeeally long break there, I actually gave up on posting for awhile. :-p In between moving back to Texas, buying and moving into a new house, and adopting a pair of adorable dogs, I haven't had much time to angst over postings.And that was the problem really :-p I'm thinking that I might just keep this blog as a record of what I'm reading, instead of trying to do in-depth reviews of

Seventh Son by Orson Scott Card

2009-02-23T20:37:00.001-05:00

Gasp, I actually managed a post! I guess in the whole hubbub of the holidays I lost the rythm, and since we'll be moving back to Texas in about a month, I'll probably lose it again soon. So, no promises as to regular posting, but I'll try!I first read this book about ten years ago, before I was an Orson Scott Card fan. At the time I was slightly uneasy with the book's apparent religion = bad,

Girl Genius by P Foglio, K Foglio, and C Wright

2008-11-21T10:02:00.002-05:00

It seems like I've been reviewing a lot of graphic novels lately, but Girl Genius should be the last one for awhile ^_~ And to be honest, it's only kind of a graphic novel. I read it as a webcomic, but it was originally published in graphic novel form and I'd love to get my hands on the volumes at some point.OverviewOur story takes place in an alternate universe Europe where the clothing is

Sagas of the Norsemen by L. Auerbach and J. Simpson

2008-10-23T22:05:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to read up on Norse mythology without being quite sure where to start. My first two attempts from a university library yielded a kind of reference book, with gods and heroes listed in alphabetical order, and the first volume of Jacob Grimm's Teutonic Mythology. The former had plenty of good information, but I was looking for something to read straight through, not a reference

The Fountain by Darren Aronofsky

2008-10-15T21:39:00.001-04:00

A couple of years ago this graphic novel was made into a movie starring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz. I didn't bother seeing the movie when it came out 'cause it looked like the weirdness would outweigh the starpower, but I wasn't quite right. Turns out it's visually stunning, the acting is quite good (insofar as I'm any judge) and although the plot is just as weird as promised, it makes just

Housekeeping

2008-10-12T22:04:00.003-04:00

Yay, I finally did something with my tabs! I've added archives pages and cleaned up the labels to just genre and series.I've also decided that two posts a week just isn't going to happen :-( so in the interests of keeping a reliable schedule, I'll stick to one a week, probably Wednesdays. Maybe if I build up enough of a cushion of scheduled posts, I can give twice a week a try again :-p but I'm

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett

2008-10-08T22:22:00.002-04:00

Hm, I usually try to come up with a witty opening section, but I've been sitting on this review for far too long as it is :-p So without further ado, we have the next book in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.OverviewIt's a busy time for the Watch, now that they've expanded from night duty to 'round-the-clock City Guard. One result of this is the opening of CSI: Ankh-Morpork. (Okay, so maybe the

Not Dead Yet!

2008-10-03T09:39:00.002-04:00

I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, I promise! I'm in the middle of a job search right now, and nothing saps the will to be productive like endless searches and applications >_< I should have a new post up by next week though.Incidentally, anyone in the San Antonio area need an environmental engineer? :-p

Watchmen by Alan Moore

2008-09-20T20:22:00.002-04:00

I'd been meaning to read this graphic novel for years, but I wasn't smart enough to borrow it while it was in easy reach. Now that the movie is in the making though, I decided to stop stalling. Luckily the Baltimore County Library system has very good inter-branch loan service. (I'd never thought of libraries as a place to get graphic novels, but it turns out that half the books I'm checking out

A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin

2008-09-17T20:21:00.004-04:00

I've got to admit, I still harbor a slight resentment against this series because so many people have compared it to Lord of the Rings, even though I stand by my statement that they're completely different animals. My resentment is only heightened by the fact that I couldn't help but immensely enjoy and admire this second installment of the Song of Ice and Fire series.OverviewThe Game of Thrones

An Educated Fangirl

2008-09-12T21:54:00.005-04:00

I've been trying to post twice a week, but I didn't have time to write a real review >_< so I'll run a quick plug for an awesome site I just found.Journey to the Sea is a new online magazine devoted to the study and discussion of myths and comparative mythology. The issues aren't long and there's not too many of them yet, but it's really good stuff. In the first few issues, they briefly cover

Balzac & the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie

2008-09-09T21:41:00.006-04:00

This book first caught my eye because the title seemed so offbeat, even though at the time I didn't know that Balzac was a famous French author, which makes it even more so. Once I read a bit about the synopsis though, I was even more interested: Balzac & the Little Chinese Seamstress takes place during the Chinese Cultural Revolution of the 1970s, and I'm not only unfamiliar with that time

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs

2008-09-04T20:32:00.002-04:00

After the awesomeness that was WALL-E, director Andrew Stanton's next movie will apparently be an adaptation of A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, of Tarzan fame. He's said that the movie will involve both live action and animation, but that's not much help, since anything from Harry Potter to WALL-E itself counts as a hybrid :-p Either way, I'm sure it'll be an awesome

Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut

2008-09-01T19:04:00.004-04:00

I could take the easy way out (and help catch up on my growing backlog of reviews to write) by summing up this book in one word: torture. And half way through the book, that's about what I was ready to do, but I persevered for your sake, dear reader. (or was it because I'm too stubborn for my own good? I always forget :-p )Oh well, I wasn't actually expecting to enjoy Slaughterhouse 5; I'd heard

A Review of Reviews

2008-08-27T22:23:00.001-04:00

Since I seem to be varying from my standard format, I'll sneak in this post. I ran across a pair of Harry Potter reviews from earlier this year that address two opposing Catholic viewpoints of the books. Unsurprisingly, I completely agree with the positive essay by Paolo Gulisano, which talks about the book's emphasis of weakness over strength and the central theme of death and what lies beyond.

Partial Restoration

2008-08-18T22:18:00.001-04:00

Yay, the pretty is back! (knock on wood, I still don't know what was wrong in the first place)The layout isn't perfect (don't bother clicking on the tabs, for instance, they don't go anywhere yet) but hopefully tomorrow I'll actually post something substantial :-p

Rebellion

2008-08-11T23:10:00.002-04:00

Grrr, I apologize for the weird format. I'm not sure what's wrong, and I don't really have the time or energy to fix it right now :-p Hopefully I can bring the prettiness back soon.

Iron Man by Peter David

2008-08-03T19:04:00.002-04:00

I was at the library a few weeks ago and just happened to stumble upon the novelization of the Iron Man movie. I was unenthusiastic at first--a novel based on a movie based on a comic--there's only so many iterations a story can go through before it runs out of steam. But I picked it up anyway, read through a few paragraphs, and remembered that I really liked the movie, had wanted to see it a

Grass for His Pillow by Lian Hearn

2008-07-30T10:27:00.001-04:00

I finally decided that it was time to pick up Tales of the Otori again--time to grow up and get over my disappointment from the last book I'd read. Grass for His Pillow turned out to be less intense than the first two books, with no major surprises or twists. There's still a fair amount of action, tragedy, etc, but this volume is suffering from the 'middle of a trilogy' effect. (despite the fact

Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett

2008-07-28T18:43:00.003-04:00

Men at Arms was the first Discworld book I read that actually belonged to a continuing character arc, so I've always considered it to be a flagship of the series. It's not a bad place to start, either, since several new characters are introduced and the old ones are expanded upon, but there's not so much backstory that the reader gets lost. It's an excellent book, both on its own and as part of

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

2008-07-22T12:57:00.005-04:00

I'd heard quite a bit about the Song of Ice and Fire series by George R.R. Martin before I actually steeled myself to read it, and what I'd heard justified the use of the word 'steeled'. 'Wonderful story!' they said 'epic and complex, with such real characters! But very dark, lots of violence and sex, very gritty!' (I like that word, gritty, for these novels--think Frank Miller does fantasy)

The Planet That Wasn't by Isaac Asimov

2008-07-16T22:37:00.003-04:00

* Warning: this review is ridiculously long, partially because I had a lot to comment on, and partially because I’m sitting in an airport with nothing better to do *I have a tendency to pick up random books by famous authors if they’re available for cheap, and apparently I don’t pay too much attention to the book’s actual description. Therefore, I started reading The Planet that Wasn’t expecting

King Solomon's Mines by H. Rider Haggard

2008-07-12T08:31:00.002-04:00

A couple of years ago, a movie called The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen came out, based on a series of comics by the same name. I had high hopes, because it was described as a kind of Justice League with literary characters instead of superheroes: Dr. Jekyll, Captain Nemo, the Invisible Man, Tom Sawyer, Mina Harker and more. I still think it's a fascinating idea and the movie was definitely

Across the Sea of Stars by Arthur C. Clarke

2008-06-23T08:17:00.004-04:00

With the exception of scifi, short stories are a genre I haven't ventured very far into, and this book reminded me why I've always preferred that variety. (Well, not including Twain's short stories, they're a whole new class of awesome) There's something so tantalizing about scifi short stories; they present myriads of possibilities and scenarios, without getting bogged down by too much plot and

Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett

2008-06-08T08:20:00.012-04:00

I guess it’s about time I started reviewing Terry Pratchett books on here, least any Discworld fans lured in by the blog’s title accuse me of false advertising. Not that I need an excuse to re-read any of them for the fifth or six time, I’d do it eventually anyway ^_^For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett is a series of fantasy comedy/satire--

Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn

2008-05-30T08:19:00.004-04:00

After finishing Heaven's Net is Wide, I couldn't wait to get started on the next book in the series. I was in for a bit of a shock, however. While Heaven's Net left me with a warm fuzzy feeling of hope and a foreshadowing of vindication and justice delivered, Nightingale left me absolutely furious with a bad taste in my mouth. Most of my rage came from betrayal that 80% of the promised justice

The Princess and Curdie by George Macdonald

2008-05-19T12:31:00.002-04:00

When I first discovered that the sequel to The Princess and the Goblin was called The Princess and Curdie, I half-hoped that it would take place at least 5 years after the first book and involve a romance between the title characters. I was disappointed, however, when the first chapter of P&C placed it only a year after P&G. Oh well, I should have known better :-p In retrospect, it's hard to

Heaven's Net is Wide by Lian Hearn

2008-05-14T23:27:00.005-04:00

Most fantasy novels are deeply entrenched in western culture; if they have oriental elements it's usually a transplant to introduce something new, exciting and/or mysterious. These transplants are more than likely half-assed and never manage to do real justice to eastern traditions or history. In much the same way, most anime and manga that take place in a western setting are similarly

The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald

2008-05-02T08:40:00.001-04:00

I'm really, really surprised that I made it through childhood without reading this book. I'm a complete sucker for fairy tales and fantasy--growing up I read just about anything that promised royalty, brave young peasant kids, dragons, magic, et. cetera. This book may lack dragons, but goblins and assorted beasties come in a close second. So where was it? I haunted the children's fantasy sections

The Blue Fairy Book by Andrew Lang

2008-04-24T16:07:00.002-04:00

I have very fond memories of reading the Blue, Violet, Orange, Green, etc Fairy Books at my very first school library. I'd love to eventually collect all of these books (12, I think?), but preferably not the particular edition that my Blue Fairy Book came in. It's very good quality, but I wasn't impressed by the cover design. Yes, I am that shallow :-p if my books are old, the cover design is

The Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens

2008-04-19T20:05:00.003-04:00

With the exception of A Christmas Carol, all of Dickens' novels require a serious commitment (600 t0 800+ pages worth), but it's almost always worth it. This was Dickens' first novel, and I can easily imagine that it made him an instant hit. Just as a measure of its popularity and impact, there's at least one literary device (Wellerism) and one medical condition (Pickwickian syndrome) that

W Juliet by Emura

2008-04-07T16:44:00.013-04:00

This isn't actually a book, it's a manga series. Manga is one of my guilty pleasures, although I don't read as much now as I did in high school and college. It's expensive, addicting, and nerdy by definition, but it's also a lot of fun, as long as you pick your titles wisely. There's a wide range of quality in the world of manga, and as it becomes more popular in the US, providers are translating

The No Spin Zone by Bill O'Reilly

2008-03-18T21:27:00.016-04:00

I've been highly amused by O'Reilly's show the few times I've caught it, although I don't always agree with the stances he takes. The only time I distinctly remember not being amused was O'Reilly lambasting Vicente Fox for not helping with the illegal immigration problem from his side of the border. It sounded as if Bill had forgotten that we have a full range of unpleasant words for rulers who

A Fall of Moondust by Arthur C. Clarke

2008-03-16T20:48:00.010-04:00

I consider Arthur C. Clarke to be one of the classic writers of sci-fi, up there with Asimov and H.G. Wells. (I'm informed that Heinlein is also a classic sci-fi author, but I've read very little of his stuff, and didn't like what I did read, so he doesn't make my list :-p ) He's probably best known as the author of 2001: A Space Odyssey, and although I loved the book and the sequels that came

The Amelia Peabody Series, by Elizabeth Peters

2008-03-15T20:44:00.013-04:00

Mysteries are a genre that I almost exclusively read on audiobook, both because they're easy to find in that format, and because I rarely feel like wasting my precious real-book time on them. This isn't because I don't like mysteries, but because they're casual reading by definition, and there's too many less-casual books that I can't find on audio. (Mysteries over, say, 75 years old may not fit

The Brothers Grimm and Their Critics by Christa Kamenetsky

2008-03-04T09:54:00.016-05:00

I'm a big fan of fairy tales, so I picked this book up hoping to get an overview of the Brothers Grimm. I wanted to find out more about their lives, the sources for their stories, and their theory on the significance of fairy tales. (I think the technical term is comparative mythology and folklore?) I got all three, and I was surprised to find most of the book fairly readable for someone like me

The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper

2008-03-01T17:58:00.010-05:00

OverviewThe Dark is Rising sequence is a fantasy children's series set in modern-day England. The forces of Light and Dark are preparing for their final battle, and the fate of the world rests in the hands of a few schoolchildren. It's not a particularly original premise, but it's well-handled and quite fun. The series evokes Britain's ancient history throughout and eventually draws heavily on

Archive by Author

2008-03-01T17:02:00.009-05:00

Darren AronofskyThe FountainIsaac AsimovThe Planet That Wasn'tL. Auerbach and J. SimpsonSagas of the NorsemenEdgar Rice BurroughsA Princess of MarsOrson Scott CardSeventh SonGeoffrey ChaucerCanterbury TalesArthur C. ClarkeAcross the Sea of StarsA Fall of MoondustSusan CooperThe Dark is Rising SequencePeter DavidIron ManCharles DickensNicholas NickelbyThe Pickwick PapersEmuraW JulietP. Foglio, K.

Archive by Title

2008-03-01T17:00:00.009-05:00

Book Reviews:Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian HearnAcross the Sea of Stars by Arthur C. ClarkeThe Amelia Peabody Series by Elizabeth PetersBalzac & the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai SijieThe Blue Fairy Book by Andrew LangThe Brothers Grimm and their Critics by Christa KamenetskyCanterbury Tales by Geoffrey ChaucerCesar's Way by Cesar MilanA Clash of Kings by George R.R. MartinThe Dark is