Books Read 2015 - 50 Reviews Part 1

Ahoy everyone; been a while since I've updated; sorry about that. Still I did want to let everyone know which books I've read this year and which ones you should pick up as well, which is most of them. The following are very briefly reviewed grouped together as makes sense, while still trying to keep in semi-chronological as to the order I bought them. I also want to take this moment to advocate audiobooks as a great way to catch up on long literature that you may feel you wouldn't finish easily otherwise. I did that for "The Count of Monte Cristo", "War & Peace", "Warbreaker", "Mistborn" (all 3), and most recently "Middlemarch" (in 2016). Listening to music is fun, but so is reading a new book. Also, "GraphicAudio" is a great audiobook area if you like full-cast audio (each character has a voice and there are background sounds). 

Key: Titles (# number if NOT the first time read), Author, Fun Picture, Review

The Great Hunt

The Dragon Reborn

The Shadow Rising

   By Robert Jordan

Books 2-4 of "The Wheel of Time" series. Epic fantasy at its epicmost. These books have great characters and a great vast story. That being said, the books feel dense, in that they are hard to speed through, for me at least. There are 14 books in total and I go through them slowly, but consistently (currently in the middle of book 5). If you like fantasy and enjoy being with a story for the long haul this is a good series to start. But if you want something quick, stay away.

War & Peace (2)

   by Leo Tolstoy

One of the longest books you can read in any language and one of the most worth it, in my opinion. This is a classic deserving of the title, a story that constantly makes you think in many directions. It takes place during the Napoleonic wars and often follows aristocratic families, so it has that old feel in many ways. And yet it continues to apply to you and to me nowadays. Tolstoy's theory on history is very interesting to follow if you are interested in it, but if not the story is excellent nonetheless.

The Aeronaut's Windlass

   by Jim Butcher

An excellent first book in a series. It has multiple viewpoints; I think that the cat is one of the best narrators ever. Action, Mystery, Steampunk, Airship battles, and character relationships and character arcs that you care about. If you don't like waiting for new books to come out in a long series (this is likely to be 6 books long), perhaps you can wait. But this book made me a Jim Butcher fan and now I'm out to read the other many many books he has written. This book does wrap up nicely as well, so while it is quite obvious there is more to come, you won't die waiting. Definitely an excellent book.

The Knife of Never Letting Go (3-4)

The Ask & The Answer (3-4)

Monsters of Men (3-4)

   By Patrick Ness

If you've talked to me about books to read before, this series has come up, almost without fail. This is my 3rd or 4th time through it and I love it every time. It makes me laugh, cry, and think in multiple directions. When I say that, it means that it doesn't give me easy answers on hard topics. Sure, it eventually leans in certain directions, but there is still much for you to consider as a reader. This is a trilogy where each book feels unique even though they are part of a larger whole. Each book is deep with symbols and meanings as well as good characters who change over time. This is one of my favorite series and I will continue to read them again and again.

The Sword of Summer

   by Rick Riordan

I enjoy a good romp. That's what Rick Riordan's books are to me. They don't feel deep (nor too shallow either), but I don't care because the story is just fun to go through. Also, you get to learn about Norse Mythology as you go. The characters are engaging and they learn over time and you love them. The thing that I love most about Riordan's books in general is that they encourage kids to read and learn. Classics are all well and good, but I appreciate the authors who, like bards of old, just want to tell a good story whose messages are easy to discern and that help their audience yearn for more. This is book one, probably of a 3 or 5 book series, so hold tight for the rest of them.

Hollow City

Library of Souls

   by Ransom Riggs

The final two books of the series "Mrs. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children." A really enjoyable series that uses and seems in part inspired by old weird photos that appear to have illusions/camera tricks in them. Only this book takes those photos seriously and weaves a tale about children who have peculiar abilities. It's hard to say too much without spoiling the plot, but these have some good history to them as well as having good stories. The trilogy wraps up well and would be worth reading again I think. So have at'em.

Promise of Blood

   by Brian McLellan

Good first book - a mixture of old time guns and magic. The whole trilogy is out and has decent reviews. I don't like to give a final opinion until I've read them all, but so far so good.

Westmark

The Kestral
The Beggar Queen

The Book of Three (4)

The Black Cauldron (4)

The Castle of Llyr (4)

Taran Wanderer (3)

The High King (3)

   by Lloyd Alexander

The Westmark Trilogy and The Chronicles of Prydain are both excellent stories that also make you ponder. Three things I require of my favorite books - A good story, characters I care about, and words or situations that make me wonder about issues to my improvement. The Westmark Trilogy is less known but still excellent in this regard. The topics found there are perhaps a little darker than those found in the Chronicles of Prydain. That being said, The Chronicles of Prydain win the title, between these two, of books you need to read. If you like them, then try Westmark, as it is a similar style of writing with a very different plot. How can I put into words how wonderful the Chronicles of Prydain are? They are a classic to me, a must read series, a series that once read will continue to play upon your memory.

Ella Enchanted (2)

   by Gail Carson Levine

If you like old fairytales retold, this is a winner. I actually didn't realize until near the end of the book that this is a retelling of Cinderella, but it does it well with a new twist. A children's book worth reading.

Wild Seed

   by Octavia Butler

Wild Seed is the first book in a series that is all out and with good reviews; I just haven't had the chance to read the sequels yet. The idea of it, of a man who takes over other's bodies on death and has thus started breeding abilities in humans, meets a woman who almost cannot die. It is an odd almost scary story, and yet it is very compelling. I recommend giving it a read; it feels like a stand alone.

Enchantment (2)

    by Orson Scott Card

This had become one of my new favorites from Orson Scott Card. A stand alone story that feels very fresh, and one where the ending message is believed. I love the final lines. This is not so much a retelling of Sleeping Beauty as it is a story that uses that as a device. It also incorporates old Russian stories of Baba Yaga and the Bear and other stories. I love it and plan on rereading it again, probably this upcoming year. So so should you.

The Wrath and the Dawn

   by Renée Ahdieh

Now I want to read 1001 Arabian Nights. This story is, I've been told, a retelling/expansion of sorts on that. A good story and a good romance so far. This is book of of 3, I believe so we'll see how the others turn out. Still, this 1st one was excellent.

The Raven Boys

   by Maggie Stiefvater.

I love this author and the book didn't disappoint. This is book one of four, the 4th one not having been released yet. The thing that Stiefvater does well, as I have seen it, is to take a world that is largely our own and incorporate just a few elements that are new, in this case some Irish (or was it Scottish) mythology into the story. But the characters feel like characters you could run into today. So far so good; I plan on continuing to read the series.

A little poetry at a time

These days it feels like I'm not taking enough time for poetry and its a shame. That being said, here are 3 I've written recently. They are pretty unedited; please let me know if you have any comments.

Full Moon in the Caribbean 

A clouded night, a foggy moon, 

the ocean full of unseen stars

escapes to the horizon. Every direction

impresses me with its depth and hiding

Given physics and time, I dream

it would be possible to foresee each movement

the waves set forth from my boat, lost

in the smallness. Such time, God had

and push me out to sea and measured

each whisper and placement of steady ground.

I left know how brief this would be

and tomorrow, home, but tonight endless

is a name found in a line at the edge,

where the water meets the sky. Eternity comes

like the moonlight and the waves,

calling without a question, 

it tugs at the unclear sadness and takes away

what doesn’t last forever: the clouds and shaky waves.

----

Adrian’s Sonnet When We Were Tired

Today, I dragged Adrian out of bed,

hair-wild and short of breath. It is too late

to stay the same. I took him by the heart

and pulled him across town, to work, to speak

my conversations. My cold lungs were thick

and heavy to push. I shook him awake

splashed water in his face, but his whole world

was this same line: let me go back. Let me

shelter and hide. The sun flamed with the roar

that people made outside and in. You know

the days sadness sticks so hard to our hands

that what we hold dear, we break a little.

I’m sorry, love. What violence we do

to ourselves, when what we most want is peace.

----

Autoevaluation

The truth is, Adrian, I am melodramatic

falling on the floor tired, breathing carpet

and wondering about the consequences

if I actually fell asleep, what words 

they’d siphon from my absence. Sudden.

Unprecedented. Striking. I am a believer

in the hard truths of today. A dream is broken 

and naive; the heart has barely changed size

since I first left you, yet buildings burst forth

all around like fireworks and the stars we shot for

disappear in the smoke. I am forgetful:

meanings like love and hope and diligence

slip through me like a sieve and I search

to be filled, search into the rich darkness

where dreams gain color. Here I lay, waiting

on that old energy of youth. I am waiting

flat on the ground where you find me

every time the weight of time presses down.

The games we used to play, I play them still,

but tomorrow comes quicker, the joy fades faster.

Pueblo Day Poetry

Today I went into town of Bemidji (often referred to as the "Pueblo") with the 4 week campers that I'm counseling this summer. They were only allowed a bit of their electronics, but I didn't have anything I could bring, having lost my phone earlier that day. So I wrote poetry, first one poem, then another, then another. I think the 2nd and the 3rd turned out pretty well; at least, they are meaningful to me. It's amazing what we can accomplish when we disconnect a little from our electronics.

The Laundromat

Once there was a boy and a girl who met

because they were stuck waiting for their clothes,

nothing to do but magazines from last week

and one window to the lake, constant and changeless.

So they opened up their mouths and their hearts on wings

flew away from themselves, every week until finally

they met outside in white, clean and happy.

This happened so long ago, the lake has forgotten.

Their grandchildren and great-grandchildren come

and go each week like floating islands, cut off

by closed eyes and plugged ears. Lonely beaches

littered with bottled messages and words in the sand

saying “Speak to me,” “Listen,” “Help,” washing away

like dirt on clothes or hours in silence.

--------

Café

I like to be gone,

find a somewhere filled with strangers

smoothies, smells, and sleep.

There the walls come down

and whoever I was

(before the workweek, stern-looks,

good cries and nail bites,

after the late dreams, dances

soft songs and longings)

sits down with who I’ve become

two drinks between us

happiness and sadness

both hot, both cold,

that we drink from in turn.

No one notices our table or the memories 

that sit down and leave

that fill the chairs 

and leave them empty at the same time.

My mother or father used to tell me

truth comes in contradictions

dark and light, order and chaos,

strife and peace, who I am

and who I want to be.

Everyone needs a little silence

to talk it out, a rest

to work on what’s to come.

Some hours we spend days

lost in finding deep things

on the surface of ourselves.

Afterwards, I go, again myself,

again in a world I know is larger,

yet easier to understand.

Sum Summer Poetry

It seems I'm slower to post these days than in years past, but I thought I'd upload a few poems from the ones I've written this month. Always, if you have any constructive thoughts, please share.

September Going Forth

August is the month of the gods

and parades of them puppeted through the streets:

spirits of rivers, roads, and street lamps,

from the large cryptomeria tree to the sidewalk bushes,

the Kami flash in and out like fireflies,

spirits of fireflies and of summer dying, his blazing beard

orange in the sunset. One of a million gods

swaying to the wind, singing with the silence. Oh gods,

how beautiful we feel as they pass among us.

There are gods we see and gods we cannot;

humble, they hide in shadows, the spirits of the night,

stones beneath our feet, a swinging door.

We see the shapes and forget the majesty. All of August

we are made holy by their passions until one

by one they retreat into their lonely shrines, separate again.

We have, every one of us, gone our way.

And September, poor broken month, wakes up

abandoned from the first. I am born to a lone and dreary world.

Heaven is that dream that thunders in the distance

and wherever I look, there are only men and women playing gods.

What have they done that I should worship them?

The moon rises this month with a toast and the sun rises also

and I bow beneath them to let my spirit stretch.

--------

Signals

When the last sound escapes 

each night, that moment 

before sleep takes over

and the false signals of dreams

begin their hollow sounding,

I hope a catalogue is kept

in the silent library where I go 

to write the day’s story,

wherever memories are kept,

with a faint ring of truth.

--------

The Lights Of Life & Death

Like white bedsheets rippling across the sky

the lights in the north and spreading 

remind me of life and death coming:

of children with flashlights, barricaded

against the darkness, and the darkness

that comes for all of us, early or late,

when it others come to cover us.

Angels swarming in the sky,

I see ghost and dragons

in the shapes you make. The light runs

like shadows behind a waterfall.

Who do I know among you?

Father, Mother, children yet to come,

your spirits dance while you are sleeping

and I am watching over them tonight.

I know they say it is the sun,

throwing out its arms to us,

touching the air like the finger of God,

but let it be God also, sending a sign

to me, here, on the other side of eternity

of life unbound by the gasps of birth and death,

of breath so beautiful, it shines.

---------

The Commute Home

A lamppost struggles at the edge of the woods.

Women flicker like stars at a distance, heads bowed,

and the sounds of a bus rumble on the dusty wind.

The air is full of waiting and the black of forests. 

As when home becomes the name of a country

long-departed, for all its hours left abandoned;

as when those around you are no than faint lights,

the weight on your eyes blurring the world like rain,

these wait alone in the near darkness, both tired

and brilliant, like a a galaxy in the universe of night.

February Poems and Books

Well, it's been some time since I've posted anything, but some good poems have come out of February so I thought I'd share. On a different note, I'm up to 12 books so far this year. You can see which ones on the side of this blog.



Painting on the Wall
       - inspired by Bob Ross


I could never go there
where the leaves have stopped
moving, have forgotten the brush
of wind,
                 careful as lovers’ fingers,
upon them. The blue mountain, split
into bright snow and shadow, is neither
cold nor solitary,
                              though I know
no one lives in the shack at the base,
lights out, doorless, built to be abandoned.

And the lake is too deep for me,
brimming with starless black.
But though it is not a mirror,

nor the painting itself a reflection,
I see in the dark and light strokes
myself and what is missing.

--------

Downtown Decay
             Sing together, ye waste places - Isaiah 52:9

Another store shuttered up downtown;
what paint is left peels off in letters
leaving the vowels of mourning behind.
Yet they still gather on the patio outside,
the local beggars, mothers, and jazz artists
blowing notes for nickels. It’s business
as usual, because who knows another way
but to tap one’s feet in rhythm with the nails
being pounded down around them. All of us,
they say, have it coming, a day of closure.
Their own homes are lost or escaping
the weak grasp of their hands. Better then
to be together a while longer and listen:
a saxophone plays with the emperor's violin;
even the wind sounds like purifying flames.

--------

A Meeting

Lights bright without blinding,
soft chatter scattering
like white snow in the wind
and the piercing organ vibrating
its notes everywhere:

if this is not heaven, it must be
a branch of its eternal tree
broken off and fallen
on leafy ground. We grow

from seeds like this into forests.

------

Hope you enjoyed them!

Books Read 2014, 58

Here are all the books I read this last year, 58 in total, in reverse order of when I read them. Some where short, and some were long, but in the end it evens out, I believe. I've been awful about keeping up with my reviews this year, but as always, ask me if you want a more detailed review of any book. Hope you all have read many books and continue to read many more.

Legion: Skin Deep 

The Eye of the World 

The Blood of Olympus 

The Accidental Highwayman 

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children 

The Graveyard Book 

Defending Elysium / Firstborn 

Beauty 

Enchanted 

Wonder 

The Emperors Soul 

City of Heavenly Fire 

City of Lost Souls 

City of Fallen Angels 

City of Glass 

City of Ashes 

City of Bones 

Seraphina 

The Goose Girl 

Legion 

The Screwtape Letters 

Goliath 

Behemoth 

Leviathan 

The Alloy of Law 

Princess Acadamy: Palace Of Stone 

Lips Touch Three Times 

Steelheart 

Shipbreaker
Words of Radiance 

The Way of Kings
Princess Academy              - Wonderful award winning book.
The Scorpio Races              - Had a draft of a review of this and Enchantress, but I forgot
Enchantress from the Stars - to post it. In short, both top class books I read often. Read them.
Warbreaker 

Book of a Thousand Days 

Across A Star-Swept Sea 

The Scarlet Pimpernel 

These Broken Stars 

The Iron Knight 

Ruins 

Pathfinder 

Shadow of the Giant 

Shadow Puppets 

Ready Player One 

Shadow of the Hegemon 

Ender's Shadow 

Children of the Mind 

Xenocide 

Ella Enchanted 

Emma 

Pride & Prejudice 

The Iron Queen 

The Rithmatist 

Hoot 

The Iron Daughter 

The Iron King 

Guards! Guards!

Super Quick Last Minute Reviews

Because “Procrastination in the thief of time” and because I’ve had a busy year, I present these super mini reviews of the books I’ve read this year that I haven’t yet reviewed. Read one or read them all, but most of all, read.


Brandon Sanderson Novellas / Short Stories:

Sixth of the Dusk
Defending Elysium
Firstborn

These first three are all in the 70 page range or so (maybe, I don’t actually know because I read them on Kindle), but they are all fantastic – each one causing you both to care about the main characters while at the same time introducing you to a well thought out world that you know you only know a part of while at the same time making you think about a larger idea. Among these three I’d say my top pick is Defending Elysium, mainly because the idea found therein is so interesting – what does it take to because an advanced and civilized race? That being said, I have so far loved everything I’ve read by Sanderson.

Legion
Legion: Skin Deep

Both of these are relatively short – Legion being about 70 pages or so and the sequel perhaps 110 pages. Neither of these are fantasy or sci-fi, which he normally writes; unless you consider a story about a man with multiple personalities that he interacts with all the time to be fantasy. These are more detective stories with interesting thoughts mixed in with the intrigue. Both solid recommends.

The Emperors Soul

This novella deserves a special mention as it won the Hugo Award 2013 and I feel it deserved it. I mentioned it earlier, but I’d say that it is standard fare for Brandon Sanderson to create interesting and likeable stories woven into a new world of his own invention in a interesting story with unique ideas that make you think at their core. This one does all of those excellently.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

Speaking of Brandon Sanderson, I decided to start the Wheel of Time series because Sanderson finished it. This is book 1 of a 14 book series and each book is big. I can see why so many people love the series – it’s a complex and interesting narration that promises an epic tale and delivers well with the first book. I’ve heard that some of the middle books didn’t turn out as well, but this first book, at least, is a winner.

The Blood of Olympus by Rick Riordan

This book concluded the “Heroes of Olympus” series, the sequel series to the “Percy Jackson” series. I liked the book and the series as a whole, but I have to say that I liked the original series better: the ideas and style were fresher and it felt like the author had more to say of import rather than merely showing us more about the ancient Greek and Roman gods. Still, if you enjoy a romp, this story fits the bill. Personally, books 3 and 4 or the series worked better for me.

The Accidental Highwayman by Ben Tripp

A fun fantasy story involving fairies and highwaymen and delightful narrative. As per usual these days it is part of a trilogy so I hesitate to recommend it on its own. Nevertheless, it looks to be promising. I’d keep an eye out for it and its sequels.

Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

A unique story largely because of its integration of photography into the narrative – and odd photography at that. The story would be haunting if it were a movie, but as it is it’s an enjoyable mixture of fantasy and history. Also the first book in a trilogy – I’ve plans to read the second book, which is already out, early this next year. So far so good.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

I’ve long wanted to read something by this author as he is oft quoted and oft praised. This book definitely deserves it. This story feels like a series of short stories that end up coming together at the end. It is a book that is self-contained, which always feels refreshing to me, and it contains many life-lessons within. It is a book that, while fantasy, caters well to reality. No wonder it won both the Newbery Award and the Carnegie Medal. Definitely a recommend.

Beauty by Robin McKinley

I have loved both books I’ve read by this author before: “The Blue Sword” and “The Hero and the Crown.” This book is a retelling of the story of “Beauty and the Beast” and it was effectively done. If you enjoy retellings, this is one for you.

Enchanted by Orson Scott Card

I love a good self contained novel and this is one of the best of them I’ve read this year. Card has a way of making his characters actions seem natural, which allows the feelings that develop between the two main characters also seem more real. This is a retelling of sorts of Sleeping Beauty while also telling more of the story of Baba Yaga. A great adventure with a solid conclusion, this book comes with a high recommend from me.

Wonder by R. J. Palacio

A story about living with a deformity at a young age, bullies, friend-making, and basic other-people understanding. By using multiple viewpoints this book successfully got you into the mindset of August, the main character just entering 5th grade, as well as his family and his friends. The book is uplifting and leaves you with a good feeling.

The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

The City of Bones
The City of Ashes
The City of Glass
The City of Fallen Angels
The City of Lost Souls
The City of Heavenly Fire

All good books set in a world with vampires, werewolves, and lots of romance. Seriously though, it was a really enjoyable read with many surprises and an overall good conclusion. I felt like the first 3 books were mainly about Clary and Jace whereas the final three books, while still following them in plot, had more of a character arc for a different main character – Simon. Either way, good stories. In some ways slightly shallow, but the author does have many good and thoughtful moments in there as well. I still prefer the series “The Infernal Devices” Guess I’ll have to reread that one next year.

Seraphina by Rachel Hartmen

An interesting take on Dragons and half dragons. A good fantasy story that’s the beginning of trilogy. As usual with trilogies, my final take will have to wait, but this is another good beginning. Likeable characters and a blooming romance work well for me.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Shannon Hale is an excellent author. Another retelling, this one, quite obviously, tells the story of the Goose Girl. An enjoyable plot with a good character arc for the characters I’d recommend this book any time. Good for kids as well as adults.

Princess Acadamy: Palace Of Stone also by Shannon Hale

Also by Hale, I would read “Princess Academy” first, if only to introduce you to the characters. This book follows it up well and yet maintains its own story effectively. The heroine is just as compelling as before and the story has a good moral to it. If you enjoyed Princess Academy (which is also high on my recommend list), you should also enjoy this.

The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

I’ve reviewed this before, but I’ll say again that these letters make many great points about Christianity taken as if from a devil’s perspective. If you enjoy Christian Theology, check this out.

Leviathan Trilogy

A solid trilogy. Rereading them for the second time I found slightly less rewarding than the first time, but I still enjoyed them all. The story feels complete and enjoyable while the world is still an interesting one to think about as an alternate history of WWI with different technology available.

The Alloy of Law by Brandon Sanderson

Brandon Sanderson again. I’d read the Mistborn Trilogy first if you haven’t already, as this is a follow-up to those. This book is the first of a quartet and a very enjoyable one, as per usual by this author. Many great things to think about as far as life-living goes. I wish I had time to go into them, but that’s what I get for putting off these reviews as long as I have – I just have to rely on you to be a good reader and want to read. And you should read everything by Brandon Sanderson.

Lips Touch Three Times by Laini Taylor

A group of three short stories by the author. All were good though perhaps a little morose for me. All very descriptive and working out well (sort of) in the end. These seemed very much like the fairy tales of old.

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson

This has been a very Brandon Sanderson year for me. He’s very very talented as a writer and quite prolific, coming out with two to three books a year. This is also the first book in a trilogy so my final assessment will wait, but my guess is that it will turn out well. This book puts a little bit of fantasy into our modern world. As usual, Sanderson creates his twist on modern life very well and his characters are wonderfully done.

Shipbreaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

A great stand-alone dystopian novel. The author has created a plausible look at future not too distant from our own based someone off climate change and somewhat off of human greed. Either way, the lessons to be learned are well carried by the compelling characters in this story. This is my second time reading it and it’s worth it.

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If you have any specific questions about a book or a series, please don't hesitate to ask - I would love to give details to a friend who desires to read.