The Year of Audiobooks - Part Two

I have been atrocious with reviewing things this year but I thought I would at least mention my audio books for 2013. I posted the first part a couple weeks ago here. These are the others I have listened to this year.

I have to admit that Neil Gaiman and I have a love/hate relationship so I don't get quite as excited about him as others. That being said I really enjoyed The Graveyard Book and had high hopes for this one. And, they were rewarded! I really liked this one, too. The book takes place when a man returns home for a funeral and visits his childhood neighbours. This leads to him reliving the events from 40-years before and takes the rider along for the ride. Gaiman definitely puts an original spin on fantasy. And he narrates his own book which worked really well because it was a more personal experience to hear his story.

Sussex, England: A middle-aged man returns to his childhood home to attend a funeral. He is drawn to the farm at the end of the road, where, when he was seven, he encountered a most remarkable girl, Lettie Hempstock. He hasn't thought of Lettie in decades, and yet sitting by the pond (a pond that she'd claimed was an ocean), the unremembered past comes flooding back. Forty years earlier, a man committed suicide in a stolen car at this farm at the end of the road. Like a fuse on a firework, his death lit a touchpaper and resonated in unimaginable ways. The darkness was unleashed, something scary and thoroughly incomprehensible to a little boy. And Lettie - magical, comforting, wise beyond her years - promised to protect him, no matter what.

A groundbreaking work from a master, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out. A stirring, terrifying, and elegiac fable as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark.

I now want to listen to more Neil Gaiman audiobooks. It might give me a new appreciation for an author that so many people love and I try to see the appeal.

I have wanted to read this series for ages and thought what better way than by audio. I have been told this book isn't quite as good as the rest of the series and I figured I would have a better chance of finishing it on audio if that was the case. I actually quite liked it. I wasn't bored. I am not sure if that would have been different if I had tried to read it? I used a credit on book two, but wanted to wait a bit before getting to it so I wouldn't burn out on the series. I liked the interesting approach to music and the various paranormal creatures that Andrews writes about. You would think with how overdone paranormal is getting to be it would be hard to keep being original about it. Plus, Kate is strong and sarcastic. I like that in a female character. And I finally got to see who Curran was. I had heard of him despite never reading this series before.

When the magic is up, rogue mages cast their spells and monsters appear, while guns refuse to fire and cars fail to start. But then technology returns, and the magic recedes as unpredictably as it arose, leaving all kinds of paranormal problems in its wake.

Kate Daniels is a down-on-her-luck mercenary who makes her living cleaning up these magical problems. But when Kate's guardian is murdered, her quest for justice draws her into a power struggle between two strong factions within Atlanta's magic circles.

The Masters of the Dead, necromancers who can control vampires, and the Pack, a paramilitary clan of shapechangers, blame each other for a series of bizarre killings—and the death of Kate's guardian may be part of the same mystery. Pressured by both sides to find the killer, Kate realizes she's way out of her league—but she wouldn't have it any other way…

The book is narrated by Renee Raudman. She did a really good job. I could easily picture her as Kate. I imagine that might be why I liked this book more than I expected to. I am pretty sure she narrates the whole series so I am looking forward to more from both her and Andrews.

Finally! Do you know that I lucked into a whole bunch of this series in hardcovers but decided I didn't want to undertake a huge series at the time and turned them in at the bookstore for credit? I figured I would regret it, but I am always so far behind in series that it seemed like a smart idea at the time. Frankly, the reason I decided to star the series this year is because I heard Elizabeth Peters had passed away and the series should be drawing to a close. It seemed a bit more manageable that way. As I expected I quite enjoyed Amelia Peabody. The story was a bit predictable, but it was still fun. I think I am going to enjoy reading on in this series.

Amelia Peabody, indomitable Victorian, embarks for Egypt armed with confidence, journal, and umbrella. Enroute to Cairo, she rescues dainty Evelyn, abandoned by her lover. They sail up the Nile to the archeological dig of the Emerson brothers - irascible but dashing Radcliffe and amiable Walter. A lively mummy, visitations, accidents, kidnap attempt - evil is afoot.

Some of the audiobooks have two narrators. I went with Barbara Rosenblat because I had heard good things about her. I was not disappointed. I can't wait to work my way through this series next year!

I actually reviewed this one! You can read my review here.

Stiff is an oddly compelling, often hilarious exploration of the strange lives of our bodies postmortem. For two thousand years, cadavers—some willingly, some unwittingly—have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. They've tested France's first guillotines, ridden the NASA Space Shuttle, been crucified in a Parisian laboratory to test the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, and helped solve the mystery of TWA Flight 800. For every new surgical procedure, from heart transplants to gender reassignment surgery, cadavers have been there alongside surgeons, making history in their quiet way.

In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries—from the anatomy labs and human-sourced pharmacies of medieval and nineteenth-century Europe to a human decay research facility in Tennessee, to a plastic surgery practice lab, to a Scandinavian funeral directors' conference on human composting. In her droll, inimitable voice, Roach tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.

So, I love Terry Pratchett and then never read him... I am also not very good at following along in his series. I have read all over the place so far. I have wanted to read this one forever and since it had a Christmas connection, I thought I would make it my 'Christmas' read. I could have just read it, but I decided to use an Audible credit on it. I really enjoyed the story. It was fun just like Pratchett always tends to be. I mean, really, Death as the Hogfather? Pratchett really plays with 'conventional' Christmas ideas. Plus, Deaths Grand-daughter, Susan, was a wonderfully written female character.

Susan had never hung up a stocking . She'd never put a tooth under her pillow in the serious expectation that a dentally inclined fairy would turn up. It wasn't that her parents didn't believe in such things. They didn't need to believe in them. They know they existed. They just wished they didn't.

There are those who believe and those who don't. Through the ages, superstition has had its uses. Nowhere more so than in the Discworld where it's helped to maintain the status quo. Anything that undermines superstition has to be viewed with some caution. There may be consequences, particularly on the last night of the year when the time is turning. When those consequences turn out to be the end of the world, you need to be prepared. You might even want more standing between you and oblivion than a mere slip of a girl - even if she has looked Death in the face on numerous occasions...

My only quibble was I am really not sure I liked the narrator, Nigel Planer. He does well overall and is great on male voices, but he cannot do female voices at all. He narrates a vast majority of the series, but there are others interspersed. I am not sure if I want to listen to more of them or just go back to reading them.

And that concludes my audiobooks so far for the year. Considering before this year I never really listened to them before, I am impressed with how many I made my way through. I am hoping 2014 will lead to many great listens and hopefully I can finish 1 or 2 more before the end of the year.

Any recommendations? I always appreciate them!

Week in Review (37) and Short Story Sunday - Week 6

Random Thoughts

Yesterday I got it in my head that I was going to catch-up on my blog reading. Google Reader is still informing me I have 700 posts to go and that number will probably continue to get bigger. I commented on a lot of blogs, but I was so far behind I don't feel like I really made a dent. Chances are 'Mark all as Read' was clicked and I am getting ready to start fresh. This means that I miss out on things, but it is easier to keep up! So, if I haven't visited your blog lately... I'm really sorry! I really did try!

I am still finding myself with too many things on the go and not enough time to accomplish most of them. My reading continues to drag, I am behind in blogging reading, I was doing really well keeping up with all the posts for the R.I.P. challenge, but have fallen behind drastically, etc. That doesn't even count all the 'real life' things going on. We are getting a new roof on Monday and Tuesday, so my house will be in a bit of an uproar. I am just worried about the weather. The cc is freaking out with worry and I am hoping to hear the last of it come Tuesday. If it gets pushed back... So, wish for the sun!

Challenge News

I continue to work at the R.I.P. Challenge. Hopefully next week I will be able to say I finished Dracula and have moved on to something else...

Weekly Reads

219. Die for Me (Revenants Series, Book 1) by Amy Plum (Completed October 11, 2011)
220. Bossypants by Tina Fey (Completed October 11, 2011)
221. Little Princes: One Man's Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal by Conor Grennan (Completed October 11, 2011)

222. The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson (Completed October 15, 2011)

223. Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman (Completed October 15, 2011)

Weekly Posts

Week in Review (36)

Short Story Sunday - Week 5 (A Day Late) and The Lantern Read-a-Long Part 1

Review: Reasons to be Happy by Katrina Kittle

Review: Shades of Milk and Honey by Mary Robinette Kowal

Friday Reads - 14th Edition

'The Two Towers' Read-Along - Part 1

New Additions

Bought:

Nothing this week...

Borrowed:

Loaded:

Nothing this week...

Received:

I'm Not Her by Janet Gurtler

If I Tell by Janet Gurtler

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Short Story Sunday - Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman - Week 6

In the introduction to Neil Gaiman's short story collection -- a wildly diverse assortment of horror, sci-fi, dark fantasy, poetry, and speculative fiction -- he explains the book's title: "Stories, like people and butterflies and songbirds' eggs and human hearts and dreams, are fragile things, made up of nothing stronger or more lasting than twenty-six letters and a handful of punctuation marks."

Noteworthy selections in this undeniably exceptional collection include the Hugo Award winning "A Study in Emerald," which deftly blends Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's late-19th-century England with gruesome Lovecraftian horror; the Locus Award winning "October in the Chair"; an homage to Ray Bradbury that features the months of the year personified; and "How to Talk to Girls at Parties," a tale featuring two oversexed teenagers from an all-boys school in South London who stumble into a party full of what they take to be hot chicks but are in reality alien tourists! Also included are a brilliant American Gods novella ("Monarch of the Glen") and "Strange Little Girls," a series of, well, strange very short stories that first appeared in a Tori Amos tour book.

Like his previous short story collection (1998's critically acclaimed Smoke and Mirrors), Gaiman's Fragile Things is anything but; this is a powerhouse compilation that proves once again that Gaiman is a true master of short fiction. It's fitting that he dedicates this collection to three short story icons -- Bradbury, Harlan Ellison, and Robert Sheckley.

Stories Read This Week:

My Life

Fifteen Painted Cards From a Vampire Tarot

Feeders and Eaters

Diseasemaker's Croup

My Life

This is another example of Neil Gaiman attempting to put everything possible in his short story collections. This is a story about a Sock Monkey that was included in a collection of photographs of Sock Monkeys. That is just strange, but whatever works. Anyway, Gaiman had to come up with a story about his and this is what he came up with. Apparently it was originally written in prose, but was changed for this collection to include line breaks. I am not sure what to say really. I didn't love this, but then I didn't hate it either. I can entirely see a man who has had a tough break sitting around a bar telling stories for the price of a beer. This actually happens all the time in novels and movies. I also agree with what Gaiman says in the introduction about this being able to go on forever. He will talk as long as their is a beer provided. I am not entirely sure what else to say about this.

Fifteen Painted Cards From a Vampire Tarot

This was different. The idea is to take 15 Tarot cards and write a little story about each of them. This is a vampire Tarot, though, so that means that each little story relates to something to do with vampires. For example, the first one is the Magician, and the little story goes like this:

They asked St. Germain's manservant if his master was truly a thousand years old, as it was rumored he had claimed.

"How would I know?" the man replied. "I have only been in the master's employ for three hundred years."

I thought this was creative. Gaiman talks in the introduction about finishing the deck and then having someone create pictures to go along with it. I think that is a wonderful idea.

Feeders and Eaters

This story was... disturbing. I quite like cats and the image of the one in this book didn't settle well with me. The idea of a person getting power and staying young from others is something that you see all the time in books and movies. As they continue to become younger, though, the person they are feeding off becomes older. This idea is developed in this story when a man encounters someone from his past at an all-night cafe. He didn't really want to talk to him at first, but when he does he gets a very interesting story. All he asked was what happened to his friend because I guess he was once great-looking and now he doesn't look well at all. I am also not entirely sure what I thought of this story. It is like the first one this week: I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it either. Apparently this story, according to the Introduction, was a nightmare for Gaiman. I can totally see it being a nightmare because it is a disturbing story.

Diseasemaker's Croup
Another story this week that I don't have a lot to say about it. It is basically a story about an imaginary disease about making imaginary diseases. It didn't do a lot for me. It might have been interesting in the collection it was originally published in because they were all about imaginary diseases, but in this collection it just seemed out of place and unmemorable. To say this little bit I had to reread the story because it made no lasting impression on me.

Other Posts:

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

Week 5

Short Story Sunday - Week 5 (A Day Late) and The Lantern Read-a-Long Part 1

Short Story Sunday - Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman - Week 5

In the introduction to Neil Gaiman's short story collection -- a wildly diverse assortment of horror, sci-fi, dark fantasy, poetry, and speculative fiction -- he explains the book's title: "Stories, like people and butterflies and songbirds' eggs and human hearts and dreams, are fragile things, made up of nothing stronger or more lasting than twenty-six letters and a handful of punctuation marks."
Noteworthy selections in this undeniably exceptional collection include the Hugo Award winning "A Study in Emerald," which deftly blends Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's late-19th-century England with gruesome Lovecraftian horror; the Locus Award winning "October in the Chair"; an homage to Ray Bradbury that features the months of the year personified; and "How to Talk to Girls at Parties," a tale featuring two oversexed teenagers from an all-boys school in South London who stumble into a party full of what they take to be hot chicks but are in reality alien tourists! Also included are a brilliant American Gods novella ("Monarch of the Glen") and "Strange Little Girls," a series of, well, strange very short stories that first appeared in a Tori Amos tour book.

Like his previous short story collection (1998's critically acclaimed Smoke and Mirrors), Gaiman's Fragile Things is anything but; this is a powerhouse compilation that proves once again that Gaiman is a true master of short fiction. It's fitting that he dedicates this collection to three short story icons -- Bradbury, Harlan Ellison, and Robert Sheckley.

Stories Read This Week:

Locks

The Problem of Susan

Instructions

How Do You Think it Feels?

Locks

I love telling stories. I will put my friends' kids to bed simply for the ability to be able to read to them or tell them a story. When I was little my parents used to read to us, but I don't really remember a time when they made up the stories. So, I used to do so for myself. I would take stories I had been read and rewrite them for myself. The two that I can remember are 'The Elephant Prince' and 'The Princess Who Laughed and Laughed'. This story reminded me of that. In this case it was a an imagined moment when a story is being told and the listener is 'helping'. It was a really fun story. It also reminded me of this annoying book that my brother had where a bear would be getting ready for the day and after saying what he did, it would say 'So do I'. My mother or father would tell what the bear did and then my brother would say 'So do I'. It was his first 'reading' and I absolutely hated that book.

The Problem of Susan

This is actually why this group read came along. I was reading The Magician's Book for the Once Upon a Time challenge and in there it mentioned that Neil Gaiman had written a story imagining what it was like for Susan after the events of the last book. I mentioned in an email to Carl that I wanted to read this story, he told me it was in this collection, and the read-a-long was born. I had been meaning to read this collection anyway, but this story was the reason it happened sooner rather than later. I wish I had liked the story a bit better, though. It was a bit strange, which isn't necessarily a terrible thing, but I think I had a different idea for how Susan turned out and this was not it. I was always bothered by the end of the series, though, so maybe nothing would have pleased me no matter how creative the imagination. The story is meant to be an irritant, though. So, maybe it was effective? I enjoy that he was talking about the power of children's literature. The story might not have been an entire waste for that simple reason.

Instructions

Yay! A poem I actually enjoyed! Carl thought I might and I did, so that makes me happy. I love fairy tales and this is instructions should you find yourself in one. This appealed to my inner nerd, I believe. I loved it!

How Do You Think it Feels?

um, I really don't know what to say about this story. I really enjoy gargoyles, but I am not sure if I entirely could get excited about the idea of a gargoyle guarding a heart. It just didn't have the same atmosphere for me. I was also surprised by the sex references in this story and 'The Problem of Susan'. I just didn't find they were necessary for the story and things would have progressed just as well without them. I just found that I didn't make a connection with this story and the characters in it. It will probably be erased from my memory very quickly.

Other Posts:

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Week 4

The Lantern by Read-A-Long - Week 1

A modern gothic novel of love, secrets, and murder—set against the lush backdrop of Provence

Meeting Dom was the most incredible thing that had ever happened to me. When Eve falls for the secretive, charming Dom in Switzerland, their whirlwind relationship leads them to Les GenÉvriers, an abandoned house set among the fragrant lavender fields of the South of France. Each enchanting day delivers happy discoveries: hidden chambers, secret vaults, a beautiful wrought-iron lantern. Deeply in love and surrounded by music, books, and the heady summer scents of the French countryside, Eve has never felt more alive.

But with autumn’s arrival the days begin to cool, and so, too, does Dom. Though Eve knows he bears the emotional scars of a failed marriage—one he refuses to talk about—his silence arouses suspicion and uncertainty. The more reticent Dom is to explain, the more Eve becomes obsessed with finding answers—and with unraveling the mystery of his absent, beautiful ex-wife, Rachel.

Like its owner, Les GenÉvriers is also changing. Bright, warm rooms have turned cold and uninviting; shadows now fall unexpectedly; and Eve senses a presence moving through the garden. Is it a ghost from the past or a manifestation of her current troubles with Dom? Can she trust Dom, or could her life be in danger?

Eve does not know that Les GenÉvriers has been haunted before. BÉnÉdicte Lincel, the house’s former owner, thrived as a young girl within the rich elements of the landscape: the violets hidden in the woodland, the warm wind through the almond trees. She knew the bitter taste of heartbreak and tragedy—long-buried family secrets and evil deeds that, once unearthed, will hold shocking and unexpected consequences for Eve.

This is week one of the group read of The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson for the R.I.P. Challenge VI. Carl has thought up the questions for this week and you can read my answers below.

1. This may seem like an obvious opening question, but what do you think of The Lantern thus far?

Let' s put it this way... After I finished the second section I was very tempted to email you and say 'evil'. I looked at the schedule, I looked at where I was in the book, and I wanted to read on. I couldn't, though,because I wanted my questions for next week to be about the next sections predominately and this week to not reflect that I had read on. It took me a while to get into the flow of the book, but when I finally did it wasn't almost too late. Hopefully when I pick it up again I will be able to recapture the mood I was in when I read the second section. If I had read this myself and not for a read-a-long I would be finished by now.

2. The book appears to be following the experiences of two different women, alternating back and forth between their stories. Are you more fond of our main protagonist's story or of Benedicte's or are you enjoying them both equally?

Tough question. I think I am enjoying Benedicte's story more, though. It is more of a ghost story and there is a lot of unanswered questions. The main protagonist is a bit predictable, so unless the author does something amazing you basically know how things are going to play out.

3. The Lantern is a book filled with descriptions of scents. How are you liking (or disliking) that aspect of the book? How do you feel about the lavish description of scents? How are the short chapters working for you?

I like that aspect of the book. A scent can really set a mood, which it is doing so far in this book. Your sense of smell can also lead to things you might not appreciate with your other senses. I like the short chapters. When I read I tend to try and read to the end of a chapter before putting a book down for the day. I get very exasperated when the chapter seems to be going on forever and I am falling asleep. I have learned long ago that short chapters work best for me when I am tired.

4. How would you describe the atmosphere of Parts 1 and 2 of The Lantern?

The sections both have a darkish quality to them. The main protagonist is being haunted by the memory of a mysterious past and Benedicte is being haunted by ghosts from her past. The stories are dealt with in a different way, but ultimately they have the same feel to them. I look forward to seeing how things play out.

5. Has anything surprised you to this point? Anything stand out?
I am only disappointed with this book so far because nothing has really surprised me. It is basically playing out the way that you would expect. I hope that there is a big surprise in the future or I think that no matter how much I enjoy this book, I will overall be disappointed.

6. What are your feelings about Dom in these first two sections of the story?
He reminds me a lot of a certain male character from a certain book by a famous female author with the last name du Maurier. I am sure you have no idea what I am talking about... This book might be set in a more modern period, but he is equally as secretive and the mysteries will probably not be solved until they have to be just like in said famous book.

Bonus question: Did anyone else hear "Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again" ringing in their ears through the first sections of the book?

Which leads me to this question... Honestly? A character named Rachel. A house that plays a central role. An ex-wife that has 'mysteriously' disappeared. At least in the other book there was sort of an explanation. In this book she has simply vanished. I was happy for about ten seconds because the main protagonist had a name, but then she goes on to say that he calls her Eve but that is not really her name. It is not to say I am not liking the book so far, but it is to say I am curious about how it will all play out and how many similarities there will be.

Week in Review (35) and Short Story Sunday - Week 4

Random Thoughts

I am feeling like I am not getting anything accomplished lately. I was running things through my head today and there is so much I want to do and I am not sure how much I will actually accomplish. For the reading aspect of my thoughts, I would really like to get my reading numbers up a bit more. I was doing very well at keeping my bookshelves looking neat, but my reading slowed down lately and the overflow is getting noticeable. I noticed this when the cc (charming comedian aka 'the guy') was talking on the phone the other day and told the person he was talking to his workout bench has become a book storage area. This is sadly true. Another thing I need to do is find a better spot for those books. Then, I want to read more R.I.P. books in October because there are still many kicking around that I was hoping to get to sooner rather than later. It didn't really help I was engrossed in Dracula earlier and my e-reader battery died. Is it really bad that my e-reader is only a year old and I want a new one? I really hate that I can't just plug it into the wall; you need to have a computer handy and sometimes that doesn't really work out for me. I wish I had known that before I picked out the Reader I wanted.

Then, some other things that are happening in October are: Continue on with Fragile Things read-along, read The Lantern for a new read-along, read Interview with a Vampire with Suey (and anyone else that is interested), read Northanger Abbey for Jane Austen Week at Historical Tapestry (not to mention watch a couple Jane Austen screen adaptations), and participate in Dueling Monsters 2011. Those are just the things I can think of right now. Oh, I also want to read The Two Towers after successfully re-reading The Fellowship of the Ring in September. October can either be a really awesome month or a very over-whelming one.

Challenge News

I finished Storm Front which counts for Peril of the Group Read for R.I.P.

Weekly Reads

210. Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge (Completed September 25, 2011)
211. The Dresden Files - Volume 1: Storm Front by Jim Butcher (Completed September 29, 2011)
212. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (Completed September 29, 2011)

Only three books... I am never going to make my reading goals for the year.

Weekly Posts

Week in Review (34) and Short Story Sunday - Week 3

Welcome Piper Ella!

Buddy Review: Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier

Mail Woes

Friday Reads - 12th Edition

Birthday Loot

New Additions

Bought:

See Birthday Loot

Borrowed:

Little Princes by Conor Grennan

Supernaturally by Kiersten White

Die For Me by Amy Plum

The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma

Bossypants by Tina Fey

Into the Heart of the Country by Pauline Holdstock

Loaded:

Nothing this week...

Received:

The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E. Pearson (Macmillan Children)

The Fox Inheritance by Mary E. Pearson (Macmillan Children)

Twilight Robbery by Frances Hardinge (Harper Collins Canada)

Through the Glass by Shannon Moroney (Random House Canada)

Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman (Penguin Canada)

Before the Poison by Peter Robinson (Random House Canada)

In Other Worlds by Margaret Atwood (Random House Canada)

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Short Story Sunday - Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman - Week 4

In the introduction to Neil Gaiman's short story collection -- a wildly diverse assortment of horror, sci-fi, dark fantasy, poetry, and speculative fiction -- he explains the book's title: "Stories, like people and butterflies and songbirds' eggs and human hearts and dreams, are fragile things, made up of nothing stronger or more lasting than twenty-six letters and a handful of punctuation marks."
Noteworthy selections in this undeniably exceptional collection include the Hugo Award winning "A Study in Emerald," which deftly blends Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's late-19th-century England with gruesome Lovecraftian horror; the Locus Award winning "October in the Chair"; an homage to Ray Bradbury that features the months of the year personified; and "How to Talk to Girls at Parties," a tale featuring two oversexed teenagers from an all-boys school in South London who stumble into a party full of what they take to be hot chicks but are in reality alien tourists! Also included are a brilliant American Gods novella ("Monarch of the Glen") and "Strange Little Girls," a series of, well, strange very short stories that first appeared in a Tori Amos tour book.

Like his previous short story collection (1998's critically acclaimed Smoke and Mirrors), Gaiman's Fragile Things is anything but; this is a powerhouse compilation that proves once again that Gaiman is a true master of short fiction. It's fitting that he dedicates this collection to three short story icons -- Bradbury, Harlan Ellison, and Robert Sheckley.

This is week four of the Read-Along of Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman as part of the R.I.P. Challenge. I will say now that I enjoyed this group of stories more than the previous batch.

Stories Read This Week:

'Good Boys Deserve Favours'

'The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch'
'Strange Little Girls'

'Harlequin Valentine'

'Good Boys Deserve Favours'

I actually went to talk about this story long ago because it was mentioned in the Introduction all ready and I got confused. This story was inspired by a piece of art by Lisa Snelling. If you want to see the piece itself Carl has posted a picture on his blog post for this week. I really enjoy Lisa Snelling's art and I do agree that Neil Gaiman and her go hand-in-hand. She has many pieces that were inspired by him and he apparently gets inspired by her art. The story itself was about another type of art, though. The art of music. This is the story of a little boy who plays the double bass as part of the school music program. It is said that if he takes care of the bass; the bass will take care of him. One day some visitors to the school ask him to play something for them and it is like something else takes over. I always have wished I had wonderful music abilities, but I lack the discipline. I could relate to this story because it echoes my own wishes when I was younger. The story is not entirely memorable, but still enjoyable.

'The Facts in the Case of the Departure of Miss Finch'

This is a circus story. I am finding that I really enjoy books that centre around circuses lately. This meant that when the characters in this book visit the circus, I got excited. The stories in this book are often someone after the fact telling the reader the events that happened. I think this would translate well to the audio book. I am really going to have reread this collection through audio at some point. This story also follows this idea. Miss Finch is an interesting character. You can tell from the very beginning that circuses are not really her thing, but it is she that gets chosen as part of an act. As a result she gets one thing she desires and that leads to an interesting story and obviously her disappearance. I enjoyed this story and am impressed by the inspiration for it and how it came out about. It is also connected to a picture which Carl has posted in his blog post as well. I think this will be one of my favourite stories from the collection.

'Strange Little Girls'

I am going to be very honest... I had no idea what this was trying to accomplish when I actually read it. I had to go back and read the Introduction to be reminded that it is meant to accompany the Tori Amos CD of the same name. I have never even heard that CD before, so I am afraid I was not entirely sure what to think. I honestly really need to listen to Tori Amos. I know so many people that love her and unless I have happened to hear something without knowing it, I am not entirely sure I have heard anything by her before.

'Harlequin Valentine'

This story was just plain strange. I am also not sure exactly what I made of this one, either. I think part of my problem is that the only time I have ever really had any experience with Harlequin is in Batman; and I didn't really pay much attention to her. I also imagine other than her spunk and energy, she is not exactly what Gaiman is working with in this story. This was actually included in a collection based on a roller coaster by Lisa Snelling. The writers included were each asked to write a story about the characters she included in the piece of work. Neil Gaiman is asked to talk about the Harlequin who takes the tickets. This story is creative, don't get me wrong, but I am thinking it didn't impress me as much as it could have.

Week in Review (34) and Short Story Sunday - Week 3

Random Thoughts

September is feeling like a month where I am reading a lot, but not seeming to accomplish much to show for it. It is frustrating me! I think it is because I have read three books that I really enjoyed this month and it is making everything else dull in comparison, so I am having a hard time getting caught up in the books. I also think that I am probably doing fine reading-wise, but there is just so much else that I want to read and I can't do everything... Hopefully for the last week of the month I can chill out a bit and just have fun!

Challenge News

I finished Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell and A Tale Dark & Grimm for the R.I.P. Challenge. Then, I finished The Fellowship of the Rings which is perfect for the R.I.P. Challenge, too. The Poison Eaters is for the Short Story Peril. Prince of Thrones also turns out to work for the challenge.

Weekly Reads

205. A Tale Dark & Grimm by Adam Gidwitz (Completed September 18, 2011)
206. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke (Completed September 21, 2011)

207. The Lord of the Rings: Volume 1 by J.R.R. Tolkien (Completed September 22, 2011)
208. The Poison Eaters: And Other Stories by Holly Black (Completed September 22, 2011)
209. Prince of Thrones: Book One of The Broken Empire by Mark Lawrence (Completed September 23, 2011)

Weekly Posts

Week in Review (33) and Short Story Sunday - Week 2

Storm Front by Jim Butcher - Read-Along - Part 1

Buddy Review: Rules of Civility by Amor Towles

Buddy Review: When She Woke by Hillary Jordan

Review: Helene Hanff - Two Books and a Movie

Friday Reads - 11th Edition

'The Fellowship of the Ring' Read-Along - Part 3

New Additons

Bought:

Still waiting for one more book from my birthday loot...

Borrowed:

84, Charing Cross Road (movie)

Blameless: An Alexia Tarabotti Novel by Gail Carriger

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

The Butterfly Cabinet by Bernie McGill

Extensions by Myrna Dey

Loaded:

Nothing this week...

Received:

Nothing this week...

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Short Story Sunday - Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman - Week 3

In the introduction to Neil Gaiman's short story collection -- a wildly diverse assortment of horror, sci-fi, dark fantasy, poetry, and speculative fiction -- he explains the book's title: "Stories, like people and butterflies and songbirds' eggs and human hearts and dreams, are fragile things, made up of nothing stronger or more lasting than twenty-six letters and a handful of punctuation marks."

Noteworthy selections in this undeniably exceptional collection include the Hugo Award winning "A Study in Emerald," which deftly blends Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's late-19th-century England with gruesome Lovecraftian horror; the Locus Award winning "October in the Chair"; an homage to Ray Bradbury that features the months of the year personified; and "How to Talk to Girls at Parties," a tale featuring two oversexed teenagers from an all-boys school in South London who stumble into a party full of what they take to be hot chicks but are in reality alien tourists! Also included are a brilliant American Gods novella ("Monarch of the Glen") and "Strange Little Girls," a series of, well, strange very short stories that first appeared in a Tori Amos tour book.

Like his previous short story collection (1998's critically acclaimed Smoke and Mirrors), Gaiman's Fragile Things is anything but; this is a powerhouse compilation that proves once again that Gaiman is a true master of short fiction. It's fitting that he dedicates this collection to three short story icons -- Bradbury, Harlan Ellison, and Robert Sheckley.

This is the third week of the read-along of Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman as part of the R.I.P VI challenge.

Stories Read This Week:

'Going Wodwo'

'Bitter Grounds'

'Other People'

'Keepsakes and Treasures'

'Going Wodwo'

Let's face it, I don't like poetry. I was going to write about this post and I had absolutely no memory of what this was about. I didn't even remember it was a poem until I looked the story up in the collection. I just seem to have a block when it comes to poetry and Neil Gaiman isn't have much luck convincing me otherwise...

'Bitter Grounds'

This is a strange story. A man walks away from his own life and finds himself choosing to live someone else's. On the other hand, he could be dead. I really am not sure what to think of this story. It just seemed rather silly to me and I couldn't really get into it.

'Other People'

This story was just plain creepy. It does take place in the afterlife. It is a very dark story and I am not sure I overly enjoyed very much. I am not crazy about stories where people are tortured. The main character has to tell the truth of his life before he can go free, but then it seems like when he does go free he becomes the torturer. It was a messed up story...

'Keepsakes and Treasures'

Of the four stories read this week, I think this one was probably the only one I can honestly say I liked. Once again a creepy story, but I enjoyed it for the most part. There was one aspect of it that I could have done with out, but it helps explain just how evil Mr. Alice is and how he has human, well, maybe not human, needs just like everyone else. I was mostly interested in Mr. Smith and how he became the character that he is. I understand he appears again in the collection and Gaiman says in the introduction that that there will probably be more from Smith in the future. I could do without Mr. Alice, but Mr. Smith is intriguing.

I have to admit I am pretty 'meh' about these four stories this week. I just didn't like them for th most part and they didn't make a huge impact on me. Hopefully my post next week will be more interesting!

Week in Review (33) and Short Story Sunday - Week 2

Random Thoughts

I am experiencing book overload. There is so much that I want to read and there is just not enough time for everything! I have received books in the mail this week and made a trip to the library, so I do not lack for reading material. The thing is that they are all books I really want to read and I don't have enough time to read everything... You would think this would have prevented me from, I don't know, buying more books! But, I bought more books... I had to get The Lantern for the read-along in October, so that seems to have lead to more purchases. I know I won't get books for my birthday, so I figured I would treat myself. The timing of the read-along just meant the books are arriving a bit before my birthday.

Challenge News

I am still mainly concentrating on the R.I.P. Challenge, but I am attempting to work on the Reading Swap, too. I finished When She Woke. The review of that will be up on Wednesday. I read Breathers and Radiant Shadows, which both count for R.I.P., too. Then, I read The Monk which counts for R.I.P. and the Reading Swap.

Weekly Reads

200.When She Woke by Hillary Jordan (Completed September 14, 2011)
201. Breathers by S.G. Browne (Completed September 15, 2011)
202. Radiant Shadows: A Wicked Lovely Book (Book 4) by Melissa Marr (Completed September 15, 2011)
203. The Monk by Matthew Gregory Lewis (Completed September 16, 2011)

204. The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street by Helene Hanff (Completed September 17, 2011)

Weekly Posts

Week in Review (32) and Short Story Sunday

Group Read: A Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson - The Final Post

BBAW - Day 1: Community

Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Review: Dead Rules by Randy Russell

BBAW - Day 4: Reading and Blogging

Friday Reads - 10th Edition

'The Fellowship of the Ring' Read-Along - Part 2

New Additions

Bought:

Once all of my birthday purchases I arrive, I will do a separate post...

Borrowed:

The Beggar's Garden: Stories by Michael Christie

Bumped by Megan McCafferty

The Free World by David Bezmogis

Heartless by Gail Carriger (They bought this before book 3... Hopefully book 3 arrives soon!)

A Tale Dark and Grimm by Adam Gidwitz

Red Glove by Holly Black

Bride of New France by Suzanne Desrochers

Better Living Through Plastic Explosives: Stories by Zsuzsi Gartner

Blackberry Wine by Joanne Harris

Monoceros by Suzette Mayr

Thieves and Kings Volume 2 by Mark Oakley

Loaded:

Nothing this week...

Received:

Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge (Harper Collins Canada)

Wildwood by Colin Meloy (Harper Collins Canada)

Dark Eden by Patrick Carmen (Harper Collins Canada)

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan (From Stephanie from Stephanie's Written Word)

Into the Silence: The Great War, Mallory, and the Conquest of Mount Everest by Wade Davis (Random House Canada)

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Short Story Sunday - Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman - Week 2

In the introduction to Neil Gaiman's short story collection -- a wildly diverse assortment of horror, sci-fi, dark fantasy, poetry, and speculative fiction -- he explains the book's title: "Stories, like people and butterflies and songbirds' eggs and human hearts and dreams, are fragile things, made up of nothing stronger or more lasting than twenty-six letters and a handful of punctuation marks."

Noteworthy selections in this undeniably exceptional collection include the Hugo Award winning "A Study in Emerald," which deftly blends Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's late-19th-century England with gruesome Lovecraftian horror; the Locus Award winning "October in the Chair"; an homage to Ray Bradbury that features the months of the year personified; and "How to Talk to Girls at Parties," a tale featuring two oversexed teenagers from an all-boys school in South London who stumble into a party full of what they take to be hot chicks but are in reality alien tourists! Also included are a brilliant American Gods novella ("Monarch of the Glen") and "Strange Little Girls," a series of, well, strange very short stories that first appeared in a Tori Amos tour book.

Like his previous short story collection (1998's critically acclaimed Smoke and Mirrors), Gaiman's Fragile Things is anything but; this is a powerhouse compilation that proves once again that Gaiman is a true master of short fiction. It's fitting that he dedicates this collection to three short story icons -- Bradbury, Harlan Ellison, and Robert Sheckley.

This is the second week of the read-along of Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman as part of the R.I.P. Challenge VI.

Stories Read This Week:

'The Hidden Chamber'

'Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire'

'The Flints of Memory Lane'

'Closing Time'

Thoughts:

I have found myself involved in a lot of projects this month, so I am actually read a story a day out of this collection now. This means that when I post could be way after I have actually read the story. I am trying to remember to write up a post every time I finish four stories, but that might not always happen knowing me...

'The Hidden Chamber'

When I read about this in the Introduction I was thinking about how he says it is going to be 'Gothic' and a retelling of something like 'Bluebeard'. Then, I got to the part about it being a poem and I was disappointed. I would have much rather had a Gothic retelling of 'Bluebeard' as a story. It has not been very long since I finished this poem and it has all ready left me. I even tried reading it aloud in the hopes it would stick with me longer. That didn't appear to work either! I am thinking I will just never be much of a poetry person.

'Forbidden Brides of the Faceless Slaves in the Secret House of the Night of Dread Desire'

That is an insanely long title for a short story, I must say. In the Introduction Gaiman points out that he wrote this story a while ago, but when he tried to get it published there was no real interest. Twenty years later the story went out to win awards and be included in best-of anthologies. That says something about an early attempt at writing! This was a fun story. There is a certain favourite writing advice about writing what you know, but the author of this story is having a hard time with that. We get a glimpse into his writing process and you quickly learn that what he knows is not what we know. It makes for a fun story!

'The Flints of Memory Lane'

This is a ghost story. It is too short of a story to go into much detail without ruining it, so I will leave it at that. I enjoyed it, though, but then I like ghost stories for most part. **Note: This was longer, but I was talking about the wrong story. The comment will reappear in the future for the correct story!

'Closing Time'

This story was interesting. You remember when you are young and will basically do anything to prove that you are just like your peers? Well, this story takes that idea and puts a very interesting spin on it. The narrator tells it like a ghost story, but it was something that really happened to him. It just goes to show you that very interesting things happen to rather ordinary people. I enjoy the idea of a group of people sitting around at a bar telling ghost stories. It is very atmospheric.

Week in Review (32) and Short Story Sunday

Random Thoughts

Since I am involved in a few read-alongs over the next couple months, there might be multi-purpose posts for the next little while. I don't want to post two times a day because usually means at least one of the posts doesn't get noticed, but if these multi-purpose posts are too much I might have to.

As I was feeling a bit overwhelmed with things lately, I was very excited to find the first two Bone books at the second-hand store. I read them through the library before and now I can reread them with my own copies. I will probably slowly buy the rest of the series unless I can luck into more second-hand. I always found a couple others, but they were later in the series.

Challenge News

I read Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie. This book is about death, so that makes me think it counts for the R.I.P. challenge. Then, after a lot of thinking, I decided that Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier also counts for the challenge. It is actually a dark book more than a light-hearted one. The one that fits the best, though, is The Night Circus. I loved that book!!

Weekly Reads

194. Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie (Completed September 5, 2011)
195. Son of the Shadows (Sevenwaters Series, Book 2) by Juliet Marillier (Completed September 5, 2011)

196. Annabel by Kathleen Winter (Completed September 8, 2011)
197. Bone - Volume 1: Out From Boneville by Jeff Smith (Completed September 8, 2011)
198. Bone - Volume 2: The Great Cow Race by Jeff Smith (Completed September 9, 2011)
199. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern (Completed September 10, 2011)

Weekly Posts

Week in Review (31)

Group Read - A Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson - Part 4 & 5

August in Review

Review: Becoming Marie Antoinette by Juliet Grey

Review: Assassin's Apprentice by Robin Hobb

Friday Reads - 9th Edition

Six Sentence Saturday - September 10, 2011 & 'The Fellowship of the Ring' Read-Along - Week 1

New Additions

Bought:

Nothing this week...

Borrowed:

Nothing this week...

Loaded:

Nothing this week...

Received:

The Postmortal by Drew Magary

Leningrad by Anna Reid

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Short Story Sunday - Fragile Things by Neil Gaiman - Week 1

In the introduction to Neil Gaiman's short story collection -- a wildly diverse assortment of horror, sci-fi, dark fantasy, poetry, and speculative fiction -- he explains the book's title: "Stories, like people and butterflies and songbirds' eggs and human hearts and dreams, are fragile things, made up of nothing stronger or more lasting than twenty-six letters and a handful of punctuation marks."

Noteworthy selections in this undeniably exceptional collection include the Hugo Award winning "A Study in Emerald," which deftly blends Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's late-19th-century England with gruesome Lovecraftian horror; the Locus Award winning "October in the Chair"; an homage to Ray Bradbury that features the months of the year personified; and "How to Talk to Girls at Parties," a tale featuring two oversexed teenagers from an all-boys school in South London who stumble into a party full of what they take to be hot chicks but are in reality alien tourists! Also included are a brilliant American Gods novella ("Monarch of the Glen") and "Strange Little Girls," a series of, well, strange very short stories that first appeared in a Tori Amos tour book.

Like his previous short story collection (1998's critically acclaimed Smoke and Mirrors), Gaiman's Fragile Things is anything but; this is a powerhouse compilation that proves once again that Gaiman is a true master of short fiction. It's fitting that he dedicates this collection to three short story icons -- Bradbury, Harlan Ellison, and Robert Sheckley. Paul Goat Allen

Stories Read This Week:

Introduction

'A Study in Emerald'

'The Fairy Reel'

'Octpber in the Chair'

Thoughts:

Neil Gaiman is a hit-or-miss author with me. I know lots of people love him, but sometimes he just doesn't work for me at all. I still feel a compulsion, though, to read him. I read his first short story collection Smoke & Mirrors a while back and while there were some stories I wasn't hugely fond of, there were many that I enjoyed. If my library had a copy of this one, I probably would have read it by now. I just kept putting off reading it because other books caught my attention, but after reading a Charles de Lint short story collection with Carl, I decided that I wanted to finally tackle this one and suggested it for R.I.P. VI.

Introduction:

This is not a short story, but is really the introduction to the book. It includes a bonus short story, though, and that was a rather fun idea. I actually enjoyed the introduction because in it he tells the inspiration and reasoning behind every story included in this collection. I enjoyed reading what he thought they were about, how he came to write them, and a bit of insider information. For example, one of the stories in the collection was written as a birthday present for his oldest daughter. These types of facts you would not get from simply reading the stories.

'A Study in Emerald'

In the introduction Gaiman talks extensively about this first story. I believe it is because it won a Hugo in 2004 for Best Short Story. It was included in an anthology where he was asked to write a story where Sherlock Holmes meets H.P. Lovecraft. I am very familiar with Holmes, having read some of his books this year, but this was my first time actually reading anything where I knew it was Lovecraft inspired. I had meant to read Lovecraft last year, but it didn't work out. When you read the actual story you find that Gaiman took a real Holmes story and tweaked it. The title gives that away, of course, as the original is called 'A Study in Scarlet'. I really enjoyed this story!

'The Fairy Reel'

I am not a huge fan of poetry, but in the introduction Gaiman says this poem is fun to read-aloud. So, I waited until I was alone and did read it aloud. I agree, it is fun to read that way. I enjoyed my experience with this one.

'October in the Chair'

This story won the Locus Award for Best Short Story in 2003. In the story, the months of the year are gathered around a camp-fire to tell stories. When it is October's turn, he tells the story of a living boy who has run away and meets a dead boy in a graveyard. They end up playing together and the living boy questions whether he wants to return to his old world and how things were there. In the introduction Gaiman says that this was the 'dry run' for the lead-up to what would be known as The Graveyard Book. That is is easily my favourite Gaiman novel, so I really appreciated this story.

Overall, I enjoyed the first part of this short story collection. I look forward to next weeks reading. I know there will be some stories that I do not love, but there should be enough good ones to balance things out. That is the way of short story collections. If you are joining in for the read-along, or have read these stories in the past, what did you think of them? Is there anyone reading along that this is their first experience with Gaiman? If so, what did you think?

Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman

This is a prayer for a blueberry girl . . .

A much-loved baby grows into a young woman: brave, adventurous, and lucky. Exploring, traveling, bathed in sunshine, surrounded by the wonders of the world. What every new parent or parent-to-be dreams of for her child, what every girl dreams of for herself.

Let me go places that we've never been, trust and delight in her youth.

Nationally bestselling author Neil Gaiman wrote Blueberry Girl for a friend who was about to become the mother of a little girl. Here, he and beloved illustrator Charles Vess turn this deeply personal wish for a new daughter into a book that celebrates the glory of growing up: a perfect gift for girls embarking on all the journeys of life, for their parents, and for everyone who loves them.

Give her all these and a little bit more, gifts for a blueberry girl.

Wouldn't it be nice if you were friends with a best-selling author and he wrote a poem for your daughter? Then, he goes one step further and publishes the poem and has the fantastic artist Charles Vess illustrate it. That would be one lucky little girl!

Neil Gaiman is a hit-or-miss author with me. I really liked this book, though! It was cute between the great writing and the fantastic art. I am glad I read it. Picture books are not my normal type of books, but I made an exception for Gaiman. It is worth reading!

Thanks to Harper Collins for sending me a copy of this book.

The Starry Rift Edited by Jonathan Strahan

Books Completed: 27
Completion Date: January 29, 2009
Pages: 530
Publication Date: April 22, 2008

Reason for Reading: Recommendation, Sci-Fi Experience

Truly successful science fiction does two things: it gives credible glimpses into the future while entertaining the reader. With this in mind, noted anthologist Jonathan Strahan-who is also the reviews editor of Locus magazine-asked sixteen of today's most inventive, compelling writers to look past the horizon of the present day. Neil Gaiman (Anansi Boys), Kelly Link (Magic for Beginners), Garth Nix (the Abhorsen Trilogy), Scott Westerfeld (Uglies; Pretties; Specials) and their colleagues have crafted a dazzling range of stories. Whether on spaceships, in suburbia, or in simulated gaming worlds, whether about cloning, battle tactics, or corporate politics, the stories of The Starry Rift will give every reader something to consider. This original anthology is crucial reading for those who want to see where the future-and the future of science fiction-is headed.

So, I am not exactly a person that reads a lot of short story collections. Once in a while they appear on my radar, though, and I feel I need to at least give them a try. The Starry Rift is a book that I have seen reviewed a few times lately, and I decided that it was worth giving a try. There are a lot of award-winning authors in this collection. Some, this is the first time I have read them, while others were authors that I have experienced before. There are sixteen stories in this book, and I think the easiest thing to do is to say something on each story individually. I actually liked all the stories in this book. Some were better than others, but there is not really any in here that I can say I hated and couldn't wait to see the end of. That says something about a collection.

Ass-Hat Magic Spider by Scott Westerfield - This is actually the story that inspired me to get this book. I had heard good things about it, and Carl recommended it to me. This really is a story about a girl that will do anything for a book. I think it is a story that many people can relate to, even if science-fiction is not their usual type of reading. It was also the first time I have read Scott Westerfield, but I have Uglies out from the library right now.

Cheats by Ann Halam - This is a story about a future where you can be inside video games. Instead of using a controller, like most video games today, you can get right inside and experience. The children in this book do not like the players that abuse the system, though, and are attempting to fix the problem.

Orange by Neil Gaiman - I have read Neil Gaiman before, but he is rather hit or miss with me. I have to say, though, I really liked the idea behind this story. You are only given the answers, so you have to figure out the questions yourself. It makes for an interesting story!

The Surfer by Kelly Link - This is the story of aliens. I have watched a lot of shows where aliens are a possibility, and I think I for the most part believe in extraterrestrials. This is a scary future, though. By the sounds of it, humans have become immune to most forms of medication, so a flu-epidemic is a scary thing. This is a group of people under quarrantine, and a man has a suitcase full of science-fiction books that he uses as a sort of library. I like the idea!

Repair Kit by Stephen Baxter - I liked this story, but I have to say... The ending hurt my head. I think I am a bit too practical with some things, and I couldn't wrap my head around how the repair kit worked. I am not going to say much more because I don't want to give anything away.

The Dismantled Invention of Fate by Jeffrey Ford - This story was actually a bit complex, but then it was about fate and fate is a bit complex. It doesn't really make a lot of sense at first, but when the ending is reached and everything is cleared up I was impressed by it.

Anda's Game by Cory Doctorow - Another story about video games. The author says in his note he is addressing how people are becoming desensitized to violence. That is something that is happening nowadays, to be truthful. The story is also about the new wave of harsh treatment in sweatshops in Mexico. It was an interesting idea.

Sundiver Day by Kathleen Ann Goonan - What if you could clone the person that you loved, would you? This story looks at the moral and emotional results of this option.

The Dust Assassin by Ian McDonald - This is a sad story, actually. I really felt bad for the main character by the end. There is some very cool technology available in this story!

The Star Surgeon's Apprentice by Alastair Reynolds - A story about pirates! I really don't read enough about pirates... It is also about some not so friendly cyborgs.

An Honest Day's Work by Margo Lanagan - Okay, I was wrong. I forgot I didn't really care for this story. I just found I couldn't get caught up in it, and I hardly even remember it, though it is has only been a couple days since I finished it.

Lost Continent by Greg Egan - My second Greg Egan short story. He is a pretty good short story writer, I must say. This is a story about the ability to travel to the future to escape from wars in the past. They think that life will be better for them there, but things don't always work out how you planned.

Incomers by Paul McAuley - This story might take place on a moon of Saturn, but it could just as easily be taking place on Earth. It is a story of how people are so interested in the modern world that they live in, but forget about the past that got them there. Other things happen, but I think that is an important message.

Post-Ironic Stress Syndrome by Tricia Sullivan - Another story about technological advances, but instead of a game, they are fighting for the world. It doesn't exactly turn out how they planned, though.

Infestation by Garth Nix - A vampire story! What's a short story collection without vampires. It gives a really interesting twist on the usual story, though.

Pinocchio by Walter Jon Williams - I was really interested to learn why this story had this name. It totally baffled me as the story started, but as I started to get into the story I couldn't help being really impressed by the relationship between the title and story.

And, that's the collection! I have another collection edited by Jonathan Strahan coming to me from Carl, so I will be interested to see if it is just as good!

The Book of Ballads by Charles Vess and Others

Books Completed: 9
Date Completed: January 7, 2009
Pages: 192
Publication Date: September 30, 2004

Reason for Reading: Graphic Novel Challenge

Illustrated and presented by one of the leading artists in modern fantasy, here are the great songs and folktales of the English, Irish, and Scottish traditions, re-imagined in sequential-art form, in collaboration with some of today's strongest fantasy writers. Here are New York Times bestseller Neil Gaiman with "The False Knight on the Road"; popular mystery author Sharyn McCrumb's version of "Thomas the Rhymer"; acclaimed children's writer Jane Yolen with "King Henry" and "The Great Selchie of Sule Skerrie"; popular novelist Charles de Lint's contemporary reworking of "Twa Corbies"; Bone creator Jeff Smith with "The Galtee Farmer"; Emma Bull's version of "The Black Fox," and much, much more. Introduced by award-winning editor and writer Terri Windling, and finished with full lyrics and discographies of the classic versions of these songs and tales, The Book of Ballads is an event in the worlds of fantasy and graphic storytelling alike.

Luck was with me when I was at the second-hand bookstore on Tuesday! I have tonnes of credit there, but haven't been having much luck finding books that interest me lately. Tuesday, I brought home quite the pile! When I found this book I almost did a happy dance right in the store! Think about it... This book is illustrated by Charles Vess, who is an amazing artists. The stories included in each comic are retelling ballads, which are something that I love! And, then, there are the authors of each comic. They are some of the best fantasy authors out there. Add in the fact that Terri Windling does the introduction, and you have everything that this folk tale fangirl needs! I mean, the book is second-hand, so it is not as nice as it would be if I had bought it new, but it is hardcover and has a beautiful cover! I hope the rest of 2009 is as wonderful reading-wise as this first week has been!

The book includes stories by Neil Gaiman, Jane Yolen, Sharyn McCrumb, Midori Snyder, Lee Smith, Elaine Lee, Delia Sherman, Charles de Lint, Jeff Smith, Charles Vess, and Emma Bull. Charles Vess is the main illustrator. Jane Yolen and Charles de Lint have two stories included. The best thing is that they not only rewrite these ballads, but the actual ballads are also included. I thought that was a great idea! If that is not enough for you, also included is a discography so you can actually find singers that sing these ballads and hear them for yourself! So, yes, I loved this book! It took so many wonderful things that I love and brought them all together! I am so happy that I went to the bookstore because this is a book that I will be holding onto for years to come. I also intend to spend some time looking up some of the music so I can hear it myself.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Bod is an unusual boy who inhabits an unusual place-he's the only living resident of a graveyard. Raised from infancy by the ghosts, werewolves, and other cemetery denizens, Bod has learned the antiquated customs of his guardians' time as well as their timely ghostly teachings-like the ability to Fade.

Can a boy raised by ghosts face the wonders and terrors of the worlds of both the living and the dead? And then there are things like ghouls that aren't really one thing or the other.

This chilling tale is Neil Gaiman's first full-length novel for middle-grade readers since the internationally bestselling and universally acclaimed Coraline. Like Coraline, this book is sure to enchant and surprise young readers as well as Neil Gaiman's legion of adult fans.

Well, I finished it! I didn't think I was going to because my day off was busier than I had expected, but I just read the final page and decided I would review it before heading to bed. To all that is waiting for this book, I think it is worth it. I am not the biggest Gaiman fan in the world. I have liked several of his books, but at the same time, I don't get as excited as many people when he has a new one out. I still have books by him on TBR pile, actually. That being said, I really liked this book! It is the perfect book for me because it expands on a short story that I loved in one of Gaiman's collections. The problem I have with short stories is that they don't tell me everything I want to know, so I am very happy to see that this book does in fact expand on the story.

This is the story of Nobody Owens. A young boy who has found himself wanted dead by some very powerful men. On the night that he is supposed to die, though, he cannot be found. He has wandered out the door and arrived at a nearby graveyard. This graveyard will be his home for the next several years. It's a fun idea. I like graveyards. I have been known to explore them when the opportunity presents themselves, so this was a fun setting for the book. It also allows many different people to interact in one place and it work well together. Bod, as he is called, is raised by a couple that always wanted children when they were alive and now, with the The Protection of the Graveyard, they have their chance while dead. Bod grows up in very unusual circumstances, that is for sure!

There are so many wonderful scenes in this book. So many characters that I loved. I didn't necessarily love every word, but there was so much that I did love that I hardly noticed when the story slowed down. This has officially became one of my favourite Neil Gaiman books and, also, one of my favourite young adult novels. I would love to share all my favourite parts, but I know that a lot of people are looking forward to this book, so I won't take the chance of ruining anything for them.

I will just conclude by saying that I recommend this book!

Monday Evening Musings

I had planned to post a review of Born on a Blue Day tonight, but instead I finished another book and reviewed it on Twisted Kingdom. You can read the review by clicking here.

It is rather funny, I ran into some friends at the bookstore today and I was rather secretive in school, never admitted that I watched Star Trek or read the books. It wasn't like I wouldn't admit it if I was asked, but I just didn't volunteer the information. But, I went to the second hand store tonight to see if they had the first book in the New Frontier series (which they did, the first four in one book, acutally) because I was curious and wanted to give the series a read, and in walk my friends. I was a bit frazzled, I admit, because even though I am more forth-coming in my nerdiness nowadays, I still had never really went out of my way to tell any of my friends unless they asked or the subject was broached. It is interesting how I am not in high school anymore and I still find myself acting like I am when I run into people I knew then. I guess some things just never change... The bad thing is that these people are perfectly aware now that I watch them, but I don't know, I just like having my secrets I guess.

In other news, tomorrow (the 14th) is my brothers 18th birthday. It's hard to believe, but then I imagine like my sister, most people think he is older than me. I cannot help it I am short and people need to not judge height with ages. I'll like it when I am older though. Actually, I am not really that forth-coming on being the oldest much anymore anyways, they can think my sister is.

I have been thinking a lot about fantasy and movies lately. I have been trying to find someone to go see Stardust with me, but no one is really jumping at the opportunity. I do not know what it is about fantasy, but it seems to really bomb at the theatres. It is like adults forget how to be kids and have an imagination, they just think my interests are silly. So, I am stuck in my childhood, is there something wrong with that? I would hate to NOT have an imagination. My friends think they are too old for movies like Stardust it seems, and I think it is sad. Imagining, dreaming, believing does not have to end when you reach a certain age, there is no laws saying growing up means becoming a cynic. Carl, at Stainless Steel Droppings, talked about something similar the last few days. It is nice to know that I am not the only one thinking like I do. No offense to anyone, but people can go live in their boxes and I will keep on believing in the unbelivable, exploring the unexplained, and living in my dreamworld.