2013 Reads: Twenty-Three {Incarceron - Catherine Fisher}

I cannot wait to see what this book is like as a movie.

Seriously.

It's going to be crazy.

WHAT WAS WRITTEN

Incarceron is a prison so large and so vast that it is practically its own world. It's not only full of cells and corridors, but also full of forests and villages. It has been sealed off for centuries. Only one man knows its location and only one man has ever escaped from within its walls.

Finn has always been a prisoner of Incarceron. For as long as he can remember he's been trapped within the walls of the prison. Despite that, he still believes he is from the Outside.

And then there's Claudia, Finn's link to the Outside. She's trying to get out of an arranged marriage which would make her father the most important man in the realm. She is also the Warden's daughter and she is his one chance to break free from Incarceron forever.

Together they're facing impossible odds - the game is stacked against them and Incarceron itself is their fiercest opponent. 

WHAT MY BRAIN HAS TO SAY ON THE MATTER

This was quite the imaginative and innovative book. A book about a prison that's essentially alive and sentient? The story itself is absolutely brilliant and it was so refreshing to read something so fresh. It was predictable, in a lot of ways, but even while being predictable it was entertaining. Catherine Fisher has drafted an amazing, fast paced, and captivating first novel of what is sure to be a wild ride.

It did take me a while to get into it, however. It felt like I was dumped into the middle of a story that was already set into motion. Book specific terms and ideas were used without any introduction or explanation and characters were introduced slowly and haphazardly. It was a little jarring and hard to become fully oriented with the story.

However, once everything clicked and I fully felt like I 'got it' I was hooked. Finn is a brilliant character and his relationship with Incarceron is haunting and frankly, kinda scary. Despite his situation, he's still a loyal (to a fault, which is endearing) and innocent (he seems to always look out for his friends and choses to see the best out of others).

While I completely loved Finn's character and his story from the beginning, but it took me a while to open up to Claudia and her life Outside. But she, as well as the characters surrounding her, grew on me by the end of the book. She's brash and impulsive, but also smart and determined. Her character isn't as well developed as Finn's (and really, even his development is lacking), but she is headed somewhere interesting. And Jared? Jared may just be my favorite character in the whole novel. I cannot wait to hear more about him.

And then there's Incarceron itself. A living, breathing, bored prison. Which is crazy and amazing and so, so creepy. I don't want to talk too much about it, other than it is the most developed character in the novel.

Best book I've ever read? No. But entertaining and original? Yes. You ought to give this one a chance. 

THE NITTY GRITTY

Title: Incarceron (Incarceron #1)

Author: Catherine Fisher

Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Steampunk, SciFi

Medium: Paperback, 442pp

Publisher: Firebird Books (3 May 2007)

Date Read: 21 June 2013

Source: Purchased @ Barnes & Noble

Recommended For: Middle School+, Steampunk Fans, YA, Fantasy Lovers, Dystopian Fans

Challenges: Goodreads, Off the Shelf,

First Line: Finn had been flung on his face and chained to the stone slabs of the transitway.

Favorite Line: Because I have dreams and in those dreams I see the stars. 

Last Line: Jared gazed at the cube thoughtfully. "Closer than you think, Finn," he said. [whited out, for spoiler's sake]

2013 Reads: Twenty-One {Deja Dead - Kathy Reichs}

Let's be honest here for a second - I totally bought this book because I like am slightly obsessed with Bones (I may kinda have taken a break from the show since *spoiler* Brennan had her baby, because, well that all seemed way to cliché for my tastes. Shark? Jumped? I hope not...).

While this book is miles away from the TV show it inspired, it's still a great crime/mystery/thriller and I enjoyed it as such. But, seriously, I'm still trying to figure out how they got to Bones from this.

WHAT WAS WRITTEN

Temperance Brennan has left behind a crumbing marriage in North Carolina to take up a position as a forensic anthropologist in Québec. Her job is to analyze the bones of the dead (particularly those not easily identifiable) - both recent deaths and those long since passed.

When she discovers a corpse that had ben disassembled and left in trash bags, the case suddenly becomes personal for Temperance. What seems to be a single, random murder, to Tempe is just another death in a string of murders. When she seems to be headed in the right direction the investigation and the criminal inches closer to home - with threats against her, her best friend, and even her daughter.

What follows is a haunting, dangerous, and fast-paced hunt for the criminal behind these gruesome deaths. 

WHAT MY BRAIN HAS TO SAY ON THE MATTER

I'm gonna repeat myself here: how on earth did they get to Bones from this?

Really. The only thing this book and the show have in common are a woman named Temperance Brennan who is a forensic anthropologist who somehow gets swept up in fighting crime. That's it.

And even then book Brennan and TV show Brennan are worlds apart. Book Brennan is a social, average, and smart-but-not-in-your-face-smart woman. She's not a hot shot, best-selling author, or even a consultant to the FBI. TV Brennan lacks social skills, is all about intelligence, and a little awkward. They're worlds apart.

There is no Booth. There are no Squints (I mean, there are, but they're not called such and they're not even close to being a big part of the book at all). There is no Jeffersoinan Lab that Brennan is (pseudo) in charge of. There is nothing but a woman who happens to have the same name and job.

But enough about my realization that the reason I wanted to read this book was out the window. Let's actually talk about the book. Because, once I got past the initial disappointment, I realized that Kathy Reichs writes one heck of a good crime novel. And it's no secret that these sort of books are a guilty pleasure of mine (re: reading all of the Patricia Cornwell novels).

This book has everything you could hope for in a crime novel: fast paced action, kick-ass main character, enough medical jargon to make you believe it's real, a creepy serial killer (who also happens to be obsessed with getting to Brennan), and so much more.

I could praise the merits of this book for days. I was engrossed in it from the start - which, for me, is a mark of a good book. One that gets and keeps your attnetion. Isn't that why we read in the first place? To have that feeling of I'm really there and I never want to leave. 

It also has some downfalls.

There was a lot of French in it. And while I speak/read French pretty darn good, I was still annoyed that at times I couldn't make sense of what a character was saying. It usually was a comment made in jest or something like that, but still I wanted to know! So I had to stop, get out my translator app and then get back to the book. It also took me a little while to get into it and lagged in a few places that I think some more editing could have helped.

It was also weird to read a book that referenced things from 1997 as the present. As in, fashion, popular clothing/gadgets/etc, 9/11 hadn't happened yet, you name it. It was just messing with my brain here and there to take the step back into my childhood years in a different perspective.

All in all? It's a great first novel and I cannot wait to get my hands on the next in the series. I'm excited about another crime series!

THE NITTY GRITTY

Title: Deja Dead

Author: Kathy Reichs

Genre: Mystery, Crime, Murder

Medium: Paperback, 532pp

Publisher: Pocket Star Books (1 January 1997)

Date Read: 6 June 2013

Source: Purchased @ Barnes & Nobles eons ago

Recommended For: Mystery/Crime novel lovers, fans of Patricia Cornwell, Fans of Bones

Challenges: Goodreads, Off the Shelf, TBR Pile

First Line: I wasn't thinking about the man who'd blown himself up.

Favorite Line:  The workout and steam had taken their toll, and I felt as if major muscle groups had gone off duty.

Last Line: "Let's go to the beach."{whited out, for spoiler's sake}

2013 Reads: Nineteen {Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn}

Never have I ever had a book screw with me this much.

I seriously think I got some sort of jaw injury over the number of times my jaw dropped - it felt like every five pages of Gone Girl Gillian Flynn let us onto another piece of the puzzle. And it was never the piece you were expecting - or for that matter, a piece you even thought was part of the same puzzle.

If you haven't read it, you really need to. There's a reason it won just about every award possible in 2012.

WHAT WAS WRITTEN

On the day of Nick and Amy's fifth wedding anniversary, Amy goes missing.

They were not the perfect couple. After both lost their jobs and finding out his mother was extremely sick, Nick packed them up and moved them from New York City to Missouri. Away from the expenses of the city and closer to his family, Nick saw this move as one where he and Amy would be able to get their feet back under them and move on from their past. Once in Missouri, Nick uses the last of Amy's trust fund money to open a bar with his sister. Amy, however, hates her new life in Missouri and longs for the life she left behind.

After Amy disappears, her parents fly in for the rescue search. As more and more details surface and pressure gets intense from the police, Nick becomes the prime subject of the investigation. He adamantly claims that he is innocent and continues to do what he can to find out what happened to his wife. 

WHAT MY BRAIN HAS TO SAY ON THE MATTER

This is going to be one tough review to write, because I don't want to give away any tiny little details of the story. Had someone ruined any of this book for me I probably would have flipped out on them, so I'm gonna try and do the same courtesy to anyone out there who has yet to read Gone Girl.

Let's start with this: I could hardly put Gone Girl down. It's a thriller, but it takes its time to burn slowly and deliberately. Flynn only lets you know what she wants you to know and when she wants you to know it. Which made the hours I spent working awful as I agonized what was going on in the book and trying to figure out what bombshell Flynn was going to drop on me next. I think that's a mark of an excellent story - keep your readers completely invested and keep them on their toes.

Flynn also made a mess of my brain throughout this book: one chapter I loved Amy and hated Nick, the next chapter that got reversed. With every detail given I was constantly changing my mind about who these characters were, what they had done in their life, and my attitudes towards them in the process. It felt like whiplash at times. I never knew who (if any) to root for through the story.

And the ending? Wow. Let's just leave it at that, okay?

I still can't tell if I liked Gone Girl, per-sey. I know I enjoyed it and was completely invested in reading the book. But how can you really say you liked this book. Those of you who have finished it know exactly what I'm talking about right now. 

THE NITTY GRITTY

Title: Gone Girl

Author: Gillian Flynn

Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Suspense

Medium: Hard Cover, 415pp

Publisher: Crown (24 May 2012)

Date Read: 10 May 2013

Source: Purchased @ Barnes & Nobel

Recommended For: High School +, lovers of mystery, thriller, and suspense, Film Noir lovers, 

Challenges: Goodreads, Off The Shelf 

First Line: When I think of my wife, I always think of her head.

Favorite Line: It's a very difficult era in which to be a person, just a real, actual person, instead of a collection of personality traits selected from an endless Automat of characters. 

Last Line: I think I've earned that. {whited out, for spoiler's sake}

2013 Reads: Eighteen {The Alchemyst - Michael Scott}

This book has been sitting in my TBR pile shelf entire bookshelf (or two, but really, who's counting) since 2007. How do I know that for a fact? When I picked it up and opened to read, out fell a Who will live? Who will die? There Will Soon Be SEVEN! bookmark. Yes, a bookmark advertising the SEVENTH Harry Potter novel. 

You guys totally didn't believe me when I told you I hoard books, did you? Well, now you do. I've owned this book for six years. That's crazy. Even for me. 

WHAT WAS WRITTEN

Nicholas Flamel is a real person. He is one of the greatest alchemysts in history and he and his wife have been alive since the fourteenth century. He has been mixing the elixir of life for centuries and moving from place to place to keep a low profile - both from the world and from his nemesis, John Dee. Dee wants the book that Flamel has been sworn to protect for almost 700 years - the Book of Abraham the Mage.

But the centuries of hiding have come to an end. Dee has finally found Flamel and has taken both the book (minus two pages) and Flamel's wife. Now, with the help of two teens, Sophie and Josh, Flamel must try and save the world from the destruction Dee intends to bring forth. 

WHAT MY BRAIN HAS TO SAY ON THE MATTER

This book really impressed me with its historical characters who were woven perfectly into a modern world. There's bits of history woven into a wonderfully crafted kids fantasy series. I've actually done some research on Dee and Flamel for my MA, and it was so cool to see these people come to life before my eyes. I will say, it was a little distressing reading about Dee as a villain because I never quite pictured him that way in my research. But, that's fantasy and fiction. Anyone can be or become anything, right?

Yes it was a book about twins who happen into a life of magic and power, who also happen to potentially be the key to fulfilling an ancient prophecy, who also happen to seem as though they may be put against each other in some sort of moral, good versus evil battle. Oh yeah, and they have a few days to save the world from succumbing to the ultimate evil. No big deal. But you know what? It does all of that in such a unique, interesting, and engaging way that it never once feels like it's trying to be any other book. Sophie and Josh are interesting (albeit a bit whiney and outspoken) and relatable. Nick and Perry are eccentric - you can tell they care about the twins, but it's still uncertain why they care so much. Seeing this relationship develop will definitely be a highlight of the series for me, I'm sure.

My only concerns are as follows:
- It's marketed as YA, but feels a bit more juvenile than your average YA novel.
- Josh and Sophie are way too young to have jobs in bookstores and coffee shops. Particularly because Sophie was the only one working at the coffee shop at the beginning of the novel.
- The timeline. This whole book happens in two days. I know fantasy requires a suspension of belief, but this is really, really pushing it for me. There are still only 24 hours per day!

Despite these (and, really? they're only minor quibbles) Michael Scott has written an interesting and fast-paced first novel in a series that I am sure will only get more exciting with each book. I am incredibly interested to see where Sophie, Josh, Nick, and Perry go from here. 

THE NITTY GRITTY

Title: The Alchemyst (The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel #1) 

Author: Michael Scott

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Thriller, Fiction (Historical), Mythology

Medium: Paperback, 375pp

Publisher: Random House (May 2007)

Date Read: 29 April 2013

Source: Borders (back before book 7 of HP was released - I found the bookmark for the Book 7 Release in it!)

Recommended For: Middle School +, Interests in Medieval History, Fantasy Lovers

Challenges: Goodreads,  Off The Shelf, TBR Pile, 

First Line: "OK - answer me this: why would anyone want to wear an overcoat in San Francisco in the middle of summer?" 

Favorite Line: Love is the water of life, drink deeply.

Last Line: Perenelle's smile was terrifying. "On the contrary," she replied. "It is now only just beginning." [whited out for spoiler's sake]

2013 Reads: Seventeen {To Kill A Mockingbird - Harper Lee}

Let's file this one under what the heck was I thinking waiting so long to read this book?! 

WHAT WAS WRITTEN

In the summer in the midst of the Great Depression a black man named Tom Robinson has been falsely accused of rape in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. A man named Atticus Finch has been named by the town to defend him.

This story centers around Scout, one of Atticus' children, and her brother Jem. They spend their summer days playing around their street with a friend named Dill. They're intrigued by a house on the street that has a lot of gossip and stories spread about its' inhabitants, the Radley family. At the center of these stories is Boo Radley, who is portrayed as a troubled person who has been kept inside his whole life.

The story follows both the trial of Tom Robinson and the lives of the Finch children and the inhabitants of their street in Maycomb. It's a work that takes a real and honest look at race, youth, gender, justice, and injustice in the South during the Great Depression. 

WHAT MY BRAIN HAS TO SAY ON THE MATTER

I'm not sure there is much I can say about this book that hasn't been said already - and, even then, it was probably said much more eloquently.

I absolutely adored this book.

Everything. From the first to the last page. EVERYTHING.

I found Scout to be completely fascinating. I completely identified with her. Well, almost completely. I don't have an older brother (or any sibling for that matter), so that's the main difference. I was such the tomboy just like her and found that I absolutely loved reading about her struggles with what was expected of her as a girl in the deep South. It was a fun and interesting point of the story. I found her to be insightful and fun and interesting and interested. Of all the protagonists I've read this year so far, Scout is by far my favorite.

Jem was also an interesting character to me. He was the over-protective older brother, the brains behind the multitude of operations, and the defender of his sister and friends. While he got on my nerves from time to time (and, as the older brother of my beloved Scout, wasn't he supposed to?), I also loved hearing about what he was up to and why.

Atticus is such a profound character in literature. I can totally see why his character and this book have become such a classic in our world. Defending an innocent black man against the accusations of a white man (no matter how deplorable and disliked) was no easy feat. It would have been easy to just stand and act as though he were defending Tom Robinson. But Atticus knew Tom was innocent and he defended him to the best of his ability. And he did it because it was the right thing to do. Can we mention here how much I loved that his children called him Atticus, not dad?

And then there's Boo Radley. The most enigmatic character to grace the pages of fiction, perhaps, ever. I found him to be the most intriguing character of this whole novel. Yes, I was completely invested in the trial and the various town reactions to it, but Boo was always at the corner of my mind. The juxtaposition of his character against Tom's is such a brilliant and subtle move on Lee's part. Particularly when you put it into context with the symbolism of the mockingbird. It's pure brilliance.

This is a gritty and honest portrayal of life in the deep South during the Great Depression. Dealing with issues of inequality, rape, racism, and the destruction of innocence, Harper Lee's To Kill A Mockingbird was an instant classic when it was published in the 1960s and continues to thrill readers today.

I love this book. Did I mention that yet?

THE NITTY GRITTY

Title: To Kill A Mockingbird

Author: Harper Lee

Genre: Classic, Legal, Realistic Fiction, Historical Fiction

Medium: Paperback, 323 Pages

Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics

Date Read: 10 April 2013

Source: Purchased (by Mom!) at Barnes & Nobel

Recommended For: Anyone and everyone. Really. Don't wait as long as I did to read it. 

Challenges: Goodreads, Off the Shelf, TBR Pile, Back to the Classics

First Line: When he was nearly thirteen, my brother Jem got his arm badly broken at the elbow.

Favorite Line: I think there's just one kind of folks. Folks.
Runner-Up favorite Line: Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.

Last Line: He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked up in the morning. [whited out, for spoiler's sake]

2013 Reads: Sixteen {Looking for Alaska - John Green}

So, I really have no idea why I haven't read any John Green before this. I mean, yes, kinda depressing, but what an amazing book. This man can really, really tell a story! 

I really should listen to my friends (both in real life and those of the blogger world) when they recommend a book or an author to me. This is a lesson I keep repeat learning over and over again it seems!

WHAT WAS WRITTEN

There is a single, major event that shapes Miles "Pudge" Halter's life.

Before that major event Pudge's life was in the midst of great changes. He had just left the safety (and boredom) of his home in Florida to attend the Culver Creek Boarding School in Alabama. There he joins forces with a group of students who are the exact opposite of "safe" and "boring." Besides studying for classes and an obsession with famous last words, Pudge spends his days with his new friends in the pursuit of "the Great Perhaps" (poet Francois Rabelais). Particularly with the beautiful, intelligent, self-destructive, and captivating Alaska Young. As Pudge gets wrapped up in her world and the world of Culver Creek, he realizes that the pursuit of life and love are often the events that make the world go around.

After that major event, though?

Nothing is, or ever will be, the same.

WHAT MY BRAIN HAS TO SAY ON THE MATTER

I really am not sure why I've waited so long to read any of John Green's works. Looking for Alaska is an utterly perfect novel that has been haunting my mind since I closed the cover for the last time.

What I really loved about this book can be broken down into three major pieces:

One: The construction of the novel. I think that the countdown to The Event and then the progression of days after The Event was a brilliant move on Green's part. It constantly kept me on my toes for a hint of what was to come (note: there are no hints). And then, after The Event, I kept looking for how pieces of the aftermath would/could/might fall back into place.

If we're being honest (and, really, when am I ever not honest on here?), I am a sucker for an interestingly constructed novel. Particularly one that is well done (remember Thirteen Reasons Why?). And how Green put this novel together was so telling of and influential to the story that I cannot imagine it having been put together any other way.

Two: The characterization. This book, if nothing else, is a story about people. Not the type of people who would be particularly interesting or captivating if you happened to have crossed paths with them in your life or even if they had been secondary characters in another novel. But Green makes these normal, quirky, average people come to life in a way that you feel as though you've known them all your life.

Every character you come across - the majors, the minors, the mentioned only once or twices - they all have a feeling of such realness that you cannot help but become attached to their every word and action. Yes, this story has a Big Event that happens. But it's how these people move on their way towards it and how they deal with the aftermath that's most important.

I adored Pudge. I think a reader always finds part of themselves (or puts part of themselves) in the characters they read. Pudge is an easy character to do that with. He's a little awkward, endlessly devoted to his friends, and in love with the pursuit of finding something amazing in life. His relationship with The Colonel was so real and hilarious that it is impossible to rationalize that their friendship exists only in the world of fiction. And Alaska? As a reader (and probably as a character in the book as well) you love her and despise her at the same time. She's wild and self-destructive, but she's sweet and endearing at the same time.

So? Bravo, Mr. Green, for making these average teenagers become something so much more. Because, really, when you think about it, we all were those average teenagers. Who, if anyone were to take a closer look, would find those interesting, quirky, and unique people that we all were once you peeled the average teenagerness away.

Three: It's messy. Stuff happens, not everything gets cleaned up and tied into a neat little package. That's life, and that's this book.

Sometimes I don't want everything to be resolved because having a resolution seems too easy. In this book? Because, really? Things will not be resolved for Pudge or The Colonel for a long, long time. If Green tried to wrap this book up in any other way I would have felt cheated out of something - much in the same way I feel cheated out of something in other books where things don't get resolved. Oh the irony.

All-in-all this was an excellent book. One I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a good, realistic fiction, YA novel. Or anyone just looking for a good book to read (and I have, since finishing it, loaned it out twice already). John Green can really weave a story together in a unique, fresh, and interesting way. He's clever and he's witty, but never at the expense of the story. Everything just fits together so wonderfully and I was endlessly impressed by that while reading Looking for Alaska. I cannot wait to get my hands on some of his other novels. 

THE NITTY GRITTY

Title: Looking For Alaska

Author: John Green

Genre: YA Contemporary Fiction, Tough Stuff

Medium: Paperback, 221 pages

Publisher: Speak (28 December 2006)

Date Read: 2 April 2013 

Source: Purchased @ Barnes & Nobel

Recommended For: 8th Grade +, John Green lovers, Contemporary YA lovers, Those looking for a Tough Stuff read, 

Challenges: Goodreads, Off The Shelf, TBR Pile

First Line: The week before I left my family and Florida and the rest of my minor life to go to boarding school in Alabama, my mother insisted on throwing me a going-away party.

Favorite Line: So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was a drizzle and she was a hurricane.
Runner-Up Favorite Line: You can say a lot of bad things about Alabama, but you can't say that Alabamans as a people are unduly afraid of deep fryers. 

Last Line: I don't know where there is, but I believe it's somewhere, and I hope it's beautiful. [whited out, for spoiler's sake]

2013 Reads: Fourteen {Shadow of Night - Deborah Harkness}

I want to jump inside this book and live within its' pages.

Deborah Harkness has done it again.

Okay, you guys. Remember when I read Discovery of Witches and raved, and raved, and raved about how amazing of a book it was? And how I could not wait to get my hands on the second book? 

And then how I waited months to actually pick up Shadow of Night? Because I have a fear of reading books in a series when the next book isn't anywhere near being published? And also how I have this book-reading thing where I have a hard time reading a book I know I am going to love because there is only one time you get to read that book for the first time. 

That was exactly how I felt about this book.

And now?

Now I NEED the third book to be out ASAP.

I seriously cannot wait for the final piece of this trilogy! 

WHAT WAS WRITTEN

At the end of A Discovery of Witches, Matthew Clairmont and Diana Bishop have broken one of the major laws which govern and divide the supernatural creatures of the world. Diana, who is the descendant of a long and powerful line of witches (but reluctant to use her powers or to accept her heritage) and Matthew, who is an incredibly old vampire (fifteen-hundred, to be exact), have married.

This is a huge no-no for the paranormal creatures of the modern world.

Combine that with the fact that Diana, during her research at the Bodliean Library, discovered Ashemole 782 and she and Matthew have caused enough trouble to put themselves on the radar of the Congregation. This alchemical manuscript could shatter the manner in which vampires, witches, daemons, and humans coexist.

The rediscovery of this manuscript could change everything.

So, Shadow of Night begins right where A Discovery of Witches leaves off. Diana and Matthew, seeking safety from the modern-day Congregation, have time walked back to London in 1590. However, they quickly realize that Elizabethan London may not be the safe haven they were looking for. This is a world of spies and witch hunts, and it plunges Matthew back into his past life. He is forced to reconnect with his old friends - the members of the legendary and mysterious School of Night - who he has not seen since the Sixteenth Century. Many of whom are the largest creative and academic minds of their time - and unruly daemons or vampires themselves.

Matthew and Diana must locate a witch to help her develop her powers, find Ashemole 782, and figure out how they can live in the past without greatly impacting the future they came from. However, Matthew's past quickly encroaches in on them and they are forced to delve deeper into Matthew's past, connections, friendships, and family ties.

Time travel is not going to be as easy for this witch and vampire as they originally thought. 

WHAT MY BRAIN HAS TO SAY ON THE MATTER

Deborah Harkness is a genius. 

She's an absolutely brilliant and creative woman - academic and storyteller combined. She weaves her words like a tapestry to tell a beautiful and rich story of love, friendship, and magic. She has taken a wonderful original story and followed it up with a novel that delves so much further into the world she has created.

Basically? Deborah Harkness exactly who I want to be. Seriously you guys. This woman studies and teaches exactly what I want to be studying. I am so in awe. 

This book is so amazing to me on so many levels. I really cannot get over just how much I loved everything about this book. The pieces of it fit together beautifully. The storytelling was brilliant and the language was beautifully crafted. I honestly felt, on numerous occasions, as though I were walking down the medieval streets with Diana and Matthew and the rest of their gang. 

Harkness created a beautiful picture of city life within the Middle Ages. She blended, perfectly, storytelling with historical understandings of lifestyle and culture of the time and places Diana visited. She made history come alive in a way that made reading about it interesting and appealing. Yes, I know that may be my inner nerd coming out and defending something I love. But, objectively, I think that Harkness did a fantastic job putting her story into the time and the place where everything began for Diana and Matthew. 

I still wish I was Diana Bishop. That hasn't changed since I read Discovery of Witches and I don't think it's ever going to change. Professor of History who studies medieval alchemy? Who also happens to be a witch? I'm sold already. Add in the tall, dark, handsome vampire she's in love with? Yep. Even more sold. I think that Diana is an admirable heroine for this novel. She's fearless but not stupid, she's proactive but cautious, she can take care of herself but will accept the help of others when necessary, and she fiercely loves those whom she holds dear. I can't imagine a better protagonist. 

And her counterpart? Matthew has totally grown on me through this book. He's just so interesting and complex that it's impossible to feel as though you understand him completely. Nevertheless, it's been interesting to get more of the holes in his story filled. His bloodlust condition is fascinating, and something I am not sure I've read much if any in any other vampire novel before (feel free to correct me if I'm wrong with that statement). And his friends? The people he's known and grown close to over his years? It's just an insane game of chess that Matthew and his family played with all the influential people in history - and it's brilliant. Yes, he's still protective of Diana and all that he considers to be his, but Diana keeps him in check. She continually reminds him that she is her own person and can tend to her own needs, that the fact he is a vampire enhances his protectiveness. They balance each other out perfectly with a love so genuine and true.

Other characters in this book are amazing too. I adore Gallowglass something terrible. He's just so witty and protective and always there at the right time. He's a perfect counterbalance to Matthew. And he's always there for Diana. Basically? He's amazing. I also loved getting to "know" some historical figures that I've been reading about (in history) for ages. Christopher Marlowe - a daemon and one of Matthew's best friends? Sir Walter Raleigh? Henry Percy? Deborah Harkness has given a voice to these historical icons on a deeply personal level. And though, while Kit Marlowe was probably not a daemon, it's fun and interesting to consider what these now-famous men might have been like when sitting around the table with a pint in their hand and an idea to discuss. 

What I love about this book is that it has a little bit of something for everyone. It has vampires, witches, and daemons. It has the paranormal romance. It has a strong female character in the lead role. It has the history. It has the witty and charming friends of both Matthew and Diana. It has time travel (done in an interesting and curious way). And it has a fantastic plot weaved through it all. There is no single place where I feel this book is lacking.

Bravo, Deborah Harkness, Bravo. 

And, really, I cannot even process what happens at the end of this book.

I need #3 right now. 

Please?

THE NITTY GRITTY

Title: Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy #2)

Author: Deborah Harkness

Genre: Fantasy/Historical Fiction/Paranormal

Medium: Hardcover, 577 pages

Date Read: 22 March 2013

Publisher: Viking Adult (10 July 2012)

Source: Purchased (duh! of course I had to own this one!)

Recommended For: Late High School +; Adults; Paranormal Lovers; Medieval History Buffs; Anyone, really!

Challenges: Goodreads, Off The Shelf

First Line: We arrived in an undignified heap of witch and vampire.

Favorite Line: We don't lock up books in this house, only food, ale, and wine. Reading Herodotus or Aquinas seldom leads to bad behavior. 
Runner-Up Favorite Line: Stop trying to be perfect. Try being real for a change.

Last Line: Yes, Shakespeare mused, he'd definitely use that one day. [whited out, for spoiler's sake]

2013 Reads: Nine {Satori In Paris - Jack Kerouac}

My dad and I took a trip to Paris in the Spring of 2010 while I was on Spring Break from my MA program. It was lovely. Seriously. Paris in the Springtime. It really doesn't get any better than that. The weather was lovely, the sights were beautiful, and the food was delicious. What more could you ask for?

Well, a stop in the most well known book store in Paris, probably, if you're me. So after a morning at Notre Dame de Paris (which is amazing and awe inspiring, by the way), we hauled across the river to the adorable little bookstore named Shakespeare and Company. Which looks exactly like how I'd want my bookstore (if I ever own one) to look: floor to ceiling bookshelves, tables everywhere, books on every available surface (even the floor), and enough order to potentially find what you're looking for, but not enough to stop you from stumbling onto something you didn't know you wanted to read in the first place. A place where you can actually discover, serendipitously, the right book for you at the right time.

And that's exactly how and where I picked up my copy of Satori in Paris by Jack Kerouac. I even still have the receipt tucked in its pages!

Satori in Paris is an autobiographical account of Kerouac's soul searching trip to Paris. Always boastful and proud of his French-Canadian heritage, Kerouac set off to Paris in search of the details of his family's history and lineage. Instead he found out a lot more about himself and life. The book is a series of short, pithy chapters chronicling his late nights spent in dive bars around Paris, the women he met and loved, the money he lost, and the all night conversations and misadventures that ensued. While in Paris Kerouac was constantly on the go. Moving from one place to another, one bar to another, and one story to another. And, somewhere in the middle of this hectic trip, Kerouac experiences a satori, or a life-changing event of sorts. He spends the whole book reminiscing on his trip and trying to put a finger on the moment when this change happened. Though it is uncertain when exactly his satori happened, Kerouac reminds us, what matters is that it did happen, and life is no longer the same.

It was a perfect purchase, really. A book about having one of those life changing moments in Paris picked up while I myself was in Paris. I couldn't justify not buying the book.

Was it my favorite book? Nope.
Was it my favorite Kerouac? Not by any means.
Did I enjoy reading it? For the most part.

It's hard to review books like these. I sometimes have a hart time with reading beatnik books like these. The language takes time to adjust to, as does the lifestyle described. But once I get past that I can let go and enjoy the story for the sake of the story. But this one was harder for me. Really, I was glad for how short it was and was anxiously awaiting the last page. It was choppy and quick to change (as, I imagine, was the point since his trip was choppy and quick to change), and it was hard to keep interested from change to change. And there really wasn't a "beginning" and an "end" other than: Kerouac gets to Paris.....Kerouac leaves Paris.

But that's just how he writes. I get it. He's the guy who's known for this sort of thing

But I was still left wanting a little more from this novel.

Title: Satori in Paris

Author: Jack Kerouac

Genre: Non-fiction; Memoir; 

Medium: Paper Back

Pages: 109

Date Read: 13 February 2013

Source: Purchased at the Shakespeare & Company Bookstore in Paris (April 2010)

First Line: Somewhere during my ten days in Paris (and Brittany) I received an illumination of some kind that seems to've changed me again, towards what I suppose'll be my pattern for another seven years or more: in effect, a satori: the Japanese word for 'sudden illumination,' 'sudden awakening,' or simply 'kick in the eye.'

Favorite Line: Yet this book is to prove that no matter how you travel, how 'successful' your tour, or foreshortened, you always learn something and learn to change your thoughts. 

Last Line: When God says 'I Am Lied,' we'll have forgotten what all the parting was about. [whited out, for spoiler's sake]

Recommended: Yes (if you know what you're getting into with Kerouac) but No (if you need a story with an actual plot and resolution). 

Recommended For: Those who love Kerouac and the Beat Generation,

Challenges: Goodreads, Off the Shelf Challenge, TBR Pile Challenge

2013 Reads: Eight {Reached - Ally Condie}

Back in 2011 I read the first book of this series, Matched, and wrote about it on this blog. It was one of my first book reviews, really. But, back then I said: "I think Condie has set a good foundation for a great series; I just think it has room to grow." Way to sum it up 2011 Courtney! 

Warning: I can't promise this will be spoiler free. Not even a little. Particularly for Matched and Crossed. If you haven't read either of them yet, and want to, don't read this review. Okay? Here's the gist: Read them. Read all three of them. Getting to Reached is completely worth reading the first two books, promise. Then come back and read this review and let me know if you think I was right. You've been warned! 

Okay, where was I....

Reached is a book completely unlike any of the others in this series. 

The Matched Trilogy has all the markers of the perfect, best-selling, YA Dystopian Novel: a strong willed but sweet girl (Cassia), a post-present-day, over-controling and scary-involved government (The Society); a grassroots rebellion (The Rising); a solid love triangle that goes against everything the scary government has sought to control (Ky and Xander); and a potentially world-ending event (the Plague). 

In Matched we are introduced to Cassia, Xander, and Ky in a society where everything in life is set and decided for you - including your job and who you are "matched" to. Cassia is looking for the ability to make her own choices in the midst of everything that is already decided for her.  In Reached we follow Cassia and Ky on their adventure out of the Society to find the Rising which offers them hope of a better life than the Society offers (and a chance at choice and love) while obedient Xander is left behind, worried and concerned for the girl he still considers to be his Match.

In Reached we find Cassia, Xander, and Ky on the brink of the revolution orchestrated by the Rising. Ky is a pilot for the Rising forces and paired to fly with Indie. He's waiting for a call to fly into the cities and begin the Revolution. Xander is a Physic (or, a Doctor/Nurse/Pharmicist) taking care of patients in Central (the capital city) who have fallen ill with the Plague. He is waiting for a sign that the Revolution is beginning. And Cassia is a Sorter living in the capital city ("Central") waiting for a set of data to appear on her port to announce to her that the Revolution is starting. 

Reached is when the Society and the Rising finally collide and search for a means to a new and better future. The Pilot is finally (sort of) revealed. However, the Plague is also a key player in this novel. The Society originally created it to deal with the Enemy. The Rising stole it, developed a cure, and then unleashes it onto the Society. But, like any virus, it mutates and it seems like everything the Rising worked towards was for nothing because the cure no longer works. Finding a cure for this mutated form of the Plague rises above any political conflict between the Society and the Rising. However, it does seem that whoever finds the cure will eventually become the leader of the new society. And Cassia, Ky, and Xander are front and center in this process. It's personal to them too, and they find that they have a limited amount of time before the Plague takes those whom they love. 

The love triangle is also still going strong in this book: Ky and Xander love Cassia. Cassia loves both of them. And Ky and Xander are good, close friends who care deeply for each other. But, what I love about this love triangle is that it does not take away from the novel itself. It's just there. Present. It's important, but it's not the most important thing. It's so refreshing to see a YA novel where the relationship is not the most important part of the book (okay, this novel stands alone again, because yes, the romance & love triangle was pretty darn important in the first two books. But she scaled it back here). The three of them are fighting for the right to a choice: to be able to love who they love. 

I am so glad that Ally Condie wrote this book. Because here's the thing: I was ready to write this series off after Crossed (The second book in the Matched Trilogy). I just didn't enjoy it all that much. It felt forced, predictable, and one of those books that's only purpose was to get you from Point A to Point B and doesn't really have a story of its own (much like how I felt about Catching Fire). I am not a huge fan of series where each book cannot stand alone; where, if someone were to accidentally pick up and read a book out of order, they'd have no idea what was going on. The Harry Potter series or any of Rick Riordan's books are the perfect example of a good series to me: you're better served reading from the first to the last book, but you're not stranded without any sense of understanding if you don't. That's a strong series in my mind. 

There are so many things I liked about this novel. It surprised me in so many ways. Things I thought I knew or believed were going to happen were turned on their heads. I feel like Ally Condie grew leaps and bounds with the writing of Reached and I am so thankful for that. It's just such a far better novel than Matched and Crossed that I am in awe of what I just read. It's almost seems a crazy way to end the series. But I couldn't picture anything better. It is this novel that makes this series something different from the rest of the popular YA Dystopian novels out there. 

I loved so many things about this novel, but two things stand out about the rest: I love that you're never quite sure who is Rising and who is Society. And that somehow in some places the two have become so interwoven that you're not really sure if the Rising is really fighting for a revolution or the Society itself orchestrated the uprising to appease the desires of its people. I love that we don't know where their lives will take them; that the vote isn't yet cast on who their next leader will be (Society, Rising, or Other) and that the only thing that matters is that they've finally been given a choice: in life, in their future, in love. 

We may not know how their futures will play out, but they made it. And they made it together. 

Title: Reached

Author: Ally Condie

Genre: YA; Fantasy; Dystopian; 

Medium: Hard Cover

Pages: 512

Date Read: 8 February 2013

Source: Purchased, November 2012

First Line: A man pushed a rock up the hill.

Favorite Line: I realize now how much courage it takes to choose the life you want, whatever that might be.

Runner-Up Favorite Line: You cannot change your journey if you are unwilling to move at all.

Last Line: There is ebb and flow. Leaving and coming. Flight and fall. Sing and silent. Reaching and reached. [Whited out, for spoiler's sake]

Recommended: Yes, completely. 

Recommended For: Those who have read the previous two books in the series (especially for those who might have written the series off after Crossed like I almost did); Lovers of dystopian fiction; If you loved The Giver or The Hunger Games; 

Challenges: Goodreads, Off The Shelf Challenge

2013 Reads: Four {Trace - Patricia Cornwell}

I have been a reader of Cornwell's for a while now. I have really grown to love her characters, particularly Kay Scarpetta, and have enjoyed reading this series. Sure, it has its flaws. But I feel like you don't go into certain novels expecting high literature, but instead looking for enjoyment and engagement.

If you haven't read any of Cornwell's novels before, here's the gist of the series:

Kay Scarpetta: Brilliant Medical Examiner, forensic consultant, amazing cook

Benton Wesley: FBI/Former FBI Behavioral Analyst/Profiler, major romantic interest for Kay

Pete Marino: VA Homicide Detective, overweight, bad health, close friend of Kay, Issues with women, 

Lucy Farinelli: Kay's niece, genius, billionaire, helicopter pilot,  reckless, brilliant with computers/anything technological or machinery, Joins FBI/ATF, Quits FBI/ATF, etc

This gang of characters always seem to find themselves in the midst of a series of interconnected murders/disappearances/crimes/etc and do their best to solve and save. A whole bunch of forensics, dead bodies, ME jargon, times spent in the mind of the criminals, and some personal stories of the characters mixed in for good measure. The Scarpetta series by Patricia Cornwell is a well known series within the crime/mystery genre and a good series for people who love shows like CSI, Bones, or Criminal Minds.

Now, onto this book: In this novel Kay Scarpetta has left the ME position in Virginia and has spent the past five years working as a freelance consultant out of Florida. She receives a phone call from her replacement, Joel Marcus, asking her to consult on a current VA case in which a young girl was found dead in her home which takes her away from a much needed vacation with Benton. Very little evidence was found at the scene. When she gets to Virginia she finds out that much has changed and that her help wasn't actually wanted from Marcus. He was told to bring her on by his bosses and he does everything in his power to make Kay feel uncomfortable. And to top it off he has made horrendous changes to the facility and lifestyle of a lab she spent years creating. Her former assistant ME and friend is having personal and health problems that he won't discuss with her. And a nosy FBI agent is trying to meddle where she isn't needed. 

Meanwhile, Benton and Lucy have their hands full with another, unrelated case dealing with a potential stalker and are not much help to Kay. Lucy is investigating an attack in her Florida home on her companion Henri that she has kept hidden from her aunt. Henri is staying in Colorado with Benton who is keeping her safe while psychoanalyzing her instead of vacationing with Kay. All of these pieces rest on minute bits of evidence, trace evidence, and culminate in a shocking conclusion that shocks Kay Scarpetta and those she surrounds herself with.

Trace was an interesting read for me. Not that it was particularly educational or a marvelously well written book, but because it was so engaging but somehow left me feeling let down at the end. I feel like I've been reading the Scarpetta series for ages, so I've gotten really acquainted with the characters. It's been interesting (if not a little inconsistent) to watch them evolve. Particularly Lucy. I think she's the most intriguing character of the series and has grown the most out of all of them. I love Kay dearly and find her to be really interesting and intelligent. 

As for the plot: it's pretty intricate. I really enjoy the ability to see the story unfold from the eyes of the criminal as well as from those investigating the crimes. It might have a lot to do with the fact that my educational background is in Psychology, but still, it's really interesting to get into the mind of someone whose mind you never really want to get to know. Cornwell also does a really good job of structuring it so that you figure out things alongside Kay, Benton, and Lucy. Despite knowing the criminal, you don't really learn the specifics about him with his narration. It's really masterfully structured. 

That being said, I really wasn't that thrilled with the end. Not in the way that I didn't like the ending or what happened, but because it all wrapped up so quickly at the end. There was so much build up throughout the book that when it ended and how it ended it left me feel really cheated out of an ending. I needed more - more conclusion, more fallout, more action. I believed this book as it went along - believed the criminal, believed the work the characters were doing, believed in the process of coming to justice, believed in the torment and danger that was posed to the characters. And then it just ended. To me it just seemed so quick and too neat and well packaged for me to believe the ending. 

Like I said at the beginning: not the best literature out there. But it's a good, interestingm and engaging story. And that's exactly what I wanted/needed. So, it worked out for me. 

Have you read any of the Scarpetta Series by Patricia Cornwell? Do you like the books? Dislike? Any thoughts?

Title: Trace

Author: Patricia Cornwell

Genre: Crime; Thriller

Medium: Soft Cover

Pages: 530

Date Read: 19 January 2013

First Line: Yellow bulldozers hack earth and stone in an old city block that has seen more death than most modern wars, and Kay Scarpetta slows her rental SUV almost to a stop.

Favorite Line: Rain slowly slides down the glass as if the night is crying. 

Recommended: Mostly. Particularly if you're already invested in the series. Good if you just want a nice fluff read.

Recommended For: Fans of Scarpetta; Crime Novel Enthusiasts

Source: Purchased a while ago

Challenges: Goodreads; TBR Pile Challenge; Off the Shelf Challenge

2013 Reads: Three {Life of Pi - Yann Martel}

I think The Life of Pi by Yann Martel falls into that category of "what hasn't been said about this book yet?" But, I really enjoyed this book, so i'm going to try.

I'm not going to lie. It has taken me years to finally get around to this book. I have picked it up, read a few chapters, and put it down at least five times. It never interested me, never hooked me. I would put it down in favor of something more exciting. But, with the release of the movie and the encouragement of some friends, I decided to give it a real go (it also helps that I put it on my TBR Challenge list, so there's that too!). 

Despite this, I'm really glad that I read it, and I'm really glad that I read it now. Right book, right time.   

The Life of Pi starts out simultaneously in India and Canada - the book is divided between the story Piscine "Pi" Molitor Patel is telling about his childhood, and the author's 'present day' interactions with the adult Pi. Pi's father is a zookeeper, his mother is wary of the current political state of India, his brother is a cricket star, and Pi loves stories and is a fervent practicer of Christianity, Islam, and his native Hinduism. When the political situation gets too much for his parent's to handle, they decide to emigrate to Canada. They travel aboard a Japanese cargo ship with the remainder of their animals that would find a new home in North America. 

The ship sinks and Pi finds himself thrown onto a lifeboat by some of the ship's crew. Unbeknownst to him he has a few companions - a zebra with a broken leg, an adult male hyena, an orangoutang, and an adult male Bengal tiger named Richard Parker. After a few weeks, all that remains on the lifeboat are Richard Parker and Pi. And Pi finds himself not only fighting for his own survival, but that of Richard Parker as well. 

This story is mostly that of Pi & Richard Parker lost at sea for 227 days.  Pi's cunning, zoological knowledge, and resourcefulness are what helps him overcome the day-to-day monotony and the catastrophic events that come with being lost at sea for so long, and above that - lost at sea with a 450 pound tiger for a companion. 

Life of Pi is a realistic exploration of survival in the most insane conditions. But it is not only that. It is a beautifully written piece of literature that inspires with every turn of the page. Martel is a master story teller - you are fully present with Pi, feeling his emotions and sharing his needs. The interwoven religions Pi has latched onto, the telling of his relationship with Richard Parker, and the moving nature of what he has had to deal with are all major reasons why to have read this story. However, the genius of this story comes in the last few pages where Martel forces you to question everything you have read, he makes you realize that this book may not be quite what you thought it was all along. And that? That is amazing story telling. 

Such amazing storytelling that it took me a while to actually look up and see if it was fiction or not! I am not kidding in the slightest. I kept trying to convince my dad that it was based on a real story and he kept telling me I was nuts. So I looked it up on Wikipedia. Turns out, I am nuts. But, I chose to believe that it's because it was told so well that I believed this for so long. It also helps that the "author's note" tells you that this is a firsthand account from Pi. And I believed him. Silly girl, Courtney, silly girl. 

I've found that this book means something different to each person who reads it. There is a rich philosophy imbedded in every detail, a religious and moral undertone should you chose to take them in. But nothing is forced on the reader, you take the story as you want to take it - it's all up to you. 

So, yes, you ought to read this. And then, please, come back here and tell me what it meant to you. 

Title: Life of Pi

Author: Yann Martel

Medium: Soft Cover

Pages: 401

Date Read: 13 January 2013

First Line: My suffering left me sad and gloomy.

Favorite Line: If you stumble about believability, what are you living for? Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe? 

Last Line: Very few castaways can claim to have survived so long at sea as Mr. Patel, and none in the company of an adult Bengal tiger. [whited out, for spoiler's sake]

Recommended: Yes, very much so!

Recommended For: High School and up, lovers of a good adventure story, anyone really. 

Source: I bought this ages ago. Where? No idea.

Challenges: Goodreads, Off the Shelf Challenge, TBR Pile Challenge