I think that I am getting tired of Young Adult Novels. It is a great Genre but they really are not doing it for me right now. They are the 20 minute sit com when what I am craving is a 3 hour epic. Part of my problem with this is I am very selective of which Adult Fiction books I am going to read because I would really like to avoid some of the more gratuitous material present in so many Adult novels.
When I heard of a recommendation for Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn Trilogy I was interested in trying it out. I have a new author to add to my favorites and will be reading the rest of his books as soon as I can get a hold of them.
These books impressed me not only by the unique world that the author creates but also by the subtle twists that he inserts into the plot. I typically am pretty good at guessing the conclusion and picking up on a lot of the foreshadowing in books. Sanderson has succeeded at embedding these twists so deeply into the story that and they surprised me so much that I was urged to keep reading. Sanderson did not use cheep tricks (like Dan Brown or some other authors) to keep you reading. There was enough information to feel satisfied and yet a constant impulse to continue with the story.
This story, these characters have been ingrained in me so much that I find myself continuing to think about them even a month after finishing this book. There are lines from these books that I continue to think about "There is always another secret," "Unfortunately, I am the Hero of the Ages." There are scenes that were so moving that I still think about them. In short this is an amazing story that goes against convention and is surprisingly very very good.
Thursday, August 20, 2009
Monday, August 10, 2009
The Princess and the Bear
It had been a long time since I read the Princess and the Hound and when I heard that there was going to be a sequel I was a little interested. I don't remember it being that impressed with the Princess and the Hound so I did not have very high Expectations. The Princess and the Bear met my expectations. It was a good story but there was not enough conflict or action to balance the characterization (at which Mette Ivie Harrison excels). A good story and it could stand alone as well.
The Dangerous Book for Boys
I had heard about his book a few times and was curious to see what was in it. Most of what I had heard was good. I was even more interested when I recognized the one of the authors as being the Author of Th Emperor series that I have been reading. However I was not so impressed with this book. The information presented is great information such as "Things every boy should have" and "How to Build a Tree House" or "How to make a perfect Paper Airplane". Again great information but I found this very similar to a Boy Scout Manual (complete with the page of badges at the end of the book). Great information in this book but it is nothing more than a pale imitation on a Boy Scout Manual.
Sunday, July 26, 2009
The Actor and the Housewife
Can a married women and a married man be friends with each other? That is the central premise of the Actor and the Housewife. This friendship is complicated and every aspect of it is explored, especially the possibility of a more intimate relationship.
As always I enjoyed Shannon Hale's writing style and there were many times during this book that I found myself laughing out loud. It is an extremely well told story and I am glad that I read it but the benefit of this book is in the discussion that it can contribute and the ability to make you think about things. It made me question some of my previously held thoughts and reconsider things.
I would highly recommend that after reading this book one also read the article about Emotional Fidelity that was in the Ensign in either Aug or Sept. Between these two one could find a way to walk the careful line of friendship while married.
As always I enjoyed Shannon Hale's writing style and there were many times during this book that I found myself laughing out loud. It is an extremely well told story and I am glad that I read it but the benefit of this book is in the discussion that it can contribute and the ability to make you think about things. It made me question some of my previously held thoughts and reconsider things.
I would highly recommend that after reading this book one also read the article about Emotional Fidelity that was in the Ensign in either Aug or Sept. Between these two one could find a way to walk the careful line of friendship while married.
Emperor: The Death of Kings
The Second book in the Emporer Series and this contunues to improve upon the premise set up in the previous book. This really is a great series and the comments and critiques I offered in the post about the previous book apply here as well.
In this book both Brutus and Ceasar are making names for themselves and return to Rome as Heroes. Their friendship is renewed and they begin working together bring about the Rome that they idealized in their youth. The fractions in their relationship are begining to appear and it will be interesting to see how the next book continues to reflect how their ideals are diverging.
In this book both Brutus and Ceasar are making names for themselves and return to Rome as Heroes. Their friendship is renewed and they begin working together bring about the Rome that they idealized in their youth. The fractions in their relationship are begining to appear and it will be interesting to see how the next book continues to reflect how their ideals are diverging.
Friday, July 24, 2009
Bill Peet An Autobiography
When I was young I remember reading the picture books of an incredible author whose pictures and the verses that went along with them were entertaining enough to read over and over again. Now that I have kids of my own I have redicovered this author and shared it with my children. I had known this before but I was reminded of it again when I watched the Sword and the Stone that Bill Peet had also worked at Disney. His animation style is present all throughout the Sword and the Stone and I also catch a glimpse of it in some other Disney Animated Movies. So when I was walking through the library the other day and I saw this book on Display I thought it would be interesting.
The layout of this book was no different than any of his childrens books with about a half page of text and an illistration to accompany it. However it was almost 200 pages long. Even though this was writen to a young audience I found a lot of the information very interesting especially when he started working at Disney. He worked on every disney animated movie from Snow White to Jungle Book, however what I found most interesting were his insights into the origional workings of the Disney Company and his numerous run ins with Walt Disney including his final dispute which led to him quiting to begin writing full time.
This is an amazing story of a boy who began as a talented artist dreaming of illistrating childrens books but was no good at writing. He eventually ends up as an important person within Walt Disney's circle of colleagues. After growing into writing screen plays for annimated movies, he learns how to tell stories and begins a prolific career in writing children books. An excellent story for anyone who enjoys classic Disney annimation and Childrens books.
The layout of this book was no different than any of his childrens books with about a half page of text and an illistration to accompany it. However it was almost 200 pages long. Even though this was writen to a young audience I found a lot of the information very interesting especially when he started working at Disney. He worked on every disney animated movie from Snow White to Jungle Book, however what I found most interesting were his insights into the origional workings of the Disney Company and his numerous run ins with Walt Disney including his final dispute which led to him quiting to begin writing full time.
This is an amazing story of a boy who began as a talented artist dreaming of illistrating childrens books but was no good at writing. He eventually ends up as an important person within Walt Disney's circle of colleagues. After growing into writing screen plays for annimated movies, he learns how to tell stories and begins a prolific career in writing children books. An excellent story for anyone who enjoys classic Disney annimation and Childrens books.
The House on Mango Street
My Brother Matt introduced me to this book and I borrowed it from him because I will be working much closer with some of the Hispanic students this next year and I thought it might give me an understanding of what some of them might be experiencing.
The House on Mango Street is a series of vignettes told from the point of view of a young girl growing up in Chicago. Each chapter is a series of thoughts and experiences of this girl almost as if they were excerpted from her diary. The writing is good and some of these vignettes I appreciated more that others. I did enjoy it for the most part but there is no plot or any kind of substantial story line that keeps you reading from chapter to chapter. If this book had been any longer than it's hundred sum odd pages I would not have even come close to finishing it.
The House on Mango Street is a series of vignettes told from the point of view of a young girl growing up in Chicago. Each chapter is a series of thoughts and experiences of this girl almost as if they were excerpted from her diary. The writing is good and some of these vignettes I appreciated more that others. I did enjoy it for the most part but there is no plot or any kind of substantial story line that keeps you reading from chapter to chapter. If this book had been any longer than it's hundred sum odd pages I would not have even come close to finishing it.
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