Dragon Stones - Book One of the Dragon Stone Saga by Kristian Alva

I'm not usually one to gravitate toward the fantasy genre. Nor do I read much YA (Young Adult). But I seem to be reading a little of both as of late. See here and here, respectively. Recently I finished a book that encompasses both genres: Dragon Stones - Book One of the Dragon Stone Saga by Kristian Alva.

Dragon Stones centers on the story of Elias, a boy of around 15 years old who lives with his grandmother in a land called Durn. Elias and his grandmother are both healers (a kind of herbal medicine doctor) as well as Mages (wizards).

In recent years, there was some political upheaval in Durn in which the reigning monarchy was overthrown by an evil usurper name Emperor Vosper. On a side note, for some reason every time I read the name "Emperor Vosper" I always pictured the following in my head:


Flash!  Ahhh Ahhh!

Anyway, Emperor Vosper has taken over control of Durn and is generally up to no good. The citizens are suffering and short of food. There's threat of retaliation if anyone says the wrong thing. It's your run of the mill despotism. But most notably, he's having all the dragons exterminated.

One day, while searching for herbs and such in the forest, Elias comes across a long hidden dragon stone. The dragon's magical power is all derived from a large gem-like stone located at it's throat. There are also dragon riders. These human dragon riders form an intense and life-long bond with their dragons. When a dragon accepts a rider, the dragon stone at its throat is divided in two. The dragon keeps half, naturally, and the rider takes the other half. Most riders wear the stone around their necks but some have the stones permanently implanted in their chests to symbolize the strength of their bond to the dragon. Once bonded, the dragon and rider are a kind of super hero duo, roaming the land righting wrongs and defeating evil.  Oh and the stones allow the dragon and rider to communicate telepathically. Sweet!

The stone Elias finds is a riders stone. Despite warnings from his grandmother, Elias is desperate to better their situation and takes the stone to a local merchant to sell. The merchant alerts the Emperor's goons and soon Elias is on the run.

Unlike other fantasy or YA books I've read, this one is heavy on both fronts. This is not fantasy light like A Game of Thrones. There's magic and dragons and elves, oh my. It's got it all. And the writing and themes are more in line with what I would expect from a YA novel, unlike The Hunger Games or The Book Thief.  Simple writing, nothing fancy, easy for younger readers to grasp.  And nothing too heavy in the way of violence or adult themes.

All in all, Dragon Stones it is a good solid YA fantasy novel.  You root for the good guys (Elias), and you root against the bad guys (Emperor Vosper - even though we don't officially meet him).  There are some plot turns regarding Elias' lineage that will keep you interested.  One gripe however:  the book is quite short and ends abruptly.  I know this is the first book in a forthcoming multi-book saga.  I know there is more to come.  Perhaps the first book could have been longer to better establish the plot and characters.  And perhaps the first book could have ended after more had happened, for lack of a better word.  It cuts off without anything all that significant occurring, which is good for future sales but leaves me feeling cheated on this book. 

That being said, I am going to give Dragon Stones by Kristian Alva three and half bows.  It was good, and as far as my limited knowledge of YA fantasy goes, unique.  But you all know how I hate a cliffhanger and this was the cliffhanger to end all cliffhangers.  That's all for now.  Until next time, fellow book nerds, happy reading!

*In accordance with FTC guidelines, I must disclose that I received this book free from the publisher in exchange for a review posted here on my blog.

Douchebag Roulette by Marie Simas

This book sounded really promising.  The title alone made me chuckle - Douchebag Roulette by Marie Simas.  Heh.  Douchebag.  One of my favorite words, in all it's variations.  The book was billed as a compilation of humor essays with mature humor and some sexual content.  Awesome!  Count me in!  I'm a big fan of the humor essay genre (see my much published love for David Sedaris) and I don't shy away from the raunchy.  I am no blushing schoolgirl.

The book arrived and much to my dismay, it was only 60 pages.  That's little more than a pamphlet.  There were a mere 11 essays included.  Some were as short as 2 pages long.  So my first thought was, "Why bother?"  Why bother with publishing such a small compilation?  Why not wait until you have more material to fill out the book?  But what do I know?  I'm not a published author.

And then I began reading the essays and I realized it wasn't just the book that wasn't fully developed.  None of the essays were fully fleshed out.  It was like the author had the bare bones of a story but never elaborated or created the depth needed to draw a reader in completely.  In my humble opinion, I feel she really could have benefited from a good writers workshop to bounce the stories off throughout the writing process.  (For those of you who may not be authors or English majors, writers workshops are groups of peers and/or writing professors to whom you read your work and they comment, criticize and suggest revisions as needed.)

As for the humor, some of the essays were mildly funny.  Some weren't funny at all.  Simas just appeared to be trying way too hard to be edgy or shocking.  Oooo, she's talking about one night stands and recreational drug use.  Shocking!  Oh no, she's had weird sexual encounters.  Appalling!  Meh.  It all just felt superficial and a bit disingenuous.  A post-Sex and the City tell-all that wasn't really telling anything all that interesting.

One story - the last story - called "Dirty Wal Mart Bingo" was the exception to the rest.  Genuinely funny with a heart warming final twist, the story almost redeemed the entire collection.  It left me with a positive outlook on the book but feeling cheated that the other stories weren't more like the last.

I'm going to give Douchebag Roulette by Marie Simas two bows.  It wasn't quite unreadable but it also wasn't good.  And at only 60 pages, I would be pissed if I had paid for it.  Which leads me to the following:   in accordance with FTC guidelines, I must disclose that I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for a review published on my blog.  That's all for tonight, fellow book nerds.  Until next time, happy reading!

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

OK, so I know I'm quite late to the scene on this series.  And I admit, I am a band-wagoner since the series premiered on HBO.  My friends Cam and Mike have been raving about the books for years.  But what can I say, Fantasy was never my go-to literary genre of choice. However, I'm the first to admit I'm wrong.

A Game of Thrones - Book One of A Song of Fire and Ice by George R.R. Martin is a sweeping medieval story of court intrigue, power struggles, family loyalty and yes, there are some supernatural creatures thrown in to keep it interesting and fantastical. 

We start with the family Stark in Winterfell which is located in the northern region of Westros.  Eddard (or Ned for short) is the lord of Winterfell and all of the northern realm.  The Hand of the King (a sort of vice-king of sorts) and Ned's best friend has just died and King Robert is currently making his way north from King's Landing to Winterfell to ask Ned to be the new Hand. 

I am going to stop right here and tell you I am not about to introduce each character.  There are way too many and their relationships are too intertwined and complex to accurately explain here.  My writers notebook really came in handy with this book.  I took extensive notes to keep everybody's story clear and separate in my mind.  But, to help us out a bit, Martin has included some reference material in the form of maps and family lineage.  I kept these pages bookmarked on my Nook throughout reading.  Also, the chapters are each written from one of the main character's POV (and titled with that characters name) so at least it's organized clearly.

Anywho, back to the story.  Ned reluctantly accepts King Robert's job offer and heads off to King's Landing with some of his children.  Not comfortable at court and too honorable to actively participate in the back-stabbing politics, Ned makes no friends and acquires some dangerous enemies in the form of the Lannister family - a rich and power family in charge of a southern realm of Westeros -  and most notably Cersei Lannister, King Robert's power hungry queen.

Meanwhile, across the Narrow Sea in the Free Cities, we meet Daenerys Targaryen and her brother Viserys.  The Targaryens were the ruling family prior to King Robert's war to win the Iron Throne.  The Targaryen king and most of his family were killed, but Daenerys and Viserys were able to escape with their mother.  The mother died giving birth to Daenerys. 



Daenerys - My favorite character. 
She may only be 13, but don't eff with her!



Khal Drogo - Yum!
And the actor is from Iowa!

Viserys is hell bent on reclaiming the Iron Throne.  To do this, he is selling his sister off to the leader of a barbarian horde by the name of Khal Drogo.  Drogo gets Daenerys for a wife, Viserys gets Drogo's army to reclaim the throne.  Except Viserys is a piss ant and not really suited for ruling anybody with his temper tantrums and foot stomping.  Oh and did I mention Daenerys is something like 13 years old.  They don't call him George "Rape Rape" Martin for nothing.

What unfolds from here is one of the richest, most complex pieces of literature I have ever encountered.  The world Martin creates is truly complex and imaginative.  I can only imagine the level of story-boarding and outlining that Martin had to do in order to create the world of Westeros and it's many characters.  And the series goes on for four more books!  That's mighty impressive.

As I've mentioned, the series is in the fantasy genre.  Although, I've heard it described as "fantasy-light".  When I think fantasy, I think of all those cheesy novels - 20 books to a series - with shadowy wizard characters or scantily clad witches or fairies on the cover.  Sort of the Harlequin Romance version of fantasy.  A Game of Thrones is really not that at all.  I can only think of a few details that would actually categorize it as fantasy.  Most notably there are the White Walkers/Others that live north of The Wall (seriously, I'm don't have the time to get into it).  And yes, there are dragons.  I guess a fantasy novel wouldn't be worth it's weight if there weren't dragons.  But they're extinct now.  Or are they...

A word of warning, without giving too much away, Martin is not afraid to kill off his characters so don't get too attached.  I've read stories of viewers angrily writing HBO declaring they would not continue watching the show after a certain character died.  Some of the character deaths are shocking and very unexpected.  But I like a book that can keep me on my toes.  Formulaic is boring.  And rest assured, he never kills off a character whose death isn't necessary to the story.  Small consolation, I know.

This book really got under my skin.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  The characters are deeply engaging and complex.  None are completely good and none are completely evil.  Some are tortured, some are honorable, some are loyal and all are power hungry.  To quote Cersei Lannister, "When you play the game of thrones, you either win or you die."  You said it, sister.

I have to give this one five bows. 

I couldn't put it down.  And unfortunately I have some other books I am obligated to read right now or I would be starting on the second book in the series.  On second thought, maybe I'll draw it out and read the second book just before the second season of the show starts.  That way I can spoil the story line for my husband again :)  Until next time fellow book nerds, winter is coming.  Err, um, I mean happy reading!

Releasing Gillian's Wolves by Tara Woolpy

The basic plot of Releasing Gillian's Wolves by Tara Woolpy is going to be familiar to you if you read the news.  Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Edwards, that pervert Anthony Weiner.  Ring a bell?  See where I'm going?

Our heroine, Gillian of the title, is a devoted housewife, mother of two adult children and wife to a cheating yet much loved US congressman.  Her husband's many affairs are no secret to her but she has chosen to turn a blind eye for the sake of her children, first and foremost, and for the the sake of her husband's career secondly.  The last thing she wants is her family's dirty laundry spread all over the newspapers and cable news shows.

But something snaps inside Gillian when she discovers a hotel key in her husband's jacket pocket one evening.  And a hunch leads her to discover her husband's newest lover is a twenty year old campaign volunteer.  Disgusted and finally fed up, Gillian decides that enough is enough.  It's time to start living life for herself rather than her husband.  And it's time to patch up the wounds her husband's ambition and infidelities have created in her family.

But why do those political wives stay?  Why do we always see them standing alongside their husbands smiling that tight stepford wife smile during those all too often press conferences.  The political husband was caught with a staffer, caught with a man, caught with a goat, whathaveyou.  Releasing Gillian's Wolves lets you in on a little of the "why".  Why?  Because it's often very complicated.  Would you rather live quietly separate yet together with your cheating husband or would you rather have your dirty laundry splashed all over the tabloids?  I can see now, a little, why they stay, especially when there are children involved.

Gillian's story is a story of redemption and courage.  50 years old and never having been on her own, she's scared to death of making a new life, let alone finding love again.  Having always lived your life for someone else, how do you even begin living it for yourself?  You'll cheer for Gillian as she finally stands up to her pig of a husband.  I did.  However, I have to admit, I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop.  Maybe it's from reading too much Lisa See and Anita Shreve but I was waiting for a tragedy to strike poor Gillian.  I was waiting for the evil husband to turn on her and make her life hell again.  I was pleased that that wasn't the case with Woolpy's story.  A happy ending is sometimes nice!

I'm going to give Releasing Gillian's Wolves four bows.  The subject matter was interesting and timely.  And it was a fast read.  Great pool reading material!  Happy reading, fellow book nerds!

*Please note, in accordance with FTC guidelines, I must disclose that I received this book for free from the author in exchange for a review published on my blog.  But you guys know me.  That didn't influence my opinion.  If I didn't like it, I'd let you know.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen

This is yet another book I picked up because the author was going to be speaking at a nearby college (my alma mater as a matter of fact).  Unfortunately, as so often happens, life got in the way and I was unable to attend the speaking engagement.  Which is regrettable as she has an interesting story and I believe I would have enjoyed listening to her.

Mennonite in a Little Black Dress is a memoir of the author's life after her husband leaves her and she returns to her Mennonite parents house and community for an extended stay.  Janzen begins her story at the point where her life appears to be falling apart.  Her and her husband had just bought a giant, expensive lake-side home.  She had a complication-riddled hysterectomy (which she good-naturedly refers to as "The Year of the Pee Bag").  She was in a traumatic and life threatening car accident.  And, the icing on the cake, her husband leaves her for a man he met on a gay dating website (whom she hilariously refers to as "Bob the Guy" throughout the book).  Janzen takes a leave of absence from her job as a college English professor and returns to her parents home in California for a little R&R where she heals and reconnects with her Mennonite roots.

First I would like to say Mennonite does not equal Amish.  Funny.  I always thought it did and I spent the majority of the book in a state of confusion while the author spoke of her fondness for high heels and makeup and her family's cars and TVs and radios and such.  But she clears up the confusion in an appendix at the end of the book.  Apparently, Mennonites and Amish are similar but not the same, with the Amish actually beginning as an off shoot of the Mennonites because the Mennonites were getting a little too worldly. 

I have to hand it to Janzen.  She really pulls it together after so many bad things happen to her all at once.  And she does it with humor and grace.  I truly related to her story as I have had a string of misfortunes over the last few years and all I wanted to do was crawl in bed and stay there for the rest of my life.  I STILL feel that way sometimes.  And I can honestly say, I definitely don't have her courage to write a book about it.  So kudos to her.

As I've mentioned, the book is quite funny.  Janzen has a wonderfully charming, self-deprecating sense of humor that draws you in and makes you laugh out loud.  At one point she's musing about which clothing choices God would prefer, "shorts or jeans".  You gotta consider these things if you plan to go to heaven!

Janzen is admittedly a grammarian and vocab hound, as any multi-degreed English professor is wont to be.  So, that being said, get out your dictionaries, book nerds.  I have a dictionary app on my Blackberry and I used it often while reading this book.  She's better than word-a-day calendars.

I enjoyed this book quite a bit.  It was a light-hearted and funny read and I would definitely recommend it.  And best of all, she provides a Mennonite recipe section at the end of the book including some of her family's best loved dishes.  Some really sound delicious and I would love to try them out soon.  For this, I am going to give Mennonite in a Little Black Dress four bows. Check it out.  It's a fun read.  And until next time, happy reading!

The Arabian Nights by Anonymous

I recently came across this book in my local Half Price Books.  As I was giving the book a quick look over (as you often do in bookstores when trying to decide whether to buy a book or not), I couldn't remember whether this was another one of those books that I actually read or simply read about.  I'm still not sure as the stories were familiar yet not familiar.  Or perhaps my only recollection is from childhood memories of watching Bugs Bunny's 1001 Arabian Nights.  Can't be sure.



That Wascally Wabbit

Regardless, The Arabian Nights (or sometimes also referred to as 1001 Arabian Nights) is a collection of folk tales and fables set in the Middle East.  Think Grimm's Fairy Tale only set in the desert with genies and sultans.  It appears the fables have been passed down orally from generation to generation and eventually recorded for posterity, hence the Anonymous author.

We begin with the story of Scheherazade and the Sultan Shahriar.  The Sultan's first wife conspired against him making the Sultan distrustful of all women.  He vowed to marry a new woman every day and then have that wife strangled first thing the next morning.  It is unclear whether she got to have her Cheerios first or not.  This was the Sultan's solution for keeping his wife from committing treason against him.

It was the Sultan's right-hand-man, the Grand Vizier's, responsibility to bring the Sultan a new wife daily.  One day the grand Vizier's daughter, Scheherazade, presumably tired of losing all her friends to the Sultan, went to her father and asked to be submitted to the Sultan as a wife.  Understandably, the Grand Vizier was reluctant to hand his beautiful and intelligent daughter over to the Sultan to kill after one night of marriage.  But fear not.  Scheherazade had a plan.  The next morning, Scheherazade began telling the Sultan elaborate and interwoven stories in the hopes that she would entertain him enough that he would want to keep her around.  The stories she tells the Sultan are the stories of The Arabian Nights.

The stories are beautiful and exotic, like nothing I've ever read before, with flowery language and turns of phrase.  Although it does have a bit of a formal and stilted cadence that can become tiresome.  The stories are all different with different characters, and it sometimes becomes difficult to keep track of who's telling the story since there are quite a few stories within stories.  But they bring it back around to Scheherazade at the end to tie it up nicely.

On the other hand, the stories are quite sexist and violent.  The characters are quick to murder those who wrong or hinder them, as evidenced by the above story.  And the women are often portrayed as deceitful and evil.  Right out of the gate on page 8, the Sultan Shahriar says he "believed all women to be naturally treacherous" and therefore not to be trusted.  Sheesh.  One woman conspires against him and all of sudden we're all branded as traitors.  Yet, nobody ever said fairy tales (wherever they come from) are politically correct.  People are always conspiring and killing and doing all manner of evil.    Truthfully, none of them should be told to children.

I think I will give The Arabian Nights three bows.

It was a fun read yet not memorable.  Due to the short story form, it would be good for those times when your attention span isn't that long and you can put it down and pick it back up at any time without having to remember the storyline or plot.

Until next time fellow book nerds, happy reading!

OLD BOOKS!

Look what arrived on my doorstep Saturday morning! A box full of old, musty books!



Behold!  Old books!

I found this lot of about 40 vintage books on Ebay and was actually able to win the auction for a fair and reasonable price. I'm not on Ebay much but I'm a bit afraid I may now be hooked. They range in age anywhere from the late 1800's to the 1950's and appear to be in excellent condition. A couple are in French which I find cool as hell. Below are a couple of my favorites from the lot.



It's "Profusely" Illustrated!



My husband did not think this an appropriate cover picture for 'Uncle Tom's Cabin".

I don't fancy myself a true antiquarian...yet. I don't know which books are truly rare and which are just old. And I don't know the different condition ratings and standards for aged books. But I do know I love books and I know that I believe old books are beautiful and should be treasured and protected.

I have a small but growing library - mostly just books I've read over the years, starting from my childhood. But I've picked up some old books here and there at antique stores and estate auctions. I have a love for all antiques - furniture, glassware, vintage jewelry and clothing and yes, books.  I always say I would have been much better suited having been born either in the Victorian era or the 1930s or 40s.   

My library.  Ruined by my husband's hunting decor.

However, recently I met a woman who is a true antiquarian and her friendship has definitely piqued my interest in vintage book collecting and preservation. Her and her husband boast a collection of over 100,000 books, if my memory is correct.  They have travelled all over the world collecting rare, old books.  They remodelled their turn-of-the-century farmhouse for the express purpose of storing and showcasing their book collection where every available wall and surface contains bookshelves or storage cases.  Yet, still they have to keep a large portion in storage due to lack of room.  Their collection contains books as small as your pinkie nail and as tall your hips.  And her and her husband give lectures on their collection as well as antique book collecting in general.  Needless to say, I am absolutely dying to get a foot in her house and take a good look at her collection.  Unfortunately - yet understandably - they guard their collection closely and don't let many people in their house.  Frowny face.

I don't believe I'll ever have a collection as large or awe inspiring as hers.  But I can have this small, yet growing collection of my own.  Now, where to put them?