Hello everyone,
today brings an end to the enrichment reading class that brought me to this blog, and though the blog will continue, it's time to rate the books I've read this semester! Here are my eleven books ranked!
1. The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss (1107 pages)
http://platypusofthefeywoods.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-wise-mans-fear-by-patrick-rothfuss.html
Normally book twos can't hold a candle to the book before them, but Rothfuss broke this trend in the story being certainly as wonderful as the first book, except with even more glorious shenanigans as we see Kvothe beginning to grow up. This is certainly my favorite book of the semester.
2. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (722 pages)
http://platypusofthefeywoods.blogspot.com/2013/09/the-name-of-wind-by-patrick-rothfuss.html
The first of The Kingkiller Chronicle is a beautiful book, with perhaps the best writing since The Lord of the Rings and is a series I will forever treasure as one of my favorites.
3. The Night Angel Trilogy Book Two: Shadow's Edge by Brent Weeks (634 pages)
http://platypusofthefeywoods.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-night-angel-trilogy-book-two.html
I continuously expect Brent Weeks to do something bizarre and bothersome with this series but continues to prove me wrong by being a talented and engaging writer whose endlessly witty and complex storytelling keeps The Night Angel Trilogy in a very special place.
4. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (213 pages)
http://platypusofthefeywoods.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-perks-of-being-wallflower-by.html
Very few other narratives are as personally stunning as this novel. For having so little in common with Charlie, as the reader I had a beautiful sense of kinship with him that very few books can provide. It was a priceless read and definitely a book that changes the reader.
5. The Lost Heiress by Catherine Fisher (373 pages)
http://platypusofthefeywoods.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-lost-heiress-by-catherine-fisher.html
The sequel to The Hidden City is a wonderful continuation of the story, the characters continue to grow further, and Galen is becoming one of the priceless members of the snarky, rude, and lovely men's club.
Aside from that, it's a very fast and fun read.
6. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (502 pages)
http://platypusofthefeywoods.blogspot.com/2013/12/challenge-7-jane-eyre-by-charlotte.html
I had always heard so many wonderful things about Jane Eyre, but I still never imagined I would have enjoyed it as much as I did. I adored it. Jane's narrative is rich and engaging, and Mr. Rochester may have one up on Mr. Darcy.
7. Sailing Alone Around the Room by Billy Collins (172 pages)
http://platypusofthefeywoods.blogspot.com/2013/11/sailing-alone-around-room-by-billy.html
Billy Collin's poetry proved to be rich and engaging, and a pure joy to read. Poetry will never satisfy me as much as novels, but Collins has certainly joined my list of favorite poets with his skilled execution of the English language and firm understanding of the human experience.
8. The Dark City by Catherine Fisher (372 pages)
http://platypusofthefeywoods.blogspot.com/2013/12/the-dark-city-by-catherine-fisher.html
I really liked this book, normally it may not be this far down on the list, but even though the writing wasn't brilliant, I really enjoy Catherine Fisher's work, and found this to be a wonderful first installment of a highly entertaining series.
9. West of the Moon by Margi Preus (197 pages)
http://platypusofthefeywoods.blogspot.com/2013/12/west-of-moon-by-margi-preus.html
I very much enjoyed the folktale aspects of this book, but the plot seemed to weak to be an adult read, but too racy and heavy in parts to be for children, and the characters had very little development.
10. Ask the Passengers by A.S. King (293 pages)
http://platypusofthefeywoods.blogspot.com/2013/11/ask-passengers-by-as-king.html
Though much more enjoyable than the magicians, I also wasn't terribly fond of this book. Though I enjoyed some of the more whimsical aspects of the plot, as well as the down to earth narration, the relationship dynamics seemed ultimately off-putting.
11. The Magicians by Lev Grossman (402 pages)
http://platypusofthefeywoods.blogspot.com/2013/10/the-magicians-by-lev-grossman.html
This book is rated last, it was weird. Terribly, terribly weird, and the only reason I got through it was because it was so weird, yet weak characterization, weak plot, but mighty weirdness.
Total Pages Read: 4,987
Friday, December 20, 2013
Challenge 7: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Another late night to you!
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I just now finished reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and my goodness I adored it.
I'm very tired but I'll at least manage to say that I was utterly blown away by my first Bronte novel, and this has certainly become of of my favorite classics.
Jane Eyre is a young orphaned girl with no prospects, no relations, and no foreseeable hopeful future when living under the shadow of her cruel aunt and her crueler son. However her fate changes when after suffering abuse under her aunt Jane is sent to live at a girls boarding school, where in the years that will pass she will transition from student, to teacher, to governess under the employment of the strange Mr. Rochester who lives in a far stranger manor house where unearthly laughter, explainable fires, and terrible knife wounds are caused by something living in the uppermost floor of the manor.
I feel the Brontes and Jane Austin are often held in comparison to each other, and though they both wrote romance in the same-ish time period, there styles of writing are so different I feel a comparison isn't really valid. With sweeping descriptions of the misty moors, and a keep insight into human thought, emotion, and understanding, Jane Eyre is a completely stunning book. I enjoyed every instant of it, and have become a rather large Mr. Rochester fan. Charlotte Bronte is a brilliant writer and I'm filled with so many fuzzies after finishing the book I can't describe how much I loved it.
Total Pages: 502
Number of Flying Platypus Tea Cups: 10/10
I just now finished reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and my goodness I adored it.
I'm very tired but I'll at least manage to say that I was utterly blown away by my first Bronte novel, and this has certainly become of of my favorite classics.
Jane Eyre is a young orphaned girl with no prospects, no relations, and no foreseeable hopeful future when living under the shadow of her cruel aunt and her crueler son. However her fate changes when after suffering abuse under her aunt Jane is sent to live at a girls boarding school, where in the years that will pass she will transition from student, to teacher, to governess under the employment of the strange Mr. Rochester who lives in a far stranger manor house where unearthly laughter, explainable fires, and terrible knife wounds are caused by something living in the uppermost floor of the manor.
I feel the Brontes and Jane Austin are often held in comparison to each other, and though they both wrote romance in the same-ish time period, there styles of writing are so different I feel a comparison isn't really valid. With sweeping descriptions of the misty moors, and a keep insight into human thought, emotion, and understanding, Jane Eyre is a completely stunning book. I enjoyed every instant of it, and have become a rather large Mr. Rochester fan. Charlotte Bronte is a brilliant writer and I'm filled with so many fuzzies after finishing the book I can't describe how much I loved it.
Total Pages: 502
Number of Flying Platypus Tea Cups: 10/10
The Lost Heiress by Catherine Fisher
A late night to you all!
A few days ago I completed the sequal to The Dark City, The Lost Heriess by Catherine Fisher, and I can say without a doubt the story simply keeps improving. As a book two blog there may be spoilers so beware from here on out.
After Galen has been revealed as The Crow, servant to Flain, and one who has been in communication with the makers, he and Raffi must find the emperor's granddaughter, who The Watch, enemy to The Order is also searching for. As Carys continues to play both sides, she also seeks information about her parents while her scrutiny of The Makers is brought into question. The unlikely group of two of the order, a sekoi, one of the cat people, and a Watch Spy band together to find The Lost Heiress. (I'm so sleepy forgive the title drop.)
Normally the second book in a series can be slightly disappointing, or if not that just not quite as good as the first book. But I was very happy to discover that The Lost Heiress simply improves the story by introducing more inticute plot lines, showing more sides of Galen's personality and developing the complex mythology via chapter titles that makes Fisher's writing to unique.
I'm very exciting to see how the story turns out as I am now reading the third book The Hidden Coronet, I'll hopefully finish the series off my new years.
Total Pages: 373
Number of Flying Platypus Tea Cups: 8/10
A few days ago I completed the sequal to The Dark City, The Lost Heriess by Catherine Fisher, and I can say without a doubt the story simply keeps improving. As a book two blog there may be spoilers so beware from here on out.
After Galen has been revealed as The Crow, servant to Flain, and one who has been in communication with the makers, he and Raffi must find the emperor's granddaughter, who The Watch, enemy to The Order is also searching for. As Carys continues to play both sides, she also seeks information about her parents while her scrutiny of The Makers is brought into question. The unlikely group of two of the order, a sekoi, one of the cat people, and a Watch Spy band together to find The Lost Heiress. (I'm so sleepy forgive the title drop.)
Normally the second book in a series can be slightly disappointing, or if not that just not quite as good as the first book. But I was very happy to discover that The Lost Heiress simply improves the story by introducing more inticute plot lines, showing more sides of Galen's personality and developing the complex mythology via chapter titles that makes Fisher's writing to unique.
I'm very exciting to see how the story turns out as I am now reading the third book The Hidden Coronet, I'll hopefully finish the series off my new years.
Total Pages: 373
Number of Flying Platypus Tea Cups: 8/10
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Challenge 10: West of the Moon by Margi Preus
Greetings faerie friends!
This evening I'll be telling you about the first ARC book I've ever read, West of the Moon by Margi Preus. The book will come out April of 2014, so not for another four months.
Astri and her sister Greta were taken in by their cruel Aunt after their mother's death, and their father's journey to America in search of his fortune. Back in Norway Astri's aunt has sold her to a terrifying "goat man" a grizzly goat farmer that either in reality or Astri's imagination is either old man, or perhaps a terrifying creature from the folklore of her land. In a strange and exhilarating combination of folktale, legend, myth, and fiction, Astri and Greta seek out their way to America with troll treasure, a book of black magic, a magic hair brush, and mysterious young girl in foot, and the goat man in pursuit, the sisters travel through mountains and forests, rivers and towns, haunted both by sin and the legend of the prince who was a bear, they head for America, in a tale more magic than matter.
While there was much about this book I enjoyed, my main criticism would be that some parts of the book seemed to be intended for rather older readers (a close call with rape and many musings about sin and redemption) yet, the story lacked the complex plot of a book I would expect was aimed for an audience other than children. Though I adored the mix of folklore and fiction, I wish the plot had a bit more to it in general.
Total Pages: 197
Number of Flying Platypus Tea Cups: 6/10
This evening I'll be telling you about the first ARC book I've ever read, West of the Moon by Margi Preus. The book will come out April of 2014, so not for another four months.
Astri and her sister Greta were taken in by their cruel Aunt after their mother's death, and their father's journey to America in search of his fortune. Back in Norway Astri's aunt has sold her to a terrifying "goat man" a grizzly goat farmer that either in reality or Astri's imagination is either old man, or perhaps a terrifying creature from the folklore of her land. In a strange and exhilarating combination of folktale, legend, myth, and fiction, Astri and Greta seek out their way to America with troll treasure, a book of black magic, a magic hair brush, and mysterious young girl in foot, and the goat man in pursuit, the sisters travel through mountains and forests, rivers and towns, haunted both by sin and the legend of the prince who was a bear, they head for America, in a tale more magic than matter.
While there was much about this book I enjoyed, my main criticism would be that some parts of the book seemed to be intended for rather older readers (a close call with rape and many musings about sin and redemption) yet, the story lacked the complex plot of a book I would expect was aimed for an audience other than children. Though I adored the mix of folklore and fiction, I wish the plot had a bit more to it in general.
Total Pages: 197
Number of Flying Platypus Tea Cups: 6/10
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
Challenge 2: The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
The evening is still snowy, probably because it is the same evening of my last post.
Yesterday I finished reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and I was all together blown away. I haven't read a book so personally heart-wrenching since reading Looking for Alaska my freshman year of high school, and now as I senior I've read The Perks of Being a Wallflower and I must say there's a kind of symmetry to it I'm glad of.
Charlie is a freshman boy in high school, kind of awkward, weirdly violent, notably sensitive, and haunted by the memories of his dead Aunt Helen. Terrified of starting high school Charlie begins to write anonymous letters to a stranger to give him support, there is no return address, no last names, just the intimate feeling of a boy who is probably so different from all of us, yet exactly like everyone else in the extreme loneliness of being human. Carried by "Alseep" by The Smiths, the feeling of being infinite, and the unconventional beauty of Sam and her brother Patrick, Charlie learns to grow. This is a story about being human, about growing up, and discovering how to be a little bit less afraid, a little less sad, and see a little bit more beauty and love in spite of all the fear and all the sadness. As Charlie falls in love with Sam, as well as the literature given to him by his English teacher, he learns to feel infinite in a world where sad and bad things happen, but people have to courage to keep moving forward, even when sometimes they don't.
I don't really know how to write about The Perks of Being a Wallflower in the same way I didn't know how to write about Looking for Alaska my freshman year. The feeling books like that give you is so deep and so personal, it almost feels wrong to write about it. I don't do drugs, or drink, or go to parties, or have a sister who got hit by her boyfriend, but despite that you end up feeling like Charlie when you read the book. Because I've cried in a panicky way where I don't know how to breath and everything is moving, and I've lost someone to suicide that I should have known better, and I've fallen in love, made friends I love, and have felt infinite in my smallness. I think that's all it makes sense to say. But I'm listening to "Asleep" by The Smiths.
Total Pages: 213
Number of Flying Platypus Tea Cups: 10/10
Yesterday I finished reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky and I was all together blown away. I haven't read a book so personally heart-wrenching since reading Looking for Alaska my freshman year of high school, and now as I senior I've read The Perks of Being a Wallflower and I must say there's a kind of symmetry to it I'm glad of.
Charlie is a freshman boy in high school, kind of awkward, weirdly violent, notably sensitive, and haunted by the memories of his dead Aunt Helen. Terrified of starting high school Charlie begins to write anonymous letters to a stranger to give him support, there is no return address, no last names, just the intimate feeling of a boy who is probably so different from all of us, yet exactly like everyone else in the extreme loneliness of being human. Carried by "Alseep" by The Smiths, the feeling of being infinite, and the unconventional beauty of Sam and her brother Patrick, Charlie learns to grow. This is a story about being human, about growing up, and discovering how to be a little bit less afraid, a little less sad, and see a little bit more beauty and love in spite of all the fear and all the sadness. As Charlie falls in love with Sam, as well as the literature given to him by his English teacher, he learns to feel infinite in a world where sad and bad things happen, but people have to courage to keep moving forward, even when sometimes they don't.
I don't really know how to write about The Perks of Being a Wallflower in the same way I didn't know how to write about Looking for Alaska my freshman year. The feeling books like that give you is so deep and so personal, it almost feels wrong to write about it. I don't do drugs, or drink, or go to parties, or have a sister who got hit by her boyfriend, but despite that you end up feeling like Charlie when you read the book. Because I've cried in a panicky way where I don't know how to breath and everything is moving, and I've lost someone to suicide that I should have known better, and I've fallen in love, made friends I love, and have felt infinite in my smallness. I think that's all it makes sense to say. But I'm listening to "Asleep" by The Smiths.
Total Pages: 213
Number of Flying Platypus Tea Cups: 10/10
The Dark City by Catherine Fisher
Tis a dark and snowy evening.
A few weeks ago I recently finished reading The Dark City book one of Relic Master by Catherine Fisher. Now I was really excited to find this book because a year or so ago I finished reader some of her other books, Incarceron and its sequel Saphique, both of which I found to be splendid and enjoyable reads. These two books provided my first exposure to steam-punk novels (thank you!) so when I saw The Dark City in the library and saw that it looked like fantasy I was very excited.
The Dark City tells the tale of a young boy named Raffi and his experience as the apprentice of one of the great relic masters Galen, a shrewd, calculating, and embittered man due to an injury he suffered costing him full mobility in his leg, as well as all of his magical and spiritual powers as a relic master. As members of an ancient organization called The Order, Raffi and Gallen, as well as all other member of The Order are hunted by an infamously cruel group called The Watch, and when Watch member Carys begins hunting Galen she questions her loyalties as she is faced with the kindness of Galen and Raffi as she sees the inhumanity of The Watch through their eyes. In hopes of regaining his abilities as a Relic Master, Galen searches for the Crow, a creature from the legends of their scripture who could supposedly restore Galen's lost powers.
Though the book seemed to be geered to a slightly younger audience than Incarceron I still enjoyed it immensely as I found the characters and the story to be enjoyable. As a series of four (I believe) I look forward to reading the other three. Galen is the strongest character so far and the one I'm most interested in. I find it rather refreshing to find a story about a young boy and his master and have the master be the main character, it's a good change from the regularities of the sword and sorcery genre.
Total Pages: 372
Number of Flying Platypus Tea Cups: 8/10
A few weeks ago I recently finished reading The Dark City book one of Relic Master by Catherine Fisher. Now I was really excited to find this book because a year or so ago I finished reader some of her other books, Incarceron and its sequel Saphique, both of which I found to be splendid and enjoyable reads. These two books provided my first exposure to steam-punk novels (thank you!) so when I saw The Dark City in the library and saw that it looked like fantasy I was very excited.
The Dark City tells the tale of a young boy named Raffi and his experience as the apprentice of one of the great relic masters Galen, a shrewd, calculating, and embittered man due to an injury he suffered costing him full mobility in his leg, as well as all of his magical and spiritual powers as a relic master. As members of an ancient organization called The Order, Raffi and Gallen, as well as all other member of The Order are hunted by an infamously cruel group called The Watch, and when Watch member Carys begins hunting Galen she questions her loyalties as she is faced with the kindness of Galen and Raffi as she sees the inhumanity of The Watch through their eyes. In hopes of regaining his abilities as a Relic Master, Galen searches for the Crow, a creature from the legends of their scripture who could supposedly restore Galen's lost powers.
Though the book seemed to be geered to a slightly younger audience than Incarceron I still enjoyed it immensely as I found the characters and the story to be enjoyable. As a series of four (I believe) I look forward to reading the other three. Galen is the strongest character so far and the one I'm most interested in. I find it rather refreshing to find a story about a young boy and his master and have the master be the main character, it's a good change from the regularities of the sword and sorcery genre.
Total Pages: 372
Number of Flying Platypus Tea Cups: 8/10
Friday, November 22, 2013
Ask the Passengers by A.S. King
Evening to you! Look how the snow falls over the dry plains of our little mountain hamlet.
So this evening I'll be discussing a book I read a few weeks ago but forgot to write my review of, oops. Ask the Passengers by A.S. King (pun intended, no?) tells the tale of a young girl named Astrid Jones, a high school senior struggling with her sexuality who deals with the hardships of conservative small town America, labels, love, sexuality, a pot smoking dad, and a sister and a mother who don't really understand her, and to deal with this all Astrid sits on the picnic bench in her back yard to watch the airplanes flying above as she sends her love to the passengers inside.
In a strange and lovely story about self discovery, the supernatural, the philosophical and the mundane unite as a young girl tries to figure out why the label for her love seems so necessary to other when she just wants to let her love be, both for her girlfriend, and the countless people flying above her small town every day.
There was a lot about the book I enjoyed and some I wasn't so fond of. First of all I can't say how much I adore the unspoken magic in Astrid loving the passengers. I think it's a fine example of the most beautifully simplistic and unquestioned kind of magic, it doesn't matter if what they're experiencing is truly magic, or if the character herself is imagining it all, and I find that very stunning. However, maybe it's just me, but the relationship between Astrid and her girlfriend seemed borderline abusive at times, perhaps I read into it too much, but their relationship never sat right with me with her girlfriend's random mood swings from fluffy to angry, and how frequently she tried to pressure Astrid into labeling her sexuality, and trying to convince her to enter a sexual relationship Astrid wasn't ready for, a lot of these scenes just struck me as rather wrong and I found them off-putting, yet despite all these relationship red flags, (plus despite Astrid cheating on said girlfriend) the two end up together in the end without a great deal of in depth discussion about the weirdness in there relationship.
In general I really enjoyed the book and found it to be an insightful look into the complexities of human sexuality, psychology, and the maybe magic that surrounds us every day.
Total Pages: 293
Number of Flying Platypus Tea Cup: 6/10
So this evening I'll be discussing a book I read a few weeks ago but forgot to write my review of, oops. Ask the Passengers by A.S. King (pun intended, no?) tells the tale of a young girl named Astrid Jones, a high school senior struggling with her sexuality who deals with the hardships of conservative small town America, labels, love, sexuality, a pot smoking dad, and a sister and a mother who don't really understand her, and to deal with this all Astrid sits on the picnic bench in her back yard to watch the airplanes flying above as she sends her love to the passengers inside.
In a strange and lovely story about self discovery, the supernatural, the philosophical and the mundane unite as a young girl tries to figure out why the label for her love seems so necessary to other when she just wants to let her love be, both for her girlfriend, and the countless people flying above her small town every day.
There was a lot about the book I enjoyed and some I wasn't so fond of. First of all I can't say how much I adore the unspoken magic in Astrid loving the passengers. I think it's a fine example of the most beautifully simplistic and unquestioned kind of magic, it doesn't matter if what they're experiencing is truly magic, or if the character herself is imagining it all, and I find that very stunning. However, maybe it's just me, but the relationship between Astrid and her girlfriend seemed borderline abusive at times, perhaps I read into it too much, but their relationship never sat right with me with her girlfriend's random mood swings from fluffy to angry, and how frequently she tried to pressure Astrid into labeling her sexuality, and trying to convince her to enter a sexual relationship Astrid wasn't ready for, a lot of these scenes just struck me as rather wrong and I found them off-putting, yet despite all these relationship red flags, (plus despite Astrid cheating on said girlfriend) the two end up together in the end without a great deal of in depth discussion about the weirdness in there relationship.
In general I really enjoyed the book and found it to be an insightful look into the complexities of human sexuality, psychology, and the maybe magic that surrounds us every day.
Total Pages: 293
Number of Flying Platypus Tea Cup: 6/10
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