Introverted Reader

A Dash of Magic by Kathryn Littlewood: Book Review

**SPOILERS FOR THE 1ST IN THE SERIES, BLISS** Rosemary Bliss feels incredibly guilty; she lost her family's magical cookbook to her evil Aunt Lily and now everything in their hometown of Calamity Falls just feels drab. To make matters worse, Aunt Lily is everywhere Rose turns--on the TV, on the radio, and now on the grocery store shelves with Lily's Magic Ingredient. Something has to be done. Rose and her older brother Ty sneak onto the set of Lily's TV show, where Rose challenges Lily to a bake-off. Basically, whoever wins the prestigious Gala des Gâteaux Grands in Paris gets to keep the magical Bliss Family Cookery Booke. With an assortment of Bliss family members, talking animals, and magic ingredients, Rose flies off to Paris to do her best in the world-class competition. I still love this series! I hate to cook, but I have a sweet tooth that won't quit, so baking is right up my alley. The Bliss family are all so quirky and endearing that I just have to love them. Earnest Rose who feels more responsibility for everything than she should; charming Ty, trying to win over all the ladies; funny Sage with his microphone hoping to mine his conversations for hstandup comedy gold; and little bewitched Leigh, spouting off Lily's praises at every turn. They're funny and adorable and so loyal to each other. I just love them. The other characters are great too. Balthazar Bliss, a many-times-great grandfather, is roped in to help and he's cranky and funny. His talking cat, Gus, is delightfully sarcastic but comes through when he's needed. A talking mouse, Jacques, finds himself involved as well and discovers that his bravery is much bigger than his tiny body. They all add to the fun of this magical little book. The…

Bookish Miscellany

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It's been another busy couple of weeks, so I've been reading but posting very little. Posted: Review: Drawing Down the Moon by Charles Vess--5 Stars Review: NOS4A2 by Joe Hill--4.5 Stars Read: NOS4A2 by Joe Hill The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells, read by Judith Ivey Before You Know Kindness by Chris Bohjalian Heartless by Gail Carriger A Dash of Magic by Kathryn Littlewood The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway Currently Reading: The Big Beautiful by Pamela Duncan Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind: A Bestseller's Odyssey from Atlanta to Hollywood by Ellen F. Brown and John Wiley The Oracle of Stamboul by Michael David Lukas, read by Mozhan Marno Up Next: I just bought Neil Gaiman's newest book, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, so I'll be starting it very soon. What are you reading this week? I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in beautiful downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site. My opinions are completely my own.

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August 5, 2013

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill: Book Review

Victoria McQueen, known at different times as Vic or The Brat, inadvertently discovers she has a special gift when she's about ten years old. If she wants to find something badly enough, she can ride her Raleigh Tuff Burner bike across a rickety wooden covered bridge and find whatever she's looking for on the other side. The problem? The physical bridge was torn down; she's creating a new one with her mind. After finding a kidnapper and helping to put him behind bars in her teens, Vic's life spirals out of control. She thinks she's crazy so she starts drinking and doing drugs, with stints in mental hospitals and rehab. But she gets her act together quickly when she finds out that Charlie Manx, the kidnapper, is no longer in prison. I thought I would probably get to this point after reading his other work but with NOS4A2, it's official: I love Joe Hill. He is a helluva writer. I'll be reading his books as they come out. Well, I've been doing that since Horns, but I'll continue doing it. I was hooked from very early on. I wouldn't even say that the pacing is all that fast, but it is a very steady burn. There's a lot of back story and filling in the blanks but it's all just so intriguing that I kept plowing through. I haven't been reading particularly fast recently but I still managed to tear through all 680+ pages in about ten days. And that's including a long, busy weekend out of town. What really kept me turning the pages was the big heart at the center of the story. Vic's tough but she had a rough childhood and she's had a rougher adulthood. She pushes everyone around her away but that's because she loves…

Drawing Down the Moon: Book Review

Charles Vess's fantasy artwork has been collected in a beautiful volume. I love just about every piece of art in this book. The few that I don't like are probably the few that are science fiction. I am not at all knowledgeable about art so I can't write in any kind of meaningful way about it. I do know what I like and I most definitely like this. I tried hard to take my time poring over this book. I can flip way too fast through illustrated books, focusing too much on the words. I knew that Vess hides a lot of details in his work and it would be worth the time to look carefully at every page. It was. The vibrant colors, the classic fantasy elements with the occasional modern twist thrown in, this collection was all that I expected it to be and more. The problem is that now I want to add all of the books he's worked on to my wishlist! He's been a busy man! I already own quite a few of them because he tends to collaborate with authors I love in their own right, such as Charles de Lint and Neil Gaiman. I did not realize that Vess had worked on an illustrated edition of George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series but now that I do, I feel the burning need to own it. Unfortunately, it was apparently a limited edition and is now pretty much unavailable or way beyond my means. Here's hoping for a wider release. Fans of fantasy art and/or writing will love this collection. It will be displayed proudly in my home. Find author Charles Vess on his website and Facebook. Buy Drawing Down the Moon at Malaprop’s | Better World Books I…

Bookish Miscellany

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. Posted:Review: Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs--Delightfully quirky and creepy Review: Apologies to My Censor: The High and Low Adventures of a Foreigner in China by Mitch Moxley: Fascinating, occasionally scary, and sometimes hilarious Read:Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear, read by Rita Barrington Currently Reading:NOS4A2 by Joe Hill The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder by Rebecca Wells, read by Judith Ivey The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald Before You Know Kindness by Chris Bohjalian is on hold at the moment. I only have two weeks to get through the 686 pages of NOS4A2 and my lifelong librarian does not expect it to be a problem for me to do that. No pressure, right? Up Next:I really won't finish anything this week. My husband and I are heading to Williamsburg for a long weekend to celebrate both our birthdays. We're definitely planning to hit Busch Gardens while we're there. Any other recommendations for the area? What are you reading this week? I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in beautiful downtown Asheville, NC; and Better World Books. I will receive a small commission at no cost to you if you purchase books through links on my site. My opinions are completely my own.

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July 15, 2013

Apologies to My Censor by Mitch Moxley: Book Review

Mitch Moxley hits a personal low in his mid-twenties. His career is pretty much nonexistent and he's tired of the cold, gray Toronto winters. He starts looking for jobs overseas and stumbles on a job working for a state newspaper in China, the China Daily. He applies and lands himself a one year contract. He heads on over, knowing that he isn't really prepared for life in Communist China but not really understanding what that means. He has issues with censorship at the paper almost from the beginning and quickly gives up trying to change anything or doing any actual reporting. He makes some friends, offends some people, drinks a lot, and starts heading down that tired old expat path. Luckily, he does change directions. He finally goes into life in China with a bit of a Yes Man attitude and finds himself in some unbelievable situations. He watches all the buildup for the Olympics. He starts doing some serious reporting. Through it all, he slowly slides closer to the Chinese side on the Foreigner/Chinese scale. I like reading books about people who are brave enough to pack up and move away from everything they know, not just to another city, but to a whole different country. I can't even begin to imagine the culture shock, especially going from Canada to China. I have been disappointed a couple of times in other books when the author chooses to write about his or her experiences partying and drinking. That is not even remotely what I'm looking for when I pick up this kind of memoir. Mitch started down that path and I got worried but then he turned himself around and started writing about life in China, not life in bars. He started getting out and experiencing things that I can't…

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs: Book Review

Jacob Portman grew up believing every word of his beloved grandfather's fantastic stories--the levitating girl, the invisible boy, the strong children. Grandpa Portman claimed to have grown up with them all in a special orphanage in Wales. As Jake grows older though, he realizes that the stories can't possibly be true. After Grandpa's shocking death, Jake has a hard time. He witnessed everything and he can't believe what he saw. He's either going crazy or the world is a scarier place than he realized. He feels that the answers to his questions lie back in that Welsh orphanage. He convinces his father to take him for a visit, and Jake finds much more than he expects. I loved this! It was so different and quirky. I feel pretty safe saying that if the cover and a quick flip through the pages entice you, you'll love it as well. The one thing that knocked my rating back a little is that it occasionally felt as if the weird old photographs were dragged in. They didn't always present anything that was necessary for the story, so it pulled me out of the flow a little bit. But mostly it worked very, very well. I liked Jake, but the peculiar children...I really liked them, especially Emma in the end. Their peculiar abilities were very cool to read about, especially after seeing their pictures. I really didn't have a clue where the plot was going so I just sat back and enjoyed the ride. It took some very unexpected twists and turns and I have to say that I'm looking forward to the next installment. I highly recommend this for anyone who likes a taste of the inexplicable in their fiction. Thanks to the publisher for sending me a copy for review. The paperback…

Bookish Miscellany

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. Well, I apparently decided to take a little summer break from my blog. I haven't been reviewing, but I have been reading! Here's what's been going on in the month since the last time I participated in this meme. Posted: The Resurrectionist: The Lost Work of Dr. Spencer Black by E. B. Hudspeth: Review--Very creepy and beautifully illustrated The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister: Review--Beautiful prose that left even this picky eater hungry for more The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly: Review--A solid entry into the Mickey Haller series The Reader by Bernhard Schlink: Review--Characters I couldn't like Read: Little Women by Louisa May Alcott Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, read by Jonathan Davis Blood Faerie by India Drummond Drawing Down the Moon: The Art of Charles Vess Lighthousekeeping by Jeanette Winterson The Haunted House by Jack Kilborn And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini Days of Blood and Starlight by Laini Taylor, read by Khristine Hvam Rules of Civility by Amor Towles Apologies to My Censor: The High and Low Adventures of a Foreigner in China by Mitch Moxley The Company by K. J. Parker Currently Reading: Before You Know Kindness by Chris Bohjalian Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear, read by Rita Barrington The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald Up Next: I don't expect to finish any of these, but I might add a nonfiction book into the mix. I'm also expecting Joe Hill's newest book, NOS4A2 at the library soon. What are you reading this week? I have an affiliate relationship with Malaprop's, my local independent bookstore located in beautiful downtown Asheville, NC; and Better…

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July 8, 2013

The Reader by Bernhard Schlink: Book Review

When Michael Berg is 15, he has an affair with Hanna Schmitz, who is over twice his age. The affair does eventually come to an end, but their lives are intertwined afterwards. This book should have been passionate, challenging, and emotionally wrenching. But I just felt too distanced from everything. I’m trying to decide if this is because it’s told from Michael’s point of view and he’s a detached kind of guy, but mostly I don’t care. I see what it could have been versus what it is and I’m frustrated. I think the big conflict at the heart of the novel was supposed to be condemnation versus understanding and how hard it is, or even impossible, to feel both at the same time. I think I was supposed to question what I would have done in each character’s place, but I was too aggravated with Michael to have room for introspection. I was too busy wondering if the jackass was ever going to grow some balls and help Hanna out. (Sorry, Mama. But it’s true.) I wanted to smack him. He let her down in so many ways and somehow always found a way to make it her fault. Hanna wasn’t perfect either. In fact, they destroyed each other in round about ways, when they really could have been each other’s salvation. That may have been part of the point of the book also, but that’s not my kind of thing. I’m a die hard fan of the happy ending. Readers not requiring too much of an emotional attachment to their books will like this one. I think if I were that kind of reader I would definitely have enjoyed it more and been willing to think more about the conflicts it contains. But I’m not and so I’m…

The Brass Verdict by Michael Connelly: Book Review

It's been two years since the events of The Lincoln Lawyer and Mickey Haller is not on his game. His...medical problems... at the end of the first book have left him addicted to painkillers. He's done a stint in rehab, he's taken time off work to get himself together, and he's starting to think about taking on a case or two. He wakes up one day to find that 30+ have landed in his lap. Haller and a colleague, Jerry Vincent, have backed each other up a few times in court. Now that Vincent's been murdered, Mickey finds out that he's inherited the man's law practice. In the mix of all these new cases is another franchise case, L.A.'s "Murder of the Decade." Movie studio mogul Walter Elliot is accused of shooting his wife and her lover in a fit of rage. Everyone agrees that he probably did it; isn't it usually the husband? But it's still Mickey's job to get him off, while protecting attorney/client privileges and helping the cops, including Harry Bosch, solve Vincent's murder. So much for easing back into things. It's not The Lincoln Lawyer, I'll just say it up front. It is still good though. I kept hoping for that twist that made me sit up and say, "Holy shit!" but it never came. There were twists alright, but nothing like what I hoped for. I haven't read any of the Harry Bosch novels and if that left me in the dark a little here, I wasn't aware of it. I've actually been putting off reading this for that very reason, but I don't think it matters. This is Mickey Haller's story, not Bosch's. If you've been hesitating like me, stop waiting and go for it. Now that that's all out of the way, let's…