Title: The Sound of Blunder Author: J.A. Konrath & F. Paul Wilson In: Blood Lite (Kevin J. Anderson) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Comedy, Easy reading Pace: Fast Format: Short story Publisher: Pocket Books Year: 2008 5th sentence, 74th page: Hey, did you eat all the duck sauce?
Mick and Willie are in a buttload of trouble with their drug-dealing boss. But things are about to get a whole lot worse…
This was a pretty tripped out story. In more ways than one.
It starts off with two total douche bags who owe a pound or so of cocaine to their boss. But it’s been baked into a cake. Now, I’m not really sure what happens after that, whether they eat the cake, or they actually time travel. But shit just gets weirder and weirder and weirder as the story unfolds.
Like seriously weird. So weird that I can’t actually explain what is going on… or how I feel about it… or really anything.
5th sentence, 74th page: The pin twinkled at him, its emerald brilliance almost blinding.
Every seven generations the seventh sister returns. And Maggie Gleason is there to witness it.
I both loved and hated this story. I loved the feeling of Irish folklore, love of land and ancestry. But I didn’t really enjoy the fact that two lovers were kept apart for twelve years. And there really isn’t any actual reason for this separation… it felt angsty, but then fell a little flat when there was no reason for such angst.
Maggie and Conall are obviously meant to be from the very outset of the story, but circumstances and fate are keeping them apart. Which is kind of painful. And more than a little frustrating. But I loved the imagery and the potency that is described throughout the story. Which made my slight discomfort at the distance of lovers almost disappear… and left me with this feeling of contentment and happiness.
They had just been pretending. Except suddenly they weren’t. Now Lara Jean is more confused than ever.
Then another boy from her past returns to her life, and Lara Jean’s feelings for him return too.
Can a girl be in love with two boys at the same time?
The first half of this book I absolutely loved. It continued to build on the themes and storyline from To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. It starts with Lara Jean and Peter beginning their own relationship and actually making a go of it. You know straight away that Gen is going to be an issue (after all, she’s the perfect teenage girl antagonist), but at the beginning it works really well. And then I started to get frustrated…
I enjoy Lara Jean’s confusion at the two boys – John and Peter. When you’re going through puberty and just discovering what it’s like to date boys, it can be incredibly confusing. And when more than one guy shows an interest in you, it’s hard not to return the favours. Regardless of the circumstances. The love triangle also helps to add a little spice to the story as things go from sweet to rocky in her relationship.
The reason that this story frustrated me so much was the second half. Lara Jean takes control of her relationship and life, and puts her foot down on the ways that she should be treated. And then she goes back to the guy that isn’t treating her right. It almost made me scream. I understand it to a degree, and part of me still loves Peter (although that may mostly be because of the movie), but it is kind of sending a message that people can treat you however they want. I know it’s something that I would never stand for, and I would hope that my friends and loved ones would have a little more self-respect under similar circumstances. Hopefully this will all make sense in Always and Forever, Lara Jean.
Lara Jean keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her.
They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved – five in all. When she writes, she can pour out her heart and soul and say all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secrets letters are mailed, and suddenly Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control.
I absolutely loved the Netflix movie of this. It left me with such a happy, little feel good moment after I finished it. So I figured that the book (and as I soon found out the trilogy) would be an interesting read. And, since I finished it in one sitting, and then bought every other Jenny Han book that I could find, it was certainly an enjoyable read.
This was an easy, simple, happy read that made me incredibly happy. It was just a nice journey through a sixteen year old’s mind as she tries to navigate the trials of falling in love, becoming an adult and just generally dealing with other people. Because, as it becomes incredibly obvious throughout To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, people can seriously suck! Although, there are also moments that really remind you how awesome they can be as well. Especially Lara Jean’s relationship with her family. She obviously dearly loves her father – she constantly calls him Daddy (I actually found the constant referral, even in front of others of ‘Daddy’ to be quite annoying). She has a great relationship with her sisters. She misses Margot dearly when she’s gone and spends a lot of time with Kitty.
For as much as the relationships in this cute little romance are realistic, it’s the sisterhood bond that I loved the most. There is so much love in every moment. But there is also a lot of vindictiveness and pettiness. I have a sister. We love each other till the ends of the earth. But we would also do and say horrible things to each other. After all, we are stuck with each for the rest of our lives… and when you are with someone day in and day out, you get to a point that you kind of want to kill each other… and in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before it’s that exact revenge-driven, love you emotion that only a sister can understand that starts the entire saga.
Tell your lord to beware, the wolves smell danger in the wind…
Wolfhaven Castle has been attacked, and only four escape capture… Tom, trained to scrub pots, not fight; Elanor, the lord’s daughter; Sebastian, a knight in training; and Quinn, the witch’s apprentice.
Somehow, if they are to save their people, these unlikely heroes must find four magical beasts from legend. But first, they have to make it out of the castle alive…
This is a beautifully easy, fun and light-hearted book. With enough of an adventure-based storyline to make you reluctant to put it down. At least as an adult. I’m sure if this was around when I was a child, I would be far more involved in the storyline and think it was a more intense literary experience than I do as a more widely read adult.
I like the four young adults in this story – they’re on the cusp of adulthood and finding their own way. But there is already a sense of comradery and togetherness that works from the very outset. Each of the four is given their own gifts (literally and metaphorically) and although there is just an inkling in the first of The Impossible Quest, there are hints that these are going to develop in so many ways.
This is a pretty typical young adult, coming of age adventure story. Which is why it’s so lovely. Forsyth has an amazing way with words and this helps to spin a vivid and intriguing storyline. Partner this with that beloved simplicity of the genre and the idea that both fate and courage play a part… and Escape from Wolfhaven Castle is a great introduction to a new world and an epic quest.
Jessaline is on a mission to save her people. But what she finds could end up saving herself.
Reading the title of this short story made me think it was going to be really funny. And a little quirky. And it really wasn’t. There was discussion of minorities, freedom and prejudice. All topics that I love to read about and sink my teeth into on a frequent basis.
Jessaline is on a mission to save her countrymen from the horrors of conquest and the taking of their freedom. Yet, on the way she ends up finding something much better – true love. Or at least, that’s how it seems throughout. And the fact that it’s a woman based in “olden times” just makes it all the more engaging. I kind of loved that the love story in this was about two women.
With a backdrop of a steampunk world with one of the leading females being a scientist, this story shows the power of others and how inner strength can shine through. Whether you are living in your brothers shadow, or hiding amongst the shadows as a spy…
5th sentence, 74th page: He held it high, admiring the graceful curves of thehammered gold cup.
She wants to return her mother to life and fix the wrongs of the past. But when a man with a haunting secret interrupts her, everything changes in the blink of an eye.
This was a really fun and easy story to read. And it came up in my collection at exactly the right time… I had been having trouble sleeping / nightmares about my usual terrors, so I decided to read to try and get my mind off of things. And I read The Houndmaster which was incredibly beautiful and romantic.
Hellhounds is a relatively new concept to me, which makes any story that features them a new and exciting adventure. The idea that the male love interest in this story has an intricate connection to the hell beasties and the lady had witnessed their evil ferocity worked really nicely. The overarching connection between the two is both wonderfully fateful and a little overbearing.
Although I can remember the feelings that this story left me with, there are no incredibly potent moments. But that works for me… it’s sometimes nice to have a great feeling after reading a simple story. One that doesn’t necessarily linger, but still makes you feel happy and content inside.
Frankenstein’s many greats- grandson has discovered his secret formula for life. And it’s no problem at all… until it becomes a problem.
This was a twisted, funny and kind of problematic story. One thing after another goes wrong. Again and again and again. Which is, quite frankly, hilarious. And also painful. The man makes one wrong decision after another.
I like the references to Frankenstein and that his many-greats-grandson follows much the same path of foolishness. Having only read Frankenstein earlier this year, it was fun to read such a humorous little tale loosely based on this. And now it just makes me want to pick up the original classic again…
She meets an old god who wants her help in destroying the world that she knows. In risking everything, she learns the true meaning of sacrifice.
I was quite surprised by this short story. Not because of the steampunk themes and threads running throughout, but because of the Mayan theme to it. Somehow I never really associated steampunk with Mayan. And, weirdly enough, it worked incredibly well.
Mayan mythology has a heavy influence of sacrifice and gods that aren’t actually “good” and this story is no different. It features a horrible god and sacrifice. The fact that the sacrifice actually got to live was kind of a surprise, and it worked so unbelievably well. It just didn’t really capture my attention like many of the other stories in this collection…
Title: The Mechanical Aviary of Emperor Jala-ud-din Muhammad Akbar Author: Shweta Narayan In: The Mammoth Book of Steampunk (Sean Wallace) Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!) My Bookshelves:Easy reading, Steampunk Pace: Slow Format: Short story Publisher: Robinson Year: 2009 5th sentence, 74th page: And so it was; she made a little golden child with wings and tail enamelled green, and named her Devadasi.
A classic tale of pride coming before the fall. Mixing folklore, legend and a heavy dose of steampunk settings to weave a story that is as beautiful as it is meaningful.
I really enjoyed this story. The idea of a mechanical aviary built by a mechanical bird in and of itself is a great little story. Add to this the fact that a tale of morals is interwoven throughout, and this was the most fun I’ve had in the past few weeks. It was just so beautifully different and engaging. Without being overbearing in the way the message is outlined.
Although the primary story was fun, I actually enjoyed the creator’s tale much better. The way it interweaves was brilliantly done, and I like the fact that it echoes the primary story. The entire thing just worked seamlessly and I was actually really disappointed when it was finished…
Title: The Sound of Blunder
Title: The Seventh Sister
Title: Escape from Wolfhaven Castle
Title: The Effluent Engine
Title: The Houndmaster
Title: No Problem
Earth and Skye 