Waiting on Wednesday (2)

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.



Basically, I pick a book I'm excited about that's coming out sometime soon.

This week's pick is "Pirate Latitudes" by Michael Crichton. I haven't read EVERYTHING that he's written. Just almost everything. And what can I say - I LOVE him. I felt like crying for days and days when he died. :-( I'm just psyched that he left at least one book behind. :-)

Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton
Publication Date: November 24, 2009
Publisher: Harper
From the Harper Collins Website: From one of the best-loved authors of all time comes an irresistible adventure of swashbuckling pirates in the New World, a classic story of treasure and betrayal.

The Caribbean, 1665. A remote colony of the English Crown, the island of Jamaica holds out against the vast supremacy of the Spanish empire. Port Royal, its capital, is a cutthroat town of taverns, grog shops, and bawdy houses.

In this steamy climate there's a living to be made, a living that can end swiftly by disease—or by dagger. For Captain Charles Hunter, gold in Spanish hands is gold for the taking, and the law of the land rests with those ruthless enough to make it.

Word in port is that the galleon El Trinidad, fresh from New Spain, is awaiting repairs in a nearby harbor. Heavily fortified, the impregnable harbor is guarded by the bloodthirsty Cazalla, a favorite commander of the Spanish king himself. With backing from a powerful ally, Hunter assembles a crew of ruffians to infiltrate the enemy outpost and commandeer El Trinidad, along with its fortune in Spanish gold. The raid is as perilous as the bloodiest tales of island legend, and Hunter will lose more than one man before he even sets foot on foreign shores, where dense jungle and the firepower of Spanish infantry stand between him and the treasure. . . .

Pirate Latitudes is Michael Crichton at his best: a rollicking adventure tale pulsing with relentless action, crackling atmosphere, and heart-pounding suspense.

I actually haven't read it yet, as I want to know NOTHING about the book when I start reading it. YAY! I am so excited!

Review: Elric: Stealer of Souls by Michael Moorcock

Title:Elric: Stealer of Souls

Author:Michael Moorcock

Rating: 1/2

Recommended?Yes, if you're into fantasy and anti-heroes, but only if you're willing to read 200 very difficult pages in order to experience 200 awesome ones.

What I Have to Say:I FINALLY finished! I really should have read at least the first line of the description of this book. Then I would have at least know that I was getting myself into yet ANOTHER book of short stories.
Reading through this book was like trudging through the muck-filled, mist-covered, at times deadly Swamps of Sadness; it was difficult and long to get through and sometimes made me forget my purpose in reading it.
Which is weird, because it non-stop mega action pack and was also actually really well written.
The first half of the book was separated into short stories that introduce us to Elric, his life, and his friends. And while they were interesting, they were also predictable and seemed to serve very little purpose. They were hard to get through, but for no fault of their own. I think my biggest issue was that they were short, and there was therefore so much that should have happened that couldn't - because there's just not enough time in a short story.
The second half of the book was four somewhat longer interlinked stories that, put together, could almost form a book. Yay!
Moorcock's easy use of adjectives and fluttery language creates vivid, believable, and sometimes devestating images of a dying world and its potential savior, Elric the albino emperor of a dead race of sorcerers. Elric's character is a tortured one, torn between Chaos and the Gods of his people, and the Lords of Law and what fate has planned for him.
Unfortunately, for all his verbosity, I don't feel that Moorcock developed Elric as a believable character; it was almost as if Moorcock himself did not understand what Elric must suffer (and the true power that Stormbringer, his sword, held over him) and therefore couldn't write it into the book. Because of this, up until almost the very end, it was hard to cheer for Elric. It was hard to understand that he really might be the good guy in all of this. Elric is THE anti-hero of anti-heros. . .I guess I should probably just say that he is one of the more extreme anti-heroes that I have ever come across.
Still, in the last four stories, Elric and his sword and his world and his quests and his dilemmas captured my attention and made me glad that I trudged through until the end.


Summary (from Good Reads, yay!):When Michael Moorcock began chronicling the adventures of the albino sorcerer Elric, last king of decadent Melniboné, and his sentient vampiric sword, Stormbringer, he set out to create a new kind of fantasy adventure, one that broke with tradition and reflected a more up-to-date sophistication of theme and style. The result was a bold and unique hero–weak in body, subtle in mind, dependent on drugs for the vitality to sustain himself–with great crimes behind him and a greater destiny ahead: a rock-and-roll antihero who would channel all the violent excesses of the sixties into one enduring archetype.

Now, with a major film in development, here is the first volume of a dazzling collection of stories containing the seminal appearances of Elric and lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist John Picacio–plus essays, letters, maps, and other material. Adventures include “The Dreaming City,” “While the Gods Laugh,” “Kings in Darkness,” “Dead God’s Homecoming,” “Black Sword’s Brothers,” and “Sad Giant’s Shield.”

An indispensable addition to any fantasy collection, Elric: The Stealer of Souls is an unmatched introduction to a brilliant writer and his most famous–or infamous–creation.

Banned Books Week

So, it's Sunday, which I guess technically means that Banned Books Week is over. And, for some reason that I can't really fathom, I didn't blog about it once.
This does not mean that I do not care.


Frankly, the banning of books is just one of those things that turns me off so much I don't really want to even think about it. Which I suppose is that unfathomable reason for which I didn't blog about it. I'd like to believe that the banning of books is just something that doesn't happen, especially in the United States of America, where freedom of speech (which, when it boils down to it, also means freedom to read and write whatever we please) is one of the key elements of the constitution. The unfortunate fact of it is, though, BANNING OF BOOKS HAPPENS! And, as readers, we have to protect our freedom to read. In order to do that, though, we have to know what's going on.


I am ashamed to admit that, probably because my lack of desire to think about book banning, I really knew little about it. So when trying to figure out what this whole banned books week thing was all about, I was SHOCKED to discover that some of the most amazing, life changing books have been challenged and banned. Not only that, but that IT'S STILL HAPPENING!!!! A LOT!!!! And not just by Sarah Palin. And I couldn't help but think ot myself "WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?!?" Sometimes I can't help but lost faith in humanity (side note: this is also how I felt last night after seeing District 9). Books I loved like "the Kite Runner" and "Gossip Girl" and "His Dark Materials" and "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and "Bridge to Terabithia" and seriously, I repeat again, WHAT IS WRONG WITH PEOPLE?!? Some of the reasons why these books are challenged are just ridiculous!


Which has of course inspired me to try to get out there and read as many of these banned books as possible.
More than that, though, it made me understand the importance of having something like a Banned Books Week, to celebrate our first amendmant right to read what we like and to write what we like and to say what we like. It is something I for one take for granted on a regular basis, and Banned Books Week helps remind people that unless we speak up, it's a right that might be taken away. That is, on a regular basis, challenged.


So speak up, people, and do everything you can to make sure that this right remains ours and that those who challenge it fail. Don't just celebrate your right to read once a year, for a week; celebrate it everyday. And if you hear of books being banned or challenged, no matter where it is, doing something about it. Even if that means just sending an e-mail to remind them of our first amendmant right. Let people know on a regular basis how important it is to you.

And here's hoping that this post made sense. I'm feeling a little bit passionate (and passionately annoyed) right now, so I sort of feel all over the place. If not, check out this really cool article for something a little more coherent.

In the meantime: Do you have a favorite book that has been banned or challenged? I would love to hear about it!

I mentioned some favorites above, but "Bridge to Terabithia" and "Fahrenheit 451" are two banned/challenged books that have influenced my life in amazing ways!

Review: Tokyoland by Benajmin Reiss

I decided that I wasn't going to post reviews on graphic novels that I read, but since I'm taking a bagazillion years to finish my present book, and since I can't bring myself to read two books at once, I thought I would write this up.

Title: Tokyoland

Author: Benjamin Reiss

Rating:

Recommended?Not really, actually.

What I Have to Say: This graphic novel had two things and only two things going for it. First, most of it takes place in Japan. And Japan is awesome. Second, aside from our sympathetic narrator, all of the French people are drawn to be hideously ugly with weird, deformed noses. This made me laugh since I find that, in general, that is probably what they look like on the inside. I'm not a huge fan of Parisians.
The story itself was slow and aimless, as if it was going on and going nowhere just for the sake of exisiting. Which, I suppose, is also what life does. But don't we all read to escape that?
There was no beauty in the pointlessness, no beauty in the narrative or the art. The narrator was plain, as was the story he had to tell and the words he used to tell it.

Summary:After years of separation, a Frenchman is called back to Japan, the country where he spent several years of his youth. In this graphic novel, he reminisces to his present day daughter about lost loves and his experiences in Japan.

I've just discovered that this graphic novel has never been published in English. Only French (and perhaps Japanese and other non-English languages?).
Since the review's already written, though, I've decided to post it anyway for those of you out there that can potentially read in French.

Review: Maureen Johnson's 13 Little Blue Envelopes

I've been having a little bit of trouble getting through the book I am presently reading. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a book of short stories (I should really do at least a LITTLE research on a book before I decide to read it), and since I'm not that into short stories, two books of short stories in a row is a little hard for me. So yesterday I decided to pick up a copy of this book that I had lying around and reread it. I loved it the first time around, and I was pleased to love it again. So here you go.

Title:13 Little Blue Envelopes

Author:Maureen Johnson

Rating:

Recommended?ABSOLUTELY!

What I Have to Say:This book is an absolute pleasure to read. Ginny is a fun and likable yet shy character. Following her on her quest to self-realization and self-actualization is a whirlwind ride to places you've never been and some places you've been but might not want to remember.
I feel like this book gets a bad rap, and I can understand what the critics are saying, but I still feel like the bad rap is undeserved.
This book is NOT about the final destination but instead about the trip there and the lessons learned along the way. It's true that several times throughout the book, subjects are touched upon and made to seem important only to never been seen again. Just dropped.
Normally, this would annoy me, but in this book, it almost seems necessary. Through Maureen Johnson's writing style, we really understand one of the lessons that Ginny learns - that sometimes in life, things might seem important, but they are not. Sometimes in life, you just have to let things go.
In "13 Little Blue Envelopes," Ginny travels through Europe on a voyage that her favorite dead aunt has prepared for her. She sees some amazing places, meets some very cute boys, and has some ridiculous experiences. The focus, though, is on GINNY herself, and what she learns, not on what she sees in these amazing places. There is very little spotlight on the places that she goes. Some say this is because Maureen Johnson has never been to those places and thus cannot write about them.
While I have no doubt that this is true (is there actually a subway in Rome? I don't remember noticing one. . .), it didn't seem important to me.
The experiences that Ginny has and the lessons that she learns are important - the places that she goes are only important insomuch as they show Ginny learning how to step out of her comfort zone. They are teaching her to break out of her shy shell and to learn to be brave. In a sense, the countries in which she finds herself could be a metaphor for the places and the person that she finds within herself.
In the beginning, Ginny has trouble taking things into her control, instead blindly following instructions. I have read some say that this makes her an annoying and hard to follow or believe character. I think this makes her a teenager. I remember being that way. And in the end, the instructions that she blindly follows teach her how to step back, be brave and take control of things herself, take control of her life.
Maybe Maureen Johnson didn't do it on purpose, but I thought that her lack of clarity on so many things and her fairly regular lack of follow up on certain subjects added to the experiences that Ginny was supposed to be having and helped the reader to really understand what she must have been feeling.
And of course, Maureen Johnson's quirkiness can't help but have the reader laughing and smiling for the entirety of the book.
Conclusion: A well thought out, fun to read book full of deliciousness and fluff and the occasional metaphor and perhaps a slight attempt at depth.

Summary (thank you Good Reads):Inside little blue envelope 1 are $1,000 and instructions to buy a plane ticket.

In envelope 2 are directions to a specific London flat.

The note in envelope 3 tells Ginny: Find a starving artist.

Because of envelope 4, Ginny and a playwright/thief/ bloke–about–town called Keith go to Scotland together, with somewhat disastrous–though utterly romantic–results. But will she ever see him again?

Everything about Ginny will change this summer, and it’s all because of the 13 little blue envelopes.

My First Awards and an Interview Chez The Bookologist!

I don't know how, but I totally forgot to mention this before. On Tuesday, interviewed me as a new blogger in something she's doing called Tuesday's Chatter. You should go check it out!
Not just the interview, but also her blog. :-)
She has some great reviews, giveaways, and interviews happening!

Other than that, I was just awarded MY VERY FIRST AWARD from Gofita's Page!


Thanks Gofita!


This is the Honest Scrap award. It is for those bloggers who write from the heart. The rules are to pass it along to seven bloggers and then list 10 honest things about myself. Here are those deserving of this honor, bloggers who write from the heart and touch me because of it:

I'm just getting to know some of the other blogs out there, so this is going to be hard for me, but I'll do my best!

1.The Bookologist
2.Rhiannon Hart
3.Lenore from Presenting Lenore
4.Mary Anne Gruen from Starlight Blog
5.The Moody Teenager
6.Wdebo from The Electrical Book Cafe
7.Tales of Whimsy

Now for 10 honest things about me:
1.I sleep with a stuffed dog named Eva.
2.I hate Paris, France.
3.I much prefer baths to showers.
4.I HATE CIGARETTES (and think they should be illegal).
5.In my life, I have turned tons of people on to reading and somehow managed to convert most of them to veganism. YAY! :-)
6.I am a vegan, and it is very important to me.
7.I get sad if I go a day without chocolate.
8.I can count to 10 in at least 10 languages.
9.I have always wanted a collection but could never stay obesessed long enough with anything other than books (or stuffed animals, I guess) to be able to form one.
10.I am ridiculously life-changingly afraid of death (I sort of stole this one from Gofita).

Okay, hopefully that was slightly interesting.

Gofita's Pages also passed along to me the Super Commenter Award, which I am particularly excited about!



I love comments!!!! And I love commenting.
I would like to pass this award along to
Spiggy, who unfortunately does not have a blog but has been following mine from the beginning. Without her support, I really think I would have given up a while ago. :-)
Also, I think everyone who has ever commented in my blog is deserving of this award. So thanks everyone!

Up later today:Review of Maureen Johnson's "13 Little Blue Envelopes"

Harry Potter Boxed Set 1-7

An awesome giveaway is going on over at Park Ave Princess!


She's giving away a boxed set of all of the Harry Potter books!
So go over and check it out, and if you enter, don't forget to mention that brizmus from Brizmus Blogs Books sent you!