Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver

Aug 032011
 

Before I Fall is a story that had been haunting me and somehow, after listening to the audiobook, I think it will continue to do so.

From BEA, I got a digital ARC of this book. However, it didn’t work. The file was corrupt. I worked with Harper Teen to get a new file but by the time I got it loaded, the time stamp on the file had expired. I was out of luck. But by then, I’d read the cover copy and loved the concept. The idea of it lurked in my head and wouldn’t go away, but I couldn’t read it yet. Ugh!

Then a few months later a physical ARC turned up in a mailing at work. I called dibs and snagged it, of course. I brought it home all excited to dive into it…but then…uh…well? I set it down and somehow buried it with other books and couldn’t find it. Can you believe it? Oy. I searched everywhere for that book. I could swear it was hiding from me!

I’m embarrassed to admit that when the book went on sale, I had no clue. I’d been so wrapped up in ARCs, I never even thought to check its on sale date. Whoops! I mean really, when did this book come out? Last year? Yes, so very embarrassing. But Audible saved me from that by offering a big sale. Woot! They sent an email out announcing the sale and when I opened it, the cover for this book was right up front! So, sale + plus new find to feed my audiobook addiction for listening while walking to work = a very happy me. I bought it and downloaded it right away.

Whew. But yes, finally, I could listen to the story and see if I liked the execution of the concept that had been haunting me so much.

As I started listening, I cringed. Yep, how can I not? The main character, Sam, was part of a group of girls who reminded me of Mean Girls. I hated this group of girls so much, I didn’t think I’d be able to keep going. But I stuck with it and somewhere along the way, magic happened. Sam started to grow. It all began with her death. And that’s the point of it really. She dies and is forced to repeat the same day over again seven times. It’s like some twisted version of Groundhog Day only one that felt less repetitive.

Sam’s growth was fascinating to watch. Her reactions brought out such an emotional roller coaster in me as she shifts from various states of panic, to determined, to hopeful, and everything in between. I loved all the interconnections between the characters that were revealed in unexpected ways. They were also so damn heartbreaking too. Like I said, emotional roller coaster. Box o’ tissues will be needed. I won’t ramble more on it for fear I’ll give something away. But the story is beautifully executed and I loved the way the concept rolled out through surprising layers.

Oh, and the narrator was fun too! She did an excellent job especially with that exasperated teen voice. :)

And guess what? I found the missing ARC…yesterday. Typical. :P

Through my bookshelves

Mar 172011
 

It’s a rare moment! Every book I own (except the one I’m carrying around with me) is on a shelf. Huzzah!

Usually I have stacks of books tucked in various corners of my apartment. But I’m trying to be more organized. Plus, I finally donated some to make wiggle room. You know what that means, though, right? I can get more books! :P

Anyway, I thought I’d share a tour of my bookshelves.

When you walk into my apartment, books are the first thing you see:

The book barrier is there to give my living room some sense of privacy for when I open my front door. This shelf collects all my hardcovers, trade paperbacks, kids books, some of the manga spillage from another shelf, and oversized art books. It’s really a hodgepodge of books. I tend to arrange books by sections and aim to have them in author & series order. This shelf seriously needs to be re-run. I noticed I have a ton of Tor trade paperbacks and a few hardcovers shoved on there out of order. It’s what happens when I bring work home and want it off the floor. :P

I couldn’t get the full shelf in the picture so here’s a detail with the top included:

I love Halloween decor! :)

As you walk into the apartment, you’ll see the other side of the book barrier is also a set of shelves:

This shelf has two main sections to it. Mass market paperbacks on the top half and new age on the bottom. The cardboard box on the floor is one of Ruki’s favorite lounging spots.

Here are closer shots:

On a perpendicular wall lives another shelf:

A chunk of this shelf is taken up by my DVDs. The bottom half includes manga, graphic novels, gaming, media related (X-Files, Lost, Firefly), and random books on topics like writing, web, forensics, and maker type subjects. In the middle of the pic is a section of books on their sides. That’s my current stack of in progress books. Keeping them on their side makes it easier for me to spot them and off the floor.

Here are a few closer shots:

And ok, so I have one section of books that doesn’t actually live on a shelf. They are on a coffee table. Close enough! :)

Looking at that pic, I’m seeing that I need to move my charging station to where it will be less of an eye sore. :P

And that’s that! The only shelf I didn’t take a picture of is my project supply shelf. It houses papercutting and steampunk metalworking tools. Plus, a few related books, cookbooks, and even a bread machine. Maybe next time.

Wonder how soon until a stack appears on my floor again… :D

The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle by Patrick Rothfuss

Jul 202010
 

My copy of this just arrived this morning. Of course I had pause for a story time moment so I could read it.  All I can say is, Mr. Rothfuss, you are one strange twisted dude. :P And of course, I loved the story and the artwork. I don’t think I can say anything about it without giving away stuff. But I will add this, pay attention to the artwork as you read. There. That’s it. Enjoy.

Here’s the blurb from Subterranean Press’ site:

This is not a book for children.

It looks like a children’s book. It has pictures. It has a saccharine-sweet title. The main characters are a little girl and her teddy bear. But all of that is just protective coloration. The truth is, this is a book for adults with a dark sense of humor and an appreciation of old-school faerie tales.

There are three separate endings to the book. Depending on where you stop, you are left with an entirely different story. One ending is sweet, another is horrible. The last one is the true ending, the one with teeth in it.

The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle is a dark twist on the classic children’s picture-book. I think of it as Calvin and Hobbes meets Coraline, with some Edward Gorey mixed in.

Simply said: This is not a book for children.

And you can read more about the book on Rothfuss’ blog.

The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan

Feb 152010
 

This is an unusual, yet beautifully written postapocalyptic zombie tale that at its core is a story of love, sacrifice, and hope.

Mary’s world is one of rules. Rules based on commitment and faith guided by the hand of the Sisterhood. Their guidelines keep the town in order…safe from the Unconsecrated that linger outside. You are not meant to question any of it, let alone what’s beyond The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Mary wants more. She wants to love…wants to see the ocean…wants freedom. Will any of that be possible?

I’d seen a lot of sf&f blog posts about it back when it came out in hardcover and was curious. Christmas giftcards + paperback release made for a perfect time to finally check it out. I show the paperback cover here since that’s the version I read, but I really like the hardcover’s artwork better.

Anyway, Mary’s story is a haunting one and her pain seeps from the pages. Each grief she feels, the shock, betrayal, and desperation we feel it too. That was eloquently executed.

The setting was also fantastic, with it’s constant moaning of the Unconsecrated. Eek! How they just learn to accept the constant sound of them is freaky. Really…

I did have a few issues with the story though. At times I found it hard to like Mary and her self-absorbed nature. I also thought a few too many questions were left unanswered. But I understand we heard the story through Mary’s perspective alone and she didn’t know the answers. The couple of attempts to have her allude to a few were awkward. For example, trying to show Travis a picture when they are trying to escape was silly in it’s poor timing and only lended more to her being self-absorbed.

I also couldn’t understand why the characters who made it out of the village did…a little too convenient those choices were. But that’s forgivable.

I was surprised by how dark this story was. It was unexpected, yet fitting to the nature of the tale. But if you are looking for escapism and happy endings, this isn’t the story for you. Overall, I enjoyed it and I love all the analysis of character decisions that are stirring inside my head now. It’s great when stories leave that mark behind. And well, zombies! I’m sure I mentioned zombies, right? :P

A book meme

Feb 112010
 

I have never done a book meme before. This one looked interesting, but damn, it’s hard to limit it to one book per question. Ouch! My head hates me for this.

What’s a book you most want to read again for the first time?:

Chronicle of a Death Foretold: You can never recapture the emotions of a first time read. And with this one, I initially read it in a weird state of shock/disbelief. I was captivated by the idea that so many would know someone is going to be murdered, yet do nothing about it. The story was beautifully executed. I really should try for a reread soon.

What was one of your favorite childhood books?:

Salem‘s Lot: My dad gave me this book when I was about ten…for Easter, which I find funny timing for an rising from the dead story (albeit rising into undead state in the book’s case). I devoured it. Vampires, you know? I still have it and it’s pretty mangled looking now.

Runner up for this might be The Tale of the Dark Crystal, which was something I read through a million times. Tried to draw all the illustrations myself too.

Fantasy. Vampires. My love for both started young.

What’s a book that you were assigned in school that you were expecting to be bad, but that turned out to be really good?:

The Fatal Equilibrium: I was assigned this book in an economics class. I remember thinking, WTF? A fiction book for an economics class. You must be kidding me! And worse? It’s a crime story novel where the murder is solved by economic theory. Gag. Strange thing though, I ended up liking the story. I’m still shocked by that. I ended up keeping this book.

What’s your “guilty pleasure” read?:

Aah, that would have to be shojo manga and for that I’ll pick one of my favorites, From Far Away by Kyoko Hikawa. It’s about a girl who gets sucked into another world where there is the threat of the Sky Demon awakening, and guess who is supposed to be the one to wake it up? And then you have Izark who is fortold to be the one who will become the Sky Demon and he is trying to fight his fate. And then the two kids meet and well, drama! Heh. It’s pretty much a teeny romance at it’s core. Good fun though. :)

What’s a book you feel you should read, but haven’t yet?:

A Game of Thrones: This is the book I get nagged most for not having read. I feel like if I ever got around to reading it, the nagging would go away. Then again, nag me too much and it’ll never get read. :P

Meme by way of The Book Bark.

The Wind Through the Keyhole by Stephen King

Nov 122009
 

I saw this posted on Suvudu so I thought I’d share:

Yesterday I posted that Stephen King would be returning to the Dark Tower, writing a novel or a collection of interwoven short stories that take place between the events of Wizard & Glass and Wolves of the Calla.

This is big news. Dark Tower fans are a cult I am proudly a part of.

It was announced on his website that the tentative title for the book will be:

The Wind Through the Keyhole

I love it!

It will be at least 8 months before Sai King can begin writing the new book. Which begs the question: What is he working on right now? A screenplay for the zombie story Cell but what else? Wish it was the The Talisman / Black House sequel…

Here is a video of Stephen King from last night’s book signing for his new book, Under the Dome. He is absolutely hilarious in it:

Enjoy!

A rambly catch up

Nov 112009
 

My last post on here was in September. And then…wow…things got a wee bit busy you could say. I moved. Woo-hoo! I still haven’t finished unpacking and have no idea when I’ll get to that. I’ll share some pics when I’m more settled. But here is Ruki, enjoying the new windows. They have a wider sill so she can really spread out.

Ruki in the window

And here she is with her head in the window. And yes, there is a screen there. She’s not about to jump out or go anywhere.

Ruki in the window

Moving all happened in the middle of a wee little book release ;), which happily unseated Dan Brown for the #1 spot on the NYT list last week. Woo-hoo! If you follow Tor’s Twitter, you’ve probably seen me posting lots about it. Things like how we made a throne out of the boxes stored in my office:

TGS Throne

I mean really, what else do you do with boxes? If I had more it would have been a fort. :P Oh, my owl took his turn in the throne too.

I’ve also been working on tons of stuff that none of you (unless you work with me) will see until next year. I have plans. Ideas. Yep.

Hmm. What else. That’s pretty much absorbed my life as of late. I’ve watched (listened to) a lot of TV while I’ve been packing and unpacking though. On demand is so the way to go. Venture Brothers is back and kicking ass. Fringe happily fills that missing X-Files void for me. NCIS rocks, while I gave up on NCIS LA which was painful to watch. No idea what happened after that awesome cross-over. Maybe it was losing the leader. Callen is no leader. Stargate SGU and Sanctuary rock too. I’m surprised by how much I’m digging White Collar and The Good Wife. Doesn’t hurt White Collar that it has Jonesy in it! :) And ABC and Fox really need to become available on demand like the other channels are so I can watch shows like FlashForward. I’m no fan of watching TV on my computer after working on it all day.

For books though, I’ve really only had a chance to read on the commute. I read a bunch of Kitty Norville books and am on book 6. I like werewolf types. I’m also reading Outlander. I love the setting and side characters. However, the lead has the emotional range of a rock.

And that’s that. I’m still getting caught up on most things right now so I’m not sure yet how much I’ll be posting until things settle down. So for now, I’ll just leave you with this, the new Clash of the Titans trailer:

And this awesome Fringe preview with NIN’s “Zero Sum” that makes me super happy to rewatch. :)

Have an awesome day all!

Book trailer: Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld

Sep 052009
 

I really can’t wait for this book. Love the trailer:

About Leviathan:

Leviathan by Scott WesterfeldPrince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battletorn war machine and a loyal crew of men.

Deryn Sharp is a commoner, disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She’s a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered.

With World War I brewing, Alek and Deryn’s paths cross in the most unexpected way…taking them on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure that will change both their lives forever.

On sale: Oct 6

(via Scott Westerfeld)

Related links

Exit Wounds by Rutu Modan

Aug 302009
 

Exit Wounds by Rutu ModanI wasn’t sure what to make of Exit Wounds when I first opened it. It’s not normally the sort of graphic novel I read. Although I didn’t really connect with Koby or Numi, I found myself drawn in by the backdrop of Israeli daily life.

The story is about Koby Franco, a cab driver, who learns from a soldier, Numi, that his estranged father may have been a victim in a suicide bombing. Koby reluctantly agrees to help Numi find out what happened.

What intrigued me about this story was the honest look at the harsh realities of life in Tel Aviv. When Numi asks people about the suicide bombing, she always has to clarify that she means the one that happened in Hadera, not Haifa, the latter one apparently having been a bigger explosion. In another instance, a woman in the mortuary smiles and informs a man that of course he can have a video of the body, he only need supply the blank tape. Such moments like these and the many more included in this book all come across as normal, daily conversation.

As for the artwork, I liked the clean, simple lines. And it’s because of how mundane the violence has become that the pastel colors worked so well. The soft muted tones helped dull the harshness of it. And that makes sense. I would imagine there’s a numbness that must exist to keep from going insane in such a setting. People adapt and find ways to cope.

The plot, however, was missing something. I didn’t feel any need to find out the mystery behind the disappearance of Koby’s father. At times it seemed more like a way to just pass time. And things happened to and between the characters that didn’t seem believable. But then maybe we weren’t given time to know more about the characters. I’m not sure.

In any event, it’s certainly an interesting read at least for the cultural backdrop.

……………………………………

An interview with Rutu Modan:

Echo Volume 1: Moon Lake by Terry Moore

Aug 292009
 

Aah, military cover-ups, experiments gone bad, and people on the run. Woo-hoo!

Echo sucked me in and left me itching for more. It all begins with the military attempting to terminate a project. Funny how things never go according to plan….

Julie Martin happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. She’s taking photographs in the desert when she hears an explosion. She looks up and sees a jet, so she takes a picture of it. Then liquid metal pellets rain down on her, sticking to her and her truck. She flees for cover. When she returns home, the metal starts to reform over her skin, creating powerful armor. The military, of course, is not gonna just want that back, they are gonna want her dead…witnesses and all.

Moore did an excellent job with character development in this story. He takes the time to let us learn about Julie and her messed up life, which makes this out to be the beginnings of a nice origins story, I think. The interior artwork is black and white and I thought it was well done. Expressions in particular I noticed and liked. I also loved the inclusion of Einstein quotes. “Technological progress is like an axe in the hands of a pathological criminal.” They fit perfectly.

I can’t wait to read volume two!

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