A Wrinkle in Time

Title: A Wrinkle in Time
Author: Madeline L'Engle
Genre: Children Lit
Published: 1962

Recommendation: Better appeal to teens than adults.
Rating: 7/10

Summary: Meg and Charles Wallace are very close as brother and sister. Their father has been missing for over a year and they haven't heard from him. Then Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which appear and take the children along with their friend Calvin on the adventure to find the missing father.

Reactions: A Wrinkle in Time is a classic children novel that I have heard mentioned many times, but have never had a chance to read before. Partially, I wish I had read it earlier because of it's teenage themes of fitting in and finding oneself that probably resonate better with the younger audience. As an adult I found Meg's overly quick friendship with Calvin surprising and Meg's angst over her appearance overly dramatized.

The plot is fairly simplistic as befits a children's book and the ending I found to be a little anti-climatic. Still it's cute and warm in it's own fashion and has that "everything will be ok feel" towards the end. However, I didn't find myself getting particularly warmed up to the characters in the book. Charles Wallace acts too old for his age, Meg is much too angsty, and Calvin barely has any role besides raising Meg's self-esteem.

Overall, I didn't end up enjoying the book as much as I hoped to, partially perhaps because of it's outdated feel and somewhat moralistic overtones. But it was good to get acquainted with children classic lit and I do think it would still be an interesting read for someone of a more suitable age.

Cryoburn

Title: Cryoburn
Author: Lois McMaster Bujold
Series: Miles Vorkosigan
Genre: Science fiction
Published: 2010

Recommendation: A fun and touching adventure with Miles & co. taking on the world.
Rating: 7.5/10

Summary: Miles and Roic are attending a conference on cryo-revival in Kibou-daini. The conference is disrupted by armed protesters who kidnap some of the attendees. Miles escapes the attack but gets lost in the city's catacombs as a result. Eventually he is helped by a street boy whose mother is the key to the mysteries of CryoCorps politics.

Reactions: Having read all Miles Vorkosigan novels in one summer many years ago, I didn't remember much beyond the basic premises of the books and my sheer enjoyment of the novels back then. I eagerly picked up the latest book in the series.

There are several other recurring characters in the book besides Miles. There's his Armsman Roic, clone brother Mark, and Lisa Koudelka. However, most of the book is spent with Miles investigating CryoCorps and getting away with rather crazy plans. The plot is not too intricate, but it's well-paced and entertaining throughout.

Cryoburn barely requires having read previous books in the series, except for a few references to the past and for a better understanding of relationships between characters. I think some of the earlier books were better, but one could certainly jump into the series at this point if so desired. I would recommend starting with Shards of Honor though.

The book is not particularly deep, but it's a fun one. I enjoyed the mayhem around Miles as well as the younger characters of the novel. My book also came with a CD containing an e-book version, which came particularly handy as I started reading the paper copy but switched to the e-book version when I left for my vacation. It seems very generous to release the ebook version for free (the note on the CD states that the book can be shared) and I would be very excited to see more authors doing this.

October Recap

Happy Halloween, everyone! Well, I am late with that, but better late than never. I didn't end up reading any horror this month, but I did see lots of fun costumes on Sunday. I think my favorite was a group of people dressed up as plants and zombies from "Plants vs Zombies" game. If you haven't played it yet, then I totally recommend you download it now and clear the rest of your day :)

As to the reading, I am falling behind my reading goal. Only 3 books this month. I do go on a vacation in a week, so perhaps my reading will pick up then.

Reading

Books Read: 3

1. An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon
2. The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys by Chris Fuhrman
3. The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett

Favorite book: An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon

The Magicians and Mrs. Quent

Title: The Magicians and Mrs. Quent
Author: Galen Beckett
Genre: Fantasy
Published: 2008

Recommendation: For those who like Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte and magical fantasy novels.
Rating: 7.5/10

Summary: Ivy, Rose, and Lily are three Lockwell sisters living in Victorian-esque alternative universe with their mother. Their father is turned mad while practicing magic and now is taken care of by the family which is struggling to make the ends meet. Mr. Rafferdy and Mr. Garrit are friends from different walks in life who will find out more about magic than they expect.

Reactions: Overall this novel was a pretty good mix of Victorian romance and fantasy. The Victorian setting comes through from the first page in manners, setting descriptions, and the writing style. Charlotte Bronte was a rather obvious inspiration as part of the book's plot greatly resembles Jane Eyre. The major differences are the modern prose and a more likable heroine. Fortunately, despite the resemblance, there is still a large part of the plot that is quite different.

There are also plenty of witty dialogues, family relations, and society scenarios explored during the book. Those who look strictly for action, may not find this the most enjoyable novel (nor would I recommend any Victorian novels to action-seekers). However, this is not to say that the plot dragged on. I found myself reading the book quickly and sometimes late into the night. The ending tied some lose ends, but clearly this is meant to be a part of a longer series as many questions remain unanswered at the end.

Overall, I enjoyed the reading experience and I think I would consider picking up the next book of the series and seeing where the characters will go. I have certainly discovered an interesting new author in Galen Beckett.

The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys

Title: The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys
Author: Chris Fuhrman
Genre: Fiction
Published: 1994

Recommendation: A rather adult-themed YA fiction novel, well written, but not for everyone.
Rating: 7.5/10

Summary: Francis is a 13-year old boy in 1970s who goes to a Catholic school in Savannah. The book is a story about him and his friends going to school, getting into trouble and growing up.

Reactions: I spent some time trying to decide who is the intended audience of this book. A book full of 13-year olds suggests YA, but the themes present in the book are rather adult and in some ways it seems more of a reminiscence type story.

In some ways this was a fascinating book due to its exposition of life in Savannah in 1970s. The typical life of a family in that time, the religiousness, the racial politics of that time are all present on the sidelines of the book and paint a vivid picture.

At the same time I had trouble connecting to the characters of the book, most of them being adolescent boys. The only girl in the book was probably the hardest to relate to, actually. Also in spite of the upbeat tone of the book, the events of the book often conveyed a rather depressing feeling. Francis drinks non-stop, gets beaten by his father with and without cause, and deals with some rather unpleasant facets of life.

Overall, I did enjoy the reading and I can see how someone whose childhood resonates more with the characters' could really like the book. I did find some of the more adult things that happen in the book a bit disturbing and I think enjoyed it less overall for the lack of a personal connection to the events. Still very well written and I would recommend it to those who can connect to teen boys better than I can.

An Echo in the Bone

Title: An Echo in the Bone
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Series: Outlander, book 7
Genre: Historical fiction
Published: 2009

Recommendation: A worthy successor to the series for those who enjoyed the books so far.
Rating: 8/10

Summary: American Revolution has started. Jaime and Claire head to Scotland to pick up Jaime's printing press, but their trip there is more dangerous than they expect. Roger and Brianna are back in the 1900s trying to re-establish their lives. The book also follows William, fighting on the British side of the revolution.

Reactions: I bought this book shortly after it came out. Diana Gabaldon was on a post-release tour and came to my town, telling stories about her characters and reading an excerpt from the book. It was a good author event, though I felt conspicuously 30 years younger than the average fan in the room. When I finally decided to tackle the 800-page hard-cover, I found that my tome says "2 Maria" and that was a nice touch.

I was also somewhat prepared to lower my expectations for this book. The previous novel tied off a lot of loose ends and I saw a number of reviews complaining that not enough of the story was focused on Jamie and Claire. To my relief, I found the book format worked very well for my tastes. The story indeed switched between 3 narratives: Jamie and Claire's, Roger and Brianna's, and William's. However, the large portions of the book still followed Claire, and even the parts that didn't were pretty interesting and tied into the rest of the book quite well.

The book also suited my mood quite well. I picked it up just prior to a camping trip, which made me reflect on the conditions of life in the 1700s and just tied into the rustic feeling very well. As in many other Outlander books, there's plenty of tone-setting and descriptions of the historical events, but at the same time the plot flowed quite well and I spent more than one night reading late.

To sum it up, I suggest the fans of the series should definitely give this book a go. The only downside is that now we have another 3 year wait for the next sequel to come out.

September Recap

In a blink of an eye, September is over. I actually read quite a bit this month, but didn't get a chance to write my review for An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon, which I have been reading for the past few weeks and finished yesterday.

I've also bought a couple of new books to boost my dwindling reading pile. The first purchase is Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys by Chris Fuhrman, which was recommended to me in the comments on this blog. The other one is The Magicians and Mrs. Quent by Galen Beckett which I bought based on a positive review.

Since I didn't write the review yet, the latest book will go into October counts, but for September we have:

Reading

Books read: 2

1. Against a Dark Background by Iain M. Banks
2. Food Rules by Michael Pollan

Favorite book: Against a Dark Background by Iain M. Banks