The Bane Chronicles by Cassandra Clare
Five hundred seven glorious pages of everyone's favorite warlock, Magnus Bane. This is a collection of short stories that give you some more information about Magnus, but also ties into the Infernal Devices and Mortal Instruments series.
Magnus has led an interesting life. He spent a great deal of time in Peru before getting kicked out of the country for reasons I am still unclear on. He was instrumental in the debacle that was an attempt at Marie Antoinette, et al, escaping France during the revolution. Magnus is definitely a lover and not a fighter, but has friends in all walks of life: vampires, werewolves, warlocks, demons and Shadowhunters. He owned a speakeasy and has had a very interesting 300+ years on Earth.
This was definitely worth the read for me because Magnus is one of my favorite characters in both of the aforementioned series of books. I do hope he makes an appearance in both of Ms. Clare's upcoming series.
Wednesday, March 23, 2016
Friday, March 18, 2016
Creepy Novellas
The Asylum Novellas by Madeleine Roux
I saw this at the bookstore last weekend, and since I have read the three books in the trilogy and one of the novellas already, I had to have it.
This has novellas to accompany all three of the books in this trilogy. The Scarlets, which I read some months ago, gives some back story about the secret society mentioned in Sanctum. The Bone Artists gives some background on Oliver, who we meet in the book Catacombs, and gives a little insight into the group in the title. Finally, The Warden, while not about the warden himself, gives some background on his experiments, and goes with Asylum.
There are also excerpts from the books in the original trilogy, if you have not already read them. Since I only had to read two of the novellas, it was a fairly quick read. I think even if you read this cover to cover, it wouldn't take long to do. The stories are equally creepy, and I hope we see more in this series.
I saw this at the bookstore last weekend, and since I have read the three books in the trilogy and one of the novellas already, I had to have it.
This has novellas to accompany all three of the books in this trilogy. The Scarlets, which I read some months ago, gives some back story about the secret society mentioned in Sanctum. The Bone Artists gives some background on Oliver, who we meet in the book Catacombs, and gives a little insight into the group in the title. Finally, The Warden, while not about the warden himself, gives some background on his experiments, and goes with Asylum.
There are also excerpts from the books in the original trilogy, if you have not already read them. Since I only had to read two of the novellas, it was a fairly quick read. I think even if you read this cover to cover, it wouldn't take long to do. The stories are equally creepy, and I hope we see more in this series.
Thursday, March 17, 2016
A Ghostly Sequel
The Suffering by Rin Chupeco
One could argue that this was even better than its predecessor, The Girl in the Well. This book is told from Tarquin's perspective this time, instead of Okiku's. Okiku's spirit is still attached to Tark, and this makes dating a bit of a challenge, but that's ok because Tark is oblivious to the girl who likes him anyway.
It is approaching Spring Break, and Tark and his cousin, Callie, are heading to Japan to visit friends they have made there. One such friend, Kagura, is from the previous book. Not long before Callie and Tark arrive, Kagura goes missing while helping a ghost hunting team from America find a secret city. The problem with this city is that it is beyond haunted, and people tend to go there to kill themselves.
On the first day of looking for Kagura, Tark stumbles upon this city. While there, he is attacked by the spirits who inhabit the place, spirits of young girls who were sacrificed in their teens to appease the hell's gate. Tark finds Kagura, and together they find a way to free the spirits and close the gate. Unfortunately, Tark will have to lose something of himself in the process.
Like the predecessor, this book was slow to start, but once you hit the halfway mark, you won't want to put this down. I can't see a third book for this series, but I wouldn't be disappointed if one were to be released.
One could argue that this was even better than its predecessor, The Girl in the Well. This book is told from Tarquin's perspective this time, instead of Okiku's. Okiku's spirit is still attached to Tark, and this makes dating a bit of a challenge, but that's ok because Tark is oblivious to the girl who likes him anyway.
It is approaching Spring Break, and Tark and his cousin, Callie, are heading to Japan to visit friends they have made there. One such friend, Kagura, is from the previous book. Not long before Callie and Tark arrive, Kagura goes missing while helping a ghost hunting team from America find a secret city. The problem with this city is that it is beyond haunted, and people tend to go there to kill themselves.
On the first day of looking for Kagura, Tark stumbles upon this city. While there, he is attacked by the spirits who inhabit the place, spirits of young girls who were sacrificed in their teens to appease the hell's gate. Tark finds Kagura, and together they find a way to free the spirits and close the gate. Unfortunately, Tark will have to lose something of himself in the process.
Like the predecessor, this book was slow to start, but once you hit the halfway mark, you won't want to put this down. I can't see a third book for this series, but I wouldn't be disappointed if one were to be released.
Sunday, March 13, 2016
TAYSHAS 15
The Girl From the Well by Rin Chupeco
Some time ago, I decided that I was only going to read 15 TAYSHAS books this year, then I waffled a bit and said 21, and recently, my sanity returned where I decided 15 is a good number. It gets me a t-shirt and pizza for lunch one day. I'm content. And anyway, I have about 15 books stacked on my coffee table and in the pink room that are waiting to be read.
I was iffy about this book. When I was spending the gift cards I had way back in July, I saw this and almost bought it. I didn't because the cover looked a lot like the cover for the movie The Ring (there's a reason for that), and I just wasn't into it. I ultimately chose this as my final TAYSHAS book for this year because it was $8 at Target (even though I could read it for free on Overdrive. smh.).
This book is told from the perspective of a centuries old ghost. She was wronged and killed, and roams the Earth helping people, particularly children, make their way to Heaven. One day, she happens upon Tarquin, a tortured fifteen year old boy, who has a malevolent spirit following him.
Poor Tarquin hasn't exactly had it easy. He has grown up with just his father because his mother was in a mental facility for trying to kill Tark on multiple occasions. She also, allegedly, gave him several tattoos when he was a small child. It isn't until her death that he begins to understand why she treated him the way she did.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Callie. She is Tark's older cousin, who also sees spirits. She is the last family member to see Tark's mother alive, and she has received instructions, more or less, on how to release Tark from the evil spirit that plagues him.
Ultimately, Tark and Callie travel to a sacred part of Japan in an effort to lose these spirits.
Great book. A little on the weird side, but it was a good weird. I liked it enough that I bought the sequel, even though I was only halfway through at the time.
Some time ago, I decided that I was only going to read 15 TAYSHAS books this year, then I waffled a bit and said 21, and recently, my sanity returned where I decided 15 is a good number. It gets me a t-shirt and pizza for lunch one day. I'm content. And anyway, I have about 15 books stacked on my coffee table and in the pink room that are waiting to be read.
I was iffy about this book. When I was spending the gift cards I had way back in July, I saw this and almost bought it. I didn't because the cover looked a lot like the cover for the movie The Ring (there's a reason for that), and I just wasn't into it. I ultimately chose this as my final TAYSHAS book for this year because it was $8 at Target (even though I could read it for free on Overdrive. smh.).
This book is told from the perspective of a centuries old ghost. She was wronged and killed, and roams the Earth helping people, particularly children, make their way to Heaven. One day, she happens upon Tarquin, a tortured fifteen year old boy, who has a malevolent spirit following him.
Poor Tarquin hasn't exactly had it easy. He has grown up with just his father because his mother was in a mental facility for trying to kill Tark on multiple occasions. She also, allegedly, gave him several tattoos when he was a small child. It isn't until her death that he begins to understand why she treated him the way she did.
I would be remiss if I didn't mention Callie. She is Tark's older cousin, who also sees spirits. She is the last family member to see Tark's mother alive, and she has received instructions, more or less, on how to release Tark from the evil spirit that plagues him.
Ultimately, Tark and Callie travel to a sacred part of Japan in an effort to lose these spirits.
Great book. A little on the weird side, but it was a good weird. I liked it enough that I bought the sequel, even though I was only halfway through at the time.
Tuesday, March 8, 2016
A Friendly Recommendation
God Help the Child by Toni Morrison
A couple of weeks ago, sitting in a classroom, waiting for our Pre-AP/AP "we need to make sure we have rigor" meeting to start, my teaching partner asked if anyone was reading anything good. I kept my mouth shut because everyone knows how much I read, and there's no need to flaunt it unless absolutely directed to me. One of the teachers on the AP Lit team mentioned she was reading this, and said it was good. While she was telling us about it, I ordered it from Amazon. I'm not one to pass up a good book.
Toni Morrison is an author I have been meaning to read for a while. I know that she is a premier American author, if you will, and that her work is worthwhile. Now I know what all the fuss is about, and can't wait to read some of her other works.
While this book is mostly Bride's story, we do see snippets from her mother, Sweetness, her "best friend," Brooklyn, a woman she helped wrongly convict, a girl she met when she was injured, and her boyfriend, Booker.
Bride is a broken soul, but it isn't her fault. When she was born, her mother freaked out because her skin was so, so dark. Her mother wasn't much of a mother because she was repulsed by Bride's skin color, and Bride didn't receive the love that children are entitled to from their parents. In Bride's case, her brokenness propels her in life: she is beautiful and successful. I would have liked to have seen more of Sweetness' story, as I feel there had to be more to her repulsion that Bride's skin color.
A series of unfortunate events occur, and Bride has to find herself. In the process, in her own mind, everything that makes her a woman is rapidly taken away from her. When she finds her true self again, those things return.
No real complaints with this one. Like I said, I would've liked more of Sweetness' story, but this was just fine as is.
A couple of weeks ago, sitting in a classroom, waiting for our Pre-AP/AP "we need to make sure we have rigor" meeting to start, my teaching partner asked if anyone was reading anything good. I kept my mouth shut because everyone knows how much I read, and there's no need to flaunt it unless absolutely directed to me. One of the teachers on the AP Lit team mentioned she was reading this, and said it was good. While she was telling us about it, I ordered it from Amazon. I'm not one to pass up a good book.
Toni Morrison is an author I have been meaning to read for a while. I know that she is a premier American author, if you will, and that her work is worthwhile. Now I know what all the fuss is about, and can't wait to read some of her other works.
While this book is mostly Bride's story, we do see snippets from her mother, Sweetness, her "best friend," Brooklyn, a woman she helped wrongly convict, a girl she met when she was injured, and her boyfriend, Booker.
Bride is a broken soul, but it isn't her fault. When she was born, her mother freaked out because her skin was so, so dark. Her mother wasn't much of a mother because she was repulsed by Bride's skin color, and Bride didn't receive the love that children are entitled to from their parents. In Bride's case, her brokenness propels her in life: she is beautiful and successful. I would have liked to have seen more of Sweetness' story, as I feel there had to be more to her repulsion that Bride's skin color.
A series of unfortunate events occur, and Bride has to find herself. In the process, in her own mind, everything that makes her a woman is rapidly taken away from her. When she finds her true self again, those things return.
No real complaints with this one. Like I said, I would've liked more of Sweetness' story, but this was just fine as is.
Sunday, March 6, 2016
TAYSHAS 14
Tommy: The Gun That Changed America by Karen Blumenthal
This is not something I would typically choose for myself to read, but it came with rave reviews from my school librarian and the copy room secretary. Based on both of them, I knew I had to check this out.
The beginning of the book focuses on the origins of the gun itself, how it is an incarnation of the Gatling gun. It also discusses the creator, John Thompson, and how his fondest wish was to create a gun for the US Military. Unfortunately for him, that didn't really happen until just before his death.
A large portion of the book dealt with how the Tommy gun was used by criminals. Al Capone, Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson, and John Dillinger's escapades are all mentioned. Admittedly, this was the most interesting section of the book.
Lastly, this book dealt with gun legislation. What I liked about this section is that it was unbiased. The author never said which side of the controversy she was on, and I think this was a good thing so that it wouldn't alienate readers.
Overall, this was a pretty interesting read.
This is not something I would typically choose for myself to read, but it came with rave reviews from my school librarian and the copy room secretary. Based on both of them, I knew I had to check this out.
The beginning of the book focuses on the origins of the gun itself, how it is an incarnation of the Gatling gun. It also discusses the creator, John Thompson, and how his fondest wish was to create a gun for the US Military. Unfortunately for him, that didn't really happen until just before his death.
A large portion of the book dealt with how the Tommy gun was used by criminals. Al Capone, Pretty Boy Floyd, Baby Face Nelson, and John Dillinger's escapades are all mentioned. Admittedly, this was the most interesting section of the book.
Lastly, this book dealt with gun legislation. What I liked about this section is that it was unbiased. The author never said which side of the controversy she was on, and I think this was a good thing so that it wouldn't alienate readers.
Overall, this was a pretty interesting read.
Saturday, March 5, 2016
The Person Left Behind
I Was Here by Gayle Forman
Having read other books by this author, I felt this would probably be a good read, and I was right.thin
Cody's best friend, Meg, recently killed herself. She was meticulous in her preparations. She got a hotel room, left a note and a good tip for the maid, sent an email to her parent and best friend that would be delayed until after she was gone, emailed the police to tell them where to find her body, and then swallowed a very poisonous chemical. Cody is asked by Meg's parents to go to her college and pack up Meg's things, and Meg's meticulousness continues there.
While packing up Meg's room, Cody meets a guy that Meg had a one night stand with, and Cody seems to think he is connected to her suicide somehow. He's not, but it leads Cody to find out all she can about why her best friend, the person she thought she knew so well, took her own life.
Cody enlists the help of one of Meg's roommates to help her with the technical aspects of her search. She sets herself up as prey on the same site that Meg went to when she was thinking of "catching the bus." Cody needs to do this to find closure, to know that the rift that started to form shortly before Meg's death wasn't the cause of her suicide.
I enjoyed this book, not for the fact that it was about suicide, obviously, but because this seems like a real reaction from someone left behind after a loved one's suicide. It touched me.
Having read other books by this author, I felt this would probably be a good read, and I was right.thin
Cody's best friend, Meg, recently killed herself. She was meticulous in her preparations. She got a hotel room, left a note and a good tip for the maid, sent an email to her parent and best friend that would be delayed until after she was gone, emailed the police to tell them where to find her body, and then swallowed a very poisonous chemical. Cody is asked by Meg's parents to go to her college and pack up Meg's things, and Meg's meticulousness continues there.
While packing up Meg's room, Cody meets a guy that Meg had a one night stand with, and Cody seems to think he is connected to her suicide somehow. He's not, but it leads Cody to find out all she can about why her best friend, the person she thought she knew so well, took her own life.
Cody enlists the help of one of Meg's roommates to help her with the technical aspects of her search. She sets herself up as prey on the same site that Meg went to when she was thinking of "catching the bus." Cody needs to do this to find closure, to know that the rift that started to form shortly before Meg's death wasn't the cause of her suicide.
I enjoyed this book, not for the fact that it was about suicide, obviously, but because this seems like a real reaction from someone left behind after a loved one's suicide. It touched me.
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
TAYSHAS 13
There Will Be Lies by Nick Lake
I'll be honest, for the first half of this book, I had to force myself to read this. It was frustrating because the synopsis/blurb thing made it sound so promising, so good. And once I hit the halfway mark, it was.
Shelby is almost eighteen. She lives with her mother, is homeschooled, enjoys batting, and having ice cream for dinner on Fridays. One Friday, she is hit by a car, and her life is turned upside down. She goes on a road trip with her mother, but it is not the fun kind of road trip. No, this is one where they are running from Shelby's father because he is abusive. Or are they?
Additionally, we follow Shelby as she goes to the Dreaming, an alternate universe, if you will, that has to do with Native American lore. Until the end, I was bored out of my mind reading these parts, which is part of why this book was hard for me to work through.
I'll be honest, for the first half of this book, I had to force myself to read this. It was frustrating because the synopsis/blurb thing made it sound so promising, so good. And once I hit the halfway mark, it was.
Shelby is almost eighteen. She lives with her mother, is homeschooled, enjoys batting, and having ice cream for dinner on Fridays. One Friday, she is hit by a car, and her life is turned upside down. She goes on a road trip with her mother, but it is not the fun kind of road trip. No, this is one where they are running from Shelby's father because he is abusive. Or are they?
Additionally, we follow Shelby as she goes to the Dreaming, an alternate universe, if you will, that has to do with Native American lore. Until the end, I was bored out of my mind reading these parts, which is part of why this book was hard for me to work through.
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