- Infinite Jest
- A Walk to Remember
- Gone Girl
- Kindred
- The Bad Beginning
- Paper Towns
- Gilead
- Fight Club
Thursday, September 10, 2015
BookBub's 13 to ReRead
I think I'm going to take this advice. I've reread Pride & Prejudice enough to wear out two copies. But some of these, I've not read at all! My new top priorities are:
Monday, September 7, 2015
Preordering eBooks, One of My Favorite Things
I read a lot. It's not uncommon for me to read two books during the week and another two books over the weekend. That leads to owning more books than a sane person with access to a library needs to have.
I started buying ebooks instead.
This was surprisingly a very difficult decision. Print books smell so good. New, old. The smell of books is wonderful. There is something about surrounding yourself with books you've read that's comforting. Like being surrounding by old friends. Printed books also take up a lot of room. Electronic books don't smell. You can't surround yourself with them. There's also the publishing industry issues surrounding ebooks. There have been multiple issues with authors not getting the same royalties from their ebooks as they do their printed versions. Amazon was dropping prices on their ebooks so much that other retailers and the publishers took actions against Amazon. Publishers, and brick and mortor stores have experienced a drop in sales of printed books. Some brick and mortor stores have closed their doors since the ebook has taken hold. As a lover of books, I wanted to support my local businesses but at the same time ebooks take up no room at all.
I learned that I could borrow ebooks from my library system. My hubby found out that I could order ebooks through my local stores too, giving them the sale instead of some other chain retailer. Then I discovered the Gutenburg Project. The project takes out of print books in the public domain and converts them into ebooks. For a former English major who's favorite drug is reading, this was an amazing find. If you've not explored the Gutenburg Project, go explore.
I bought a nook. I started reading ebooks nearly exclusively. I joined Earlybird and found new authors. I bought the hubby a nook. I started reading on my smart phone using a nook app. My nook got old, I bought a new nook. I love ebooks.
But what I love the most, pre-ordering.
Do you have a favorite author? Favorite book series? You can pre-order those books you just cannot wait to read. On the release date, they just appear in your library. And if you're like me, you sometimes forget you pre-ordered. Then it's a surprise when you find them waiting for you to read. Pre-ordering print books is always an option, but then you have shipping time to consider. Why wait for the shipping to arrive when you can have the ebook in your library at 12:01am on the release date?
Preordering. Do it. Death Wish by Angela Roquet is my next pre-order. Come on October 6! Until then, I'm taking advantage of Net Galley, staring with The Determined Heart: The Tale of Mary Shelley and Her Frankenstein by Antoinette May.
I started buying ebooks instead.
This was surprisingly a very difficult decision. Print books smell so good. New, old. The smell of books is wonderful. There is something about surrounding yourself with books you've read that's comforting. Like being surrounding by old friends. Printed books also take up a lot of room. Electronic books don't smell. You can't surround yourself with them. There's also the publishing industry issues surrounding ebooks. There have been multiple issues with authors not getting the same royalties from their ebooks as they do their printed versions. Amazon was dropping prices on their ebooks so much that other retailers and the publishers took actions against Amazon. Publishers, and brick and mortor stores have experienced a drop in sales of printed books. Some brick and mortor stores have closed their doors since the ebook has taken hold. As a lover of books, I wanted to support my local businesses but at the same time ebooks take up no room at all.
I learned that I could borrow ebooks from my library system. My hubby found out that I could order ebooks through my local stores too, giving them the sale instead of some other chain retailer. Then I discovered the Gutenburg Project. The project takes out of print books in the public domain and converts them into ebooks. For a former English major who's favorite drug is reading, this was an amazing find. If you've not explored the Gutenburg Project, go explore.
I bought a nook. I started reading ebooks nearly exclusively. I joined Earlybird and found new authors. I bought the hubby a nook. I started reading on my smart phone using a nook app. My nook got old, I bought a new nook. I love ebooks.
But what I love the most, pre-ordering.
Do you have a favorite author? Favorite book series? You can pre-order those books you just cannot wait to read. On the release date, they just appear in your library. And if you're like me, you sometimes forget you pre-ordered. Then it's a surprise when you find them waiting for you to read. Pre-ordering print books is always an option, but then you have shipping time to consider. Why wait for the shipping to arrive when you can have the ebook in your library at 12:01am on the release date?
Preordering. Do it. Death Wish by Angela Roquet is my next pre-order. Come on October 6! Until then, I'm taking advantage of Net Galley, staring with The Determined Heart: The Tale of Mary Shelley and Her Frankenstein by Antoinette May.
Sunday, September 6, 2015
The Boy Who Granted Dreams by Luca Di Fulvio
This book was my first freelance copy editor manuscript from Bastei Lübbe, a German publishing company who is increasing their English language catalog.
I did not know what to expect when I received it. When I started reading it, I quickly realized it wasn't something I would have picked out for myself. I typically read urban fantasy, in all it's variations. The Boy Who Granted Dreams is historical fiction. It's the story of a young girl, Cetta, who is becoming a young woman in a farming community in 1920's Italy. The girls family is poor and leaves Italy for America with her son, Natale.
As the story brings the readers to America, the story begins to flash forward and back as the story moves from the view point of the mother to that of her son. Both Cetta and Natale have good and bad experiences, do good and bad things. But ultimately this book is the story of what people do for love, power, and money. I don't want to say too much about the plot itself as I really feel that this story should reveal itself as the author presents it.
The author, Luca Di Fulvio, presents a very well written novel. Characters have distinct voices and are interesting. Transitions are not confusing or jarring to the reader. The setting of the story only adds to the interest for the reader. The 1920's and 1930's have long been a glamorized era for Americans with it's speakeasies, radio shows, flashy cars, and picture shows. The one issue I have with the story overall is the repeated sexual assaults that occur. I found it difficult to read those paragraphs. That said, I do not feel the novel would benefit from the removal or changing of those scenes.
In the end, I would recommend this book. I think readers of historical fiction would particularly enjoy this read. I would also encourage exploration of Luca's other works -- most of which are in Italian.
The Boy Who Granted Dreams is available from a variety of retailers.
I did not know what to expect when I received it. When I started reading it, I quickly realized it wasn't something I would have picked out for myself. I typically read urban fantasy, in all it's variations. The Boy Who Granted Dreams is historical fiction. It's the story of a young girl, Cetta, who is becoming a young woman in a farming community in 1920's Italy. The girls family is poor and leaves Italy for America with her son, Natale.
As the story brings the readers to America, the story begins to flash forward and back as the story moves from the view point of the mother to that of her son. Both Cetta and Natale have good and bad experiences, do good and bad things. But ultimately this book is the story of what people do for love, power, and money. I don't want to say too much about the plot itself as I really feel that this story should reveal itself as the author presents it.
The author, Luca Di Fulvio, presents a very well written novel. Characters have distinct voices and are interesting. Transitions are not confusing or jarring to the reader. The setting of the story only adds to the interest for the reader. The 1920's and 1930's have long been a glamorized era for Americans with it's speakeasies, radio shows, flashy cars, and picture shows. The one issue I have with the story overall is the repeated sexual assaults that occur. I found it difficult to read those paragraphs. That said, I do not feel the novel would benefit from the removal or changing of those scenes.
In the end, I would recommend this book. I think readers of historical fiction would particularly enjoy this read. I would also encourage exploration of Luca's other works -- most of which are in Italian.
The Boy Who Granted Dreams is available from a variety of retailers.
Saturday, September 5, 2015
Net Galley
In the book industry, it is common practice to release a small number of books early to reviewers, bookstores, and other groups in an attempt to build hype for the book before it releases. These early printed books are referred to as gallies. I recently joined an online site that provides ebook gallies thanks to my freelancing and this poor neglected blog. Net Galley offers ebooks from over a dozen publishers including Simon & Schuster, Penguin, and Hatchett.
Using the site is fairly easy as is downloading the books to your eReader. I typically download the eBooks directly to my Kindle app, which is ironically on a Samsung nook. However, my husband uses Aldiko. It does require some feedback from users on the books they use. You can give feedback on cover art (thumbs up or down), what made you interested in the book (cover, heard about it, the description), and/or write a review. There is also the ability to link a blog review instead of entering a new one, should the user have a blog where books are discussed. If you work within the book or publishing industry, I would recommend checking the site out.
Why am I sharing all this? I will be discussing those books here from time to time, obviously. Stay tuned!
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Arrow Trade Paperback
As with any anthology, you get a mixed bag with contributors of various skills. This collection, however is too little of the good and too much of the bad.
All of the stories in this collection are stand alone 8 page tales. It comes as no surprise that the best stories are by Mike Grell, author of Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters and 80 issues (plus 2 Annuals) of the monthly comic between February 1988 through November 1993.
The worst of the stories simply rehash events disclosed in the TV. Much like the inaccurately named BEFORE WATCHMEN, these tales simply show stories we already know from the point of view of different characters or dramatizing stories that were told concisely by characters and didn't need to be shown in an 8-page comic.
The problem with the good stories is that at 8-pages, they are to shallow to really enjoy. What you get is the hint of a good story, then it is done. I think that the reader would have been better served if these stories were expanded and then released 8 pages at a time. With any luck, once the series is over, DC will continue the series in comic book form, much like they have done with Smallville.
Instead of spending money on this collection, I would recommend purchasing the Green Arrow comics by Mike Grell, including the rerelease of Longbow Hunters, as these greatly influenced the look and feel of the current TV show. I would also recommend reading Green Arrow: Year One by Andy Diggle and Jock, which has a new cover to tie it in with the show.
All of the stories in this collection are stand alone 8 page tales. It comes as no surprise that the best stories are by Mike Grell, author of Green Arrow: The Longbow Hunters and 80 issues (plus 2 Annuals) of the monthly comic between February 1988 through November 1993.
The worst of the stories simply rehash events disclosed in the TV. Much like the inaccurately named BEFORE WATCHMEN, these tales simply show stories we already know from the point of view of different characters or dramatizing stories that were told concisely by characters and didn't need to be shown in an 8-page comic.
The problem with the good stories is that at 8-pages, they are to shallow to really enjoy. What you get is the hint of a good story, then it is done. I think that the reader would have been better served if these stories were expanded and then released 8 pages at a time. With any luck, once the series is over, DC will continue the series in comic book form, much like they have done with Smallville.
Instead of spending money on this collection, I would recommend purchasing the Green Arrow comics by Mike Grell, including the rerelease of Longbow Hunters, as these greatly influenced the look and feel of the current TV show. I would also recommend reading Green Arrow: Year One by Andy Diggle and Jock, which has a new cover to tie it in with the show.
Review of Shazam Graphic Novel by DC Comics
First some disclosure. I am not a fan of the New 52 at DC. I think for the most part they are stripping away the heroic aspects of some of the greatest super-heroes the world has known. I approached this collection with some trepidation, Shazam (Captain Marvel) was one of my first super-heroes. I watched the Shazam! tv show every Saturday from September 7, 1974 through October 6, 1976. I loved Billy Batson traveling with his teacher Mentor. (Side note, why was Mentor never brought to the comics? It seems like this character from Greek mythology would fit in as a teacher to the fledgling Shazam). I read the comics published by DC in the 1970's and I was drawn to the character because it was about a young boy who transformed into a god-like man but remained Billy Batson.
Billy was a homeless boy who was chosen by the wizard Shazam to possess the power of gods (Solomon, Hercules, Atlas, Zeus, Achilles, Mercury). But through it all, Billy was a good person. His homelessness, the loss of his parents, the power given to him, none of that changed the fact that Billy was pure of heart. A rare trait yes, but not fictional.
Then comes the New 52. Here Billy is an awful brat who scams his way into a foster home (Geoff Johns apparently has now idea how the foster system works, by the way). He is a rotten kid who we are told has the potential for good. I actually almost gave up on the book at this point.
I'm glad I didn't. Despite the rocky start the book really picks up once the villain Black Adam is introduced. Geoff Johns may not know about the foster care system, but he does know about comics. When faced with the adversity of Black Adam, the good kid Billy that I used to admire appeared on the pages. Additionally, Johns brings in characters like Dr. Shivana, Tawky Tawny, the Seven Deadly Sins, Ibac, and...well I won't give away the ending. Also introduced are Mary Marvel, Captain Marvel Jr. and the Lieutenant Marvels*, although none of them are actually called this.
As i said, I started out hating what Johns did with this character, and honestly, the book does not start out well. But I promise you, stick with it and it pays off in the end. I hope that DC shows some wisdom and continues the stories introduced here. If this is your first experience with Shazam, I urge you to seek out some of the older Shazam stories (particularly The Power of Shazam series by Jerry Ordway. Unfortunately, this series has never been collected in a trade paper format, which is criminal.
*When he was originally created in 1939, it was suggested by the creators that Captain Marvel have six Lieutenant Marvels, each possessing an aspect of SHAZAM. This idea did not see print but in 1941 three Lieutenant Marvels were introduced, each possessing the same powers as Captain Marvel. In this story Billy shares his powers with his foster siblings. Each seems to also possess unique powers but it is not clear if these powers are related to the characteristics of the anagram Shazam.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
Dynamite Comics Masks Volume 1
Let me start with a quick disclaimer. The target audience for this book is me. For years I have been a fan of Golden Age radio shows like The Shadow and The Green Hornet, pulp novels like The Shadow and The Spider, and Zorro, as well as movie serials featuring masked heroes, many whom are found in this graphic novel.
Dynamite has done a wonderful job of tying these various characters into a single story line without overburdening the reader with origins, hero vs. hero fights or contrived ways to tie all the heroes together. Instead, we are treated to different heroes teaming up in smaller groups to fight a common enemy.
The action begins in 1030's New York where the Green Hornet has perused a Chicago mobster to New York. Soon the Green Hornet and Kato are teaming up with The Shadow and The Spider to combat the plans of the newly elected mayor. It seems he has begun recruiting low to mid level gangsters onto the police department and begins making tyrannical laws that leave the citizens of the Big Apple defenseless against the machinations of the mystery man behind the mayor.
Elsewhere, Rafael Vega a descendant of Don Diego de la Vega aka Zorro is arrested while trying to find work as an illustrator, he is defended by Tony Quinn. In the only origin stories in the book we see how Quinn is blinded by battery acid while helping Vega escape an execution only to discover he can still see in the dark, Donning a costume he becomes the Black Bat. Vega similarly takes advantage of a masquerade shop to resurrect his his ancestors persona of Zorro.
Finally, we have another pairing of Jethro Dumont, publicly known as the criminologist and Tibetan Buddhist The Green Lama with Marla Drake, one of the earliest female super-heroes know as Miss Fury. Later the team is completed with the super strong and invulnerable Black Terror.
While many of these characters may be unfamiliar to today's audience they became the inspiration for almost every super-hero making his or her way to the big screen these days. The artwork in this book is amazing, the writing is first rate and the story has more than a few overtones of modern America with news stories of private military companies operating in the U.S. outside the law (e.g. Blackwater in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina or the overreaching surveillance being conducted by private firms).
If you are not familiar with these characters, or you want to read more of their solo adventures, Dynamite has (or had) solo adventures of all the characters excluding the Green Lama. Readers may also want to read the Project Superpowers by Dynamite to get a better grounding in the many public domain super-heroes the company has resurrected under the creative guidance of artist Alex Ross.
While this may not be familiar territory for every reader, the limited and self-contained nature of the story keeps it accessible for those who are new to these heroes and makes a great love note to fans of the Golden Age like myself.
I give Masks, Volume 1, 4 out of 5 stars.
Dynamite has done a wonderful job of tying these various characters into a single story line without overburdening the reader with origins, hero vs. hero fights or contrived ways to tie all the heroes together. Instead, we are treated to different heroes teaming up in smaller groups to fight a common enemy.
The action begins in 1030's New York where the Green Hornet has perused a Chicago mobster to New York. Soon the Green Hornet and Kato are teaming up with The Shadow and The Spider to combat the plans of the newly elected mayor. It seems he has begun recruiting low to mid level gangsters onto the police department and begins making tyrannical laws that leave the citizens of the Big Apple defenseless against the machinations of the mystery man behind the mayor.
Elsewhere, Rafael Vega a descendant of Don Diego de la Vega aka Zorro is arrested while trying to find work as an illustrator, he is defended by Tony Quinn. In the only origin stories in the book we see how Quinn is blinded by battery acid while helping Vega escape an execution only to discover he can still see in the dark, Donning a costume he becomes the Black Bat. Vega similarly takes advantage of a masquerade shop to resurrect his his ancestors persona of Zorro.
Finally, we have another pairing of Jethro Dumont, publicly known as the criminologist and Tibetan Buddhist The Green Lama with Marla Drake, one of the earliest female super-heroes know as Miss Fury. Later the team is completed with the super strong and invulnerable Black Terror.
While many of these characters may be unfamiliar to today's audience they became the inspiration for almost every super-hero making his or her way to the big screen these days. The artwork in this book is amazing, the writing is first rate and the story has more than a few overtones of modern America with news stories of private military companies operating in the U.S. outside the law (e.g. Blackwater in New Orleans after hurricane Katrina or the overreaching surveillance being conducted by private firms).
If you are not familiar with these characters, or you want to read more of their solo adventures, Dynamite has (or had) solo adventures of all the characters excluding the Green Lama. Readers may also want to read the Project Superpowers by Dynamite to get a better grounding in the many public domain super-heroes the company has resurrected under the creative guidance of artist Alex Ross.
While this may not be familiar territory for every reader, the limited and self-contained nature of the story keeps it accessible for those who are new to these heroes and makes a great love note to fans of the Golden Age like myself.
I give Masks, Volume 1, 4 out of 5 stars.
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