Book Club Selections

May: Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh; Discussion Date: 05/28/12
June: God's War by Kameron Hurley; Discussion Date: 06/27/12
July: Among Others by Jo Walton; Discussion Date: 7/23/12

All discussion dates are subject to change.

You can find Calico Reaction all over the internet! Just take a look:

1) WordPress
2) Goodreads
3) Facebook
4) LibraryThing
5) Paperback Swap

FAVOR!! When I review a book you've read and reviewed yourself, would you kindly provide a link to your review in the comments of mine? I love seeing what others think, and sometimes I see those reviews when they're originally posted, but don't read them as I don't want to spoil myself on something I know I'll read in the future. The problem, then, is I often forget to go back and read the reviews I missed! So please, if you've reviewed something I'm reviewing, shoot a link my way. :)

Challenges

THEME PARK: Want to receive a monthly notification for what's happening in the 2012 book club? Details are here.

Mount TBR Challenge: Here's my goal for 2012: 25 books. Want to sign up? Click here.

Got a reading challenge you'd like to promote? Please comment. You may also comment to promote giveaways, but those links will be posted on my Facebook page.

This Week

Monday: Goliath by Scott Westerfeld
Tuesday:
Wednesday: A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison
Thursday:
Friday:

Currently Reading: A Fistful of Charms by Kim Harrison

2012 Reading Total: 44 books, 1 DNF, 9 short stories

2012 Comics Total: 230 comics

Fables: Deluxe Edition: Book 4 (2012)
Written by: Bill Willingham
Illustrated by: Various
Genre: Graphic Novel
Pages: 296 pages

Why I Read It: Finally caught on on Fables. Not with the series itself, mind you, but with the hardcovers that have been released to date. Which is a refreshing thing, though I wish the hardcovers would come out faster, so that I wouldn't be SO FAR BEHIND in this series. Oh well, I guess I'll find other methods to satisfy my craving for modern-day fairy tales. But first, a review of deluxe edition #4, which is an odd little collection…

The premise: ganked form BN.com: Bill Willingham's hit series FABLES continues here, as issues #28-33 are collected for the first time in hardcover, along with the original graphic novel FABLES: 1001 NIGHTS OF SNOWFALL.

Spoilers, yay or nay?: Yay. As stated above, this collection binds issues #28-33 along with the graphic novel 1001 Nights of Snowfall, so if you aren't caught up to that, skip to "My Rating." Everyone else, onward!

( FABLES, BOOK 4: spoilers )

My Rating: Good Read

It's probably the most choppy of the volumes, but it's still utterly fascinating. I wish Mean Seasons had been fleshed out more, but all the bits of history we get in 1001 Night of Snowfall more than made up for it. I'm ready and willing to continue reading, partially because the comic series itself over 100 issues long and I can't help but wonder how all the stories develop. Looking forward to Deluxe Edition #5 in June, but I'll let my hubby read it first, so he won't get grumpy. At any rate, reading Fables has sparked a renew interest in fairy tale stories, so guess who's downloading episodes of Once Upon a Time to watch? Yep, you guessed it, that's me! The good news is that I'll get to compare fully, and that will be fun. At any rate, fans of fairy tales really need to start reading this comic book series if they aren't already. Read in order, be it the hardcovers like me or the trade paperbacks (which are farther along, the bastards), but seriously, get started. There's rich, wonderful stuff in these pages, and I look forward to continuing the series.

Cover Commentary: I love this one. It's so moody and atmospheric, and there's something inherently sad about Snow White on this cover, which makes all the sense in the world once you read this book. Also, Bigby! Yay, Bigby!

Next Up: Goliath by Scott Westerfeld

This is a test. The LJ scheduler has been having fits this week, which is wrecking havoc with my review schedule. So I'm scheduling this post to see if it shows up at the appointment time (9:00 am EST) and if not, WHEN it will show up.

In the meantime, let's talk about something bookish:

1) What book are you currently reading now?

2) What's the worst (or most disappointing) book you've finished reading this year?

Ready? GO!

Blue Magic (2012)
Written by: A.M. Dellamonica
Genre: Modern Fantasy
Pages: 382 (Trade Paperback)
Series: Book Two (Astrid Lethewood)

Disclaimer: won in a giveaway at Starmetal Oak

Why I Read It: Dellamonica's debut, Indigo Springs, made my Top Ten list back in 2009. Ever since, I've been chomping at the bit for the sequel, because I couldn't wait to see what Dellamonica did with the world she'd created. The only reason I didn't buy the book ASAP was because I wasn't sure if I wanted a hard copy (to match my hard copy of Indigo Springs), or if I just wanted to download the Kindle version. But when Starmetal Oak posted a giveaway, I figured it was worth entering, just for giggles. If I won a copy, great. If not, I'd figure out my format later. But since I won, I moved Blue Magic to the top of the TBR, because again, I couldn't wait to see what the sequel had in store.

The premise: ganked from BN.com: This powerful sequel to the A.M. Dellamonica's Sunburst Award -- winning contemporary fantasy Indigo Springs starts in the small town in Oregon where Astrid Lethewood discovered an underground river of blue liquid -- vitagua -- that is pure magic. Everything it touches is changed. The secret is out -- and the world will never be the same. Astrid’s best friend, Sahara, has been corrupted by the blue magic, and now leads a cult that seeks to rule the world. Astrid, on the other hand, tries to heal the world.

Conflicting ambitions, star-crossed lovers, and those who fear and hate magic combine in a terrible conflagration, pitting friend against friend, magic against magic, and the power of nations against a small band of zealots, with the fate of the world at stake.

Blue Magic is a powerful story of private lives changed by earthshaking events that will ensnare readers in its poignant tale of a world touched by magic and plagued by its consequences.

Spoilers, yay or nay?: Nay. My own thoughts on the book are a wee bit muddled in my head, so I'm going to talk more about my reaction to the book as a whole and less about particular plot points, though there will be TINY spoilers in this regard. However, if you're in a hurry, feel free to skip to "My Rating" and you'll be in good shape.

( BLUE MAGIC: minor spoilers )

My Rating: Worth Reading, with Reservations

This is a slower read than Indigo Springs. My experience was handicapped by the fact that I read the first book back in 2009 and I've forgotten a lot of uber-important detail, and while Dellamonica does a good job keeping my head above the water, my lack of details meant I was dog-paddling to the end instead of making any solid headway. The addition of U.S. Marshal Juanita Corazón was awesome, whereas Astrid wore on my nerves. The trial scenes were quite interesting to me, though the scenes where Astrid is trying to stave off the "Small Bang" weren't as engaging. Yet it all comes together in a shockingly intense climax, one that had me glued to the book. The resolution is solid, but I do hope that this installment wraps up the overall story. It feels as though that should be the case. Overall, I'm happy with Dellamonica's work, despite this book not wowing me as much as Indigo Springs did, but I'm eager to see what else the author has in store.

Cover Commentary: Like the story itself, I don't love it as much as I loved the cover for Indigo Springs. There is some continuity that I appreciate, like the lines running through the art and the same fonts on both covers, but this cover is more of a doctored photo, whereas the previous cover was an actual painting. Don't get me wrong, the cover works quite well with the story, but it's no where near as compelling nor enchanting.

Next up: Fables: The Deluxe Edition: Book Four by Bill Willingham

The Paper Menagerie (2011)
Written by: Ken Liu
Genre: Short Story/Magical Realism
Published by: Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction
Rating: Excellent

I read this the same day as John Scalzi's Hugo-nominated short, and this one stopped me in my tracks. I have a fondness for magical realism, and this one really got to me. From the start, with the origami tiger coming to life? You bet I was sold.

But as with most magical realism (at least with the small amount of stuff that I've read), there's really more to the story than the magic itself, though the magic is utterly charming. No, the story is about a boy who's half American, half Chinese, and it's the half-Chinese part of his heritage that gives him fits as he gets older. Notably, it's his mother.

What kind of woman puts herself into a catalog so that she can be bought? The high school me thought I knew so much about everything. Contempt felt good, like wine.

Jack is a narrator I related to in a weird way. I certainly understand the shame one can feel for a parent, though Jack's situation is heightened by his own unique search for identity and his unique need to fit in. The need to be normal. All of this complicated because he has a mother who speaks very little English and holds on to her culture like a lifeline, despite living in America and having an American husband. It's a sad story, as Jack grows and decides he's too old for his toys, the paper menagerie of origami animals, all of which live by the breath of life, and as such, he decides he's too old for his mother. The turning point happens when Jack shows a friend, Mark, his toys after Mark is so proud of his Obi-Wan action figure. As you can imagine, it doesn't go well, and the little scene is heart-breaking on a host of levels. Jack pulls and pulls away from her, until:

Mom finally stopped making the animals when I was in high school. By then her English was much better, but I was already at that age when I wasn’t interested in what she had to say whatever language she used.

Sometimes, when I came home and saw her tiny body busily moving about in the kitchen, singing a song in Chinese to herself, it was hard for me to believe that she gave birth to me. We had nothing in common. She might as well be from the Moon. I would hurry on to my room, where I could continue my all-American pursuit of happiness.

The end of the story had me choked up while reading. It's a beautiful piece, packed tight with emotion that's accentuated by the magical realism of the piece. Again, I don't know yet what I'm voting for, because as of now, I've only read two of the five short story pieces, but this piece really got to me in a great way. Whether or not you're voting for the Hugo, I highly recommend clicking the first link in the review and giving this story a shot. I know I'm looking forward to reading more of Liu's work, which I'll get to soon, since he also has a novella nominated this year. :)

Every Which Way But Dead (2005)
Written by: Kim Harrison
Genre: Urban Fantasy
Pages: 501 (Mass Market Paperback)
Series: Book Three (The Hollows)

Why I Read It: After reading The Good, the Bad, and the Undead, I was a wee bit gun shy about continuing, but I did because that was part of the plan, and also because I was promised that the third book would more than make up for my experience with the second book. So read it I did, and the good thing about this time is that I didn't wait six years to read the next installment!

The premise: ganked from BN.com: Some days, you just can't win. Witch and former bounty hunter Rachel Morgan's managed to escape her corrupt company, survive living with a vampire, start her own runner service, and face down a vampire master.

But her vampire roommate Ivy is off the wagon, her human boyfriend Nick is out of town indefinitely and doesn't sound like he's coming back while the far-too-seductive vampire Kisten is looking way too tempting, and there's a turf war erupting in Cincinnati's underworld.

And there's a greater evil still. To put the vampire master behind bars and save her family, Rachel made a desperate bargain and now there's hell to pay—literally. For if Rachel cannot stop him, the archdemon Algaliarept will pull her into the sorcerous ever-after to forfeit her soul as his slave. Forever.

Spoilers, yay or nay?: Yay. Some interesting developments in this book that I want to discuss, so if you're not caught up through book three in this series, please skip to "My Rating" and you'll be just fine. Everyone else, onward!

( EVERY WHICH WAY BUT DEAD: spoilers )

My Rating: Good Read

This book was a lot more fun for me, and that's a relief since I had polarizing experiences with both book one and book two. I'm not only happy to keep reading at this point, but wondering how I'll go about catching up once I get through the last book I own, which is book five. Will I start downloading them on my Kindle? Get the mass markets through Paperback Swap? Who knows, but at this point, I'm happy to keep reading. Rachel's growing a bit, and while mistakes are made, the story is definitely captivating because the stakes feel a lot higher. Lots of action in this book, and if you're a reader of this series, not a book you'll want to miss.

Cover Commentary: The cool thing about the cover is that Rachel actually wears the boots described, which is fun. The cover isn't offensive by any means (no tattoos! Not an awkward pose!), but it definitely screams urban fantasy, which is the point.

Next up: Blue Magic by A.M. Dellamonica

Alcatraz
Season One (Status: Canceled)

It's that time of year. Television shows are wrapping up their seasons, and networks are deciding what to keep and what to chop in order to prepare for the next season. I'll go ahead and tell you: Alcatraz has already been cancelled. It was announced earlier this week.

Funny thing about watching this show: my husband and I were watching it live every Monday night instead of DVR-ing it, not because it was OMG-MUST-SEE-TELEVISION, but because we had nothing else to watch on Monday and Alcatraz had an interesting premise, a somewhat likeable cast, and it was enjoyable in the same way that eating food when you're bored can be enjoyable.

We made it through seven episodes. And then the funny thing I mentioned earlier happened:

Alcatraz was pre-empted one night by Fox in order to air the Daytona 500 (the race should've been the day before, on Sunday, but due to rain delays and the wreck from hell, they postponed it to Monday, and thanks again to rain delays, it was pushed to Monday night). That wasn't a biggie. What was a biggie was the following week, the next episode was two hours. At first, I thought they were lumping the missed episode with what should've been that week's episode in order to stay on schedule. But no. Being the geek I am when it comes to television shows, I looked up the episode guide on tv.com (note: the order has since been changed) and realized that the episode in question, "The Ames Brothers/Sony Burnett" was always supposed to be a two-hour event, and that the episode we missed due to Daytona, "Clarence Montgomery," was the episode I remembered seeing the preview for (before the race screwed things up), but it would air the week AFTER the two hour event.

If you follow this blog, you know I'm a sucker for order. And I hate, hate, hate reading and watching things out of order. So my husband and I decided to hold off on the double episode, watch the "Clarence Montgomery" when it came out, then go back and catch up, and we'd be on schedule.

But we never did that. The routine had been broken, and we found other things to do. So the episodes just piled up until the finale, and then we decided just to catch up when the rest of the television season had wrapped up (which is now). And then I decided, quietly, to wait and see if the show would get renewed, because there was no point in watching if the show didn't get renewed. It didn't. So the rest of the episodes were deleted from the DVR.

I'm not sorry. Like I said, Alcatraz wasn't must-watch television. If it had been, we would've been caught up. The trouble with the show dealt with the predictability of the show's format (escapee comes back, returns to criminal ways, Rebecca Masden and her team catch them, and if they're alive by episode's end, they're taken to a secret, carbon-copy facility of Alcatraz and put back in their "original" cells). The heroine, Rebecca Masden, was also difficult to warm up to, like the writers were trying too hard to show just how tough she was, and they went overboard.

The interesting thing about this, and I mentioned it to Greg at the time, was that when my beloved Fringe premiered, the first half of the first season suffered from similar problems. A predictable format to the episodes, with the female lead being a little difficult to warm up to, as she was all business, all the time. But Fringe blossomed in the second half of the first season as the writers figured out what they were doing, leaving me with a first season finale that was so awesome it made Fringe must-watch television for me.

You may be wondering: if I only made it through half of Alcatraz's season, how do I know it didn't do the same? The answer is because I kept an eye on the general pulse of the show, noting reactions to it on various websites without getting into spoilers. Nobody was very excited about this show, about how it was wrapping up. And the response to the first season finale was lukewarm, basically saying "It had a great car chase." That sure is a ringing endorsement!

So that's key. Also, another interesting point of comparison: Fringe's first season was 20 episodes. Alcatraz only had 13. So the mid-point happened sooner for the latter than the former, if that makes sense, as the show had less time to turn it around, as it started in January and ran on mostly uninterrupted. Fringe premiered in the fall and took the typical winter break, giving the writers a chance to regroup and review.

Alcatraz wasn't a complete waste of time. I loved Jorge Garcia's Dr. Diego Soto (yay, Hurley!), and Sam Neill's Emerson Hauser was starting to get humanized and likeable before we stopped watching. And I was definitely engaged by the flashbacks between 1962 (?) and the present day, which revealed not only what the prisoners were up to then and now, but showed that there was more going on behind the scenes with the prison guards and warden than one would have originally thought. It wasn't just the prisoners coming back either: guards had returned, as well as a few others, and the why's and how's of it all was a nice question to chew on.

But I will say, despite the trouble mentioned above, it was a little frustrating to keep getting fictional prisoners wrecking havoc. Don't get me wrong, I'm sure that using real names and likenesses would've likely gotten some people sued, but the fictional quality of that part in a setting that's so real and permanent, kind of added to the sense of disbelief. How much more exciting would it have been if Al Capone had come back? Or one of the men who had escaped from the raft (which would mean, in the show, it was all a conspiracy)? Some of these criminals didn't feel like they should've been sent to Alcatraz to begin with, but what do I know? I'm not an expert, and I've never visited the prison. That being said, the stakes never felt to be very high. The show had some interesting subplots, but overall, I was never hugely concerned for the characters or their fates.

Oh well. It was enjoyable while it lasted.

Book Club Selections

Please Note: the discussion date for Jo Walton's Among Others has been changed.

May: Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh; Discussion Date: 05/28/12
June: God's War by Kameron Hurley; Discussion Date: 06/27/12
July: Among Others by Jo Walton; Discussion Date: 7/23/12

All discussion dates are subject to change.

You can find Calico Reaction all over the internet! Just take a look:

1) WordPress
2) Goodreads
3) Facebook
4) LibraryThing
5) Paperback Swap

FAVOR!! When I review a book you've read and reviewed yourself, would you kindly provide a link to your review in the comments of mine? I love seeing what others think, and sometimes I see those reviews when they're originally posted, but don't read them as I don't want to spoil myself on something I know I'll read in the future. The problem, then, is I often forget to go back and read the reviews I missed! So please, if you've reviewed something I'm reviewing, shoot a link my way. :)

Challenges

THEME PARK: Want to receive a monthly notification for what's happening in the 2012 book club? Details are here.

Mount TBR Challenge: Here's my goal for 2012: 25 books. Want to sign up? Click here.

Got a reading challenge you'd like to promote? Please comment. You may also comment to promote giveaways, but those links will be posted on my Facebook page.

This Week

Monday: Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison
Tuesday:
Wednesday: Blue Magic by A.M. Dellamonica (maybe)
Thursday:
Friday:

Currently Reading: Blue Magic by A.M. Dellamonica

2012 Reading Total: 41 books, 1 DNF, 6 short stories

2012 Comics Total: 223 comics

The Shadow War of the Night Dragons, Book One: The Dead City (2011)
Written by: John Scalzi
Art by: John Stanko
Genre: Short Story/Fantasy/Humor
Published by: Tor.com
Rating: Worth Reading, with Reservations

So, it's begun. Now that I'm voting for the 2012 Hugos, I want to make a good faith effort to read and/or experience as many of the nominees as possible. I decided to start with the short stories, because I knew all of the short stories were available for free online, and I wanted to get started now rather than wait for the packet. Short stories are also a great way to spend my breaks at work! At any rate, once I'd decided to start with short stories, I knew I had to start with Scalzi. One, because Scalzi's always an enjoyable read, and two, The Shadow War of the Night Dragons was an April Fool's Day joke, and I was intrigued that despite it being essentially a joke piece, it got nominated for a Hugo. Which is in a way awesome, but also kind of weird. So I wanted to get the weird out of the way.

The story itself, as I said, was an April Fool's Day joke. It was set up to be this big epic fantasy novel project that Scalzi was supposedly publishing through Tor, and that Tor was excerpting a prologue. And the very first sentence? Is the longest, most confusingly coherent first sentence I've ever read. It'll make your eyes cross, it's that intentionally bad. But once you get past that beast, the rest of the story is rather humorous. Light and relative modern in tone, and I found myself chuckling quite often.

Here's a nice sample of the tone and the humor:

“You don’t believe in night dragons?” Barnas asked, to Ruell, as lightning flashed once more.

“Of course I don’t,” Ruell said, around the thunder. “I may be a guard and a soldier, but I am not an uneducated man. I once spent three entire months in school. I am a man of science, and science tells us that an animal as large as a night dragon is meant to be simply cannot fly. If they can’t fly, they’re not dragons. Night dragons are a myth.”

“If it’s not night dragons, then how to you explain the attacks on the caravans and the city?” Barnas asked.

“As a man of science would,” Ruell said. “By suggesting sound and realistic alternatives to the fanciful suggestion that night dragons did these things.”

“Such as?” Quinto asked.

“Vampires and werewolves,” Ruell said. “Quite obviously.”

“Vampires and werewolves,” Quinto said.

“That’s right,” Ruell said.

“Have you ever seen a vampire? Or a werewolf?” Quinto asked. “Has anyone? Ever?”

“Of course no one’s seen them,” Ruell said. “They lurk.”

Mind you, this is humorous epic fantasy.

And then there's this abbreviated section that got me tickled:

There are many legends about the night dragons. […]

It is said that if you call the name of a night dragon at the exact instant of a full moon, it will come to you. If you then whisper a name into its ear, the dragon will then fly to the exact location of that person and eat them.

It is said that if you bathe in the blood of a night dragon, you will be invincible at caber tossing.

It is said that earthquakes are what happen when two night dragons love each other very much.

It is said that the most hated natural enemy of the night dragon is the lemur, which is a very bad deal for the lemur.

It is said that salt made from the dried tears of a night dragon will take fifty years off your life, so putting night dragon tear salt in the food a 49-year-old is not advised, unless you do not like them.

I'm not going to make any verdicts as to whether or not this story should win. For starters, I haven't read all of the nominated stories. The fact that it's nominated is pretty impressive, because it is humor, and humor tends not to be taken very seriously when it comes to "serious" awards. But the third section did a remarkable job of really capturing my interest -- there's actually the bones of a story there, and an intriguing one at that. Of course, that's where it ends too, leading me to want to say "No fair!" because I wanted to see what happened next.

The rating is for a few reasons: 1) it's humor, and it's also meant to be a parody of bad epic fantasy writing. That's not going to be everyone's taste, but if you enjoy Scalzi's blog or fiction, if you like his sense of humor, you're going to get a kick out of this. There are several chuckle-worthy moments. 2) The feeling of wanting more of the story when I finished makes me feel like it's not a complete story. Now, for a fake prologue to a fake story, that's perfect, because in a real book, you'd just turn the page to get more. Here, you can't: that's part of the April Fool's Day joke as well.

But that begs the question: does that in and of itself make it award-worthy? Should it win for being, essentially, a joke? Not that jokes are bad, and I quite enjoyed this one, but in its own way, this poor story has an uphill battle ahead of it. I've already seen some people state that they barely got past the first sentence before they dismissed it out of hand, stating it wasn't serious enough to be taken seriously. That's a little unfair, but hey, everyone has their own standards when it comes to Hugo voting. But whether or not you're voting for the Hugo, this is a fun piece, just so long as you know it's meant to be a parody. Once you get through that first, intentionally bad first sentence (it's a scarier beast that the dragons!), you'll be fine.

Scalzi's thoughts on the nomination are here and well-worth reading, especially if you're voting this year. So check them out!

I've bought my supporting membership. My questions have been answered. It is now time to let you all know what to expect out of me when it comes to my voting in the 2012 Hugos and how that affects my reviewing process.

In a word, it won't.

The plan is that when I read something, I'll post a review, same as always. I may not tip my hand in terms of what I'll ultimately vote for in a category, though if you're especially diligent, you can probably guess what will get my vote if you pay attention to my ratings. But I'd like to go ahead and bring attention to the nominees and get some discussion. It doesn't matter if you're voting in the Hugos or not: these discussions are for everyone, and if you come across a short story or novella that you can read for free online, check it out and join in the discussion! The more the merrier!

My intent, at least this early in the game, is to at least read and vote in all of the fiction categories. The other categories will depend on what's available in the electronic voting packet, as well as what I can get my hands on online (for example, I'm really not sure how to go about watching the nominated Doctor Who episodes: hulu does not have them). For everything that I review, you will find a link beside the nomination, where you can join in the discussion at either Live Journal or Word Press. There will be no difference to the reviews. There may be a difference in discussion, but that's to be expected when the same review is in two different blogs.

I intend to be as fair as possible in the categories that I do vote in, even if I've previously stated a bias for something in particular to win. Which means that in an effort to be fair, I may not vote for what I was rooting for originally. Them's the breaks. As of today's date, there are already some reviews available for your perusal, thanks to my incidentally reading this stuff long before the Hugo nominees were ever announced.

For the categories that I vote in but that don't really require an individual review per nominee (such as Best Fan Writer), I may do a single post discussing all of them. You'll see those links next to the category itself.

If you're following me via Live Journal, and you want to see each and every single Hugo-related post that pops up, keep this tag on your radar: blog: award discussion. You'll get everything from reviews to general discussion relating to the Hugos and the opinions I'll inevitably form during the course of the voting process.

Also, one disclaimer: it's highly unlikely I will get around to reading A Dance of Dragons. I haven't even read A Feast of Crows yet, and I don't want to make this summer all about Martin, all the time, because I won't get any other reading done, and I'll be so sick of his work that it probably wouldn't get a fair vote anyway. So don't be surprised if the voting deadline comes and goes and you still don't see a review for Martin. I doubt I'll be that productive.

If you have any questions about any of the above or anything related to my voting in the Hugos, please comment to this post and I'll answer the best I can. Also, if you're a veteran when it comes to voting in the Hugos or jump-starting discussions and if you have any advice, feel free to give me all the pointers you can think of!

I'll be looking forward to any and all discussion, and while I don't have a set calendar of when I'm going to read what (votes are due July 31st, so there is that), you're welcome to follow along. Please note that if you are reading Jo Walton's Among Others for the Theme Park Book Club, the discussion date has been moved back a week to Monday, July 23rd. This gives anyone who wants to read the book who might happen to vote an additional week to read it in case my review inspires them to do so (the chances of that are unlikely, but I don't want to be juggling the book club discussion the day before my votes are due).

( 2012 Hugo Nominees and my reviews )

This year is shaping up to be epic when it comes to science fiction and fantasy on the big screen. Already, we've had John Carter (which sadly didn't do well, but should have) and The Hunger Games (which has been a monster success). Now we've got The Avengers, which is already knocking out records left and right. It's easy to see why: it's a fun movie. Not only is it fun, but it benefits greatly from the fact that I'm already so familiar with the characters, thanks to Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Captain America, Thor, and The Incredible Hulk (I missed you, Edward Norton!). All of these previous movies were solidly entertaining, some more than others, and having that backstory meant I could sit back and enjoy the show for The Avengers.

The humor was awesome. There are SO MANY funny exchanges that had me popping out of me seat with delight. Hulk vs. Loki. Hulk and Thor fighting together. Thor's defense of Loki. Tony Stark in spades. There's even a Legolas joke, which probably amused me more than it should have.

All of this combined with the action sequences and the story made for a simply enjoyable ride. There were moments that even had me choked up a bit. But whatever you do, stay through for ALL of the credits. There are two scenes: one is pertinent to the sequel, and the other at the very end is just hysterical.

I haven't read the comics, so I can't compare. I will say that I wish we'd gotten more of Hawkeye, because I love me some archers, and Black Widow was pretty awesome.

I wasn't fangirling over this movie, but it did make me want to go back and watch the previously mentioned films again. I loved how each of the heroes had such a distinct character and sense of heroism, and I loved how they finally all came together. Marvel and Joss Whedon have made me a fan, and that's saying something, because I'm not a Whedonite. :)

If you haven't had a chance to watch it, definitely give The Avengers a go. My husband and I saw it in 2D and did just fine, but I've heard nothing about how good or bad the 3D version was.

Here's the trailer!

Saints Astray (2011)
Written by: Jacqueline Carey
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 356 (Trade Paperback)
Series: Book Two (Santa Olivia)

Why I Read It: Because I loved Santa Olivia to pieces and could not wait for a sequel. I was tickled pink when it was announced and finally came out, but the immediate low-rated reviews had me concerned, so it got pushed back. Thanks to Mount TBR, I finally gave it a shot.

The premise: ganked from BN.com: Fellow orphans, amateur vigilantes, and members of the Santitos, Loup Garron -- the fugitive daughter of a genetically engineered "wolf man" -- and Pilar Ecchevarria grew up in the military zone of Outpost 12, formerly known as Santa Olivia. But now they're free, and they want to help the rest of the Santitos escape. During a series of escapades, they discover that Miguel, Loup's former sparring partner and reprobate surrogate brother, has escaped from Outpost 12 and is testifying on behalf of its forgotten citizens -- at least until he disappears from protective custody. Honor drives Loup to rescue Miguel, even though entering the U.S could mean losing her liberty. Pilar vows to help her.

It will take a daring and absurd caper to extricate Miguel from the mess he's created but Loup is prepared to risk everything... and this time she has help.

Spoilers, yay or nay?: Yay. Although, when it comes to something like this, you're not spoiling anything at all, because it pretty much ends like you think it will. This book holds no surprises, but if you really, really want to remain spoiler-free, then skip to "My Rating" and you'll be fine. Everyone else, onward.

( SAINTS ASTRAY: spoilers )

My Rating: Below Standard

It's pretty rare for me to give out this rating. Usually, I DNF a book before it gets this far. But the rating is a combination of things: the book is an utter and complete letdown in comparison to the quiet wonder and beauty that is the book's predecessor, Santa Olivia. Saints Astray is so unlike its predecessor that I'm now afraid to re-read Santa Olivia, because I'm afraid that, originally, I was just blind its faults and it's really and truly as bland and sentimental and boring as the sequel.

Truly, I don't think that's the case, but Saints Astray gave me this fear, and I resent it for that.

However, this sequel isn't insultingly bad. If you divorce yourself from Santa Olivia, or if you tell yourself that you're reading a fanfic sequel and not the REAL sequel, it can be utterly entertaining. There are enjoyable parts to the book. But the story is just so utterly ridiculous, improbable, and sentimental that I have to give it a low rating. Thankfully, I knew going in that this book would be a disappointment; therefore, my expectations were appropriately low. Anyone who feels the need to read this book, I would advise going in with the same mindset: low, low, LOW expectations. Enjoy the gems you get and be patient when the ridiculata is too much.

The most telling thing about this book was my being three pages from the end, getting interrupted, and not giving a crap about putting the book down instead of finishing it first. If I'm really into the book, the closer I am to the end, the harder it is to pry the book out of my hands. I get really, really grumpy when I'm SO CLOSE to the end and have to put the book aside. This is when my husband fears me the most.

The fact that I didn't care about putting this one aside says volumes about the quality of the book. And that's a shame, it truly is. Because Santa Olivia was so wonderful. When I finished it, I couldn't wait for the sequel. Now I wish Carey had never written it, because I could've lived with Santa Olivia's ending. Saints Astray is really just 356 ways of saying "And they all lived happily ever after. With sunshine and rainbows and unicorns!"

So if you want to read this, just know what you're getting into. I did, and I'm glad I did. I'm still disappointed, but not bitterly so. I enjoyed myself to a point, but I would've much rather been reading something else. Something better. Maybe something different of Carey's. I haven't sworn her off by a long shot, because I still need to complete the original Kushiel trilogy. Here's hoping that, at least, lives up to expectations!

Cover Commentary: Here's something good about the book: the cover! I like that it matches the tone and quality of the cover of Santa Olivia, though I will admit when I first saw the cover revealed, the posing (particularly the Charlie's Angels pose on the left) gave me pause. Maybe that was the first niggling indicator that this book would be nothing like I expected, but regardless, it's a pleasing cover. It'd catch my eye in the store.

Next up: Every Which Way But Dead by Kim Harrison

It's been about a week since I purchased a Supporting Membership to WorldCon, which allows me to vote on this year's Hugos. I've finally figured out what I want to ask, and so here are my questions. If you can answer them, or at least provide an opinion, please comment. If you know someone who can, please send them this way. Whether you're a reader or a published author, I'm open to any and all advice.

1) I know they're doing the electronic voting packet this year. Has it been sent, and if so, when will I get it? If not, when will it be?

2) What exactly is IN the electronic voting packet. PDFs of the fiction categories, I know. But what about stuff like related media? Long Presentation and Short Presentation? Graphic Novels? Do I need to track this stuff down on my own?

3) I blog about everything I read, usually within two weeks of finishing. But because I'm voting for the Hugos, should I wait to review the stuff I'm voting on until AFTER voting is over, so people don't know what I voted for (or can't guess), and so that I'm not influencing other peopls' votes? If I don't need to wait, should I review as normal and just point out I don't know how I'm voting yet? I doubt there's a proper "procedure" in this regard, but I'd like to know what's considered best practice.

4) And while this isn't urgent, if you nominate in the Hugos regularly, how do you go about keeping track of what's "worthy" during the eligible year (in my case, I'll get to nominate on 2012 releases)? I imagine I can do something as simple as a spreadsheet, but I love hearing about other peoples' processes, so any suggestions are welcome. :)

I think those are the big kahunas for now. Any and all feedback would be lovely. Thanks!

Machine (2012)
Written by: Jennifer Pelland
Genre: Science Fiction
Pages: 308 (Trade Paperback)

Why I Read It: Jennifer Pelland is an up-and-coming talent, and when I read her short story collection Unwelcome Bodies, I knew I was looking forward to reading more from her, especially a novel. When I received the notice that a novel would, indeed, be coming out, I pre-ordered it without a second thought. It came faster than I expected though, so the poor book's been wasting away a bit on my shelf, but I finally found the right time to read it.

The premise: ganked from BN.com: Celia's body is not her own, but even her conscious mind can barely tell the difference. Living on the cutting edge of biomechanical science was supposed to allow her to lead a normal life in a near-perfect copy of her physical self while awaiting a cure for a rare and deadly genetic disorder.

But a bioandroid isn't a real person. Not according to the protesters outside Celia's house, her coworkers, or even her wife. Not according to her own evolving view of herself. As she begins to strip away the human affectations and inhibitions programmed into her new body, the chasm between the warm pains of flesh-and-blood life and the chilly comfort of the machine begins to deepen. Love, passion, reality, and memory war within Celia's body until she must decide whether to betray old friends or new ones in the choice between human and machine.

"I'm not sure anyone else could take material like posthuman politics, kinky sex and body modification, and explicit metaphors for the abortion debate and euthanasia, and turn it all into a heartrending love story, but Jennifer Pelland nails the dismount every time." --NK Jemisin, Hugo-nominated author of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms

Spoilers, yay or nay?: Yay. This book has a lot of meat to its bones in terms of issues and execution of said issues, so if you want to remain spoiler-free, please skip to "My Rating." Everyone else, onward!

( MACHINE: spoilers )

My Rating: Worth Reading, with Reservations

The book is chockfull of interesting, fascinating ideas and questions, and for that alone I'd recommend it. I'd also recommend it because Pelland is an up-and-coming talent, and while I'd admit to preferring her short fiction over this, I still can't wait to get my hands on whatever she publishes in the future, because her fiction is so idea-centric in a way that makes the reader really question the things they took for granted. She wants to make you uncomfortable and she wants you to think about why, and that's an awesome thing to have in science fiction. However, the reservation is because what makes the reader uncomfortable may be a trigger for some people, and while nothing was a trigger for me personally, I wasn't so invested in Celia's motivation that I was able to fully empathize with her actions. However, the book is a solid and fast read. Pelland's doing a lot with this book, some of which is successful, and some of which is almost there. For a reader who wants to check out her work, I would recommend starting with her short story collection Unwelcome Bodies, because you get a variety of stories that really showcases what Pelland is capable of. But despite my liking this a bit less than her short fiction, Pelland is a talent to watch, and I look forward to seeing what else she's got up her sleeve.

Also, on the plus side for this book, the heroine is a character of color (mixed race, if I recall) as well as a lesbian. So if you're wanting to read more speculative fiction that features one or both of those things, then you should definitely get your hands on this.

Cover Commentary: I hate this. And honestly, I don't know if I saw the cover when I pre-ordered or not. Maybe it was a tiny thumbnail, so I really didn't see the detail? Whatever the case, when I pulled the book out of the envelope, I was horrified. I will give credit where credit is due: the face and the hair really fit Celia's description in the book, and I kept seeing that face while reading. But the rest of it, try as it may to capture the tone and feel of the book (and really, I get it), it's just awful. When I read Unwelcome Bodies, my husband looked at that tasteful cover and thought it was porn. It's a wonder he didn't say anything about this.

Don't get me wrong: once you read the book, the cover makes all kinds of sense, even the uber uncomfortable, impossible pose. But this is the kind of cover that will send most readers running the opposite way, because it looks like one of those old school SF covers that's all about objectifying women (however, Pelland's tale is a bit subversive, because that's kind of the point, albeit objectifying machines, not necessarily women). Hell, if I'd really known what the cover looked like before I ordered, I would've gotten the Kindle version instead so I wouldn't have to look at it, I hate it that much. And the font is such a poor choice, especially the differing sizes of the letters. It's almost as if someone was trying to be artsy and cool, but instead of that, it failed miserably. The font deserved something stronger, something straight forward like the title itself. And going back to the pose, you have to look really, really, REALLY closely to see that Celia isn't wearing some kinky lingerie, but rather she's cut open, and she's showing you her machine innards. Unfortunately, the angle of the pose and the positioning of the cuts makes this really tough to see, unless you bring yourself to look closely.

But really, this cover is just a hot mess, and that makes me sad.

Next up: Saints Astray by Jacqueline Carey

Here are the reviews posted during April. Please note, this is not a comprehensive list of books I read in April, but rather the books I had the time to review before month's end.

1) Elizabeth Bear: Grail: Worth Reading, with Reservations
2) Maggie Stiefvater: The Scorpio Races: Excellent
3) Bill Willingham: Fables: Deluxe Edition: Book 1: Good Read
4) Sean Stewart: Mockingbird: Couldn't Put It Down
5) Patricia Briggs: River Marked: Good Read
6) Octavia E. Butler: Bloodchild and Other Stories: Couldn't Put It Down
7) John Green: The Fault in Our Stars: Couldn't Put It Down
8) Bill Willingham: Fables: Deluxe Edition: Book 2: Couldn't Put It Down
9) Kenneth Oppel: This Dark Endeavor: It's a Gamble
10) Lois McMaster Bujold: Paladin of Souls: Couldn't Put It Down
11) Ann Aguirre: Devil's Punch: Good Read
12) Bill Willingham: Fables: Deluxe Edition: Book 3: Good Read
13) Kit Whitfiled: In Great Waters: Good Read

Total Number of Books Reviewed: 13

Total Number of Books Read: 11

If I thought March was awesome, I'm amazed at the productivity of April! Not only were there tons of reviews, but also, really, really high ratings. Talk about hitting the jackpot!

Favorite: Lois McMaster Bujold's Paladin of Souls. This was just a wonderful book. I can't wait to re-read it one day.

Most surprisingly enjoyable: Sean Stewart's Mockingbird. This shouldn't have been a surprise, because I know what Stewart is capable of, but it's been so long since I read him that this book totally caught me off guard, but in the best way possible.

Biggest disappointment: Kenneth Oppel's This Dark Endeavor. It should've been a winner, seeing the young Doctor Frankenstein's teen years, but there was a bit too much melodrama in this one for me.

Mount TBR Stats: To date, I've knocked out 21 books out of my goal of 25. By this time next month, I expect I will have raised my goal to the next level (which is Mt. Ararat: 40 books. I think I can do that!).

Reading Goals: (if you need to refresh yourself on my personal 2012 reading goals, click here) So far, I feel pretty good about my current reading rotation, which is listed below.

1) Series
2) New Purchase (2012)
3) Old Purchase (pre-2012)

I'm allowing myself a little bit of wiggle room with series, and I'm trying to read the stuff that I want to read the most when the fancy strikes me. I've moved a few authors around (I've got three Valente books, for example, so even though they aren't part of a series, two of the three intimidate the hell out of me and need to be out of the "old purchase" rotation) to make things better in my brain, and I'm having waaaaaay too much fun with this reading guide. I can't believe it's taken so long to stumble upon it either! Of course, I may have abandoned this by the Fall, and Lord knows when I start doing my Hugo reading, something will give just a wee bit, but so far, so good!

Anyway, what were YOUR favorite reads from April? Which books did you love most? Which books, if any, were huge disappointments? Got a review list? Lay it all on me! :)

---

2012's resolution is to RECEIVE no more than 72 books a year, which means if I want to keep a monthly status, no more than 6 books a month! And April was my BEST MONTH EVER!!! As of April, I've received 16 books total, with it breaking down like this:

January: 6 books
February: 4 books
March: 4 books
April: 2 books

Go me!



1) Devil's Punch by Ann Aguirre (Amazon) REVIEW
2) Blue Magic by A.M. Dellamonica (free from publisher, won giveaway at Starmetal Oak)

I'm still so impressed. Devil's Punch was my only purchase, and it was part of my epic pre-order from the start of the year. And while I'm avoiding freebies this year, giveaways aren't totally forbidden to me, though I'll enter in them very, very sparingly. In this case, the book was already out, but I wasn't sure what format I was going to get it in, nor did I know when I'd make a book order if I decided on a physical copy. The odds of winning were good, and I was right, so yay! I'll be reading it soon.

I almost ended up with two more books, as I ordered to Sean Stewart titles from Paperback Swap. However, the owner of one title said the book didn't meet my requestor conditions, and the owner of the second title never, ever responded to my request, so oh well. It's probably for the best, because I'd be really behind now on 2012 purchases if I'd received both of those books last month.

Of course, I've already beat April this month, because three pre-orders came in this past week. Also coming out this month is N.K. Jemisin's latest, The Killing Moon, which I really want to read, but I don't know when. I suspect I'll nab this sucker for my Kindle once I have time to read it. Fortunately, though, I've already got this month's book club pick, so maybe May won't be that bad?

That's my April. How'd you all do?