Author: HCNewton Page 601 of 625

Doctoral candidate Sara Westen gets a summer job (that she didn’t apply for) in Prague to help a royal Czech family in the creation of a museum displaying the greatness of that family over the centuries, as they’ve recently been reunited with their treasures after the pillaging of the Nazis and Communists. Once there, she stumbles into international (as well as inter-chronological) intrigue, the mysterious apparent suicide of her mentor, and paranormal events of some order. Oh, and there’s sex, too. Can’t forget that, it’s part of the sales pitch.

I don’t know. I just don’t know.

On the one hand, this is well-written, clever, surprising, all the twists and turns you could ask for (and then some), a novel approach to time travel and supernatural-ish storytelling. The hero, Sarah Weston is great — the kind of strong women character you can relate to. The writing is brisk, and often amusing. The conclusion is wild, heart-warming, and not what anyone would expect. It’d almost seem worth reading just for the depiction of Beethoven and the way his music effects even people in the 21st century.

But it left me cold and apathetic. I had to force myself to push beyond page 100, and the only urgency I felt towards the finish was so I could move on to something else (although it was pleasant enough while reading, there was just nothing that kept me going). As amusing as I found some of the characters — the blind girl/musical savant, the impossible and very talented dwarf, a very American Czech prince, the gun-loving Asian from Texas, — I didn’t care about any of them. I wouldn’t have been surprised if the villain of the piece had twirled her moustache at some point. (yes, her moustache…I’d believe she’d have grown one just to twirl at appropriate moments).

And don’t get me wrong, I’m neither a prude nor the son of a prude, but the sex was a too graphic. It felt very incongruous to the rest of the book — especially the first “encounter” Weston had in Prague, which appears to be only semi-consensual for all involved. That really put me off, and I’m surprised two women writers would’ve included that and put it in even a slightly positive light.

Dusted Off: Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

By HCNewton

On August 12, 2013

In Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I honestly don’t know what to put here. I think that’s a compliment, hope it is anyway. I spent most of this novel leaning forward, as if that would get me to the end quicker. I don’t know how many times I said, “She’s [Collins] isn’t really doing that…” when it was very clear she was.

Yet the book as a whole (even most of the time I was reading it) I felt a mixture of pleasure and disappointment. I really don’t think that Collins could’ve done better, I don’t think there was any way to stick the landing. The setup over the first two novels created expectations that were too high — a plot that couldn’t be wrapped up in just one book (but I don’t think 2 would’ve done it either, then she would’ve had to resort to filler, I think).

So let me put it this way…did we get honest character growth/development? Yup.
Did we get to spend more time with people we’ve grown to like? Yup.
Did we see man’s cruelty to man clearly displayed? Yup.
Did we get a conclusion (however unsatisfying or sad) to every storyline? Yup.

Pretty much what we would want to see from a conclusion. Was it the ending that I wanted? No. Was it the ending that I feared we’d get? Thankfully, no. Can’t complain about that.

The most redeeming thing about this series (which, please don’t get me wrong, I loved) is the commentary on the relations between media, government actions (military and otherwise) and entertainment/distraction of the masses. I don’t think Collins said anything new, but she said it pretty darn effectively. And no one needs to think about these things more than the series’ target demographic.

Dusted Off: Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

By HCNewton

On August 12, 2013

In Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Freeyow! (not a word, I know, but…) Took The Hunger Games and kicked it up a notch. Compelling just doesn’t cover it.

On the whole, I enjoyed The Hunger Games more, but this was a very worthy sequel, and definitely left me wanting to/needing to move on to Mockingjay

Dusted Off: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

By HCNewton

On August 12, 2013

In Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I want to have something more to say about this book, but for the moment all I can say is, wow–believe the hype.

Is it perfect? Nope. Is it a heckuva read? Oh yeah–on the edge of your seat, can’t believe this is a kids’ book, kind of read.

Faith & Life by Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield

By HCNewton

On August 11, 2013

In Non-Fiction, Theology/Christian Living

Faith & Life: by Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Back when Princeton Seminary was the crown jewel of biblical Presbyterian training in the US, notable professors like Archibald Alexander, Samuel Miller, and Charles Hodge would have informal addresses for students on Sunday afternoons. B. B. Warfield, the lion of Princeton, continued this practice. These 41 chapters come from some of these addresses to the students.

I went skimming over the Table of Contents to pick out a few highlights — and I’m having a real problem. Almost every one is a gem. “Prayer as a Means of Grace” and “Prayer as a Practice” were very helpful — the latter was slightly better. “New Testament Puritanism” was great. Despite the reputation men like Warfield have, the chapters involving the work of the Holy Spirit were all tremendous. “God’s Holiness and Ours” was fantastic. I could keep going here, but it wouldn’t be long before I copied the Table of Contents.

For being the exemplar of “old Princeton,” with all the rigor and scholarship that entails — these addresses help us remember that even stalwarts like Warfield, who are known for strong stances on doctrinal issues — were men with vibrant faith, even a sense of humor.

I spent a few months reading 1 or 2 of these each Lord’s Day morning between breakfast and heading out for church — it was a great way to get my head (and heart) in the right frame of mind for worship. It’s everything Christian scholarship should be — warm, Christ-centered, practical, and doxological. It’s also everything that Christian devotional material should be — careful, sound, and deliberately orthodox. Highly recommended.

Saturday Miscellany – 8/10

By HCNewton

On August 10, 2013

In Books, Janet Evanovich, News/Misc.

Odds ‘n ends over the week about books and reading that caught my eye. You’ve probably seen some/most/all of them, but just in case:

Young Adult, New Adult… Mid-Adult? — do we really need another sub-genre/specialization/commercial category? siiiiigh
Business Cards of Famous Literary Characters — cute little post

Possession by Kat Richardson

— book 8 of the Greywalker series is out. I’m only 6 behind now.

“my” brick-and-mortar bookstore

Zero History by William Gibson

— I’m confused and embarrassed by the fact that it took me this long to pick this up.

The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough — Mentioned this recently when it was published, been looking forward to it for months. Think I’m going to tackle this next
Smokin’ Seventeen by Janet Evanovich — after a year and change, my wife and I are on the verge of being caught up with this series, and are going to have to wait months for the next one. Which I think will be helpful, help me anticipate reading them again.

The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy

By HCNewton

On August 10, 2013

In Fiction, YA/MG/Children's Books

The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I like to think that I’m an involved parent — with a finger on the pulse of whatever media my kids are consuming (and, yeah, occasionally slamming my foot down on it. But I do have some trouble when it comes to my daughter — sure, I promote her Whovian impulses, I’ve encouraged her to petition her guitar teacher to help her with some Coulton songs, she’s the only one of my kids to read The Chronicles of Prydainon her own — but there’s no way I can listen to an entire One Direction album; Sam & Kat doesn’t interest me at all; and I just can’t bring myself to read The Dork Diaries, no matter how much she implores me. So when she comes to me and tells me I should read The Hero’s Guide…, I was pretty relieved that it looked interesting.

And, as you’ll have seen earlier this week, I thought the opening paragraphs were great — I almost typed in the whole Prologue, but I’m too lazy and worried about how much I can safely cite. The voice and story-telling method are instantly charming, it reminded me of The Princess Bride almost instantly and draws you in so effortlessly that you know Healy worked hard to pull it off. In many ways, this is Jim C. Hines’ Princess books for the MG crowd — but this is far more amusing, and doesn’t border on the preachy or sanctimonious like Hines’ can.

We first meet Ella and her Prince Charming, she’s relishing her new-found freedom and ability to do many of the things — both ordinary and extraordinary — that she’s been dreaming of for years. He’s been raised in the contemporary equivalent of a bubble. He’s to be safe, to look good, and live an uneventful life. Despite their affections for each other, they aren’t suited to live together and so Ella goes off seeking adventure — with Frederic chasing after her, in his own pathetic way.

While Ella finds adventure, as well as Zaubera, the witch who’d been holding Rapunzel. Frederic runs into another Prince Charming — Gustav, the youngest of a (very) large family, doing all he can to step out of the looming shadows of his brothers. He’s brave, reckless, and not terribly bright. But he gives his all to rescue Rapunzel, and help out others in his land. It doesn’t always work out for him.

To help them with their quests, these two track down the help of Liam. This is a Prince Charming who’s taken the whole hero thing very seriously. He’s devoted his life to becoming everything he’s supposed to be — a wily warrior who can rescue any damsel in distress. Even if she doesn’t deserve it, like Briar Rose, a sleeping beauty when awakened shows that her beauty is all on the outside.

Can’t forget Duncan, the clumsiest — and luckiest — Prince Charming around, who wanders his way into the story while giving Snow White a little break from his enthusiasm for . . . well, everything.

These four Princes Charming, and their respective princesses (including Liam’s plucky, brainy sister) are off to save Kingdoms, their nations’ entertainment/news industries, and very existences from bandits, monsters, Zaubera and even a band of outlaws run by The Bandit King.

It’s a nice read — written so that almost any child could enjoy it, and even entertain any adult who stumbles on to it. Lots of action, adventure, a touch of romance (just a touch, the cootie-wary need not be scared off from this). I laughed more than a few times, and grinned at lines and jokes even more often. A very pleasant way to spend an afternoon or two.

The ending clearly sets up a sequel or three. I’m in. My daughter did good putting this one in my hands — and its one that I can feel good about her reading.

a slightly briefer version of this appears on goodreads.

In Medias Res: The Cuckoo’s Calling

By HCNewton

On August 8, 2013

In Authors, Currently Reading, F-J, Fiction, In Medias Res, Mystery/Detective Fiction/Crime Fiction/Thriller, News/Misc.

as the title implies, I’m in the middle of this book, so not a review, just thoughts mid-way through

—–

The Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith

Without knowing what name is on Robert Galbraith’s birth certificate, I’m not sure if I’d have picked this up off of a bookstore shelf — can’t imagine I would’ve nabbed it at Amazon or Kobo, etc. Maybe, maybe, I’d have grabbed it off of the library‘s New Book Shelf. But at 47% of the way through? I’d be waiting for the sequel. Really enjoying this.

This is not the Rowling of Harry Potter — as it should be, that wouldn’t work for this audience. Even better — this isn’t the Rowling of The Casual Vacancy — thankfully, mercifully, not that Rowling.

Doubleblind by Ann Aguirre

By HCNewton

On August 7, 2013

In Fiction, Science Fiction

I’m in kind of a rush posting this, not a lot of time to proofread/make sure it makes sense. If you see a problem, leave me a note in the comments, I’ll fix it. Thanks!

—–

Doubleblind by Ann Aguirre

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There’s a danger when reading serialized fiction in letting too many months — or potentially more dangerous — too many books pass between volumes. That’s exactly what happened between Wanderlust and Doubleblind for me. I spent far too much time in the first 50 pages or so trying to remember characters/events — even with a pretty well-done “let’s get reacquainted with everyone” chapter 1, that still moves the plot forward.

I’m not sure how much that effected my enjoyment of the book, but it did make it unreasonably difficult to get into. But that’s my fault, not Aguirre’s. I also was put off by Jax’s too frequent internal rehashing of the state of March and their relationship. That eventually slowed down — due to plot and (gasp!) character development. There’s one UF heroine who has similar problems with the internal rehashing, and Jax reminded me far too much of her for the first half of the book or so, but Aguirre does the right thing — she has Jax move on from that (by her own volition, as well as events around her), the character I kept comparing her to only grows when forced to in the last quarter of the book, and then spends the bulk of her next book complaining/trying to get back to where she was.

Jax being able to move on, and change as change is warranted (not changing for changes’ sake), makes me like her and her creator all the more.

And really, that’s what this series has been about — this book more than the rest — Jax shedding the party-girl, reckless youth, part of her, and maturing. Making determined choices to not be who she used to be, but instead thinking about her decisions and actions, taking responsibility of the outcomes, and working for the betterment of her crew, her employer, and humanity as a whole (though, she’ll settle for the betterment of her crew). Actually, in this, she’s reminding me a lot of Izzy Spellman (see my review of her latest).

Now, while this is what the book is really about (IMHO), there’s all this other plot-y stuff going on. Jax and her crew (and some others) are on a planet populated by an insectoid culture, trying to bring them into their planetary alliance while dodging threats from their hosts as well as from within (including, possibly, treachery of the worst kind). Oh, and this fledgling planetary alliance is trying to get its sea legs, while fighting off organized crime with more muscle than the government, not to mention the previous ruling power trying to get things back under their control. All the while, a nearly unstoppable alien force is starting to wage war against humanity, who needs the Jax’s mission to be a success so they can have a shot in the oncoming war.

And seriously, you don’t need the character development, the personal growth elements of this — you just need the politics, the intrigue and the impending doom to get a book to work (see: A Song of Ice and Fire). But you add in what’s happening to Jax, as well as her closest friends, and you’ve got yourself one rockin’ SF adventure.

I’m sure I won’t wait as long for book #4. I’m not that stupid.

Opening Lines – The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom

By HCNewton

On August 6, 2013

In Blog Series, News/Misc., Opening Lines, Quotations

We all know we’re not supposed to judge a book by its cover (yet, publishing companies spend big bucks on cover design/art). But, the opening sentence(s)/paragraph(s) are fair game. So, when I stumble on a good opening (or remember one and pull it off the shelves), I’ll throw it up here. Dare you not to read the rest of the book

—–

Prince Charming is afraid of old ladies. Didn’t know that, did you?
Don’t worry. There’s a lot you don’t know about Prince Charming: Prince Charming has no idea how to use a sword; Prince Charming has no patience for dwarfs; Prince Charming has an irrational hatred of capes.
Some of you may not even realize that there’s more than one Prince Charming. And that none of them are actually named Charming. No one is. Charming isn’t a name; it’s an adjective.
But don’t blame yourself for your lack of Prince Charming-based knowledge; blame the lazy bards.

from The Hero’s Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy