One more book read. You would think I would have read more during this time being sick, but I just want to sleep and watch Hogan's Heroes. The Pox book was definitely put away because who really wants to read a book about fatal illnesses when one feels like crud warmed over? I listened to half of the audiobook/radio program for America: Empire of Liberty. I'll listen to the rest on my commutes to and from work.
I finished The Immortal Who Loved Me by Lynsay Sands on Wednesday. The Argeneau series is a lot of fun. I figure most vampire books should be written in a humorous vein (no pun intended). Serious vampire books tend to put me off. This one was not as funny as the majority of the others, but it was definitely not the most serious.
The jist of this series, and this is not really a spoiler, is that the immortals (vampires) are originally from Atlantis. Their society was isolated and developed into an extremely technologically advanced one before it was destroyed by a series of earthquakes. There had been an experiment to heal wounds using nanotechnology that went awry. Instead of the nanos disintegrating after healing the cancer or injury they were being used for, their lack of specific programming made them run amok inside the body of the patient and heal everything. Since the human body is assaulted by UV rays, pollution, etc., there is always something for the nanos to heal. Since the nanos used blood as fuel, the patients needed to constantly renew their blood supply since the little buggers were using it to keep them at the peak physical state constantly. Before Atlantis fell, transfusions were used. After it fell and the survivors made it out, if they were immortals, they needed to use other means to survive in the non-medically advanced world they found themselves. The nanos adapted their bodies to grow fangs when necessary.
The world she's built is pretty cool. It's mostly set in Canada, for anyone looking for a book set somewhere not the US. The people are also interesting. Basil is one of three brothers who escaped Atlantis' fall. He works on the Council. Sherry, the heroine, owns a kitchenware business, and is brought into the whole world when a character from a previous novel ducks into her store to hide from one of the villains that's been popping up in the last five or six books.
This really isn't a stand-alone novel. Too much of its plot is contingent on having read earlier books. A person getting into the series with this one would possibly be a little confused. The nature of the events mean there are a lot of previous characters popping in and out and things are assumed to be known. Ms. Sands definitely explains things for the newbie to the series, but I would still be disappointed by the immediacy of the romance between Sherry and Basil. Relationship growth happens after she basically accepts that they are life-mates. Basil, knowing the way things work, immediately accepts that Sherry is his life-mate when the two characters who seem to be turning into the match-makers of the series just say, "Here she is. Have fun, you crazy kids."
Also, the plot-line with Sherry's father bothered me.
If you want to start the series from the beginning, read A Quick Bite. To tell the truth, this newest one of hers probably won't be re-read much, even if it does go on my keeper shelf because it's part of the series. Here's hoping the next one in the series is much better.
Friday, February 27, 2015
Friday, February 20, 2015
Hidden Dragons by Bianca D'arc
I'm still working on The Pox and the Covenant. It's not a difficult read and is interesting. I'm just not in the mood for books about illnesses at the moment. I have a stupid sinus infection that's kicking my ass.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Cartoons of World War II
I spent some time at Books-A-Million today. I almost started reading a sci-fi, but I was pretty exhausted from work, so I took an easier route. I noticed a book called Cartoons of World War II, by Paul Husband, as I was going in. He collected cartoons, mostly editorial, on papers and magazines on both sides of the conflict. I've seen some of them before but it was nice getting the juxtapostion of date and source. My only regret with the book (other than my lack of cash to buy it at the moment) is that it didn't have more in it. I would love to see a comprehensive study of editorial satire from the era.
I'm not sure what category to put this one in. It wasn't a graphic novel. It was both a history book and an art book. Maybe I'll just add a couple of wildcard categories. Got it. I used it for the "book based entirely on its cover" category.
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
Obsession in Death
Well, one more book down and I'm about a third of the way through one of my non-fictions.
I bought and read Obsession in Death by J.D. Robb today. Wow. It was really good. I've liked most of the books in the series, but I can honestly say this one is going to be in the top ten of them. It's very personal to Eve and the family she's built over the series. I like those. Since it just came out yesterday, I shall say no more, but I can chalk up Obsession in Death by J.D. Robb as my "book published this year". Started and finished on 2/11/2015.
The other one I'm reading is The Pox and the Covenant by Tony Williams. It's about the smallpox epidemic that hit Boston in 1721 that seems to be leading to the inoculation trend that I know John and Abigail Adams took advantage of for themselves and their own children. The surprising thing is that the cry for inoculations was started by a person I never expected: Cotton Mather. The book is quite interesting thus far and very readable, which is not always the case for history books.
I bought and read Obsession in Death by J.D. Robb today. Wow. It was really good. I've liked most of the books in the series, but I can honestly say this one is going to be in the top ten of them. It's very personal to Eve and the family she's built over the series. I like those. Since it just came out yesterday, I shall say no more, but I can chalk up Obsession in Death by J.D. Robb as my "book published this year". Started and finished on 2/11/2015.
The other one I'm reading is The Pox and the Covenant by Tony Williams. It's about the smallpox epidemic that hit Boston in 1721 that seems to be leading to the inoculation trend that I know John and Abigail Adams took advantage of for themselves and their own children. The surprising thing is that the cry for inoculations was started by a person I never expected: Cotton Mather. The book is quite interesting thus far and very readable, which is not always the case for history books.
Monday, February 09, 2015
2015 Reading Challenge
Wow. Three years since I've blogged. I guess that's actually a good sign as to my mental health. It means I no longer need the vent. However, I have decided to do a few reading challenges this year and need something to link back to. Of course, since I am insane, I can't just do one. I have decided to mix at least four of them into one massive challenge. If you want to start one of your own, here's a link to Bustle, which lists a bunch of options. Here goes.
2015 Reading Challenge, encompassing challenges by Popsugar, Kindred Digital Books, Bookish, Peekabook, Books and Chocolate, All About Books
There is a lot of overlap in the various challenges and I'm going to see how many of the categories I can fill up with my TBR shelves, female authors, and classics. To be honest, just knowing that at least three of my authors are prolific as rabbits means I'll be able to fulfill a few categories as soon as they publish their next few novels. I may not fill all of the categories this year, but it should be interesting. Beside this I'll be working on my NaNoWriMo novel from last year and a short pamphlet for the local libray. Then there are my crafts. This will be a busy year for me.
This post will probably get quite long as I will be using it as my central list.
A collection of short stories
A collection of poetry
A book published by an indie press
A book that takes place in Asia - The Rape of Nanking, Iris Chang, 1/15/2015
A book by an author from Africa
A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture (Native Americans, Aboriginals, etc.)
A book that is a retelling of a classic story (fairytale, Shakespearian play, classic novel, etc.)
A self-improvement book (can be traditionally or non-traditionally considered “self-improvement”)
A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of anyind
A microhistory - The Pox and the Covenant, Tony Williams, 3/4/2015
A YA novel
A sci-fi novel
A memoir
A mystery or thriller
A 19th Century Classic
A 20th Century Classic
A Classic by a female author
A Classic in Translation
A Classic with a person's name in the title
A humorous or satirical Classic
A forgotten Classic
A nonfiction Classic
A Children's Classic book
A Classic play - Lysistrata, Aristophanes, 3/15/2015
A classic romance
A book based on a true story
A nonfiction book - Children of the Flames, Lucette Lagnado, 1/15/15
A romance novel - Saving Grace, Julie Garwood, 1/30/2015
A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade
A book that someone else has recommended to you
A book published this year - Obsession in Death, J.D. Robb, 2/11/2015
A Classic novella, under 250 pages
A 500+ page novel
A 1,000+ page novel
A novel in one day - The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy, Julia Quinn, 2/5/2015
Something by Plato, Aristotle, or Marcus Aurelius
A novel by David Foster Wallace
A novel by Nabokov
A novel by Mark Twain
A book by Neil Gaiman
A novel by James Joyce
A novel by Haruki Murakami
A novel by Kurt Vonnegut
A book by an author you LOATHE
A book written by an author with your same initials
An independently published by an Amazon author
A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25
A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65
A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ
A book by a person whose gender is different from your own
A novel on an e-reader - Children of the Night, Mercedes Lackey, 3/2/2015
A book that was/has been banned
A book with nonhuman characters
A book with antonyms in the title
A book with a number in the title
A book with a color in the title
A book with a one-word title
A book set in a different country
A popular author's first book
A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet - The Unleashing, Shelly Laurenston, 4/1/2015
A book a friend recommended
A book at the bottom of your to be read list
A book your mother loves
A book that scares you
A book based entirely on its cover - Cartoons of World War II, Paul Husband, 2/18/2015
A book you were supposed to read in high school but didn't
A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit
A book that came out the year you were born
A book with bad reviews - The Immortal Who Loved Me, Lynsay Sands, 2/25/2015 - (Putting this here because I gave it a generally bad review!)
A trilogy
A book from your childhood
A book with a love triangle
A book set in the future - Concealed in Death, J.D. Robb, 2/5/2015
A book set in a high school
A book that made you cry
A book with magic - Hidden Dragons, Bianca D'arc, 2/20/2015
A book by an author you've never read before
A book you own but have never read
A book that takes place in your hometown
A book set during christmas - Festive in Death, J.D. Robb, 2/6/2015
A book based on or turned into a tv show
A book that became a movie
A book you started but never finished
Listen to an entire audiobook - America: Empire of Liberty, David Reynolds, 3/11/2015
The Wolf, Jean Johnson, 3/7/2015
The Mage, Jean Johnson, 3/8/2015
The Mane Event, Shelly Laurenston, 3/9/2015
Printers' Marks: A Chapter in the History of Typography, William Roberts, 3/11/2015 (the link is to a downloadable pdf)
The Evolution of the Book, Frederick G. Kilgour, 3/11/2015
The Book: The Story of Printing and Bookmaking, Douglas McMurtrie. 3/11/2015
The Art & History of Books, Norma Levarie, 3/11/2015
Dragon Storm, Bianca D'arc, 3/12/2015
Big Bad Beast, Shelly Laurenston, 3/15/2015
Early Dutch, German & English Printers' Marks, Jean Philibert Berjeau, 3/16/2015 (the link is to a downloadable pdf)
Make It a Double, Sawyer Bennett, 3/17/2015
Printers Marks and their Significance, Douglas McMurtrie, 3/18/2015 (the link is to an online copy of the book)
Devices of the Early Printers: 1457-1560, Hugh William Davies, 3/18/2015 (the link is to an html copy from Project Gutenberg)
Printers Devices in Dutch Incunabula, W.J. Schretlen, 3/18/2015
Printers Marks, Horace Townsend, 3/18/2015
Printers Mottoes, Bella C. Landauer, 3/18/2015
Sicilia et Magna Graecia sive Historiae Vrbium Populorum et Graeciae ex Antiquis Nomismatibus Liber Primus, Hubert Goltzius, 3/18/2015 (this book was published in 1617 by the printer whose mark it took me years to identify. It is written in Latin, so it might be more accurate that I looked at every page)
Amoris Divini et Human Antipathia, 3/18/2015 (the same as the one above, but printed in 1655. The illustrations were absolutely amazing.)
Dutch Printers Devices, volumes 1-3, Peter van Huisstede, 3/19/2015
The Printed Book, Henri Bouchot, 3/19/2015 (link goes to a free downloadable copy at Project Gutenberg)
Masterpieces of the Early Printers and Engravers, Henry Noel Humphreys, 3/19/2015 (the link is to a downloadable copy of the book)
Heraldic Influence on Early Printers Marks, James Moran, 3/19/2015
English Printers Marks of the 16th Century, F.C. Avis, 3/19/2015
Before Midnight, Jennifer Blackstream, 3/20/2105
Stardust Miracle, Edie Ramer, 3/22/2015
Love Potions, Michelle Pillow, 3/23/2015
The Werewolf Liaison, Vivi Anna, 3/24/2015
The Naughty Never Die, LL Kellogg, 3/24/2015
London Under, Peter Ackroyd, 3/25/2015
Star Trek and History, Nancy R. Reagin, 4/5/2015
Keeper of the Flames, Bianca d'Arc, 4/8/2015
2015 Reading Challenge, encompassing challenges by Popsugar, Kindred Digital Books, Bookish, Peekabook, Books and Chocolate, All About Books
There is a lot of overlap in the various challenges and I'm going to see how many of the categories I can fill up with my TBR shelves, female authors, and classics. To be honest, just knowing that at least three of my authors are prolific as rabbits means I'll be able to fulfill a few categories as soon as they publish their next few novels. I may not fill all of the categories this year, but it should be interesting. Beside this I'll be working on my NaNoWriMo novel from last year and a short pamphlet for the local libray. Then there are my crafts. This will be a busy year for me.
This post will probably get quite long as I will be using it as my central list.
A collection of short stories
A collection of poetry
A book published by an indie press
A book that takes place in Asia - The Rape of Nanking, Iris Chang, 1/15/2015
A book by an author from Africa
A book that is by or about someone from an indigenous culture (Native Americans, Aboriginals, etc.)
A book that is a retelling of a classic story (fairytale, Shakespearian play, classic novel, etc.)
A self-improvement book (can be traditionally or non-traditionally considered “self-improvement”)
A graphic novel, a graphic memoir or a collection of comics of anyind
A microhistory - The Pox and the Covenant, Tony Williams, 3/4/2015
A YA novel
A sci-fi novel
A memoir
A mystery or thriller
A 19th Century Classic
A 20th Century Classic
A Classic by a female author
A Classic in Translation
A Classic with a person's name in the title
A humorous or satirical Classic
A forgotten Classic
A nonfiction Classic
A Children's Classic book
A Classic play - Lysistrata, Aristophanes, 3/15/2015
A classic romance
A book based on a true story
A nonfiction book - Children of the Flames, Lucette Lagnado, 1/15/15
A romance novel - Saving Grace, Julie Garwood, 1/30/2015
A National Book Award, Man Booker Prize or Pulitzer Prize winner from the last decade
A book that someone else has recommended to you
A book published this year - Obsession in Death, J.D. Robb, 2/11/2015
A Classic novella, under 250 pages
A 500+ page novel
A 1,000+ page novel
A novel in one day - The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy, Julia Quinn, 2/5/2015
Something by Plato, Aristotle, or Marcus Aurelius
A novel by David Foster Wallace
A novel by Nabokov
A novel by Mark Twain
A book by Neil Gaiman
A novel by James Joyce
A novel by Haruki Murakami
A novel by Kurt Vonnegut
A book by an author you LOATHE
A book written by an author with your same initials
An independently published by an Amazon author
A book written by someone when they were under the age of 25
A book written by someone when they were over the age of 65
A book by or about someone that identifies as LGBTQ
A book by a person whose gender is different from your own
A novel on an e-reader - Children of the Night, Mercedes Lackey, 3/2/2015
A book that was/has been banned
A book with nonhuman characters
A book with antonyms in the title
A book with a number in the title
A book with a color in the title
A book with a one-word title
A book set in a different country
A popular author's first book
A book from an author you love that you haven't read yet - The Unleashing, Shelly Laurenston, 4/1/2015
A book a friend recommended
A book at the bottom of your to be read list
A book your mother loves
A book that scares you
A book based entirely on its cover - Cartoons of World War II, Paul Husband, 2/18/2015
A book you were supposed to read in high school but didn't
A book set somewhere you've always wanted to visit
A book that came out the year you were born
A book with bad reviews - The Immortal Who Loved Me, Lynsay Sands, 2/25/2015 - (Putting this here because I gave it a generally bad review!)
A trilogy
A book from your childhood
A book with a love triangle
A book set in the future - Concealed in Death, J.D. Robb, 2/5/2015
A book set in a high school
A book that made you cry
A book with magic - Hidden Dragons, Bianca D'arc, 2/20/2015
A book by an author you've never read before
A book you own but have never read
A book that takes place in your hometown
A book set during christmas - Festive in Death, J.D. Robb, 2/6/2015
A book based on or turned into a tv show
A book that became a movie
A book you started but never finished
Listen to an entire audiobook - America: Empire of Liberty, David Reynolds, 3/11/2015
The Wolf, Jean Johnson, 3/7/2015
The Mage, Jean Johnson, 3/8/2015
The Mane Event, Shelly Laurenston, 3/9/2015
Printers' Marks: A Chapter in the History of Typography, William Roberts, 3/11/2015 (the link is to a downloadable pdf)
The Evolution of the Book, Frederick G. Kilgour, 3/11/2015
The Book: The Story of Printing and Bookmaking, Douglas McMurtrie. 3/11/2015
The Art & History of Books, Norma Levarie, 3/11/2015
Dragon Storm, Bianca D'arc, 3/12/2015
Big Bad Beast, Shelly Laurenston, 3/15/2015
Early Dutch, German & English Printers' Marks, Jean Philibert Berjeau, 3/16/2015 (the link is to a downloadable pdf)
Make It a Double, Sawyer Bennett, 3/17/2015
Printers Marks and their Significance, Douglas McMurtrie, 3/18/2015 (the link is to an online copy of the book)
Devices of the Early Printers: 1457-1560, Hugh William Davies, 3/18/2015 (the link is to an html copy from Project Gutenberg)
Printers Devices in Dutch Incunabula, W.J. Schretlen, 3/18/2015
Printers Marks, Horace Townsend, 3/18/2015
Printers Mottoes, Bella C. Landauer, 3/18/2015
Sicilia et Magna Graecia sive Historiae Vrbium Populorum et Graeciae ex Antiquis Nomismatibus Liber Primus, Hubert Goltzius, 3/18/2015 (this book was published in 1617 by the printer whose mark it took me years to identify. It is written in Latin, so it might be more accurate that I looked at every page)
Amoris Divini et Human Antipathia, 3/18/2015 (the same as the one above, but printed in 1655. The illustrations were absolutely amazing.)
Dutch Printers Devices, volumes 1-3, Peter van Huisstede, 3/19/2015
The Printed Book, Henri Bouchot, 3/19/2015 (link goes to a free downloadable copy at Project Gutenberg)
Masterpieces of the Early Printers and Engravers, Henry Noel Humphreys, 3/19/2015 (the link is to a downloadable copy of the book)
Heraldic Influence on Early Printers Marks, James Moran, 3/19/2015
English Printers Marks of the 16th Century, F.C. Avis, 3/19/2015
Before Midnight, Jennifer Blackstream, 3/20/2105
Stardust Miracle, Edie Ramer, 3/22/2015
Love Potions, Michelle Pillow, 3/23/2015
The Werewolf Liaison, Vivi Anna, 3/24/2015
The Naughty Never Die, LL Kellogg, 3/24/2015
London Under, Peter Ackroyd, 3/25/2015
Star Trek and History, Nancy R. Reagin, 4/5/2015
Keeper of the Flames, Bianca d'Arc, 4/8/2015
Protector of the Small: First Test, Tamora Pierce, 4/16/2015
Protector of the Small: Page, Tamora Pierce, 4/17/2015
Protector of the Small: Squire, Tamora Pierce, 4/18/2015
Protector of the Small: Lady Knight, Tamora Pierce, 4/19/2015
Storm Warning, Mercedes Lackey, 4/23/2015
Storm Rising, Mercedes Lackey, 4/24/2015
Storm Breaking, Mercedes Lackey, 4/25/2015
An Offer From A Gentleman, Julia Quinn, 4/26/2015
Romancing Mr. Bridgerton, Julia Quinn, 4/27/2015
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