Home at last!
Actually, I got back yesterday, but as soon as I got home, I shoved some food into my stomach, and crashed out for the rest of the day. After all the traveling and socializing and writing over the past five weeks, I needed it.
The Philippines was an okay trip. It would've been a lot better sans family drama, but besides that it was great. I can only dislike being in another country so much. On the other hand, my one-week trip for the other family reunion in Missouri (father's side) was absolutely amazing, and completely made up for how terrible things ended in the PI.
Due to a severe lack of internet, I brought along a bunch of books. Here's the first four that I read:
The Walking Tree by Kaaron Warren-
Holy shit. This book frustrated me. It has a lot of interesting concepts, but I didn't feel like it was executed very well. I disliked the main character, Lillah, most of the time... but I suppose it was nice to have protagonist with some actual flaws. There's a lot of superstition that both the characters and the reader have to waddle through, and I never really liked superstition much for the simple fact that, more often than not, it's used to blind characters into making bad choices. It does have massive amounts of femslash opportunity, though it doesn't quite feel worth it by the end of the book. Would I recommend it? Meh. I'm not going to say no, but if you do end up reading it, go in with a bit of mental preparation.
Lord of the Changing Winds, The Griffin Mage: Book 1 by Rachel Neumeier-
I may have loved this book for being exactly what I needed after The Walking Tree. I rather loved the main character, Kes, who's a quiet little thing that comes into her own without losing the core of who she is. I think I actually liked just about every character, and even when I didn't, I enjoyed the reasons and motivations behind them. I would even go so far as to say that there weren't any "true" villains in the story, but merely individuals with their own agendas and a willingness to do what they needed to accomplish them. There's some femslash appeal, though it has to be stretched, and pokes a bit at my dormant furry kink. In terms of messing with my emotions, it didn't feel like it was a demanding story. I was pleasantly surprised when I suddenly found myself fighting back tears not once, but twice, both on accounts of amazing character sacrifice (it wasn't like The Sundering where I sobbed nonstop through the last 200 pages). This one definitely has my recommendation.
Sabriel by Garth Nix-
Necromancy! I was caught mostly by the world in which Sabriel was set. The character herself is young, odd type of reluctant hero, and I typically don't like that type of character, but I still enjoyed myself through her first person POV. The plot and other characters moved it along well enough, even though there's not much for femslash. It struck me as a fantasy book to read on a mellow day, just to relax. My roommate who recommended it to me said I'd be much more interested in the next book, Lirael, so I'll go that far, at least. I'd recommend it, but it's not going to blow you away.
Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King-
My first reaction after finish the book was, "Did he write this for a twelve year-old?"
"Actually, he did." My roommate. "He wrote it for one of his children, I think."
"Oh, well, that explains it."
And it does. Not being a child, it was uncomfortably predictable when I was reading through it. It would have been so much more interesting if I hadn't been so annoyed with King addressing the audience so much and giving away the entire plot. However! Considering the particular audience, I'm likely to give this to my kid when they want to move on to longer books.
I'll have more to post later when I get more time. :)
It's good to be back!
The Philippines was an okay trip. It would've been a lot better sans family drama, but besides that it was great. I can only dislike being in another country so much. On the other hand, my one-week trip for the other family reunion in Missouri (father's side) was absolutely amazing, and completely made up for how terrible things ended in the PI.
Due to a severe lack of internet, I brought along a bunch of books. Here's the first four that I read:
The Walking Tree by Kaaron Warren-
Holy shit. This book frustrated me. It has a lot of interesting concepts, but I didn't feel like it was executed very well. I disliked the main character, Lillah, most of the time... but I suppose it was nice to have protagonist with some actual flaws. There's a lot of superstition that both the characters and the reader have to waddle through, and I never really liked superstition much for the simple fact that, more often than not, it's used to blind characters into making bad choices. It does have massive amounts of femslash opportunity, though it doesn't quite feel worth it by the end of the book. Would I recommend it? Meh. I'm not going to say no, but if you do end up reading it, go in with a bit of mental preparation.
Lord of the Changing Winds, The Griffin Mage: Book 1 by Rachel Neumeier-
I may have loved this book for being exactly what I needed after The Walking Tree. I rather loved the main character, Kes, who's a quiet little thing that comes into her own without losing the core of who she is. I think I actually liked just about every character, and even when I didn't, I enjoyed the reasons and motivations behind them. I would even go so far as to say that there weren't any "true" villains in the story, but merely individuals with their own agendas and a willingness to do what they needed to accomplish them. There's some femslash appeal, though it has to be stretched, and pokes a bit at my dormant furry kink. In terms of messing with my emotions, it didn't feel like it was a demanding story. I was pleasantly surprised when I suddenly found myself fighting back tears not once, but twice, both on accounts of amazing character sacrifice (it wasn't like The Sundering where I sobbed nonstop through the last 200 pages). This one definitely has my recommendation.
Sabriel by Garth Nix-
Necromancy! I was caught mostly by the world in which Sabriel was set. The character herself is young, odd type of reluctant hero, and I typically don't like that type of character, but I still enjoyed myself through her first person POV. The plot and other characters moved it along well enough, even though there's not much for femslash. It struck me as a fantasy book to read on a mellow day, just to relax. My roommate who recommended it to me said I'd be much more interested in the next book, Lirael, so I'll go that far, at least. I'd recommend it, but it's not going to blow you away.
Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King-
My first reaction after finish the book was, "Did he write this for a twelve year-old?"
"Actually, he did." My roommate. "He wrote it for one of his children, I think."
"Oh, well, that explains it."
And it does. Not being a child, it was uncomfortably predictable when I was reading through it. It would have been so much more interesting if I hadn't been so annoyed with King addressing the audience so much and giving away the entire plot. However! Considering the particular audience, I'm likely to give this to my kid when they want to move on to longer books.
I'll have more to post later when I get more time. :)
It's good to be back!