and they say I’m not evil…
Finished another book I discovered as an ebook online, Green Rider by Kristen Britain. It was a good read. I stayed up until 2 AM the first night it was that good. It was a little frustrating because the book was actually scanned in and OCR’d and there were tons of little mistakes. I still don’t know the real name of one of the characters. Was it Tome or Torne? M and RN are usually mistaken for one another in OCR. Unless I pick up the actual book and look through it, I’ll never know. Oh well!
Grand Archives, Path of Blood
Grand Archives and Bellevue
Just came back from a free show down in Ballard for Grand Archives at the Sonic Boom. I was definitely enjoying myself. I was bobbing my head happily. They actually harmonized live. From what I could see or was told there are five band members and at least three that I could see from my vantage point behind a pillar were singing and playing guitar. At one point the guy at the keyboard (also playing a guitar at times) was playing what looked like an avocado! Anyway, I definitely dug. When they announced that they had another show tomorrow at the Triple Door, I don’t mind saying I was tempted.
Path of Blood
I finished Path of Blood last night, and I do believe it was the best one to date in the Path series. I felt it was the most coherent of the books. Reisl did not annoy me at all. The only gripe I could possibly have *spolier alert* has to do with Jurhnus’s transformation into a plague-healer. I guess it’s what happens to ahalad-kasaalane (sp?) when they get the plague… It just didn’t make much sense is all. It was an interesting ending, a little convenient but I liked it anyway.
I would definitely recommend to fans of strong female characters in epic fantasy.
Ballard and Sunshine
esterday was one of those rare days in Seattle where the sun is shining and there are high bare visible clouds in a blue, blue sky but its still freezing. The wind and shade did not help much either. It was however a glorious day. The three of us went down to Ballard apartment hunting and just schmoozing. I personally discovered a new artist, although my husband seemed to have it in his iPod already! I thoroughly enjoyed Second Chances by Liam Finn, son of Neil Finn of Crowded House fame.
The true crowning glory of yesterday, though, had to be our first visit to La Isla. A Puerto Rican restaurant, that had so much foot traffic, they were turning people away at the door with a promise of a phone call when a table opened up! I was thrilled. I bit into my lunch of carne guisada (beef stew, sort of), and felt like I was sitting in my mom’s living room tucking into some homemade deliciousness. I had some tembleque too. It has been too long. I felt like exploding when I finally left there. Guy fell in love with the bistec encebollado (onion steak, roughly translated) and the garlic dipping sauce for the tostones (double fried plaintains). I still had that garlic taste in my mouth when I woke this morning, sigh.
Path of Honor and a New Discovery
Path of Honor
Finished Path of Honor last night. I thought it was my inattentive reading that made the book feel like it was coming in fits and starts, but it’s actually written that way. I decided to do some dedicated reading up in my room for the last few chapters. The story jumped ahead and back and sideways so often that there was this constant feeling that I had missed something. The story itself is interesting, and I can’t wait to read the resolution. My one big beef this time around is the romantic relationship between Reisl and Tohuac. It wasn’t believable, not like the romantic relationship in the previous book with Kebonsat. I bought that very easily.
New Discovery – The Monster of Templeton
Just came across a new book by newly published author Laura Groff, The Monster of Templeton. I read a short excerpt on Borders website. I quickly added it to my holds list at the library. It’s not usually a book I would pick up, but it does sound very interesting. Check it out here
From the Nightside, part deux
I finished, From the Nightside last night. I still don’t know how I feel about the book but the mystery presented in this first installment has me interested enough that I downloaded the rest of the series ebooks. I still dislike John Taylor’s penchant for long monologues and Joanna still seemed a stilted appendage to the main character, more a marionette than a fully fleshed character. SPOILER ALERT
The fact that Joanna was actually one of the Harrowing in disguise a creature made from the mind of the creature that has captured Cathy, probably explains why she seemed so artificial, but the writer would have you believe that John Taylor felt she was a complete and real human woman. A woman John Taylor has fallen in love with. I didn’t buy it. There was no chemistry between the two characters. The “tender moments” left me feeling cold. They felt contrived to me.
In any case, I have finally tracked down Path of Honor the second in Pharaoh Francis’s Path books. I have this problem where I don’t want to be alone while I’m reading but the people in the room are talking and watching TV. As many readers can probably attest, unless the book is completely gripping, this is not an environment conducive to reading. Unfortunately, for me, the first few chapters of most books are nearly gripping enough, so last night’s endeavor to read Path of Honor was pretty much a bust. I got into maybe the 3rd or 4th chapter, and I honestly don’t know if I like what I read, at least of what I remember.
I will report more on this once I’ve gotten a little further in to the story.
Path of Fate & From the Nightside
Path of Fate
So I just finished Path of Fate by Diana Pharaoh Francis, the first in her Path series. I picked up mainly because I had a coupon and I like books with a strong female lead. I happily surprised to to have enjoyed the story quite a bit. Spent a few days trying to track down an ebook version to no avail. Now I’m just trying to find a used copy of the next two. This is the book description from the author’s website:
n the land of Kodu Riik, it is an honor to be selected by the Lady to become an ahalad-kaaslane-to have your soul bonded with one of Her blessed animals, and roam the land serving Her will.
But Riesil refuses to bow to fate-a decision that may have repercussions across the realm…
The description doesn’t quite do it justice. I wasn’t quite sure how to feel about Reisil at first. She has this awesome opportunity but she thinks she can just push it aside. When it becomes apparent that the only way to help is to accept her destiny, she does assume the task gracefully albeit grudgingly. She developed quite well and by the end of it, I wanted to read more of Reisil and her future exploits. A thoroughly good read all around.
From the Nightside
I’m in the middle of From the Nightside by Simon R Green. There’s something about the looseness of the plot that bothers me, but I can’t quite pin-point what’s wrong. I like the main character, John Taylor, quite a bit. However, I dislike the monologues he goes off on when introducing new characters. It’s jarring. I’d rather the characters be introduced via an internal monologue. It would seem less contrived, I guess. I am enjoying the world the author has created in the Nightside. I think that may be the only reason I’m still reading it. Joanna, the other “major” character is a bit annoying. If she was to serve as an entry for the reader into this new and fantastic world, it’s not working. This especially true when you add in the fact that the book is written in first person.
Well, that’s my rant so far. I will post later once I’ve finished From the Nightside.
Fremont and Ballard
Spent a lovely day yesterday with my husband and his best friend. We ate at Roxie’s down in Fremont and spent some time at Sonic Boom Records. Good times. We hit Ballard after that and discovered there really was a Puerto Rican presence here in the NW. A little restaurant by the name La Isla. I didn’t see much on the menu but what I did see made me happy. I haven’t had Tembleque in like forever! Found a very cute shop called La Tienda. I found some nice things in there, jewelry and scarves and what not that got me all excited.
I am still in the process of editing and re writing The Rising but I’m so intimidated by the whole process. I’ve never been one to do my work over, always been too lazy for that.
I know that this manuscript can really use all the help it can get though, so I’m just gonna trudge along and get it done. I want to publish it!
The Rising: Excerpt
So below is an excerpt from the first novel I have written, “The Rising.” Written over roughly 30 days back in November of ‘07, it came to me in a dream. I am still in the re-writing/first edit stage but I hope to have the full novel ready for print to distribute to all my friends soon.
Hope you enjoy:
The dreams returned that night. Isobel walked among her new friends, Liz, Maggie, Jen, and Di through the school’s corridors. Isobel suddenly felt dizzy and the world turned into a roiling sea. A whirlpool developed beneath her and all around her. The school, the other kids, Jen, Maggie, and Di went sailing away. In the midst of the whirlpool stood Liz and another boy Isobel had never met. He seemed so familiar. Others stood around them, Matilda was there and others Isobel vaguely remembered having been kind to her.
The screams all around her were deafening. Suddenly out from the walls of the ocean came arms and legs and then heads and shoulders. These limbs were attached to horrific creatures, monsters from the deep. Isobel’s mind told her she should be frightened, but her heart beat excitedly, welcomingly. These creatures were her family. This confused Isobel, and she almost came awake. Just then someone was holding her hand. It was the boy that had stood with Liz. His golden hair glistened with the spray from the whirling waters. His skin was almost translucent. His shining amber eyes stared right down into the deepest part of her.
His cool fingers brushed the tears from her face. Funny, she had not realized she had been crying.
“Shh,” he crooned, “everything will be fine.”
“What’s happening?”
“I don’t know,” he said simply.
That’s it. Hope you enjoy it. I would appreciate any comments or ideas on how to make it better. That is, if anyone ever reads this!
