REVIEW | The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

Publication Year: 2012

Genre: General/Historical Fiction

Series: None 

Awards: Pulitzer Prize Nominee for Fiction (2013)

Format: Audio

Narrator: Debra Monk

WHY?:  It is a story based on a fable that takes place in a harsh, frontier type of environment (1920s Alaska).  Both of these aspects appeal to me.  It also got a lot of positive reviews when it came out.

SYNOPSIS: Jack and Mabel are childless and well into their middle age when they decide to try homesteading in remote Alaska.  Jack grew up on a New England farm but other than that neither has any experience with the type of hardship Alaska will throw at you.  Mabel had hoped the change and hard work would fill in some of the emptiness of their barren marriage and at least bring she and Jack closer together but it hasn't really worked out that way.  However, in a moment of winter frivolity the couple build a girl out of snow and the very next day they start encountering a strange girl living on her own in the woods.  Is it their snow girl come to life or a miracle of another kind?

At the heart of the book is Jack and Mabel and I feel like Ivey hits every note perfectly in developing their relationship. Their deep love for each other is so evident even when their relationship is not working. When their relationship does work it is magic and it's especially lovely because they are more mature. Both frustrated me at different points but in a way that was perfect. Mabel's inability to deal with her heartbreak and her insistence that they move to the wilderness of Alaska though she has no skills and abilities or even knowledge of what it takes to survive.  Her unlikely friendship with a brash, somewhat coarse neighbor, Edith, as well as the entry of Faina into their lives steadies her and we see that while she started off ignorant she is resourceful and eager to learn. Jack frustrates with his silences and his "I'm the man and therefore must shoulder all the burden" attitude. It takes a profound injury for him to relax and let Mabel take some of the load. Individually and together they make so much sense.  I cannot overstate how much I loved the evolution and depiction of their relationship.

As with any book based on a fable there is a question about how real or magical the events are.  The book does a good job surfing between the "worlds" and in the end it really doesn't matter what Faina's origins are  - all that matters is how she has affected the people around her.  The ending is ambiguous, which if I'm honest is a tad frustrating, but I can't deny that it also feels right.  I loved how the character of Faina seemed to be a human representation of the Alaska wilderness and by embracing her, Jack and Mabel slowly start to embrace the new life they have and the new place as home.  The whole book feels so beautifully thought out without seeming rigid or overly planned.

The Snow Child fulfilled all of my expectations and then some.  It is a fable of the original variety. It doesn't end with a kiss, it can at times be rather sad and disturbing but in the best possible way and not without a measure of hope.  The message of the story seems to be that life can be very very sad but to truly live it you must embrace the sadness and try and move through it - not push it aside or bury it deep.  Eventually life will also throw moments of such complete joy and beauty at you that in the end the Rolling Stones are right.  You may not always or ever get what you want but if you try, you may just get what you need.  Since this is probably my favorite Rolling Stones song, I am always going to love a book that beautifully illustrates its truth.

The audio version of the book was really good.  I liked the reader who had a good earthy voice that worked for the story perfectly.

FINAL VERDICT:  A completely lovely and engrossing read.  I recommend to anyone who enjoys fables and stories set in a frontier type setting.  4 out of 5 stars.

Other Opinions are Available:  The Washington Post | Cuddlebuggery

REVIEW | Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Stars Above by Marissa Meyer

Publication Year: 2016

Genre: YA, Science Fiction, Short Stories

Series: Lunar Chronicles 

Awards: None

Format: Audio

Narrator: Rebecca Soler

WHY?: Because I'm a certified Lunartic:0).

Stars above is a collection of stories set in the Lunar Chronicles universe though only one in the collection deserves to be classified as a true short story. The majority of the stories are prequel chapters that provide a little more background on the characters from the novels.  They are arranged chronologically: first is the story of how Scarlet goes to live with her grandmother and is joined by a certain Lunar Princess, Cinder's first few months being awake and living with the Linh family, how Cress ends up living in a satellite and Ze'ev Kesley becomes a "wolf", how a teenage Thorne navigates high school, and how Winter and Jacin grow up together.  There is also a re-telling of Kai and Cinder's meeting in the market place from Kai's perspective and the collection ends with the one future story which brings all the characters together again about two years post Winter.

The one oddball story, which was my favorite, was The Little Android.  It is the only entry in the collection that has a fully fledged story arc and could really count as a short story.  I really love the idea of sentient androids, which is probably why I love Iko so much, and the story uses this idea to re-tell The Little Mermaid (which is my favorite fairy tale).  It is done with Meyer's usual creative flair and works really well.

The last story is the most fun because we get to peek at where our friends are after Winter ends.  It solidified for me that Cinder and Kai, the original couple, are my favorite.  I'm a sucker for characters with a strong sense of duty and responsibility, especially when said characters get their much deserved rewards.  There's something so satisfying about it.  Because of my love for them I also really enjoyed the story of their first meeting from Kai's perspective.  

Rebecca Soler was the narrator for the entire series and I really like her reading.  On the audio version at least there is an excerpt from Meyer's next book, Heartless, a story based in Wonderland (as in "Alice in") and I was hooked and can't wait for that book to come out now!

FINAL VERDICT:  This is an enjoyable companion to the Lunar Chronicles series that any fan will definitely want to read!  3 out of 5 Stars.

Other Opinions: Readers in Wonderland |  Feminist Fairy Tale Reviews

Saturday in the Garden | Spring!

OUTSIDE

It was a week of natural happenings. For weeks now I've been driving around spying on Bald Eagle nests and teaching others how to do so also.  I'm all about nest voyeurism.  At last weekend's workshop, it was snowing and blustery so the eagles were hunkered down and invisible but just so we didn't get too disappointed, a mink popped up and frolicked around the pool of a creek perhaps 20 meters from where the group was standing.

During the week at the office there was a drama playing out at the bird house between a Bluebird couple and some nefarious House Sparrows.  House sparrows aren't really nefarious but they're not native in the U.S., they're much more common than Bluebirds and despite their smaller size they frequently seem to out-compete Bluebirds for scarce nesting cavities.  I'm rooting for the Bluebirds.

This morning I took the dogs for a walk at a nearby park and was enjoying some towering pines, admiring lichen-covered sticks and picking up rocks, as one does, when a fox flushed from a wooded ravine we were walking along and scampered away from us.  Thankfully the dogs didn't see him/her. Of course I only got pictures of the boring stuff.

There is nothing like Spring for watching the world:).  

LIFE

I had a serious case of job burn out this week which prompted me, somewhat guiltily, to take Friday off. Burn out frequently attacks when I am coming down from a super busy period at work to a slightly less busy period.  It's obnoxious because I usually am still plenty busy with lots to do, just not with the same level of frenzy as the preceding weeks.  It can't be helped though and the only cure is to try and take some little mini-breaks here and there that help to get me motivated again.

How about you?  How do you deal with work or school burn out?

In other news, I went out to a local brewery last night and, in addition to some tasty beer, had my first Kombucha.  It was super delicious  and I may have a new obsession though I'm not sure I buy all the claimed health benefits touted online.  Have you ever tried Kombucha (it's fermented, carbonated tea if you're ignorant like I was)?  Any commercially available brands you'd recommend particularly?

WATCHING, READING and BLOGGING

Watching 

I've been slowly making my way through season 4 of Glee this week.  Slowly, because I think it sucks.  It is really hard to transition a show that takes place in High School into the after high school years.  In fact I can't think of a single show that successfully did it, can you?  Even shows I love dearly, like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Veronica Mars just never worked as well post high school. Season 4 of Glee has other problems as well:  the music sucks for the most part, the new crop of Glee kids are seriously the most boring human beings ever, and the adults on the show seem to have lost all color.  I continue to watch simply because it is Finn/Cory Monteith's last season.  Besides watching the tribute show to him that aired in season 5, I will not be continuing and will just live in a self-imposed bubble where only seasons 1-3 exist. The end.

Reading

Finished Last Week: 

• Murder on Lenox Hill (Gaslight Mystery #7) by Victoria Thompson:  A mystery series focused on a midwife and police officer in turn of the 20th century New York.
• Whispers Underground (Peter Grant #3) by Ben Aaronovitch:  This British urban fantasy/mystery series has one of the best lead character voices going.  I adore Peter Grant.

Currently Reading:

• One Magic Square by Lolo Houbein: A gardening book about maximizing food production in a small space.  An ARC from Netgalley (though I think it's an older title).   
• Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones: A stand alone novel I ran across at the local used book store knowing nothing about it except that it was by Diana Wynne Jones:0).  It is taking its time to get going so I hope it picks up the pace soon, simply because that's what I'm in the mood for now. It has an awesome atmosphere, though, that is really sticking with me.
• The Round House by Louise Erdrich:  I started this in D.C. on my kindle and it pretty immediately sucked me in despite the brutality of the subject matter (violent rape against a minority).  
• The Incarnations by Susan Barker: I heard about this book on the All The Books podcast and it sounded really interesting.  Follows the lives of two soul-mates through several re-incarnated lives in China.  
• The Gods of Gotham (Timothy Wilde #1) by Lyndsay Faye: A historic mystery-thriller set in 1800s New York about the start of a police force.  
• Six-Gun Snow White by Cathrynne M. Valente:  A novella re-telling of the Snow White fairy-tale in a U.S. Frontier setting.

Added to the TBR:

This is a list of books that I have added to my Goodreads TBR list this week.  It helps to burn the books I want to read a little more firmly into my mind, maybe get them on some other folks TBRs and gives me a chance to recognize a lot of the awesome bloggers that add stuff to my TBR!

• Burning Midnight by Will McIntosh:  A YA series by brilliant sci-fi author Will McIntosh? Yes Please!  The premise sounds really intriguing as well.  Picked up from The Book Smugglers.
• The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli:  I saw this book on Musings of a Bookish Kitty's Top Ten Tuesday list.  About a American female combat photographer during the Vietnam War.  
• Moloka'i by Alan Brennert:  Also from Musings of a Bookish Kitty's list!  I've always been a little fascinated by Leprosy and especially how it was treated 
• The Mangle Street Murders (The Gower Street Detective #1) by M.R.C. Kasasian:  Brillian irascible detective solving crime in Victorian era London.  Sounds familiar but I'm game.  I cam across this series while browsing at the library.

Blogging 

On the BLOG LAST WEEK:

• SUNDAY: REVIEW | Still Life With Murder by P.B. Ryan
• TUESDAY: TOP TEN TUESDAY | Books I Love but Don't Talk About

That's it for me this week.  Hope all of you had a good one and if you celebrate Easter that you enjoy the holiday!

TOP TEN TUESDAY | Books I Love but Don't Talk About

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme for bloggers who like books and lists. It's awesome and is graciously hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.

Hi there!  This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic gave me the opportunity to dig through some older reads to see if I could unearth some gems that I haven't previously raved about (much).  It was fun! The specific topic is:

Ten Books I Really Love But Feel Like I Haven't Talked About Enough/In A While (inspired by freebie topic)

I may have in fact mentioned some of these books before but I don't think I've subjected them too often to adoration inspired gushing.  I wouldn't call these books all time favorites but I really enjoyed all of them and in most cases they converted me into an auto-buy fan of the author.  Okay, enough exposition!

************

1. Crow in Stolen Colors by Marcia Simpson

I'm a little hesitant to bring this book and it's one other companion up because of ...things but it is a mystery set in Alaska, featuring a librarian/boat captain.  I remember loving the main character, being engaged by the mystery and being completely fascinated by the portrayal of life in Alaska. It was nominated for a couple of debut mystery awards including the Edgar. My hesitation about bringing it up is that it is bound to be a disappointment if you do like it because the author only wrote one other book before seemingly dropping off the face of the earth.  

2. A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley

I read this book after have moved to and lived in Iowa for a couple of years so I'm not sure if that played some role in my love for it.  It is the drama of an Iowa farm family and it is completely absorbing.  

3. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

I feel like maybe this book has had a recent resurgence and with good reason.  It's a lovely coming of age tale written by the author who also wrote 101 Dalmatians.

4. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

This is the first book in a series that became a hugely popular TV show but don't skip the books!  I really loved this first book in the series, more than I even expected.  If you are unaware, it's a crime/mystery series featuring a forensic blood splatter expert who also happens to be a serial killer.  He's surprisingly likeable.

5. Holmes on the Range by Steve Hockensmith

I really adore this goofy mystery series about two cowboys in the wild west who happen to be huge Sherlock Holmes fans.  It's a creative way of playing with the Sherlock Holmes mythos.

6. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury

I really love Ray Bradbury's writing and this is one of my favorite books by him.  As far as I can remember, nothing fantastical or science-fictiony about it.  It's a surprisingly sentimental, and somewhat autobiographical coming of age tale that takes place in a small town in 1920s Illinois.

7. Peter Grant Series by Ben Aaronovitch

I think I've mentioned this series a time or two but wanted to say once again just how much I love it.  Peter Grant has one of the best voices in Urban Fantasy - he's hilarious and awesome and this whole series is fantastic and original. 

8. The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

I read this a long while ago but remember just really loving it.  It's a nice genre mash-up of crime and alternate history.  The tone is like nothing else I've read.

9. The Poisoners Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York by Deborah Blum

I thought I'd throw a couple of non-fiction books on here!  This is a totally engrossing, well written and researched book about all the things listed in the subtitle:0). Probably one of the best non-fiction books I've read in the last 5 years including Mary Roach. That's serious love, y'all.

10. The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper by Lynn Rossetto Kasper and Sally Swift

To go with the Poisoner's Handbook, a Cookbook!  When I got this cookbook, I sat down and read it from cover to cover.  It's beautiful and is chock full of great recipes and information. The recipes display a love for eating and range from simple to complex.  I've made numerous recipes from it and all of them have been amazing.   

************

So how about you?  Any books that you feel like you don't blab enough about?  

REVIEW | MYSTERY | Still Life With Murder by P.B. Ryan

Still Life With Murder by P.B. Ryan

Publication Year: 2010

Genre: Historical Mystery, 1870s Boston

Series: Nell Sweeney Mysteries, #1

Awards: NA

Format: eBook (bought)

Narrator: NA

WHY?:  I really like books that are primarily X (whatever X may be - in this case a mystery) but that have a long simmering romance that bubbles along in the background.  Book 6 in this series was mentioned in a Book Riot post about best literary love declarations which got me intrigued.  The fact that historical mysteries are my jam, sealed the deal.  

NOTE:  There will be some mild spoilers in this review.  I won't reveal the murderer or anything but the identity of the main suspect's identity is up for question during the first couple chapters. 

SYNOPSIS:  The murder of a sailor in an opium den unexpectedly intrudes into the well-ordered life of one of the most prominent families in Boston, the Hewitts.  The matriarch, Viola is particularly concerned and she enlists the help of Nell Sweeney, her adopted daughter's governess, to dig into the case and find out what she can.  What connects this lowly sea man to the wealthy and prominent Hewitt's?  Why does the main suspect refuse to admit or deny his guilt?  

The subtitle for this book could have been - Everything you ever wanted to know about smoking opium and being an opium addict.  Another subtitle could have been Man, the Civil War really sucked.

The book begins in 1863 but the majority of the story takes place a couple years after the U.S. Civil War has ended.  It wastes no time throwing curve balls at the readers and it's got a couple of killer twists/hooks right off the bat that served to suck me into the mystery.  It is a fantastic beginning! However, that level of eventfulness and action is not sustained and in fact the book dragged a little from time to time but for the most part I was engaged with the mystery.

The historical aspect of the book is handled okay though I didn't think, besides the Civil War aftermath, it was too important to the plot. Some of the conventions and restrictions of the time come into play but we are introduced to many characters who flout these conventions and don't seem to be negatively impacted in any way, which ends up feeling a little anachronistic.

Ryan takes great pains, more pains than the average historical mystery, to flesh out her main characters and give them some depth.  Nell is not entirely what she at first appears and her motivations throughout for sticking her nose into the mystery are pretty solid.  First, she has great affection and gratitude for her mistress and wishes to be loyal, then her reasons become more personal when she develops an attachment to the murder suspect. I really liked Nell even though she is described as being very attractive to men. Why can't we ever have heroines, even in mysteries that are just fine looking but have kick-ass personalities? *shrugs*  At least in this book, Ryan uses Nell's attractiveness as a means to open up otherwise closed doors as Nell investigates (a little bit ala the episode The Bubble on 30 Rock).  The murder suspect William Hewitt, Viola's thought-to-be-lost son, has a very interesting history which has served to wreck him pretty thoroughly.

Finally, I have to talk about the romance since that is what initially drew me to pick up the series.  Unfortunately, I found it decidedly meh because I thought Viola's love interest was pretty insufferable.  He's arrogant, rebellious, impossibly handsome and has a serious case of the poor little rich kid blues.  Ryan does her best to give him a tragic enough back story to explain why he is troubled and, of course, at heart he is solid gold but I just didn't like him.  As soon as I detected the way the wind was blowing, I think I may have emitted an audible groan.  I personally preferred the police detective, who is not nearly so handsome but is hard working and a lot smarter than the average Joe.  He sadly has a loving wife. Sigh......  I am willing to see how things develop in the next book but based on this first installment the romantic elements will not be what draws me on in the series.

FINAL VERDICT:  A mostly engaging historical mystery series with an interesting female protagonist.  I recommend as long as you are not a stickler for historical accuracy or mind learning A LOT about smoking Opium.  3 out of 5 stars.

Other Opinions are Available:  Dear Author 

What are your thoughts about this book?  What about the wealth of female protagonists who are devastatingly good-looking?  Is it a detraction?

Saturday in the Garden | Chives and Why Hello There Books!

OUTSIDE

So it snowed today after three weeks of 60 degree weather.   Not sure what effect that's gonna have on all the plants that were stupid enough to already start growing. Weather.  Sheesh.  Despite the snow I also "harvested" my first "crop" - Chives!  This is one of my favorite herbs to grow because it's indestructible and delicious.  A pretty winning combo:0).

The baby plants under the lights are coming along and making me happy.

LIFE

So I've kind of fallen down on the gratitude band wagon. It's not really that I'm having trouble noticing things to be grateful for but is really more about figuring out how to represent some of those things in pictures.  That takes creative thinking and I've just been too busy and tired for creative thinking.  Merp Merp Merp.  A doo doo doo, a dah dah dah.  The Police rock.  That is all.

WATCHING, READING and BLOGGING

Watching 

I am still watching Glee and actually just started watching the first episodes of season 4 which I hadn't yet watched.  It's...weird.  The "new" Glee Club at McKinley is insanely boring  - even the previously unboring Blaine and Brittany.  The music thus far is horrendous.  They're trying to pass off this new character, Marley, as the new Rachel and I don't know what kind of drugs they are smoking - she doesn't hold a candle to Lea Michele.  I hope it improves.  I'm also starting to really dread losing Finn/Cory even though he isn't even in the first couple episodes.  When he does show up, he is struggling with what he's going to do with his life and it's just so excruciatingly sad.

Reading

Finished Last Week: 

• The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman: A 1960s book about an older lady who becomes a spy.  
• Sorcerer to the Crown (Sorcerer Royal #1) by Zen Cho:  This was released in the latter half of 2015 and has been raved about non-stop ever since.  It also sounds like a book designed just for me,  Set in Regency Era England it follows the Sorcerer Royal as he tries recover the magic levels in England and give women a place in the magical community.
• The Secret Adversary (Tommy and Tuppence #1) by Agatha Christie: Agatha's branching out into the spy thriller genre.
• Stars Above by Marissa Meyer:  A compilation of short stories/novellas set in The Lunar Chronicles universe.

Currently Reading:

• One Magic Square by Lolo Houbein: A gardening book about maximizing food production in a small space.  An ARC from Netgalley (though I think it's an older title).   
• Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones: A stand alone novel I ran across at the local used book store knowing nothing about it except that it was by Diana Wynne Jones:0).  It is taking its time to get going so I hope it picks up the pace soon, simply because that's what I'm in the mood for now. It has an awesome atmosphere, though, that is really sticking with me.
• The Round House by Louise Erdrich:  I started this in D.C. on my kindle and it pretty immediately sucked me in despite the brutality of the subject matter (violent rape against a minority).  
• Murder on Lenox Hill (Gaslight Mystery #7) by Victoria Thompson:  A mystery series focused on a midwife and police officer in turn of the 20th century New York.

Added to the TBR:

This is a list of books that I have added to my Goodreads TBR list this week.  It helps to burn the books I want to read a little more firmly into my mind, maybe get them on some other folks TBRs and gives me a chance to recognize a lot of the awesome bloggers that add stuff to my TBR!

Nothing Added.

Blogging 

On the BLOG LAST WEEK:

• SUNDAY: Saturday in The Garden (on Sunday) | Garlic and Stress
• THURSDAY: Review of Uprooted by Naomi Novik.  

On the BLOG NEXT WEEK:

I'm gonna try to get back on the blogging bandwagon this week.  I have a review written and the Top Ten Tuesday is about books I love that I haven't talked about enough.  It might be fun to try and think of some favorites that I haven't already belabored.

REVIEW | Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Publication Year: 2015
Genre: Fantasy
Series: NA
Awards: NA
Format: Audio (from Audible.com)
Narrator: Julia Emelin

WHY?:  Did you see the gushing reviews of this book?  How could I not read it?


I wanted to write and post a review of this book mostly because I have a contrarian viewpoint.  I liked it but I didn't love it and even have a couple of criticisms. Horrors! It was a solid 3 to 3.5 star read for me and I'll try to explain why it didn't inspire, in me, the adoration that so many others felt.

However, first things first - the story.  The Dragon is a sorcerer who has lived in the valley for as long as folks can remember.  He comes to the villagers' aid when the evil Wood gets particularly fractious and in payment, every few years, he takes one of their daughters to live with him in his tower. Agnieszka has never worried that she might be the daughter taken.  She's always been a bit of mess; clumsy and awkward, with little talent for anything.  It is her beautiful and accomplished best friend Kasia who is believed to be the most likely candidate, so it is to everyone's surprise, including the Dragon's, that Agnieszka ends up accompanying him back to his home.  At first it seems that Agnieszka will be just as hopeless at serving the Dragon as she is with everything else but she turns out to be a powerful and unconventional sorceress who greatly helps the Dragon combat the sentient and malevolent Wood.

Hopefully the synopsis gets across that the book has a strong folk tale feel to it that it particularly draws from Russian and Eastern European myths.  It has a beautiful and really fascinating and terrifying magic system with Agnieszka's in particular drawing from nature.  The foreboding Wood is so well developed and its various menaces are truly horrible - it is a very worthy and unique adversary.  In fact the whole book is very richly imagined and the world that Novik presents feels complete and very real.  Basically, this book is really great in a number of ways but I want to focus on the things that didn't work for me only because you will have no problem finding reviews that point out all the wonderful.  Just know, that while I am focusing on the negative, I did, in fact enjoy the book and would recommend it but with a few caveats.

My problems:

1) The Plot.  While the overarching plot - bitter sorcerer and plucky girl fighting an old and evil adversary - is great and takes a unique form, the execution of said plot was a little slow and rambling for me. I thought the pacing was a little off  and the various components of the story didn't quite connect tightly enough.  When I think back on the book I think of it in episodes that all seem very discrete and separate instead of a flowing thread of story.  Also, frankly, I got bored.  Several times.  Not enough to stop reading the book altogether but it did not suck me in or pull me along as it seems to have done with others.

2) The Characters.  This one is a personal thing that I think would not be an issue for most readers.  I have been realizing lately that I have a really hard time connecting with characters who are impulsive and reckless and who don't respect existing systems (aka rule breakers).  Agnieszka strongly falls into this category of character and while I didn't dislike her, I also didn't really enjoy reading about her either.  So, if you're a repressed rule follower like myself who never does anything without overthinking it and preparing a detailed plan than you might also have trouble connecting with Agnieszka:).  Or maybe not.  Unfortunately, this repressed reader just wanted to continually roll my eyes at every scrape Agnieszka got herself into.

3) The Romance.  This was the most disappointing for me because before reading it, I was SUPER excited by all the descriptions I read of the romance in the book.  I'm a fan of the whole May-December thing generally and so many people felt this was a lovely, swoony addition to the story.  Unfortunately it left me completely cold.  Sarkan (the Dragon) is an ass, beginning to end.  By the end, maybe he is a little more grudgingly accepting of the different way in which Agnieszka does magic but that is essentially all that has changed.  He never apologizes for how utterly awful he was to her in the beginning of the book.  And lets talk about the beginning.  Agnieszka does not (nor any of the girls one supposes) have any idea why Sarkan takes girls and of course she imagines the worst.  She is a sheltered village girl who has never even been away from home.  Sarkan doesn't show her any kindness, which is harsh but I can deal with as a character thing.  What was unforgivable was how he explains nothing to her and just lets her stew in terror and continually mess up.  He does not explain anything, not for weeks and months.  It's nonsensical and really cruddy and feels like it was a cheap way to create some tension in the story.  If he had actually taken an hour and laid out the whys and wherefores, we couldn't have had pages and pages of Agnieszka being terrified and angsty about what was happening to her.  It was a really icky beginning to their relationship and I feel like Sarkan never really did anything to redeem himself so I was completely confused by why Agnieszka would want anything to do with him romantically.  There is a post on The Book Smugglers about the Romantic Douchecanoe trope which sums up my feelings fully and in much better fashion than I just did.  This type of romantic hero has never done it for me and Uprooted was not an exception.

What it comes down to in the end, is that there is much in the book that I admired and liked but it fell down in what for me were three pretty key areas.  It's probably safe to say that the hype around the book had an effect as well.  I had very high expectations and also knew perhaps a little too much about the story to really appreciate it.  Most folks will undoubtedly enjoy and many will adore Uprooted.   I thought it was just pretty good. And that makes me really sad because I so wish it had given me the same feels as it gave many readers.

FINAL VERDICT:  A solid and imaginative folk tale inspired fantasy novel that was just a little too slow and unfocused for me to truly love it. 3.5 out of 5 Stars.

Many Other Opinions Are Available: Of Dragons and Hearts |  The Book Smugglers

Saturday in the Garden | Garlic and Stress

OUTSIDE

Two weeks later and all my seeds have germinated!  I also took advantage of the crazy early spring and planted some sugar snap peas. Other signs of spring:  the garlic is up!!

LIFE

This week was the second most insanely busy week I will likely have all year.  Definitely ready for things to calm the heck down.  The good thing is that I have stayed very productive and in a relatively good mood.  Yay me?  My non-work time has mostly been binge-watching glee and sleeping.  Pretty much all my reading has been audio.

WATCHING, READING and BLOGGING

Watching 

I am in full-on Glee binge mode.

Reading

Finished Last Week: 

• The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (Song of the Lioness #3) by Tamora Pierce:  Finally getting back to this series - not sure why it took me so long!  Unfortunately, I was really disappointed in Alanna in this installment.  I will definitely finish out the series but I hope the last book shakes Alanna up.  

Currently Reading:

• One Magic Square by Lolo Houbein: A gardening book about maximize food production in a small space.  An ARC from Netgalley (though I think it's an older title).   
• Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones: A stand alone novel I ran across at the local used book store knowing nothing about it except that it was by Diana Wynne Jones:0).  It is taking its time to get going so I hope it picks up the pace soon, simply because that's what I'm in the mood for now. It has an awesome atmosphere, though, that is really sticking with me.
• Sorceror to the Crown (Sorceror Royal #1) by Zen Cho:  This was release in the latter half of 2015 and has been raved about non-stop ever since.  It also sounds like a book designed just for me,  Set in Regency Era England it follows the Sorceror Royal as he tries recover the magic levels in England and give women a place in the magical community.
• The Round House by Louise Erdrich:  I started this in D.C. on my kindle and it pretty immediately sucked me in despite the brutality of the subject matter (violent rape against a minority).  
• The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman: A 1960s book about an older lady who becomes a spy.  
• Stars Above by Marissa Meyer:  A compilation of short stories/novellas set in The Lunar Chronicles universe.

Added to the TBR:

This is a list of books that I have added to my Goodreads TBR list this week.  It helps to burn the books I want to read a little more firmly into my mind, maybe get them on some other folks TBRs and gives me a chance to recognize a lot of the awesome bloggers that add stuff to my TBR!

Nothing Added.

Blogging 

On the BLOG LAST WEEK:

• SUNDAY: Saturday in The Garden (on Sunday) | Washington, D.C.
• THURSDAY: Parent Of Virtues - Week 10. I am experimenting with the 365 Grateful project to help me be more mindful and less of a crabby ass.

On the BLOG NEXT WEEK:

Not Sure.  May be another light week as I get caught up.

Parent of Virtues | Week 10

This week was really rough and I did a terrible job recording the good things in my days.  They were there, I'm sure of it but I was too busy getting caught up in the minutiae and keeping my head above water.  I guess the fact that I managed to keep it all together is something to be grateful for:0).

3/3/2016
Missed it!
3/4/2016

http://rudejasper.tumblr.com/post/140482630368/ever-had-one-of-those-days-that-should-be-terrible

3/5/2016
Missed it!
3/6/2016
Missed it!
3/7/2016
Missed it!
3/8/2016

http://rudejasper.tumblr.com/post/140726126543/garlic-coming-up

3/9/2016

http://rudejasper.tumblr.com/post/140778273078/my-sweet-jasper-when-walking-he-occasionally

Saturday in the Garden | Washington, D.C.

OUTSIDE

I got my seeds started, Woot!  I planted tomatoes, peppers, green onions, chard, kale and basil last Sunday.  The chard, kale and basil are up, everything else is sulky because I just put it on heat mats a couple days ago.

On Monday, I saw my first red-winged blackbirds of the year so it looks like spring is kicking into gear early!

LIFE

It was the most insanely busy week I will likely have all year.  Monday through Thursday I spent in Washington, D.C. so that Wednesday I could run around on Capitol Hill and visit with congressional offices about an issue.  It sounds nerve-wracking and it is a little but it's also surprisingly fun.  I like my quiet life in Iowa but the occasional connection to the excitement of our nation's government is nice, even considering how generally wackadoodle it is.

A Rally at the Supreme Court

The Halls of Congress

WATCHING, READING and BLOGGING

Watching 

Well.  After a 12 hour work day on Saturday, I wanted something to zone out to and ended up firing up the first couple episodes of Glee (after I discovered that Netflix only has seasons 4 and 5 of Eureka anymore, boo and hiss).  In so doing, I realized to my shock that there are actually three seasons of Glee that I haven't watched (how did this happen??) and that I felt a little sad about Cory Monteith.  Finn was never my favorite character but Cory did a pretty good job with him.  Pretty darn sad that he had such struggles with addiction and that it finally killed him too young.  Anyway, now that I've started I will likely continue.

Reading

Finished Last Week: 

• American Rose by Karen Abbott:  A biography of Gypsy Rose Lee. 
• The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey: This haunting sounding fable retelling set in a historical Alaska has been on my TBR for many years.  I started and finished it this week  - it was wonderful.

Currently Reading:

• One Magic Square by Lolo Houbein: A gardening book about maximize food production in a small space.  An ARC from Netgalley (though I think it's an older title).   
• Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones: A stand alone novel I ran across at the local used book store knowing nothing about it except that it was by Diana Wynne Jones:0).  It is taking its time to get going so I hope it picks up the pace soon, simply because that's what I'm in the mood for now. It has an awesome atmosphere, though, that is really sticking with me.
• The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (Song of the Lioness #3) by Tamora Pierce:  Finally getting back to this series - not sure why it took me so long!
• Sorceror to the Crown (Sorceror Royal #1) by Zen Cho:  This was release in the latter half of 2015 and has been raved about non-stop ever since.  It also sounds like a book designed just for me,  Set in Regency Era England it follows the Sorceror Royal as he tries recover the magic levels in England and give women a place in the magical community.
• The Round House by Louise Erdrich:  I started this in D.C. on my kindle and it pretty immediately sucked me in despite the brutality of the subject matter (violent rape against a minority).  

Added to the TBR:

This is a list of books that I have added to my Goodreads TBR list this week.  It helps to burn the books I want to read a little more firmly into my mind, maybe get them on some other folks TBRs and gives me a chance to recognize a lot of the awesome bloggers that add stuff to my TBR!

• Tiger Eye (Dirk and Steele #1) by Marjorie Liu: This is a paranormal romance recommended on the Get Booked Podcast that featured Sarah MacLean.  The hero is a Djinn type creature which sounds pretty fun.  
• Firelight (Darkest London #1) by Kristen Callihan: Steam punk romance recommended on the same show as the above.  
• Jane Steele by Lyndsay Faye: I'm not sure where I ran across this but Lyndsay Faye is an author I like and this is apparently a Jane Eyre re-telling featuring Jane as a serial killer.  Holy intriguing premise batman!

Blogging 

On the BLOG LAST WEEK:

• SUNDAY: Review of Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare. 4 out of 5 Stars. 
• TUESDAY: Top Ten Tuesday | Books to Read When You Want To Laugh
• WEDNESDAY: Review of A World Without Princes by Soman Chainani
• THURSDAY: Parent Of Virtues - Week 9. I am experimenting with the 365 Grateful project to help me be more mindful and less of a crabby ass.

On the BLOG NEXT WEEK:

I actually ended up doing pretty well on the blog last week- two reviews! - despite traveling and being crazy busy.  Unfortunately, I think the busyness of last week is going to really impact this week.  It's late Sunday afternoon and it's the first chance all weekend I've had to even think about the blog so yeah.   The Top Ten Tuesday topic this week is really interesting (characters you hate that everyone else seems to love or vice versa) so hopefully I can manage to post on that this week at least.

Parent of Virtues - Week 9

This week has been a doozy and it ain't over yet.  I still managed to find some things to be grateful about for which I am mighty gratedful.  I was visiting Washington D.C. for work so there are a couple pictures from there.

2/25/2016

http://rudejasper.tumblr.com/post/140003617223/i-am-grateful-for-the-promise-of-spring

2/26/2016

http://rudejasper.tumblr.com/post/140107362638/friday-night-microbrew-with-a-good-friend-after

2/27/2016

http://rudejasper.tumblr.com/post/140107613713/a-relaxing-saturday-afternoon-after-a-productive

2/28/2016

http://rudejasper.tumblr.com/post/140178190223/seeds-started-tomatoes-peppers-green-onions

2/29/2016

http://rudejasper.tumblr.com/post/140418241613/so-this-is-a-terrible-picture-so-youll-just-need

3/1/2016

http://rudejasper.tumblr.com/post/140418405588/i-got-a-chance-to-meet-up-with-two-of-my-best

3/2/2016

http://rudejasper.tumblr.com/post/140418926956/a-rallyprotest-at-the-us-supreme-court-aint

REVIEW | YA Fantasy | A World Without Princes by Soman Chainani

A World Without Princes by Soman Chainani

Publication Year: 2014

Genre: YA, Fantasy, Fairy Tales

Series: The School for Good and Evil, #2

Awards: NA

Format: Audio (from Library)

Narrator: Polly Lee

WHY?:  I really enjoyed the first book in the series and moreover it took me by surprise; seeming like a light confection but having a meatier center than was at first apparent.  

NOTE:  There will be spoilers for Book 1 so if you haven't read it, beware!

SYNOPSIS:  A World Without Princes picks up where The School for Good and Evil left us.  Agatha chose to save her friend Sophie over staying with her Prince, Tedros, and they are now back in their home village just as Agatha always wanted. And yet.... Agatha is not entirely happy and when her heart makes a secret wish, the girls find themselves back at the school.  It has changed though and instead of being split between Good and Evil, it is now split between boys and girls and all of Fairy Tale land is in chaos.  Can Sophie and Agatha's friendship survive the trials that are to come?

My emotions about this book are kind of all over the place which is perhaps to its credit but also makes it very hard to coherently review.  One of the things that was most appealing about book one is that it was mostly a fun and funny fairy-tale farce with a little bit of non-conventional umph at the end to make you (or really me) go hmmmm....  It had problems one of which was that it felt a bit disjointed and didn't always flow, character's actions didn't always make sense but it was relatively easy to overlook because it was otherwise pretty delightful and Agatha and Sophie were great characters.  Unfortunately this book suffers from the same disjointedness (admittedly this may have been exacerbated by listening rather than reading) and it was just so much more serious and grim than book one.  The angst was dialed up to the max and that took a lot of the joy out of reading it for me. 

I was also constantly teetering on the brink of discomfort over the boys vs. girls thing.   The message sometimes seemed to be that girls need boys and that true love is more important than friendship.  In the end I think the message, like the first book, was meant to be that looking at the world in black/white, either/or is a mistake that can have disastrous consequences.  I'd be interested to hear what other folks who've read the book took away from it?

The characters were also a little disappointing.  They are modeled on fairy tale characters so they are certainly going to have extremes to their personality but I found none of them terribly likeable in this book.  I kept wanting Agatha to kick both Sophie AND Tedros to the curb because they are both insanely, unbelievably selfish.  The story tries to give them motivations for their behavior but it just didn't work for me.  Sophie is a terrible and extremely annoying friend so it is no wonder she is not "enough" for Agatha.  Agatha's relationship with both Sophie and Tedros is unhealthy at best and she's lost a lot of the independent, courageous bad-assness she had in book one.  On the plus side, I like how Chainani framed this in the age -old conflict most of us experience as teens; moving away from friendships when romantic relationships start to intrude.  In fact by the end of the book that is the central conflict: friend love vs. romantic love and because this is fairy land it can only be one or the other and not both.

Towards the end, the book really picks up action and interest wise and it ends on a huge and very interesting cliff hanger.  There is also an interesting development during a mission Sophie undertakes and I'm not at all sure where Chainani is planning to go with that if anywhere.  Therefore, despite my complaints, I will not be able to stay away from the concluding book in the trilogy The Last Ever After.  I enjoyed the book well enough and it at least produced a lot of emotions even if many of them were negative.  It also says something that I have NO idea where Chainani will take the story in book 3 and that's exciting.

A last note on the audio which is adequate.  I don't love the narrator but she didn't irritate or interfere too strongly in my enjoyment of the book.  One negative which may be more of a production note is that there are no discernible pauses when the narrative takes its frequent jumps between perspectives and I often found that confusing.

FINAL VERDICT:   A roller coaster read and an intriguing sequel to The School for Good and Evil.  

3 out of 5 Stars.

Other Opinions are Available: The Book Smugglers | Dear Author