More Little Free Libraries!

Evanston is sprouting Little Free Libraries all over. The following two were discovered unexpectedly while riding my bike to do errands:

Little Free Library at 1206 Hinman ave.

This Little Free Library was spotted while riding home from the library. I love the Tardis structure. It has two shelves with the bottom one full of children's and young adult/teen books and the upper shelf filled with adult books. I did not see any official markings on the box itself, so it looks like it may be unregistered.

Location: 1206 Hinman ave.

                 Evanston, IL 60202

Little Free Library at 637 Hinman ave.

While riding to drop books off at the 1206 Hinman Little Free Library I found this new to me location. I tend to ride on Hinman fairly often, so this  may be a newer Little Free Library to the neighborhood. It is located next to a tot lot playground so would be a great place for children's books. When I left my books there it was mainly filled with adult non fiction and fiction. There is an official little free library sign, but no noticeable charter number so maybe it will show up on the official Little Free Libraries map sometime soon.

Side note, A copy of Ill Wind that I released in a different localLittle Free Library and that had spent a good chunk of the spring  there was in this Little Free Library when I stopped and checked it out. With so many little libraries popping up  I can see books easily traveling from one part of the city to another just through the Little Free Libraries.

Location: 637 Hinman ave.

                 Evanston, IL 60202

Stacking the Shelves. #2

 

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!

This week continues to be a mix of required texts and books being shared by fellow Bookcrossing members.

The Required:

• Keys to Teaching Grammar to English Language Learners: A Practical Handbook by K. S Folse, 
• Workbook for Keys to Teaching Grammar to English by K. S Folse, 

The Fun:

• Mirror Sight: Book Five of Green Rider by Kristen Britain
• An Ice Cold Grave [Harper Connelly #3] by Charlaine Harris 
•  Women of the Outback by Sue Williams 
• Trunk Music by Michael Connelly 
• Return of the Hood by Mickey Spillane 

Bout of Books Final Tally!

I wasn't able to get online for a day 7 progress entry due to company. So, here is my final tally:

Books Finished:

1. The Seduction of  Emily by Rachel Brimble 
2. The Rockin' Chair by Stephen Manchester
3. Stealing Home (Diamonds and Dugouts #1) by Jennifer Seasons
4. Lenore: Swirlies by Roman Dirge
5. My Neighbor Seki Vol. ! 
6. Double Whammy by Carl Hiassen
7. Steeped in the World of Tea Edited by Sharon Bard, Birgit Nielsen, and Clara Rosemarda

Books started but not finished during the Read a Thon:

1. You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day 3 hrs 32 min remaining.

2. Winning Mars by Jason Stoddard 280 pages remaining.


Not bad. I finished 3 physical books, 3 E books, and one audiobook over the course of the week. 

Bout of Books 14 Day 6

       

Books in Progress:

1. You're Never Weird on the Internet (almost) by Felicia Day

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking The Shelves is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, may it be physical or virtual. This means you can include books you buy in physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

If you want to find out more about Stacking The Shelves, please visit the official launch page!

This is my first post for Stacking the Shelves. I should be holding back on books as classes start next week. But I've managed to pick up more than a few books this week.

The required textbooks for classes:

1. Authentic Assessment for English Language Learners: Practical Approaches for Teachers by J. Michael O'Malley & Lorraine Valdez Pierce
2. Language Assessment: Principles and Classroom Practices by H. Douglas Brown & Priyanvada Abeywickrama
3. Do You Speak American by Robert MacNeil

The Fun:

I've been wanting to reread this series and the library had 5 of the 7 books in their book sale room:

1. Dragon Wing (The Death Gate Cycle, #1) 
2. Elven Star (The Death Gate Cycle, #2) 
3. Serpent Mage (The Death Gate Cycle, #4) 
4. Into the Labyrinth (The Death Gate Cycle, #6) 
5. The Seventh Gate (The Death Gate Cycle, #7) 

I have had a few books trickle in from other bookcrossers as I seem to have won the July/August edition of the tea, books, and chocolate sweeps (eep!)

1. Madame Verona Comes Down the Hill by Dimitri Verhulst
2. The American Film Industry by Tino Balio (Editor) 

And I grabbed a few free e-books this week:

1. Land: A Stranded Novel by Theresa Shaver
2. In Too Deep by Tracey Alverez
3. Lady Gone Bad by Sabine Starr

Bout of Books 14 Day 5

Books in Progress:

1. Steeped in the World of Tea Edited by Sharon Bard, Birgit Nielsen, and Clara Rosemarda

Books Finished:

1. Double Whammy by Carl Hiassen 

Bout of Books 14 Day 4

Not so much reading done yesterday. However progress is getting made in my audiobook :)

Books in Progress:

1. Double Whammy By Carl Hiassen 5 hrs 27 min. remainin
2. Steeped in the World of Tea Edited by Sharon Bard, Birgit Nielsen, and Clara Rosemarda

Books: Finished:

My Neighbor Seki Volume 1 by Tonari Seki-kun

Bout of Books 14 Day 3

        

In Progress:

1.  Double Whammy by Carl Hiassen
2. My Neighbor Seki Volume 1 by Tonari Seki-kun

Finished:

1. Stealing Home (Diamonds and Dugouts #1) by Jennifer Seasons
2. Lenore: Swirlies by Roman Dirge

Bout of Books Challenge: Bookish Scavenger Hunt

Book Scavenger Hunt:

1. A Book that begins with “B”  (for Bout of Books!)

2. A book you’re planning to read/currently reading for Bout of Books

3. Blue Book(s)

4. Books from your favorite genre!

5. A book on your TBR shelf, or your full TBR shelves

 The bottom two shelves on the left bookcase and the second shelf from the top on the right bookcase are all TBR books.

Bout of Books 14 Day 2

             

In Progress:

1.  Double Whammy by Carl Hiassen
2. Stealing Home (Diamonds and Dugouts #1) by Jennifer Seasons

Finished:

1.  The Rockin' Chair by Stephen Manchester

Bout of Books 14: Fictional World Travel Challenge!

                     

 I am taking part in the fictional world travel challenge hosted by Between Library Shelves

The Goal of this challenge is to travel the world through the books we read. Starting from the top of the pile I can visit:

The Snack Thief = Sicily, Italy

My Neighbor Seki = Japan

Brick Lane = Starts in Bengali then moves to London, UK

The Toss of a Lemon = India

Baghdad Without a Map = Baghdad and other points in the Middle East

Un Lun Dun = Alternate London

Mozart's Sister = Austria  and other points of Europe

These are all on my books to be read pile and now that I have pulled them out I may dip into one or two over the course of the Read a Thon.  As I am in the United States these all take place anyplace but the USA.

After taking my picture I realized that I have 7 books rather than the  3-6 book range from the challenge... 2 are set in different versions of London - one real world London and the other an alternate earth London.

Bout of Books 14 Day 1

So it's the start of the 14th Bout of Books Read a Thon. This week I plan on reading as much as I can since classes start for the semester next week *eep*!

I am starting the Read a Thon with:

•  about 100 pages left in Seducing Emily by Rachel Brimble on my Nook.
• 8 hours and 45 min of Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen

In Progress:

1. Double Whammy by Carl Hiaasen
2. The Rockin' Chair by Stephen Manchester

Finished:

1. The Seduction of  Emily by Rachel Brimble 

Book Review: The Coincidence of Coconut Cake by Amy E. Reichert

Title: The Coincidence of Coconut Cake
Author: Amy E. Reichert
Publisher: Simon & Schuster/Gallery
Publication Date: July 21, 2015

Author's Website: http://amyereichert.com/

 Lou is a chef who is living her dreams. She has her own  restaurant Louella's. She is engaged to a handsome up and coming attorney named Devlin. She loves her job, her restaurant is slowly becoming successful and profitable, She loves Devlin. But why has her life slowly started to feel stifled? As Devlin pushes her to move in with him, to close her restaurant, and set a date for the wedding she feel less in control of her life. Until she walks in on Devlin in his boxer shorts with a blond intern on his birthday. Suddenly her life is mangled, much like the coconut cake that she dropped on the floor in surprise.

Al Waters, is a British transplant. A recent arrival to Milwaukee, WI he looks at his stay as a short term one. He is writing for a local paper as a food critic under a pseudo name. His reviews are pithy and usually negative. He receives an anonymous tip to visit Louella's. His visit turns into a terrible review. This review starts the slow decline of the restaurant's business.  

Al meets Lou at a bar. They begin talking, and Lou offers to show him the real Milwaukee. This turns into a series of excursions to local museums, breweries, restaurants and festivals. While on their adventures through the city together they have a no work rule. Lou knows Al as a freelance write, while Al misconstrues something Lou says about work and assumes she works in an office job. The two become friends and both start to have romantic feelings about the other. But when Al finds out the Lou owns Louella's  and the effect of his unprofessional review he starts to wonder if they can keep this young love together when she finally discovers who he really is.

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake is a sweet story. It has the best sort of romance in my opinion, that of friendship that slowly becomes more. I really enjoyed exploring Milwaukee from Lou and Al's perspective. This was a very engrossing and quick read for me. Perfect for a summers day.

Bout of Books 14 Read a Thon

I am going to take part in this round of the read a thon!  not setting any goals other than trying to concentrate on some of the physical books on my TBR pile, as I have been focusing on my nook books the last few weeks...

Book Review: The Cake Therapist by Judith Fertig

Title: The Cake Therapist
Author: Judith Fertig
Publisher: Berkley Books
Publication date: June 2, 2015

Claire O'Neil, Neely to her friends, is a baker reinventing her life. After finding her husband cheating with yet another woman she is headed back to her hometown of Millcreek Valley, Ohio. Millcreek, is a town transforming itself from a blue collar factory town to a bridal paradise. It is among the bridal boutiques in the old library building that Neely opens her bakery Rainbow Cakes.

Neely's has a secret. She can sense secret feelings and images of other people's past. She uses flavors in her cakes to enhance these flavor feelings to give her customers the perfect cake for their wedding. However, her abilities are both a blessing and a hindrance to her. She starts to encounter an alarming flavor combination in her own food, and around her the biter old neighbor.  As She tries to unravel the mystery surrounding this intense flavor, Neely starts to rebuild her life. She builds a family of employees, and re-finds love as she learns to forgive her own past while helping her neighbor.

 I was originally pulled to this book by the cover. The bright layers of the rainbow colored cake made me smile when I saw it  recommended to me. But I found the story itself intriguing. Neely's story alternates with that of a very special and unique wedding ring. We alternate between the current day events of Neely's life and the day to day bakery operations and the story in the past as the ring changes hands from it's original owner to the mother of Olive and Edith "Pickle", and then to the girls story. it took a little getting used to  the back and forth nature but as they became intertwined it culminated in a wonderfully integrated way. This was definitely a quick and enjoyable summer read.

Judith Fertig is an acomplished cookbook author,, and The Cake Therapist is her first fictional work.There will be a sequel The Memory of Lemons. My copy had a sneak preview of this in it, and I can't wait for the next book to be published.

Judith Fertig has a website that can be found here
She has a link to a recipie for a rainbow cake here

 

Little Free Library #5403

Little Free Library #5403
1630 W Catalpa Avenue
Chicago, IL 60640
United States





This colorful Little Free Library is located in the Andersonville neighborhood on the North side of Chicago. It is located one block West of Ashland ave on Catalpa. It doesn't seem to appear on the official Little Free Library Map since they converted it to a new map. However, it is built in the Amish Barn Wood Cabin style LFL. It is small compared to some libraries with only one row of book space, but it has a very wide mix of book types in it. My last visit showed mostly adult fiction, though since this is a family friendly neighborhood children's books are welcome as well. There is a new addition since the top photo was taken of a mailbox lower on the post specifically for children's books. The last few times I have stopped by this was sadly empty.

The LFL's steward had the following to say about having the LFL on their property:

" We're almost finishing up our second year with the LFL on our front lawn, and honestly, it's been pretty uniformly an excellent experience. My husband was initially hesitant about the idea of putting this book drop on our front lawn, figuring it would be a burden that would attract riffraff who might subject it to destruction. He is first to admit that his fears have not borne out. Keeping the LFL in shape is now a family affair--the addition of a kids' annex last year brought the children even more into the sphere; we all have discovered many fantastic reads and have shared many of our own books there. The net result of all of this is that I just feel so much better connected--first and foremost to the block, of course (I had never in the previous decade of living here met such an incredible abundance of neighbors), but also to the neighborhood more broadly and its growing network of LFLs (including the "Edgewater Reads" initiative), as well as to a global network of readers and book exchangers."

Book review: Evensong by M. L. St. Sure

I received this book through the goodreads first-read program. It promptly got misplaced when many of my books were packed into storage. 

Christina, is the daughter of a once famous Austrian opera singer and a minor French aristocrat. After the horrors her parents endured during World War I they emigrated to America. There they worked a small farm in Kansas and raised a family. Christina is taught to sing by her father, and has dreams of escaping from the farm to a life of success. 

After her father dies when the family is caught in a severe storm, Christina gets work at a hotel in town as a singer to the guests. There she meets two men. The elderly Senator Liam Caradine and the Frenchman Laurent de Gauvion Saint Cyr.  The Senator  sees Christina as a daughter while Christina loves him with her whole heart. While Laurent has fallen head over heels in love with her and is consistently rejected.

When Christina's mother and brother fall into grief fueled drinking and let the farm fall into ruin, Christina auxins to her need to protect her younger sister Nicholette. With the help of Senator Caradine, Christina flees the country with her sister and arrives in France just before Germany invaded. The girls uncle, Philippe Petain, has been named the French Premier. He is willing to ally his country with the Nazis. 

Christina and Nicholette find themselves thrown into war. Their uncle wants Christina to sing for Hitler. However She wants nothing to do with her uncles plans no matter the consequences. When her sister is taken by the Nazis Christina throws herself to helping Laurent in the French résistance with the goal of rescuing her sister. 

Evensong is the first book by M. L. St. Sure. It dives into very powerful subject matter. The story delves into the horrors of war, and the struggles and sacrifices made during the hardship of war. While the idea of love is introduced to the story, this is by no means a romantic story. As Christina travels further into war-torn Europe looking for her sister we see her grow from a dream filled girl into a determined woman haunted by the death and terror surrounding her. 

I thought this was a strong first novel. There were times when characters and their motivations felt a little flat. However the story was intriguing and really pulled me in as a reader. It is not a happy romantic look at WWII. 

It does however portray in a realistic way what a soldier who is living through unrealized horrors might be feeling as they are entrenched in the war.

Little Free Library #13614

I have been in love with the idea of Little Free Libraries since I first read abut the movement. A few have popped up in the Chicagoland area(which includes suburbs). I thought that I would showcase some of the ones that I have visited over the last two years.

Little Free Library #13614

734 Wesley Ave

Evanston, IL

United States












This Little Free Library is also located in the southern portion of Evanston, IL. It is located between Oakton ave. and Main street on Wesley ave. It is a fairly large library which looks like a yellow house/ The front swings open and there are two shelves inside. The bottom shelf is dedicated to children's and young adult books and the upper shelf is adult books. On my last visit, both shelves were very full and there was a nice variety of books on offer.

This reminded me of a dolls house full of books. It made me smile as i rode up to it to drop books off on my way to class.

Book Review: The Teahouse Fire by Ellis Avery

Title: The Teahouse Fire
Author: Ellis Avery
Publication Date: 2006

Nine year old Aurelia Corneille has had a hard life. She is the daughter of an unmarried Frenchwoman who immigrated to America to be close to her brother, a catholic priest in New York city, after she has been disowned by her mother for shaming her family. She has grown up living on the charity of the nuns in the convent at the church her uncle Charles ministers at.

When her uncle is given a posting to go to Japan as a missionary in 1866 he plans on taking  Aurelia and her mother with him to help as servants. Given Aurelia's gift for languages (she speaks English and French) he hopes she will learn the tricky Japanese tongue quicker than the brothers of the mission party and help comunicate with the "heathen Japanese" when her mother is unable to go with due to failing health, Aurelia and her uncle engage on their journey across the world.

In 1866, Japan was still closed to foreigners. The missionaries are smuggled into Miyako the old Imperial Capital of Japan (now known as Kyoto). Unhappy with her new life with her uncle, Aurelia flees a fire in the building she and her uncle are living in. She runs far into the unknown city. Fatigued, she stumbles into one of the small tea houses owned by the Shin family as a part of their tea ceremony school. She is discovered by Yukako, the  Shin family's daughter, and is adopted into the family as servant to Yukako.

The Teahouse Fire follows Aurelia as she becomes "Miss Urako". The book takes place during the fall of the samurai culture and the opening of Japan to outsiders.  Urako, servant to the household that she is, becomes a "little sister" to Yukako her closest companion. She sees the struggle Yukako goes through as a female in a male dominated world. The book chronicles the tumultuous changes that Japan goes through as it enters a period of enlightenment and progress. The story spans twenty-five years of Aurelia's life in Japan after her fate has been changed by tragedy.

I loved the first lines of this book:

"When I was nine, in the city now called Kyoto, I changed my fate. I walked into the shrine through the red arch and struck the bell. I bowed Twice. I clapped twice. I whispered to the foriegn goddess and bowed again. And then I heard the shouts and the fire. Wha had I asked for? Any life but this one. "

with that I was pulled into historic Japan, and had a hard time pulling myself out to take care of classwork. I found the book engaging and interesting as the changes to Japan are shown through the eyes of someone living them. Aurelia struggles with not being completely Japanese through most of her life, to find herself known as a foreigner and pushed away from her home in Japan due to rising nationalism brought about because of the influx of foreign influences to the country.

Little free Library #13597

I have been in love with the idea of Little Free Libraries since I first read abut the movement. A few have popped up in the Chicagoland area(which includes suburbs). I thought that I would showcase some of the ones that I have visited over the last two years.

Little Free Library #13597

1119 Oakton Street

Evanston, IL

United States

Little Free Library #13597 is located in south Evanston, IL. It is a small library composed of a 12" x 12" x 12" cube. It holds a variety of books most times. Because it is located across from an elementary school in a neighborhood with many families, the children's books seem to go faster than the adult books. I visit this LFL quite a bit as it's nearby and there is a fantastic variety of both children's and adults books being offered in it.



The stewards of the LFL said this about their library:

"While visiting Minneapolis, we saw many Little Libraries as we walked in the neighborhoods. Back in Evanston, we attended a fundraiser at the Evanston Rebuilding Exchange where many builders had built Little Libraries to be auctioned off. We were thrilled to be able to very quickly get a beautiful Library in our front yard. We have begun culling some of the many books in our own bookshelves but people add and subtract stock every week. It's great!"

Bout of Books 13 wrap up

The Bout of Books Read a thon is over. So sad...

I thought I would get more actual reading done, but kept getting distracted.  

I did finish three books:

The Waiting Game by Diane Blythe

Sucubus on Top by Richelle Mead

Cocaine Blues by Kerry Greenwood

I am deep in the middle of two books:

The Disposessed by Ursula K. LeGuin

The Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher

Bout of books Day seven

Sunday was day seven of the Bout of Books 13 Read a thon.  We were out most of the day, but did manage to get about 2 hours of The Furies of Calderon listened to while driving around to and from events. 

Bout of Books Day Six

Books Reading:

Elengil and I spent the day listening to The Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher while relaxing and playing video games (as well as while running errands). We are definitely not going to finish this before the read a thon ends but it is very good so far. 

Bout of Books Day Five

  

Today was a productive day:)

I finished listening to Cocaine Blues. This was book one in the Phryne Fisher detective  series. I liked it, but the reader for the audio took a bit to get used to as she spoke really fast, but otherwise did a great job with the accents and voicing for the characters. 

I also got about 50 pages  of The Disposessed read. 

Elengil and I have started Book one of of The Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher together

Bout of Books Day Four

Books Read today:

I started listening to Cocaine Blues (Phryne Fisher, #1)  by Kerry Greenwood 

I am still reading The Dispossessed by Ursala K. LeGuin (stopped pg 130)

Books Finished Today:

I just finished listening to the last few hours of the audiobook for:

I hadn't been sure of the series after listening to book one as I felt Georgia seemed a bit to naive for a several hundred year old succubus. However I really liked the way the character developed during this second book.

Bout of Books Day Three

           

I will be running errands today. I shall be grabbing a different book to tote along on the bus as the Lillith's Brood anthology is larger than I want to carry with me. 

Books Reading:

On the bus I listened to an hour of Sucubus on Top

On my trip home my IPod's battery was dead so I started The Dispossessed by Ursala K. le Guin. This is much more what I want to read right now so I am going to set aside Lilith's Brood for now and focus on this story. 

Bout of Books Day 2

I have to say that I haven't gotten to far into the Lilith's Brood Anthology. I'm not sure why, I love this author but the first book Dawn is starting off so slowly. I read about 48 pages yesterday and fell asleep!!!

I'm maybe  60 pages in and I'll keep trying to read it....

Currently reading:

Progress: I have read about 20 more pages. I also spent time at the computer listening to Sucubus on Top by Richelle Mead. 

Books finished:

Bout of Books Bookish Survey Challenge.

1. How do you organize your shelves?

Quite a few of my books are currently shelf-less. The mass market paperbacks currently reside in boxes that line one wall of the living room. The big book case in the living room has books grouped together by author, and the bottom two shelves are RPG gaming books. In front of that book case there are piles of books waiting for the next set of shelves to be built (hopefully this summer). My two small book cases in the computer room are organized by subject. Cookbooks take up 2 shelves, Graphic Novels on another shelf. The Indyspensible collectors editions on another shelf, and my classroom resource books and textbooks I've kept for reference are on another two shelves. The last free space has my bookcrossing registered TBR pile (or a majority of them) the top shelves on each of these bookcases are short, so I use them for non book storage.

2. What is one of your favorite book that’s not in one of your favorite genres?

Les Miserable by Victor Hugo.  I read this in high school and it has stuck with me over the years as one of my favorites.

3. What is the last 5 star book you read?

The last book I gave five stars to on goodreads which was not a manga was The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker. I listened to this earlier this winter and absolutely loved it it. It was a fantastic blend of fantasy and historical fiction that made me want to know more after it ended.

4. What book are you most excited to read during the read-a-thon?

I don't hve a set bunch of titles to pull from do I am exited to try and get some of my older books from the TBR pile read finally, quite a few of them are longer books which I didn't feel comfortable toting around as commute books during the school semester, so this break between classes this week will be perfect for trying to read them out of the TBR pile.

5. What book do you recommend the most?

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.

Help finding a book...

Part of the Bingo Challange is to read a book by an Australian author. I have a couple of authors who fit that role but I find that I've read all their books.

Can anyone suggest a good Australian author? I will read pretty much any genre, but i prefer the science fiction, fantasy, or romance type settings.

I could just google for a title, but it's nice getting suggestions.

Bout of Books Day 1

Spring has decided it wants to be just like winter again. It is the perfect morning to snuggle up in fleece lined leggings and a cozy sweater underneath a blanket and read while waiting for the warmer afternoon weather.

I am starting off with a book I started yesterday and did not finish before bedtime.

Currently Reading:

This is my last book from another book crossing member received in 2012.

Books Finished:

- A Waiting Game by Diana Blayne

Bout of Books 13

As the 13th Bout of Books week long read a thon happens to fall during my short break between spring and summer semester I will be trying to take part again. It has been a few rounds of the read a thon since I took part last, and I had fun the last time I did.

I plan on reading some of the physical copies I have sitting here from trades through the bookcrossing.com web site over the years. Not sure what titles I will read. I may just pull from the TBR shelf and see what comes to hand.

Bingo Challenge Update

Books Read in March & April 2015

A Book From the Library: The All New Tenchi Muyo! Doom Time. Read in March 2015

A Book with Pictures: Songs of Innocence and Experience by William Blake

This edition has the original etchings with the poems as found in one of the rare hand printed and handpainted original editions of the book made by William Blake and his wife. Read in April 2015.

Bingo Challenge Update

Read in February:

A Book by a Debut Author: The Golem and the Djinni by Helene Wrecker. This is the author's debut book. It was originally published in 2013. I finished it on 2/2/2015.








A Book That Made you Laugh Out Loud: I may be cheating by putting two books here. But, they are The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear both by Patrick Rothfuss. These were both rereads for me. My partner mentioned that because we have read/listened to a lot of fantasy in the last few years he was starting to mix up the magic events from several different  stories and wanted to reread the Kingkiller Chronicles. Book one had parts that made me laugh out loud  several times. Book two had me laughing out loud on the CTA as I listened to it while riding home. This is a quote from the part of the book that had me laughing hard enough that another passenger looked up from his paper.

The following conversation takes place between Kvothe and Auri:

"I was looking at the lightning." She said, sniffling. Then, "I saw on that looked like a tree." 

"what was in the lightning?" I asked softly.

"Galavanic ionization." she said. Then after a pause, she added. "and river ice,and the sway a cat tail makes."

I had forgotten how much I love this series until I read the Slow Regard of Silent Things at the start of the year. I'm super glad that I had a chance to reread (or listen again in this case). These were finished on 2/7/2015 and 2/13/2015 respectively.

A Book of Short Stories: Bobcat and Other Stories by Rebecca Lee. I received this as an extra ARC in one of the Indiespensable packages from Powell's books. Looks like it was instalment #40 back in June of 2013. It took me awhile to read this because I would read a story or two then set the book aside to savor what I had read only to misplace the book or get sidetracked by other reading. I really enjoyed these stories which makes me wonder why I kapt setting the book aside rather than reving through it like I usually tend to do. Book was finished on 2/7/2015

Book Review: The Supernaturalists by Patrick Neighly and Jorge Heufemann (Illustrator)

Slinky vampire horror in the Roaring Twenties! Human detective Edgar Drake races to solve an impossible murder in 1926 Manhattan. The bodies all bear the same wound - two puncture holes in the neck and lots of blood around the body. However, when Drake meets Esme an undead flapper, he learns that that evidence is not what a vampire's bite would look like. As Drake and Esme work together to find the real killer, all signs point to a conspiracy that cuts close to home.

I wanted to love this this book, instead I found I enjoyed it but felt it could be better.

The story was interesting. Set during the roaring 20's with its speakeasies and secret societies there is a serial killer on the loose. The identifying mark of the victims are a two holes in the neck, and a copious amount of blood. We follow the detective investigating the cases through different areas of Manhattan, and different levels of society. 


However, I did not care for the artwork in this graphic novel at all. The black and white style is done in a way that feels like it is supposed to capture a noir feeling. However, especially at the beginning I found it hard to keep characters separated. After the gorgeous colors used in Subatomic I was let down by this book.

Book Review: Flowers for Mei-Ling by Lorraine Lachs

The copy of Flowers for Mei-Ling was an advanced readers copy passed to me by a relative who thought that I would enjoy it because of my interest in historical fiction. It has been buried underneath other books on my to be read pile for more years than I want to admit. I have made a goal for this year to try and get the books from 2013 and earlier read and either shelved with my PC, or passed on through a local Little Free Library or the take one/leave one book exchange at a local coffee shop. This is my first of the 50 book goal I have set for myself to be read in 2015.

Mei-Ling, has had a very turbulent life. Born to a Chinese father, and an English mother who met in England, then went to China to help with the Communist revolution led by chairman Mao. During the Red Army movement in the 1960's, teenage  Mei-Ling watches her father  get taken and beaten for being an intellectual, is separated from her mother as both are sent to the country to learn from the peasants. Mei-Ling survives a rape, while her mother survives a serious injury to her leg. They both manage to find their way back to their home and each other and escape to Hong Kong. There she and her mother are befriended by a Dutch businessman. He gives her mother a job, and both of them a place to live.

In Hong Kong, her life changes. Mei-Ling is a Chinese girl in an English ruled country. She is enrolled in school to finish her education which was halted when she joined the Red Army movement. She also becomes the lover of the Dutch benefactor who has helped her and her mother survive as refugees in Hong Kong. Upon becoming pregnant Mei-Ling and her mother find their lives moved to Amsterdam. Mei-Ling is married to a reluctant and much older man. When she has a daughter rather than a son, she becomes less desirable to him as a companion. Her husband starts an escort business and makes Mei-Ling his partner and sometimes host for wealthy businessmen visiting Amsterdam.

When her husband dies, followed quickly by her mother's death Mei-Ling finds her life changing again. She sells her dead husband's business and she her daughter immigrate to Canada. There in her early thirties, she becomes a student and meets and marries professor Jack Levy. She makes a life with Jack, earns a degree in art history opens a gallery and then separates from Jack after he is unable to accept the choices made that formed her past. Her daughter Julia graduates from Harvard University and moves to Hong Kong to work. Mei-Ling  and Jack travel to Hong Kong together in 1997 to visit when China takes over Hong Kong from the British. While there Mei-Ling is forced to face the demons of her past.

Flowers for Mei-ling is superbly written. It follows Mei-Lings life through fifty years. We see her and the events that take place in her life through her eyes, and the eyes of three different men who loved her as well as through her mother's eyes.  The author weaves together the chaotic events of the communist movement in China, with the anti-war movement in America and the riots in Chicago during the 1969 Democratic National Convention in Chicago. Mei-Ling changes from a naive and passionate teenager, to a young mother trapped in a loveless marriage, to a wealthy business woman.

This is a book that has been sitting on my to be read pile for years and one that I finished and though "Why didn't I read this earlier?"