Whoa, it's been a while! Sorry about that.

Well, I haven't had as much time to read now that I am in pharmacy school and working all summer, but I have managed to finish a few new books, which I shall record for my memory's sake.

Twilight by Stephanie Meyer, which I said I would never review, but I read it anyway. Vampire fiction is terribly cheesy at best. I admit there were a few good points with the novel, but the style of writing is still amateur, with a weird language quality I can't quite put my finger on.  The characters just barely tolerable, the plot as melodramatic and self-absorbed as a teen/young adult novel can be. Decent enough for the genre, but certainly not best-seller material. I shall never comprehend it.

Nation by Terry Pratchett, not part of the Discworld series and geared towards young adults, but still an exceptionally well-crafted exploration of what makes humanity and nations work.  A serious and brave young man, about to come of age when disaster strikes the world he knows.  A plucky young gel with a stubborn and clever mind.  Refugees coming together to rebuild their lives, only to face danger not from nature, but other humans.  Gripping adventure, sweet humor, and most of all, powerful metaphors that just make you think.  Loved it, of course.

I am starting on the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, a generous gift from a co-worker at CVS.  I am still continuing the Song of Ice and Fire series, as well as Discworld (with the latest being Unseen Academicals). I have finished The Naming by Alison Croggan, with a rather anticlimactic ending, and I have also read the third installment of the Doctrine of Labyrinth by Sarah Monette.

Various intelligent young heroines

Swan Maiden by Heather Tomlinson
This imaginative novel explores the life of sweet Doucette, who lives in the shadow of her cruel and glamorous older sisters, wishing that she too could practice sorcery in the care of their aunt. The heroine then finds her own swan skin and soon discovers that her desire to become a sorceress would conflict with love. How she resolves this and becomes a stronger and wiser young woman is both harrowing and uplifting. A sweet story that does not flinch from the cruelty of the real world, but shows how one girl learned from this sad fact.

House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones
A sequel to Howl's Moving Castle, although I thought Castle in the Air was a sequel, too. Like those charming novels, this book is too clever by half, full of wacky hijinx, magical mayhem, and foolish yet still cerebrally enhanced characters. Howl had me cracking up so bad, even though he was a bit character, what a devil! Anyways, good times, just like Castle in the Air and what not.

Cassandra's Sister by Victoria Bennett

Cassandra's Sister by Victoria Bennett is a sweet and witty fictional account of Jane Austen's life as a young woman. Written in a style reminiscent of one of my favorite authors, but I found the prose light-hearted and manageable for the modern teen.

For those of you who are familiar with Austen's work, you would not be surprised at the description of dancing and fashion and eligible young gentlemen. Austen is as dramatic and intelligent and charming as any of her characters, so it tugs at your heart strings to see how she (probably) became a famously single female writer. I really like how the author subtly and cleverly postulates where Jane Austen might have gotten real life inspiration for her novels. A short and satisfying read, so intelligently and wistfully admiring of this author that I admire.

music and magic - more teen novels

I haven't updated in many moons because I've been busy with school and just haven't had access to a good library. But now that it's summer, I'm making up for lost time with my good friend, the local public library. Here are some titles that I will review later - I just wanted to note them before I forgot the authors and all that.

The Naming by Alison Croggon, also The Riddle and The Crow
A series set in a fantasy land where bards are able to perform magic. A teenage girl discovers that she is the fated one who will defeat an evil wizard. With the help of trusted friends, including a mysterious older man as her mentor, she comes into her power, finds a long-lost brother and in a race against time, they try to solve the riddles of the tumultuous past. The first book describes a typically Tolkienesque medieval world, while the second book ventures into the wild wintry north, and the disappointing third novel takes place in a burning south tainted by evil. Now where do they go next?!!

The Singer of All Songs by Kate Constable, part of a trilogy
A series set in a fantasy land where chanters are able to perform magic. A teenage girl discovers she is the fated one who will defeat an evil wizard. With the help of trusted friends, including a mysterious older man as her mentor, she comes into her power... wait a minute!!! Hah hah, but seriously, both series are charming, with breathtaking adventures, adorably stupid characters and confident world building. They're just very similar to each other sometimes. This book was compared to a version of Earthsea, rich and complex with ancient mystery.

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale
This is a remarkably interesting retelling of a fairy tale, set in the plains of Mongolia and told in the form of an illustrated diary. Two girls are trapped in a tower, with the princess courted by two different princes, one kind, the other evil. The clever servant-girl, who also has the ability to sing magically, struggles along with her mistress until they finally escape and end up rescuing a kingdom from a terrifying fate. I love how the author sensitively describes the thoughts of the servant girl, who narrates the story, and incorporates elements of a culture not many would know.

Standard Hero Behavior by John David Anderson
A cute, saucy parody of the average fantasy story. A young bard (hah hah, I have a theme going on) and his humorous sidekick unwittingly find themselves on a quest to save their hometown from an army of orcs and goblins. Little do they realize that they would help bring back the long-lost heroes of their father's time on their misadventures throughout the countryside. While definitely ironic, this author does not deal his sarcasm too heavily, and the moral was more sweet than cheesy. Recommended for a light-hearted read.

Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

Good Omens is, for obvious reasons, one of my favorite novels of all time. It's about the End of the World as we know it, vaguely reminiscent of the movie, The Omen. Besides being absolutely hilarious (to anyone familiar with the Book of Revelations in the Bible, anyways), it is a very hip and umm... educational treatment of an otherwise very serious subject, the Apocalypse.

As someone who pretended to be very studious about the Bible, I read Good Omens over and over again because I find something new to laugh about each time. My favorite characters are definitely that comedic duo of devil and angel, Crowley and Aziraphale. The entire cast is quirky, the plot fast-paced and full of "fracas" or "rumpus." My only complaint may be the fact that there is only one book, and there can be only one. Also, the Britishisms take a while to translate and fully appreciate if you're unfortunate enough to be an American.

I hear rumors of a movie all the time, and hope against hope that Johnny Depp plays Crowley. Even if it is only half as funny as the book, that is funny enough.

the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett

The Discworld novels are a brilliant and satiric parody of fantasy elements and humanity's foible foibles. If you are even slightly into humor, fantasy, mystery and action and comedic romance, you can't go wrong with Pratchett. Trust me. If for some reason, you did go wrong, then it is you who is wrong, and not Pratchett!

Several of his books can be read alone, although the full impact of characterization and plot can optimally be enjoyed if you read certain arcs in order, namely the Watch arc and perhaps the Witches arc. There are a few novels that I don't enjoy as much as the rest, but I enjoy them far far more than any other series ever written, so that's not saying much.

My personal favorites, which I would review if I could come up with something other than "THIS BOOK IS SO AWESOME!" to say. In no particular order...

1. Soul Music: About sex, drugs and rock and roll. Okay, just rock and roll.
2. The Truth: About Ankh Morpork's newspaper that tells the "truth."
3. Going Postal: About Ankh Morpork's revived postal service.
4. Science of Discworld: About the science of Earth, as explained by the magic of Discworld.
5. The Last Hero: About Cohen the Barbarian, the last hero of Discworld.
6. Men at Arms: About the City Watch's brush with the deadly gonne.
7. Hogfather: About the legendary holiday figure of goodwill and bloodshed.

My favorite characters...
1. Death
2. Librarian (duh)
3. Susan Sto Helit
4. Vetinari
5. Captain Vimes
6. Leonard Da Quirm
7. Moist von Lipwig

Links to visit:
L-space: has more information than you ever wanted to know about Terry Pratchett and Discworld.

Favorite quote of all time - oh wait, maybe not:
"One day I'll be dead and THEN you'll all be sorry."
-- (Terry Pratchett, alt.fan.pratchett)