Spoilers and Nuts

The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley

2012-02-08T17:01:00.000Z

Title: The Folk Keeper

Author: Franny Billingsley

Date Read: January 20^th

On TBR for: a few hours

Format: Physical book - Paperback

Source: Bought - New

Challenges: 2012 Outdo Yourself

The Folk Keeper is a small book, the story Corinna, a young girl that disguises herself as a boy, Corin, to be able to be a Folk Keeper. Being a Folk Keeper is all she ever wanted to do. But when she is summoned by Lord Merton to be the Folk Keeper of the huge estate in Cliffsend she starts to see that maybe being a Folk Keeper is not all that it's cracked to be. There the Folk are vicious, and her own powers seem to lose strength.

Of course there are some good things to her new life in Cliffsend, Corinna lives with more comfort, and gains a friend, Finian, who is the reluctant heir to Merton Hall – he would much rather be a fisherman or a sailor. And then there are bad things that happen, of course, otherwise there would be no story.

I liked Corinna because she is not the sweet little girl one would expect of a children's book. She is angry and vindictive at times, and always makes sure she comes out on top. As I read the book, which is in diary form, I started to realize why she is the way she is. She is an orphan, and a girl, which would mean a life of being a servant. But she decides to pose as a boy, gathering the knowledge of Folk Keepers apprentices in exchange of doing chores, and making sure that wherever she is Folk Keeper, she is essential.

This may seem cold, and in a way, Corinna is cold. But it left an opening for a great duo, between her and Finian, who is the sweetest and most cheerful of people. He has a deeper intelligence, and see things that others don't – not through any special power, but because he cares enough to look.

The action, though, has very little to do with their interaction, and more with Corinna discovering herself. And I also liked that part – there was a bit of darkness in it, with stories of crazy maidens and forays into graveyards in the middle of the night and murder attempts! And all in such a tiny book!

The feeling at the end was of a pleasant book. Not stellar, but it will leave your heart a little bit warmer.

Rating: 4 out of 5

This Book on: LibraryThing | GoodReads | BookDepository UK | Book Depository US | Amazon UK| Amazon US| Wook

January Ins and Outs

2012-01-31T15:32:00.000Z

The New Year is in, and so are new books. I know I said I was trying to cut back on buying/acquiring books, so it's understandable that some eyebrows might be raised at the sheer amounts of books on the INS side. But in my defence, this year I have only bought 2 books, and those were at a book fair, because a) they were cheap, b) they were pretty, and c) they were books.

On the reading side there was not as much movement as in the INS side, but still some reading done, and mostly books that I really liked. I am also participating in 4 different challenges and a book bingo with some friends. You can always check my progress here (or somewhere in the sidebar).

On other news, I am moving (again), but this time not so far away as Barcelona or Edinburgh. I'm going to work in Lisbon, starting tomorrow (in fact, when this post goes live, I'll be in Lisbon, hopefully with a place to live). The working might mean less reading, the coming home on weekends by train means a total of 6 hours that have nothing to do but read (or sleep, or write, or draw, or listen to music, but mostly read).

And now, for the gigantic list of books:

INS

Bought - new

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett
Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett
Jingo by Terry Pratchett
Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
Thud! by Terry Pratchett

The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley

I know I said I had just bought 2 books. What are these, then? Well, I bought them last year, it just took them a while to get here. the first bunch was a order that I did with a friend at Amazon, just so we could use the Free Delivery. I made a super-secret post to document its arrival here (now not so secret).

The Folk Keeper has been bought in September, but it was returned to Book Depository, and when I complained, they sent it again.

Bought - at a book fair

The Secret by Charlotte Brontë
The Spell by Charlotte Brontë

Look at them! Aren't they pretty? I had to bring them home

Swap sites
*WinkingBooks*

The Forest House by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Gone by Michael Grant
Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières
The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain

I had points, so I used them. I think I am finally going to read the Mists of Avalon, book 1 is on its way, and I already have book 2. With Gone, the name rang a bell, of a dystopian book, so I asked for it. Only later did I realize that a friend of mine had already read it (she was not impressed). As for the Louis de Bernières book, after I read Red Dog, I want to read something lengthier of this author. I have never read anything of Mark Twain, and I liked the tittle of this one (besides being available to mooch, of course).

Freebies
*Won a Giveaway*
2012 is proving to be a good year. New job and already 4 books from giveaways.

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

Thanks to Jen @ Cuidado com o Dálmata for this book!

Age of Giants - awakening by Rob Reaser
Songs for the New Depression by Kergan Edwards-Stout

Thanks to Bonnie @ Bookish Ardour and the authors for these books!

My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

Thanks to Emily @ What Book is That? for this book!

*Gifts (Christmas Gifts!)*

Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 7 by Hiromu Arakawa
Geist by Philippa Ballantine
The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Troll: A Love Story by Johanna Sinisalo
I Am Mordred: A Tale of Camelot by Nancy Springer

Finally! My Christmas gifts arrived almost a month after Christmas!

OUTS

Physical books
House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones [Review]
Restoration by Carol Berg [Review]

The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley
A short, and sweet, book about a little girl that poses as boy to do what she feels is her calling - to be a Folk Keeper, and also to get away from doing hard work. But when she moves to bigger house, she discovers the Folk there are more vicious and a lot more about herself.

Rating: 4 out of 5

The Eye of the Heron by Ursula K. Le Guin
Science Fiction, and by an author I really like, this book has been on my TBR for ages, and for some reason I never got around to read it until now. It's more philosophical than science fiction, about non-violence in the face of violence, tyranny and slavery. I did like most of it, but towards the end I started to feel that the story had stretched a little too much (strange, since it's such a tiny book).

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
Borrowed from a friend who asked me if she could chose the book I would read for the Romance category in the book bingo. I said yes, and she chose this Historical Romance. Not my normal genre, and not one that I really like. It was an amusing read for most part (and maybe not the best one to read on train). There were parts of it that bored me, but I liked the interactions between Evie and Sebastian (yes, those other kind of interactions as well). I might have understood the world of the Wallflowers a little better had I read the previous 2 books.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Brave New Worlds: Dystopian Stories edited by John Joseph Adams
A very good anthology of dystopian short stories and novellas. It's a really big book, and the theme is mostly dark, so it took a while to get through it. But most of the stories are good, some really good, and some not so much. Overall, I liked it and found that it was very well edited.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Ebooks
Entwined by Heather Dixon [Review]

Audiobooks
The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

The book bingo I am doing called for an audiobook, and since I had some stuff to do that required my hands and eyes, but not my ears or attention, I decided it would be the perfect occasion to listen to one. I choose The Sign of the Four, to continue with the Shelock Holmes series, and because it is short. I sort of liked it. It's gripping, and you keep guessing the how and the why, until you know. The last (really long) chapter that serves as an explanation to everything, seemed unnecessary or at least unnecessarily long.

Rating: 3 out 4

TBR Variation: +19 (From 201 to 220) Shame!

Restoration by Carol Berg

2012-01-28T15:29:00.000Z

Title: Restoration

Author: Carol Berg

Series: Rai-Kirah

Date Read: January 15^th

On TBR for: 57 days

Format: Physical book - Mass-trade paperback

Source: Bought - New

Challenges: 2012 Outdo Yourself, Off the Shelf 2012

Restoration is the book that closes the Rai-Kirah trilogy, and reveals much of the secrets of its world, specially when it comes to Ezzarian mythology. Things do not start easy for Seyonne, who is living with Blaise's rebels, but trying to keep his demon in check. Only he sometimes loses his mind and gets this urge to kill all humans. He has been postponing crossing the portal that leads to Kir'Navarrin in part because he wants to spend as much time as he can with his son, and in part because he is afraid of what will happen when he does.

Things aren't going easy for Aleksander either. His father is dead, murdered, and the hegeds blame him, in order to get a more malleable emperor in his place. He finds himself empire-less, army-less, and mostly friendless because all his loved ones are being targeted by assassins, so he had no choice but to drive them away.

At first I was really excited with this book – Aleksander was once again one of the main characters, and even if things were going horribly wrong with him and Seyonne, I was having so much fun with their dynamics. This series strongest point is, undoubtedly, Seyonne and Aleksander's unlikely friendship. And for about half of the book that was what I got. For once, I was glad that Seyonne is one of the most high-functioning procrastinators ever, doing so much in order to not having to do what he must.

But as he accompanied Aleksander in his quest to find supporters and an army to get his empire back, he went through various changes, that at first were slight and understandable, but as they progressed something started to not feel right with Seyonne. Fortunately (I guess), this is the point where he decides he can't put off going to Kir'Navarrin any more.

At the end of Revelation, I thought that in Restoration I would have a nice banter between Seyonne and Denas, much in the fashion of the relationship of Seyonne and Aleksander in Transformation. I didn't get that, but I didn't complain because there was Aleksander, which made all so much better. But once in Kir'Navarrin there was no Aleksander, and I felt the injustice that had been done to Denas. It also didn't help that the pacing came to a complete stop in this part, with Seyonne mulling on his thoughts more and more, and being morose the way only he can be.

Even worse, his changes in personality didn't stop, in fact, they intensified. And even if he was helping his friends, I was not liking the direction the story was taking, and was starting to dread the ending it would have: I simply couldn't see it end well, or not badly. There were some twists to the plot, some thinking that occurred behind the scenes that I hadn't factored in, which meant that I got to be positively surprised on how the situation resolved itself.

I ended up liking this last book, even with the complete changes of pace and the transformation of the main character. Maybe not as much as the first one, but I think it brings a nice close to the series, the mythos of the Ezzarians explained, Seyonne with a somewhat happy ending, and Aleksander fulfilling his potential.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Other Reviews: Dragons, Heroes and Wizards | Ubiquitous Absence

This Book on: LibraryThing | GoodReads | BookDepository UK | Book Depository US | Amazon UK| Amazon US

Top Ten Tuesday - Freebie: Top Ten Good Books with Good Movie/Series Adaptations

2012-01-24T13:01:00.000Z

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week a theme for a list is suggested. This week is a freebie, so I get to choose the top I want to do. So, this week's theme is Top Ten Good Books with Good Movie/Series Adaptations. Why this theme? Because it's easy to come across good books, and it's easy to come across good movies, but most of the times, if the movie is based on a book, it disappoints. It's a given that it's impossible to fit 300+ pages into two or three hours of film, but sometimes it's better to not even attempt it! (Earthsea please fans don't EVER watch Sci-Fi channel's TV movie Earthsea - you'll want to claw your eyes out and wish for memory bleach so you could forget it was ever made)

Howl's Moving Castle
Book: Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones · My Review
Movie: Howl's Moving Castle directed by Hayao Miyazaki · IMDB

It's no secret that I love this series, and having recently finished it, it means it is closer to memory. But here is an example of a good movie adaptation that doesn't think that it has to stick with the story point by point, simply takes the important, and retells everything else. It helps that Miyazaki is a superb storyteller, of course. It doesn't matter in which order you see/read it, you'll love both versions.

Everything is Illuminated
Book: Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer · LT | GR
Movie: Everything is Illuminated directed by Liev Schreiber · IMDB

I watched the movie first, and was completely in love with it. A mixture of stunning colours, humour and a poignant story, it's one of my favourite films of all time. I, of course, then wanted to read the book. It's wackier than the movie, and darker as well, but so, so good.

North and South
Book: North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell · My Review
Mini-Series: North and South produced by the BBC and directed by Brian Percival · IMDB

Again, no secret how much I love this series. If most people prefer Pride and Prejudice, I'm wholeheartedly on the North and South team - it has more than just romance, and the social commentary is not just of the individuals, but of the society in general. I found it deeper in meaning than other books of the genre, and I loved the writing. The mini-series, 4 episodes long, manages to convey the feelings of the book really well.

The Lord of the Rings series
Books: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien · LT | GR
Movies: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King directed by Peter Jackson · IMDB · IMDB · IMDB

Many call it the masterpiece of Fantasy, and they are not very far from the truth. These are great books, that have been inspiration for many others. I lost myself while reading these books, everything else becoming unimportant, and it made me believe that there were hobbits and elves and dwarfs - that Middle Earth was real. Making a movie out of these books wasn't going to be easy, fantasy never is, from clothing to set decorations, it's expensive to make it look good, and if it's anything but good, it looks downright shabby. But Peter Jackson was a fan and he did a tremendous job of it. It goes close to 12 hours of film with the extended versions of all three movies, but it means that most of the books are there, and told right.

Stardust
Book: Stardust by Neil Gaiman · LT | GR
Movie: Stardust directed by Matthew Vaughn · IMDB

Stardust is a fairytale like story, which brings always a smile to my face, and then it's Gaiman, which means it is told right like I liked it. There is a hint of strangeness, a bit of humour, adventures and danger, but it leaves a warm fuzzy feeling in the end. What is there not to like? The movie captured all that, added a bit here and there, threw in a happier ever after ending and wrapped it all nicely in nice cinematography.

A Game of Thrones
Book: A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin · My Review
Series: A Game of Thrones created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss · IMDB

I admit to only giving these books a chance because of the series, I knew about them but were mentally put on the category of maybe-to-read-if-a-copy-falls-on-my-lap. But since there was a series coming, and it was looking good, I got myself a copy and read it. Totally worth it! It's ploty and complex, and even if it's not very high on the fantasy-side of elves and stuff (there are dragons, though), it's good fantasy. And the series not only looks good, it follows the books pretty well.

Persepolis
Books: The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi · LT | GR
Movie: Persepolis directed by Vincent Paronnaud abd Marjane Satrapi · IMDB

Another that I saw before reading, but enjoyed both versions. True, there isn't much difference, the book is a graphic novel and the animation is also done by Marjane. But what the movie brings in is the voice of the main character. Not Marjane herself, but the sarcasm in the book is very well delivered in the movie.

The Colour of Magic
Book: The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett · LT | GR
Movie: The Colour of Magic directed by Vadim Jean · IMDB

Pratchett's Discworld is an amazing universe, and sometimes not really easy to picture. But I enjoyed the adaptation, it's a good look into that world. And I loved the character's portrayals. Rincewind was very good, but no-one can play an annoying side kick quite like Sean Astin, so he was wonderful as Twoflower.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Book: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams · My Review
Movie: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy directed by Garth Jennings · IMDB

Douglas Adams's book is great as far as humour and sci-fi goes. It has all there, but it definitely on the wacky side, and this is not always well portrayed in the movies. The 2004 version of it was made to fans - not that anyone else can't enjoy it, but there needs be a predisposition to wackyness and absurd. That aside, a great adaptation of a great book.

Jane Eyre
Book: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë · My Review
Mini-Series: Jane Eyre produced by the BBC, directed by Susanna White · IMDB
Movie: Jane Eyre directed by Cary Fukunaga · IMDB

Jane Eyre has had a lot of adaptations throughout the years. I have only seen two, the BBC mini-series, before I read the book, and the 2011 movie, that I saw after reading the book. Both are excellent adaptations of this work, the first lengthier, the second making a twist in the storytelling by beginning at the middle of the book.

***Extra***
I have to include in this list the series Sherlock, even if the books don't really blow my mind. This retelling of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes in modern times is simply stunning. Great writing and great acting (Martin Freeman won a BAFTA, as all the internet sherlockians are aware). It doesn't require prior knowledge of the books to enjoy, because it's like Sherlock was completely reinvented, while maintaining the quirks that make his character so famous.

House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones

2012-01-23T16:34:00.001Z

Title: House of Many Ways

Author: Diana Wynne Jones

Series: Howl's Castle

Date Read: January 12^th

On TBR for: 83 days

Format: Physical book

Source: Bought

Challenges: 2012 Outdo Yourself, Off the Shelf 2012, What's in a Name 5

In the last of the Howl's Castle series of books, we start with Charmain, a bookish 14 year old, who gets volunteered by her great-aunt to take care of her distant great-uncle William's house. Well, magical house. Charmain is a respectable young lady (read: sheltered and spoiled) and, as such, she doesn't know how to do much besides reading a lot, and eating a lot of pasties. That includes washing clothes and dishes, and goes as far as making tea.

Luckily for her, the house is indeed magical, and does provide for her meals, and she has always her Uncle's recorded instructions, that help her navigate around the house and help solve some mishaps. Did I mention it is a magical house? Well, it is. From the outside it looks small, but turn left instead of right at a doorway, and you'll find yourself in a completely different room, or building.

To add to the joy, in comes Peter, great-uncle William's new apprentice that he didn't know about, and who doesn't know his master isn't home. Peter, unlike Charmain, does know how to do things around the house, which should have come as a relief, if he didn't botch every magic attempt. And there were a lot of attempts.

And, as one job isn't good enough for bookwork Charmain, she writes to the King to tell him she would like to help him and his daughter organize the Royal Library. I do understand the girl, of course, a library is such a wonderful place to work when you love books.

But there is something missing here, isn't it? Of course, it would fit the series if Howl and Co. weren't there. And they are. Sophie is helping the King with his financial and magical problems, and Morgan and Calcifer come along, of course. And Howl, because he couldn't bear to be left behind. So he appears in his most adorable form ever (I'm not telling what it is, though it's easy to see when reading the book).

And so, Charmain has some adventures with magic, kobolds and lubbocks, manages not to destroy a house or kill her housemate, while getting herself a puppy.

Did I like this book? Hell, yeah! It was a rollercoaster of fun, but that was to be expected. It's Diana Wynne Jones, after all. But I did like it more than Castle in the Air, probably because of Howl. But Charmain was also a reason – incompetent as she was in household tasks, she is a bookworm, so I can find no fault in her (well, I am able to overlook most faults). I loved reading her adventures and misadventures, and if there was a lot of fun on the Castle scenes with the regular cast, her interactions with Peter were really great.

Had there been more books to this series, I would have read them. As it is, I will treasure these three forever.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Other Reviews: Cuidado com o Dálmata

This Book on: LibraryThing | GoodReads | BookDepository UK | Book Depository US | Amazon UK| Amazon US| Wook

Challenges, Challenges, Part 3

2012-01-18T12:40:00.000Z

Yes, one more challenge, but this one seemed too good to pass.

Fairy Tales Retold Challenge
Hosted by Debz Bookshelf

Basics
It goes from January 1st 2012 to December 31st 2012
To sign up, go here
You can sign up any time from now until June-ish
I would love you forever if you would follow me, and if you're interested in fairy tales, then you'd probably find my blog interesting anyway!

What Counts
Any retelling at all, or original fairy tales. When I say original fairy tales, I mean books that include many elements of many fairy tales, but aren't actually based on any fairy tales. Some examples are The Princess Bride by William Goldman or Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (BEST BOOK EVER!) Basically a book that should have a fairy tale based on it, but it's too late for it to be the other way around.
here

I'm going for level: Witch: 9 books

On a related note, I'm also doing a book bingo with some friends, you can see my progress here.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

2012-01-12T18:20:00.000Z

Title: Uglies

Author: Scott Westerfeld

Date Read: From December 14^th to December 16^th, 2011

On TBR for: 351 days

Format: Physical Book

Source: Gift - Christmas gift

The world of Uglies is our own, but after we damaged our planet and ourselves almost to the point of no return, society gets restarted in a place where everything is self-sufficient and no one is discriminated based on their physical appearance because, ta-dahh, everyone is pretty. Well, not everyone, everyone over the age of 16, because before that they are not old enough to go under the knife. So, these young teenagers who have yet to discover the wonders of cosmetic surgery are called Uglies. Because it's what they are – Ugly.

Tally is one of those, months away from getting her operation, and she can't hardly wait to join the rest of her friends in the parties and being simply amazing. She is the last of her mates to turn 16, so she feels really alone in Uglyville, so much that she decides to go sneak up to New Pretty Town, to check on her BFF, Peris, who has been there for so long and hasn't bothered to write. Or call.

Things do not go exactly as planned, Tally is trespassing after all, but she satisfies her need to see her friend, who makes her promise not to get into more trouble before she gets the operation, and she meets someone else doing the same as her, Shay, who becomes her new best friend.

They do stuff together all the time, enjoying their time left in Uglyville to play all the pranks they want, Shay even teaches Tally to hoverboard (yes, hooerboard, think Marty McFly and Back to the Future). But when the big day looms close (and it's the big day for both of them, they share a birthday), Shay tells Tally she doesn't want to pretty (*gasp* The Horror!), instead she is going to runaway and join a group of rebels who also don't want to be pretty, known as Smokies (they live in The Smoke). Shay would have liked to have Tally runaway with her, but Tally is not having that. She wants to be pretty. But since she is in such good terms with Shay, she promises to think about it, and Shay leaves her a coded message on how to get to The Smoke.

Tally would never use that, of course, if The Powers That Be hadn't noticed Shay's leaving and Shay's new best friend. As it was, they made her an Ultimatum, she either had to help them catch the Smokies (breaking a promise to Shay of not telling her secret) or she would be ugly forever. Poor Tally thinks, and thinks, and decides to help TPTB somewhat – she'll go to Smoke, see what it's all about, and then she'll decide whether to betray her friend's trust or not.

And so, with hoverboard in hand, a pack full of concentrated Spaghetti Bolognese, Tally hovers away to get to The Smoke, not without perils, since this girl almost got roasted alive (this section remind me of The Hunger Games).

And let me stop here before I summarize the entire book. (There aren't many spoilers, though, most of this is on the back cover, only much more ~~concentrated~~ summarized)

Anyway... It took sometime to have the courage to pick this book up. Why? Well, to me beauty is, of course, in the eye of the beholder, and my eyes are sometimes different from other eyes. So, this world where everyone was pretty, it wasn't gathering points with me. But I started the book, and I understood the concept of beauty used here – mainstream beauty, evening out differences, going for the big eyes, pouting mouth look of innocence, that ensured that there was a biological/psychological need to protect and love that person. I would be utterly miserable in that world, of course, but I can understand the reasons why it worked. As I continued reading I could also see how this world could be seen as school metaphor – the younger Uglies earning to enter that cool place that is New Pretty Town (*ahem, cof, High School, cof*).

Tally, with her eagerness to also be pretty, never really impressed me. She was fun, but had the book been about someone else, it would have been the same for me – I was reading for the world and the society, not the characters. In fact, I will continue reading the series for those reasons, even if there was some growth, at least where Tally is concerned. There was also a bit of romance in there, which, unsurprisingly, didn't impress me either.

This book's strengths are both the worldbuilding, and the action. There is plenty of action going on, from Tally and Shay's pranks, to the lone trip of Tally through the wasteland that our world has become, to the events on Smoke, rescue missions, hiding and going undercover. Lots of stuff that kept the pages flying by.

It did end on a cliffhanger (one has to ensure that readers will pick up the next book, right?), and as such I want to know what happens next. I also want to learn more about the world.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Other Reviews: A Journey of Books | Book Chick City | Este Meu Cantinho | The Non Reluctant Reader

This Book on: LibraryThing | GoodReads | BookDepository UK | Book Depository US | Amazon UK| Amazon US| Wook | Wook

Entwined by Heather Dixon

2012-01-06T16:05:00.000Z

Title: Entwined

Author: Heather Dixon

Date Read: January 3^rd

On TBR for: 2 days

Format: ebook

Source: Bought

Challenges?: 2012 Outdo Yourself, Off the Shelf 2012, Fairy Tales Retold

Entwined is a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses Fairytale. We start with Azalea preparing for a ball – her first one! – and dreading having to dance with the King, who is a very stiff dancer. But her mother is ill and someone has to take her place, and being the oldest of 11, the job falls to her.

But the ball never goes as planned – first the King never appears, then it ends prematurely. There are bad news, the eleven princesses become motherless. But they gain a little sister. The house enters in mourning, meaning that all their dresses are dyed black, the windows are draped in black, they cannot go out except on Royal Business, and *gasp* they cannot dance. And if there is something that these sisters like doing, it is dancing.

But this is a world with magic, and with magic they find a perfect place to dance – a silver forest with a magical pavilion, with music aplenty, and a guardian – Keeper, who is trapped there and wants their help to escape.

What first stands out on this book are the sheer number of characters – of course there would be many, it's the 12 Dancing Princesses, after all, but all of them get to be rather different from the others. And I really liked that they were so neatly named – bless the King with his organization and rules complex! – it was easier to set them apart this way. And what is this revolutionary technique? Well, they are named in alphabetical order: Azalea, Bramble, Clover, Delphinium, Eve, Flora and Goldenrod, Hollyhock, Ivy, Jessamine, Kale and Lily! The older ones got more action, of course, and more screen time. But the young ones were adorable as well!

As for the story, it was sweet, not without its sadness and perils. But in the end, the feeling I have of this book is that it was sweet. I really liked the King and his part on the story, and was glad that the fact that he was mourning his wife was not forgotten. He was stiff, and it was understandable that the girls felt unloved, but all the time I couldn't hate him for it. And the more the story progressed, the more I liked him as a character – he did love his daughters, although I think he didn't really know what to do with so many of them and that he was overwhelmed by their energy and liveliness.

Keeper's part of the story did make my brain churn since he first appeared – there was something in him that put me on guard (unlike, for instance, Fairweller, who is despised by Azalea and Co., and who I did like him from the start). But Keeper's mystery soon became rather obvious, although I wasn't sure how it was going to play out. In the end it worked out fine (better than I had hoped) although it was a bit a cheating there to get to the happy ending – but I'm glad it ended that way.

I also liked the writing on this one – there was a hint of humour throughout it that I enjoyed, from arguments with magic sugar teeth, to sisterly gossiping and teasing. I loved the interactions between characters, especially between sisters. There were, however, parts where I felt a bit lost about the surroundings and about who was holding the little ones, especially Lily, who kept changing hands between sisters.

To sum it up, Entwined is a really sweet book, with very good characters. Well worth reading.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Other Reviews: Bewitched Bookworms | Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing | Confessions of a Book Addict | Cuidado com o Dálmata | Curling up by the Fire | Good Books & Good Wine | The Nerd's Wife

Similar Readings: Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier [LT|GR]

This Book on: LibraryThing | GoodReads | BookDepository UK | Book Depository US | Amazon UK| Amazon US

December Ins and Outs

2012-01-05T16:09:00.000Z

Last Ins and Outs of 2011 and so little books reviews on December. The Shame! (Even more shameful - there are still some November reviews pending)

Surprisingly, there are not that many books acquired - it's not that Santa wasn't nice, he just got a little late and the books are still somewhere between the North Pole and Portugal (I hope. It would be the first time to have a book come via Australia.).
On the reading side things were good - lots of books read, even if not all of them good!

INS
Bought - physical bookCatch-22 by Joseph Heller
It arrived a little later than expected - after all it was bought on the same day as Slaughterhouse 5 (received in November)

Bought - ebook
Entwined by Heather Dixon
My first actually bought ebook! And only because it was at a fantastic price ($0.99) and Jen said it was good!

Swap sites
*Bookmooch*
The Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan

Freebies
*For Review - LibraryThing Member Giveaway*
Bedtime Stories for Cats by Amy Neftzger

*For Review - LibraryThing EarlyReviewers*
Enchantment by Pati Nagle

*Gifts*

The Weather Makers: How Man Is Changing the Climate and What It Means for Life on Earth by Tim Flannery
Christmas gift from my uncle

Mistwood by Leah Cypess
My Secret Santa's gift, who turned out to be, unsurprisingly, Jen. Thanks!

These were not the only books I received for Christmas. There are 6 more that I received. Kind-of. They are still in the mail - you'll see them in January. I hope.

OUTS

Physical books
The bloody chamber: and other stories Angela Carter
The Bloody Chamber is listed as a must have in dark fairytale retellings, and as such I had high expectations for it. It turned out not to be as good as I hoped – there was a repetition of themes, the writing managed, quite at the same time, entrance me and annoy me and there was just something missing in some of the stories. Also I started this book by reading the introduction which, although quite good as an analysis of the book, completely ruins the experience of someone reading the stories for the first time.

Rating: 3 out of 5

Carta del fin del mundo by José Manuel Fajardo [Letter from the End of the World]
A book that I wanted to read for a long, long time. This book is a letter from a sailor to his brother, from the New World, about his troubles and fears, about being in a strange land with strange people. It was rather nice, and I really like Fajardo's writing.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
This was on the shelf for quite some time (almost a year!). A Dystopia where everyone turns pretty at when they turn 16 - they have an operation which evens out their features. Tally can't wait to turn pretty and join her friends, but when she is denied her operation because of a new friend who ran away, she goes in search for her, torn between breaking a promise or being ugly for the rest of her life. It was a nice read, there was plenty of action, and it left me wanting to know more about this world.

Rating: 4 out of 5

The Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror by Christopher Moore
A joint reading with Jen, but it wasn't the best of books. Not very Christmas-y, except that it takes place during Christmas. A bit of non-sense humour, but it was rather poorly done. And I just thought that the zombies were unnecessary. And the epilogue as well.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5

Temeraire by Naomi Novik
I had been eyeing this one for ages, and still didn't pick it up. Even if there are dragons. That was strange. But I finally read it! It is a good book, think Eragon meets Master and Commander. The dragons were really fun, but I found the main character a bit too stiff (it does provide some amusing moments, too). I found the language also a bit stiff, but I think that was the translation only. I'll continue this series (but in English).

Rating: 4 out of 5

The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martínez
I have seen the movie based on this book, but I didn't remember who-had-dunnit when I started. Eventually I remembered. But it was an okay read, I liked the parts that had to do with mathematics. Not mindblowing, but still nice for a fast a read.

Rating: 3 out of 5

The Field Guide by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black
This feels much like an introduction to the series. The Grace kids move into an old house, and discover it has been inhabited by something else. Very fast read (1 day!), and the illustrations are simply lovely.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Ebooks
*For Review*

The Trees by Todd Brabander - Review
Bedtime Stories for Cats by Amy Neftzger - Review
Enchantment by Pati Nagle - Review

TBR Variation: -2 (From 203 to 201) Yey!

The Broken Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin

2012-01-04T12:10:00.000Z

Title: The Broken Kingdoms

Author: N. K. Jemisin

Date Read: From November 26 to November 30, 2011

On TBR for: 19 days

Format: Physical book

Source: Bought - New

Back to the world of Sky, roughly ten years after the end of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms, The Broken Kingdoms is the story of Oree, a blind artist who lives in the city below the palace-Sky, now turned into palace/tree. She sells knick-knacks and souvenirs to the pilgrims that go to worship the new godlings (and even the old god Itempas). And she paints, but that's just for her.

One day she finds someone in a pile of muck, and like the good person she is, she takes him home and treats him. She even gives him a name: Shiny. Why does she give him a name? One, because he never talks (he can talk, he just chooses not to - this isn't a story about the blind and the mute), and two, because he shines (but only in the morning).

And let me backtrack a bit here, because you surely recall that I told you Oree is blind. She IS blind, but she can see magic, its glow allows her to see parts of the world. It does help her a lot, especially because Sky is so infused with it. And it allows her to become really chummy with all kinds of godlings. So she knows, more or less, what she has in her hands with Shiny. And still adventure ensues.

There is part that is a continuation of the plots of the previous book, but The Broken Kingdoms is a book on its own. I found myself hating characters I once loved, and loving characters I once hated, just because there was a shift in perspective. And I loved that it happened.

Oree as a character captivated me like Yeine never did. She is spunky and feisty, and more importantly, gets things done. The big problem with this book is, having read the first one, the mystery of Shiny is no mystery at all (except for Oree, of course). But I did like to see his character unfold, and was surprised by how much I ended up liking him.

And that surprise is not exclusive to Shiny. I was surprised how much I ended up liking this book, considering that the first one didn't blow me off my feet. I really liked the ending, and I am now ready for the next/last one in the series, The Kingdom of Gods.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Other Reviews: Cuidado com o Dálmata | Fantasy Café | Libri Touches | The Broke and the Bookish

This Book on: LibraryThing | GoodReads | BookDepository UK | Book Depository US | Amazon UK| Amazon US| Wook

Challenges, Challenges, part 2

2012-01-02T21:54:00.000Z

Just another one, because it sounded fun. Most categories are somewhat easy, but I'm having some trouble finding something in my TBR pile with a creepy crawly in the title. Maybe I'll have to (finally) get a copy of Lord of the Flies...

What's in a Name 5
hosted by Beth Fish Reads

Here's How It Works

Between January 1 and December 31, 2012, read one book in each of the following categories:

A book with a topographical feature (land formation) in the title: Black Hills, Purgatory Ridge, Emily of Deep Valley
A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title: Moon Called, Seeing Stars, Cloud Atlas
A book with a creepy crawly in the title: Little Bee, Spider Bones, The Witches of Worm
A book with a type of house in the title: The Glass Castle, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, Ape House
A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title: Sarah's Key, The Scarlet Letter, Devlin Diary
A book with a something you'd find on a calendar in the title: Day of the Jackal, Elegy for April, Freaky Friday, Year of Magical Thinking

The book titles are just suggestions, you can read whatever book you want to fit the category.

Other Things to Know

Books may be any form (audio, print, e-book).
Books may overlap other challenges.
Books may not overlap categories; you need a different book for each category.
Creativity for matching the categories is not only allowed but encouraged.
You do not have to make a list of books before hand.
You do not have to read through the categories in any particular order.

2011 Ins and Outs - The Stats

2011-12-31T10:00:00.000Z

Another year comes to an end, another year in reading (and reviewing, although there has been very little of that this past month). After spending this week looking back, making these lists of things I liked, and things I want for the next year, it's only right that I make a summary of my reading, isn't it? (Even if it isn't, I'll do it anyway.)

So, here they are, the Ins and Outs of 2011 (that come before the December ones, I'm afraid).

INS
Total books acquired: 111

Breakdown by source
Bought (65)
New: 41
In a Bookfair: 18
Used: 5
Ebook: 1

Swapsites (32)
Bookmooch: 28
WinkingBooks: 4

Freebies (14)
Gifts: 7
Won on a giveaway: 1
For Review - physical book: 2
For Review - ebook: 4

Not included: Kindle freebies

OUTS
Total books read: 86!

Out of these 86, 9 were review copies. 70 books were actual, paper and ink and cover, books. 16 were ebooks. (I did juggle 2 books between book, ebook and audiobook) 17 were graphic novels or mangas (and 3 of those were digital galleys). 2 were short stories.

Languages: I read 70 books in English, 11 in Portuguese and 5 in Spanish.

Ratings:
I liked most of the books I've read this year: 57 received a rating of 4 stars or more. But there were some that didn't impressed me: 6 books received a rating of 2 stars or less. The average rating was 3.81.

Length:
Now, with ebooks this won't be accurate - I took the value of a paperback edition of the same book in the cases there was one, but some of the books pages were calculated based on the number of pages on pdf, or Adobe digital editions, or using the simple rule of number of pages on my cellphone divided by 4.

Longest book: A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin with 835 pages
Average length: 286 pages
Total number of pages: 24611 pages
16 books were 500 pages or longer
45 books had 250 pages or less

Time to read:
Average time it takes to read one book: 9 days - but reading multiple books at the same time.
A book was finished, on average, every 4.2 days (this is completely bogus - some days I read more than one books, especially if was it mangas, some months I finished only one book.)
Average number of pages read each day: 68

TBR CHANGES
Start value: 170 books
End value: 201 books

I have 31 more books in my TBR list than at the end of last year. SHAME! I'll be working on clearing it on 2012.
Taking into account my rate of reading of the last 2 and a half years, and if I read nothing but books on my TBR, and add nothing to it, I should clear it on July of 2014. See you then!

Oh, wait, there is more!

Next year I will be doing some Challenges - trying to read more, and just clear the TBR ~~list~~ mount. And an unofficial challenge will be also to cut down a bit on the getting more books side (I foresee that I'll fail this one). Maybe keep things on a 1:1 ratio?

I still have lots of books to review (from November and December), but those also will come next year.

Until then, I hope you have a lot fun on New Year's Eve, and make the best out of 2012 (unless the world ends on the first day)!

Enchantment by Pati Nagle

2011-12-30T21:28:00.000Z

I received this book in ebook format from the Author, through LibraryThing Early Reviewers

Enchantment

Holly Parker’s life changes forever when she visits Enchantment Spring with her older sister Madison. They hike through the woods, and when they reach the spring, Holly’s disappointed. A concrete coffin full of water? She expected a pool surrounded by flowers, birds, dancing dragonflies.

But fine. They eat the lunch they packed, and lounge around in the sunshine a while. As they get ready to leave, Holly dabbles her fingers in the water.

And sees a face beneath the surface.

The joy of first love fills her, but Holly’s happiness turns to horror when she learns that the government plans to demolish Enchantment Spring. Her passion for Ohlan — the beautiful water spirit who inhabits the spring — is so strong that she’ll gladly risk her life, standing between the spring and the backhoes, to save him.

The description does tell what happens in this book – at least until the part I gave up on it.

And why did I give up, you would ask. For starters, I didn't really like Holly, the main character. Was she a bad girl? No, of course not. But she never left the page – she was just words, and never made me believe she was real. The pacing of the beginning had a lot to do with it – it doesn't take long for the face to appear in the spring – it must have been one or two pages, just slightly longer than in the description. But that would have been fine, if the main character wasn't suddenly head over heels over this face – before she even establishes he is real.

From then on it was hard to take anything seriously in this book. There was much of Holly's research that felt badly organized, and a tad bit too easy. And then the girl goes on jumping into conclusions that were 99% wishful thinking (just not to call it delusion) on her part, and 1% logic.

I got to the point where I asked myself “Do you care about the main character?” The answer was no. “Do you want to know if Ohlan is real or not?” Not really. “Do you want to know why he is weak?” Couldn't care less. “Do you want to read about Holly's first love?” Love? That's not love. “Do you care at all about what is going to happen next?” No, not really. So that's why I gave up on the book, even though I tried, for the sake of making a proper review. I just didn't care enough about any of it.

Rating: 1 out of 5 - Did not Finish

This Book on: LibraryThing | GoodReads | Amazon US (Kindle)

Top 10 of 2011 - Top 10 Books I'm looking forward to in 2012

2011-12-30T15:07:00.000Z

The last day of the week of the Top 10 of 2011, hosted by Confessions of a Bookaholic, A Life Bound By Books, Fiktshun and Two Chicks on Books. Today we look forward and see what books I am waiting for in 2012.

Only there is a slight problem. It won't be only books coming out in 2012, because I tend to read oldies, and obscure series that have been published for a while. There are just a few books that make me rush to the bookstore (ie. Bookdepository). But here they are, the books I want to read in 2012

Top 10 Books I'm looking forward to in 2012
Books coming out in 2012:

1 - Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore

Eight years after Graceling, Bitterblue is now queen of Monsea. But the influence of her father, a violent psychopath with mind-altering abilities, lives on. Her advisors, who have run things since Leck died, believe in a forward-thinking plan: Pardon all who committed terrible acts under Leck’s reign, and forget anything bad ever happened. But when Bitterblue begins sneaking outside the castle—disguised and alone—to walk the streets of her own city, she starts realizing that the kingdom has been under the thirty-five-year spell of a madman, and the only way to move forward is to revisit the past.

I have been waiting for so long for this book! I loved Graceling and Fire, so I really want Bitterblue to be published!

Expected to be out: May 2012

2 - Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier

The series is set in Alban, an imagined version of ancient Scotland. Until recent times, a wary tolerance has existed between the human residents of Alban and the uncanny Good Folk. Then Keldec ascends the throne, and the kingdom becomes a place of fear where magic is shunned, neighbour turns on neighbour and no secret is safe. When fifteen-year-old Nevyn suffers an unthinkable betrayal of trust, she finds herself all alone in a world turned hostile. The secret she guards so closely could be her doom. It could also be the key to Alban's future.

Shadowfell is a story of tyranny and rebellion; of magic and of human courage.

Another series by Juliet Marillier! Squee! Set in Scotland! Double Squee!

Expected to be out: Fall 2012

3 - Flame of Sevenwaters by Juliet Marillier
There is no proper description for this one (it's not like I need it - it's Juliet Marillier and Sevenwaters, I'll read it no matter what the backcover says). But I found this, posted by the author:

"I am pleased with Return to Sevenwaters [Previous, temporary title - it has changed to Flame of Sevenwaters] so far. Maeve is an interesting narrator. Her character has been shaped by the traumatic accident in her childhood and her resulting injury, and also by the fact that she has spent ten years living at Harrowfield as a foster daughter of Bran and Liadan before returning home at the age of 20. Young Finbar, aged 7, also has a major part to play in the story."

Expected to be out: November 2012

4 - Sorrow's Knot by Erin Bow

In the world of Sorrow’s Knot, the dead do not rest easy. Every patch of shadow might be home to something hungry and nearly invisible, something deadly. The dead can only be repelled or destroyed with magically knotted cords and yarns. The women who tie these knots are called binders.

Otter is the daughter of Willow, a binder of great power. She’s a proud and privileged girl who takes it for granted that she will be a binder some day herself. But when Willow’s power begins to turn inward and tear her apart, Otter finds herself trapped with a responsibility she’s not ready for, and a power she no longer wants.

Plain Kate surprised me so much that I really want to keep reading this author!

Expected to be out: Sometime 2012

Already Published - Not Owned/Still waiting for them

5 - The Kingdom of Gods by N.K. Jemisin

For two thousand years the Arameri family has ruled the world by enslaving the very gods that created mortalkind. Now the gods are free, and the Arameri’s ruthless grip is slipping. Yet they are all that stands between peace and world-spanning, unending war.

Shahar, last scion of the family, must choose her loyalties. She yearns to trust Sieh, the godling she loves. Yet her duty as Arameri heir is to uphold the family’s interests, even if that means using and destroying everyone she cares for.

As long-suppressed rage and terrible new magics consume the world, the Maelstrom — which even gods fear — is summoned forth. Shahar and Sieh: mortal and god, lovers and enemies. Can they stand together against the chaos that threatens the Kingdom of the Gods?

The final book in the Inheritance Trilogy, and it features Sieh! Of course I want it!

Status: Still on the wishlist.

6 - The Poison Eaters: and Other Stories by Holly Black

Poisonous girls whose kisses will kill. A fateful eating contest with the devil. Faeries who return to Ironside, searching for love. A junior prom turned bacchanalia. In twelve short stories, eerie and brimming with suspense and unexpected humor, Holly Black twists the fantastical creatures you thought you knew in ways you’ll never expect.

A collection of short stories by Holly Black, and one of the stories has spinned of as a new book (still to be published, sometime in 2013).

Status: Still on the wishlist.

7 - I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

Meet Ed Kennedy — underage cabdriver, pathetic cardplayer, and useless at romance. He lives in a shack with his coffee-addicted dog, the Doorman, and he’s hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence, until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery. That’s when the first Ace arrives. That’s when Ed becomes the messenger...
Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary), until only one question remains: Who’s behind Ed’s mission?

Good reviews left me curious, and after reading the Book Thief, I know I'll keep reading this author.

Status: Still on the wishlist.

8 - The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

Everyone is saying this book is great, and I'm not a girl to say no to a great book!

Status: On its way!

9 - The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss

Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen. The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature. A high-action story written with a poet's hand, The Name of the Wind is a masterpiece that will transport readers into the body and mind of a wizard.

Another book everyone is singing it's praises, and I want to know what all the fuss is about!

Status: On its way!

Already Owned - New Year's Resolution (I needed a 10th book!)

10 - The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko

Set in modern day Moscow, Night Watch is a world as elaborate and imaginative as Tolkien or the best Asimov. Living among us are the "Others," an ancient race of humans with supernatural powers who swear allegiance to either the Dark or the Light. A thousand-year treaty has maintained the balance of power, and the two sides coexist in an uneasy truce. But an ancient prophecy decrees that one supreme "Other" will rise up and tip the balance, plunging the world into a catastrophic war between the Dark and the Light. When a young boy with extraordinary powers emerges, fulfilling the first half of the prophecy, will the forces of the Light be able to keep the Dark from corrupting the boy and destroying the world?

Not the book that has been on my TBR longest, but it has been there for a long, long time. I keep saying I'll read it, but I never do. So here is my New Year's Resolution. I'll finally read The Night Watch!

Extra:
Any book published by Megan Whalen Turner will make me run to the bookshop, and although there are two more books planned in the Queen's Thief series, they will not be coming any time soon. But if they do, I'll buy them! And then read them! And then read them again, and again, and again.

Top 10 of 2011 - Top 10 Characters in 2011

2011-12-29T11:23:00.000Z

The fourth day of the week of the Top 10 of 2011, hosted by Confessions of a Bookaholic, A Life Bound By Books, Fiktshun and Two Chicks on Books. Today's theme is Awesome Characters!

This is made a little differently - I tried to find categories, and have a winner for each. Also, I tried to keep yesterday's characters out of this one, so no category for best boyfriend material. You can see the winner and the nominees for that one here.

Top 10 Characters in 2011

Best Female Character of 2011: Rae/Sunshine in Sunshine
This was not an easy pick. So many awesome female characters this year! It was a close fight between Rae/Sunshine, Oree and Katsa. And if it had come to blows, I'm sure Katsa would win (ie. survive), but since I am picking, I chose Rae. Why? Because I love the way she thinks, and because I connected the most with her. Of all the characters, she felt the most real, the most human.

*Runner-ups:*	Oree in The Broken Kingdoms
	Katsa in Graceling

Best Male Character of 2011: Gen in The Thief
I said I wouldn't repeat yesterday's post, but you know what? Though luck. Gen is simply amazing and he deserves this spot. Best Male Character! He is just awesome. And let's leave it at that.

*Runner-ups:*	Luis in Valiant/Ironside
	Fool in The Assassin's Apprentice
	Zander in Transformation/Revelation
	Everyone in yesterday's post

Best Villain of 2011: Gollum in The Hobbit
This is a bit a cheating, because Gollum is not that much of a Villain, and not on The Hobbit anyway. But Best Villain doesn't mean the most villainous of characters - it means characters that I love so much even if they are on the dark side (they do have cookies). Gollum is one of my favourites, especially in Lord of the Rings, but the chapter "Riddles in the Dark" is my favourite, and this is a way of paying homage to Gollum.

*Runner-ups:*	Linay in Plain Kate
	Loethar in King's Wrath

Best Sidekick of 2011: Rudy in The Book Thief
It was a close call on whether to put Rudy in the Sidekick category or the Brat one, because he most certainly is a brat. He would most certainly win on both categories. He is Liesel friend and companion in her thieving activities, and all he asks in return is: A kiss! Even if he is covered in mud (or other foul things) and insults her from time to time (meaning: in an almost everyday basis)

Proof of Awesomeness:

A book floated down the Amper River. A boy jumped in, caught up to it, and held it in his right hand. He grinned. He stood waist-deep in the icy, Decemberish water.
“How about a kiss, Saumensch?” he said.

Best Brat of 2011: Mina in My Name is Mina
And now for the brats. I could put Gen in here, because he most certainly a brat. Rudy would give him a run for his money in bratiness. And Artemis wouldn't be far behind, and he would play dirty to come out on top. But I have to give Mina the first place on this. She is the female version of Calvin (from Calvin and Hobbes), the terror for any teacher because she is smart, and she knows it, but she thinks so outside the box that there is no box anymore - which translate as being extremely weird. But that's why I adore her!

*Runner-ups:*	Artemis in Artemis Fowl
	Arya in A Song of Ice and Fire series

Best Royalty of 2011: Attolia in The Queen of Attolia
There is always some royalty in fantasy, and with this year's batch it was no different. I had plenty of minor lords and ladies, princes and princesses, kings and queens to choose from, but the award goes to Attolia. She comes off cold and dangerous, and maybe she is both, a bit. But that is a result of her life and of the betrayals she suffered. She is strong and intelligent, and not devoid of heart. It was an amazing character to discover, and to unravel.

Runner-ups:

Eddis in The Queen of Attolia

Best Parental Figure of 2011: Hans Hubermann in The Book Thief
Not necessarily a parent, but that one character that teaches and helps the Hero/Heroine to stay on the good Path. You know, Dumbledore to Harry, or Bilbo to Frodo, or Gandalf to pretty much everyone... But the award goes to Hans Hubermann, because there is no one quite like him: from late night reading lessons to accordion music, he made everything in his power to be the best father to Liesel. And in my opinion, he was.

*Runner-ups:*	Yvonne in Sunshine
	Chade in The Assassin's Apprentice

Best Talking Cat of 2011: Taggle in Plain Kate
I like cats, so I enjoy seeing felines in my books, and this year had quite a few of them. From Varjak Paw to Bedtime stories for Cats, with at least two re-tellings of Puss-on-Boots in between, there was no shortage of cats (not all of them talkative, true), but it was Taggle that stole my heart. Not only did I wish to have a cat like him, I wish to have a friend like him.

Proof of Awesomeness:

Taggle was absorbed in the meat pie. ‘It’s covered in BREAD,’ he huffed. ‘What fool has covered MEAT with BREAD?'

Best Magical Being of 2011: Temeraire in His Majesty's Dragon
Another hard category. First, what is a Magical Being? Would Rae/Sunshine be one? She is not entirely human, is she? What about Death? And all the Gods in the Inheritance Series? And Talking Cats would probably also fit in here. So, who to choose? Well, you can never go wrong with dragons, and Temeraire is a very fun dragon. He loves to read, well to be read to, since there aren't any books being published for dragons. And he is very smart, very loyal, and very compassionate.

Proof of Awesomeness:

“Does he read to you?” Lady Allendale asked Temeraire, amused.
“Yes; you see, I cannot hold them myself, for they are too small, and also I cannot turn the pages very well,” Temeraire said.

Best Dwarf of 2011: Tyrion in A Game of Thones and A Clash of Kings
You could say I created this category just for Tyrion, after all there aren't that many dwarfs in literature. But you would be forgetting that I re-read the Hobbit this year, and if there is something that book isn't lacking, it is dwarfs. Still, Tyrion tops them all (all 13 of them), even if I adore that book. Why? Because Tyrion is made of pure win, with only that not-so-minor flaw that he is a Lannister.

Challenges, Challenges

2011-12-28T13:22:00.000Z

In 2010 I challenged myself to read 75 books - I barely made it, but because I didn't count the graphic novels towards that goal. In 2011 I decided not to do any challenge - this, until Goodreads decided to do the 2011 reading challenge. I chose 80, because it was about the number of books I had read the year before (with graphic novels, that is). I have completed it (I am, at the moment, at 84 books read and I hope to get to 86, or at least 85 before the year ends).

Next year I'll be back to the challenges. Not one, not two, but three!

Challenge 1:
2012 Outdo Yourself Reading Challenge
hosted by The Book Vixen

Details:

Runs January 1, 2012 – December 31, 2012 (books read prior to 1/1/12 do not count towards the challenge). You can join at anytime. Sign up on The Book Vixen’s blog.
The goal is to outdo yourself by reading more books in 2012 than you did in 2011. See the different levels below and pick the one that works best for you. Nothing is set in stone; you can change levels at any time during the challenge.
Books can be any format (bound, eBook, audio).
Re-reads and crossovers from other reading challenges are allowed.
Grab the reading challenge button and post this reading challenge on your blog to track your progress. Please include a link back to this sign-up post so others can join the reading challenge too. You do not have to be a book blogger to participate; you could track your progress on Goodreads or LibraryThing.

I'm going for level: Out of breath – Read 6–10 more books
Which means, I'm challenging myself to read 96 books (supposing I read 86 this year). Why 96?, well, I quite like the number, that's it!

Challenge 2:
Off The Shelf 2012
hosted by Bookish Ardour

The Deets

The Main Rule: Do not include books acquired during 2012, it defeats the purpose, read those books from before 2012 started!
Running Dates: 1st of January – 31st of December 2012
When Can I Sign Up: All the way up to the last two weeks of December 2012!
Crossover Genres: Anything! The name of the game is to turn those unread books into read ones.
Mr Linky: To use the Mr Linky you’ll need to click on the graphic then enter your link. These will be updated and posted into this page every couple of weeks or so.
Further Details: Crossover challenges are fine, you can change levels at any time, this is eBook, short story, and graphic novel friendly, and you don’t need a blog to join in (read further for details).

The How To

Choose Your Level: These are listed further down and you can change levels at any time.
Grab The Badge: Place it somewhere on your blog, profile, or in a signature where possible and link back (main page or this page, it’s up to you).
Sign Up Post: Create a post on your blog, in a group, or on a forum (only if allowed) to let others see what you’re aiming for (a predefined list of books is optional).
Link Up: Grab the direct URL to your sign up post, not your blog, click the Mr Linky graphic and enter your link!
Blogless? Don’t worry, you can sign up with your social network profile (YouTube, Twitter, GoodReads, Shelfari included), just make sure you link to your review list, shelf, tweet, or category. If you don’t have any of those feel free to comment!

I'm going for level: Flying Off – Choose 75 books to read
75 books that are already cluttering my shelves. I have lots of those, so it should be easy, no? Combining with Challenge 1 it leaves still about 20 books that can be acquired next year.

Challenge 3:
Why Buy the Cow? Reading Challenge 2012
hosted by Reading the Paranormal and The Unread Reader

Here is how it works:

Should you choose to participate in this challenge, your goal is to read at least twelve (12) legally obtained FREE e-books. While twelve is the minimum there is no maximum limit.
Anyone can join. You don't have to be a blogger, and you don't have to live in the United States.
Any E-Reader will work for this challenge, including: iPad, Kindle, Nook, Kobo, Sony Reader, enTourage.
Please Note: If you don't have an e-reading device, you can still join in with Amazon's Free Kindle Reading Apps which you can download for your iPhone, iPad, Mac, PC, Blackberry and more.
The challenge runs from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2012. You can join at anytime.
e-books in ANY genre count for this challenge as long as it was FREE at the time that you downloaded it.
Every month in 2012, I will make a post for the Why Buy the Cow? Reading Challenge 2012 so you can link your reviews. Based on participation, monthly link ups may be combined.
Those that link their reviews will be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a different prize each month, such as an Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card, a bookmark, or a GelaSkins for your e-Reader.

Challenge Guidelines:

If you have a blog, create a post announcing your participation in the challenge. Please include a link back to this post.
Non bloggers: participate by linking up your profile URL from the site you plan to post your reviews on such as Goodreads, Shelfari, LibraryThing, Amazon, or Barnes & Noble.
When you post your book review, you MUST reveal how you obtained the free & legal download. Please make your source clear.
You can list your books in advance or list them as you read them.
Crossovers to other reading challenges is acceptable, but ARCs/galley e-books DO NOT count. Again, this is a Reading Challenge to read as many of the FREE e-books legally offered for your e-reader. To get started, check out the Top 100 Free books on Amazon, or the Free e-books on Barnes & Noble.
Any linked reviews that do not meet the guidelines will not be entered into the monthly drawing for the prize of the month.

I'm going for level: Coupon Clipper: 12 Books
Yep, on this challenge I'm going for the basic level. It's not that there aren't plenty of free ebooks (I have downloaded tons!). It's just that this one goes a bit against Challenge 2 - I never count these freebies as To Be Read. And since they are digital, they don't really clutter the bookshelf, do they?

And that's it. For now... If I find any more interesting Challenges (that I can mash with these) I might joined them too.

Top 10 of 2011 - Top 10 Book Boyfriends in 2011

2011-12-28T10:53:00.000Z

The third day of the week of the Top 10 of 2011, hosted by Confessions of a Bookaholic, A Life Bound By Books, Fiktshun and Two Chicks on Books. Today's theme: Book Boyfriends!

This is not an easy top for me. It's not that there aren't characters who I wish for a boyfriend, because there are! But I'm usually drawn to the morally grey (and dark grey, and black) characters, and let's face it, most of those I wouldn't want to spend that much time with. But, let's just see what I can come up with.

Top 10 Book Boyfriends in 2011

1 - Mr. Thornton in North and South
This was the easiest part of the list, the number 1. There is no doubt that John Thornton gets the lead. If most young ladies wish for a Darcy of their own, I much prefer this Northman. He works for a living, for a start. And albeit his cold exterior, and stiff manners, he is not devoid of emotions, quite the opposite, actually. He is fair, and he keeps his promises. Really, what more could a girl want?

Bonus: On the little screen he was amazingly portrayed by Richard Armitage. Really, what more could a girl want?

...and that's it. Because there no one else but Thornton.

Okay, okay, I'll add 9 more to complete the list. But they won't be as good as Thornton.

2 - Po in Graceling
Po is just awesome. He is sure of himself, and with reason (he does know what you think of him).
Pros: Mismatched eyes, Fighting skills, Tatts, a very good heart, the ability to make Katsa blush with his shirt open. And with his shirt closed as well.
Cons: Way too much bling (The rings, OMG, so many rings), knows what you think of him, always. And I wouldn't want to fight Katsa to have him.

3 - Kenshin (Yeah, I'm bringing in the mangas for this top)

Former assassin, likes to play dumb and enjoy the calm countryside.
Pros: Loves children and does the laundry. Can protect the house from enemies (although he might destroy it in process). Red-head, long hair, swords and scars \o/.
Cons: Has lots of enemies. Might be bi-polar. Used to kill tons of people (and was very good at it).

4 - Gen in The Thief
He is probably NOT my type, but I would be unable to resist his charm, because, really, I imagine him like this:

...and I just can't resist the smoulder.

But can I have him around? Because I can't really trust him to stay out of trouble even if he is within sight, and I much rather have the adventures with him myself than read about it afterwards!

5 - Sianadh in The Ill-Made Mute
Sianadh is a pirate that saves our Ill-Made Mute, and then goes on to have adventures with her. He is a lot of fun and a rather remarkable man in spite of his rude talking and manners (waaaay better than that creep Thorn).
Pros: He is a Pirate! He plays something like chess and is good at it. He can tell the difference between a boy and a girl (unlike pretty much everyone else). He gives a name to the Mute. He teaches her to count. He even teaches her to talk with her hands.
Cons: There is something that is written on the pages of the book, but that I still say didn't happen. But if it did happen, it's definitely a con.

Selling point: “Nay, it ain't got fleas, and 'tis a girl.”

6 - Vidanric in Crown Duel
Vidanric is the Hero in Crown Duel. Well, kind of. He is, but it takes a long time for the Heroine to notice it.
Pros: Doesn't mind being the target for candle-holder throwing practise. Has a subtle and smart sense of humour. Can be really romantic when he puts his mind into it. Is good in politics and battle.
Cons: Uses kisses as payment of wagers. It should be fine if he only makes them with you, but you never know. Blond (just not my type, I'm afraid).

7 - Mel in Sunshine
Mel is a bit of a mystery. Well, strike that. Mel is a mystery. He is Sunshine's boyfriend (which doesn't stop her from getting too friendly with mushroom-skined vampires. Well, vampire, it was just the one).
Pros: He has mysterious tattoos that seemed to indicate that he is/was a wizard of some sort. He bakes yummy food. He rides a bike. And he's solid as a tree in the sense that he will stand by you and help you, no matter what.
Cons: He could be the Evil Overlord who rules the Universe with Pain and Torture, since I know very little about him. Also, he is taken.

8 - Shiny in The Broken Kingdoms
Shiny is a God in a Human body, put there as punishment for bad behaviour to and by his siblings.
Pros: He is a God. He is shiny, as in, he shines (but only in the morning, which might be great as an alarm clock). He might not say much, but when he talks, it matters.
Cons: He is a God. He is rather resistance to change, he might need a decade to accept it.

9 - Linay in Plain Kate
He is strange, and weird and not altogether good. But I really liked him, and felt he just needed some loving. And I am willing to do that... Please, Ms. Bow, let me have him! I'll take good care of him and will not let him go around stealing shadows!

10 - Maeniel in The Silver Wolf
Maeniel is a mountain lord, a kind-of former barbarian that managed to get a dominion which to rule. In times of peace he is adorable, because he worries too much about everything. About the grain, and the servants, and the weather... But he can keep a clear head in times of peril, and think quickly. And since he has a furry situation, he is quite formidable in battle. But what his really cool about him, is that he has a long history (and I only got mere glimpses of it), and an unusual version of lycanthropy.

Extra
Third time killed the charm: Both the Kushiel series and the Study series have great characters that are boyfriend material, but since the books that I read this year were not even close to my liking, I couldn't quite bring myself to include them on the top. So, honourable mentions are:

Valek in the Study Series
Pros: Good looking, protective, has a hobby that is not related to work. Is a gentleman and doesn't take advantage of drunken ~~criminals~~ maidens.
Cons: Tendency to poison loved ones. Works as an assassin.

Joscelin in the Kushiel Series
Pros: Awesome fighter. Tends to not break vows, unless they get in the way of being with whom he loves. Long hair. Quite passionate, even if he tries to appear stoic.
Cons: Chastity vow, blond, too much of a priest.

Top 10 of 2011 - Top 10 Book Covers of 2011

2011-12-27T09:00:00.000Z

The second day of the week of the Top 10 of 2011, hosted by Confessions of a Bookaholic, A Life Bound By Books, Fiktshun and Two Chicks on Books. Today's theme: Pretty Covers! Ohhh... Shiny! *.*

I had a bit of trouble on this top. Not because there was any lack of pretty covers, but because I couldn't decide whether to be books I've read this year or books I acquired this year. I went with the last option, but just one book in this list is yet to be read.

Top 10 Book Covers of 2011

1 - Plain Kate
So pretty! One of the biggest reasons I got this book. (Bonus: This is another idea for the cover - but it didn't get picked)

2 - Sunshine
Again, so pretty! I got this edition because it's prettier than the others (Spirals!). And once I got it, I realized: it sparkles! Shiny!

3 - My Name is Mina
Never mind that it's a prequel of sorts to Skellig. This cover jumped right at me!

4 - Contos Carnivoros
Another one that jumped right at me in the bookshop because of the cover. Pretty!

5 - Jane Eyre
This one was not bought solely because of the cover, but this edition caught my once, twice, three times in the bookshop, so I ended it up buying it.

6 - The Inheritance books: The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms and The Broken Kingdoms
The beautiful cover of The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms was the reason I started paying attention to this series. Then came the good reviews. And The Broken Kingdoms keeps with the theme of good covers.

7 - The Queen's Thief collection - The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia and A Conspiracy of Kings
Not the reason for buying or reading these books, but the illustrations on the covers are gorgeous.

8 - Shatter
This was a freebie on Amazon, but there are plenty of ebooks free there, so why did I even "buy" it? The cover, sirs, the cover.

9 - King's Wrath
The previous two books in the Valisar trilogy had beautiful covers, and the last instalment could be no different.

10 - The Field Guide
The Spiderwick books being pretty much the only non-comic, non-compulsory books my little cousin has read (and I mean, really read. The whole series!), I decided to give it a try (in this case, acquiring them, I have yet to read). No, it wasn't Holly Black writing it (although now it was a certain weight in the decision), nor the illustrations by Tony DiTerlizzi (although I very much fond of those). But the cover is really pretty.

Extra
Today's extra: Varjak Paw

The cover is pretty, but not as much as the ones on the Top 10. But the illustrations inside. Ohh...so pretty.

"Let's help the elves" Giveaway - Winner

2011-12-26T18:03:00.000Z

So, Christmas has come and gone, and it's time for cleaning up, eating the leftovers and coo over the amazing presents I'm sure everyone received. Oh, wait, there is something else that has to be done, isn't there?

Of course there is! The winner of the Let's help the elves giveaway!

But before I tell you actually won this one, here are some stats:

Most people said they were good or at least more good than naughty, but there are quite a lot that were naughty and proud of it! But since I always like the naughty ones in books, I won't crossed them from Santa's list.

And what people wanted the most for Christmas? Well, it was rather surprising. People asked for books. Or bookshelves. Or eReaders. Really, people? All you want for Christmas is books and book related stuff? Great! Me too!

So, now that these stats are over with, it's time for a winner. Let's click the button on the Rafflethingy and cross my fingers that I get picked...oh wait, I'm the hostess in this one.

And....drumroll please... wait, it seems there's more clicking involved, keep on with that drumroll, for a while and...

Here it is! The winner is:

Veronika who wanted books for Christmas, so she'll get one more from Spoilers and Nuts. I will be emailing you soon!

And that's all for now. There will be reviews coming (hopefully, I'm soooooo behind those) and during this week I'm doing the Top 10 of 2011 - so, a post every day - speaking of which, I have to prepare some of those...

Top 10 of 2011 - Top 10 Books I've read in 2011

2011-12-26T16:36:00.000Z

Ahh... The last week of the year starts, and so starts the week of the Top 10 of 2011, hosted by Confessions of a Bookaholic, A Life Bound By Books, Fiktshun and Two Chicks on Books.

Each day there will be a Top 10. The first one The Top 10 Books of 2011, which is also the theme for this week's Top Ten Tuesday, so I'll be mashing these two memes into one (Yeah, I know it's still Monday, but it's Tuesday somewhere).

It's hard to get an order in this list - it was hard enough to find the Top 10. It was a good year in reading - a lot of good books, even if there were a few rotten ones as well.

I decided not to make a commentary on this top - I have reviewed most of these books (except one, but worry not, that review will come), and I think I wouldn't be able to manage much more than a Squee! I loved it! So, Squee! I loved them all!

Top 10 Books I've read in 2011

A Game of Thrones	Review
The Thief	Review
The Queen of Attolia	Review
Plain Kate	Review
Sunshine	Review
My Name is Mina	Review
Valiant	Review
North and South	Review
Crown Duel	Review
The Broken Kingdoms	Review

Extras:
These two books were so good that I re-read them this year:

Graceling	Review
The Hobbit	Review

Spoilers and Nuts wishes you a Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T19:41:00.000Z

A rather meek try of this dessert (photo from best angle,
although it was hard to find one)

It comes rather late, it's almost time to sit at the table with the family around, but yours truly has been rather busy in the kitchen. But the desserts are ready, and the meal is cooking, so I have a little time to wish you all a very merry Christmas. Hope there are enough books for you under the tree (I have my fingers crossed for some!).

Also, don't forget that the Let's Help the Elves giveaway ends tomorrow.

Bedtime Stories for Cats by Amy Neftzger

2011-12-23T18:35:00.001Z

I received this book in ebook format from the Author, through LibraryThing Member Giveaway

Bedtime Stories for Cats

Bedtime Stories for Cats is a book of short stories and fables designed specifically for cat lovers. The topics range from mythology to magic and horror stories (for cats) combined with a few essays written by a cat in order to help the rest of us understand their logic and reasoning. The book also includes a creative retelling of the Gingerbread Man from a cat’s perspective. You share so much with your cat, why not read together, also?

Bedtime Stories for Cats is a collection of short stories and essays, with cats as a central point. In fact, many of these tales (called Tails in the book), are written in the feline point of view – especially when it comes to baths. And feeding. And ruling the world. And being the centre of the Universe.

The stories were amusing, some playing with cats stereotypes, some going into mythology. And speaking of mythology, the first Tail is a kind of creationism myth, but I had a problem with it – you see, cat's here are portrayed as defenders of order (unlike those unruly dogs). But orderly is not the first adjective that comes to my mind when I think of cats. It's not even the 100^th - at least not with my cats.

Since I brought up my cats, I have to say I didn't try the stories on them. They have no trouble falling asleep (and there is not a proper bedtime for them - it's all hours of the day unless everyone else in the house wants to sleep), and unless the speech includes the words Ham, Chicken or Tuna, they really don't care what I say.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

This Book on: LibraryThing | GoodReads | BookDepository UK | Book Depository US | Amazon UK (Kindle)| Amazon US (Kindle)| Wook

Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Books I Hope Santa Brings

2011-12-21T00:03:00.000Z

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week a theme for a list is suggested. This week is Top Ten Books I Hope Santa Brings . This one was easy, because every year I am asked to make my wishlist and send it to the family, who have given up on coming up with gifts for me. And this year, unlike many before, it's a book-only list. (And yes, there were more than 10 on that list, just to give room for some surprise on my part)

More Song of Ice And Fire, namely A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin
Just so I can continue reading the series.

The Poison Eaters by Holly Black
Short stories set in the world of Tithe, Valiant and Ironside? Yes, please!

Inda by Sherwood Smith
I loved Crown Duel, so I want more of this author.

Beauty by Robin McKinley
A Beauty and the Beast retelling, and after Sunshine I will read more this author. Besides, I've read great reviews about it.

Geist by Philippa Ballantine
I had my eye on this one for some time, so let's hope Santa brings it with him.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Another one that has been calling me for some time.

A Spy in the House by Y.S. Lee
Good reviews have finally spiked my curiosity about this book.

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber
I think this one was on my wishlist just because of the title. I like it, for some reason.

Maledicte by Lane Robins
The inclusion of this book on the Christmas wishlist was a spur of the moment thing, and just because of the cover. Pretty. I want it!

Rurouni Kenshin, Volume 2
There is more manga that I want, but I want more Kenshin. Always. And since yesterday I want it even more, since I found out about this:

"Let's help the elves" Giveaway

2011-12-18T17:23:00.000Z

So, it's Christmas time, and the blog has turned 2 and I didn't even notice (much less celebrate). But there is still time! And since I still have a few Christmas shopping left to do, here is my idea:

Not THAT Santa's Little Helper

I'll help the Santa's Elves with their presents too, and take care of one of those for them. All you have to do is sit in a comfy place, pretend it's Santa's lap, and wish away, aka, fill the Rafflecopter thingy. That's it. It should end on December 25th (if I got this thing working right), so it means the gift will be a little late for Christmas, but Christmas it's whenever one wants, right?

And what about this gift thing? It will be a book (of course) - any book of your choice, within a reasonable prize. Reasonable is for me to decide and will depend on my mood. (It will be after Christmas, my mood is bound to be good.)

So here it is:

"Let's help the elves" Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Trees: A Collection by Todd Brabander

2011-12-14T20:25:00.000Z

The Trees: A Collection

I received this book in ebook format from the Author, through LibraryThing Member Giveaway

Monsters, legends, and things that we would rather not think about, this collection of three short stories and two pieces of flash fiction will treat readers to a strange and frightening world that lies in the shadows of the Pacific Northwest.

The Trees is a collection of short stories and flash fiction by Todd Brabander. All the stories share a certain surreality and horror, but they are different from each other

Laroche, the first one, is spooky. Something about the setting, and the description made my hair stand, as if something bad was going to happen. I was not wrong. A nice story that mixes myth and everyday life.

Happiness Is A Dead Ladybug is rather stranger and rather sweet at the same time. Very short, a dialogue between owner and robot, that could have easily been between mother and a 4-year old.

I liked Sheltered, although I kind of guessed the ending almost from the start. Still, it was a good story.

The tittle story, The Trees, was also a good story. This had a feel of a folktale, of tricksters and and riddles. It even had a bit of humour. And a gruesome ending, but that made the story.

And the last story, The First Date, was the WTF? moment of the book. Really, did the author forget to finish this? It didn't feel like a story at all.

I enjoyed this book, but it was just a taste of Todd Brabander's writing. I liked the longer stories more than the flash fiction. I will be on the look out for more of his work, hopefully longer stories than the ones in The Trees.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

This Book on: LibraryThing | GoodReads | Amazon UK (Kindle)| Amazon US (Kindle)