Get Lost in Literature

I've been a way for a few weeks, out in the garden and doing some re-landscaping. I thought I'd foiled the bun-buns a few years ago, by planting animal resistant and poisonous plants. But the newest batch of babies figured out that while the greens may be bitter and somewhat poisonous, the blossoms are still sweet. Today's Top Ten Tuesday List was Top Ten Books with a Unit of Time in the Title.  I am skipping this week, my mind drew a blank and I couldn't commit the time. But if you're participating, be sure to drop by  That Artsy Reader Girl  and join her link up. I think, technically, this is last week's topic, but since each Hop covers the span of a week, I'm sneaking it in today.  Book Blogger Hop   3rd - 9th   - What is your method for writing reviews - do you write immediately after reading, wait a few days, or write as you are reading? (submitted by Elizabeth @  Silver's Reviews ) I take notes as I'm reading, on the them...

  “Who is she?” said Inarë, and smiled in the most unsettling way. “Why, she’s the fury of the stars." Kira Navarez, is a xenobiologist. It's her job to make sure that newly discovered planets are safe for colonizaton, as humanity expands life across the galaxy. Stationed on a moon, Adrasteia, she's close to ending her career of shuttling through space looking for life on other planets, ready to settle down and start a family. (That doesn't go as planned.) Accidentally, she finds Life. An entity, known as The Soft Blade, part alien parasite and part nanotechnology, bonds with her body inadvertently starting an intergalactic war that only she has the power to end. (Personal opinion) Sometimes, I perceive the science-fiction genre as having more masculine themes than feminine ones, and sometimes when female characters appear their character is cheapened by their inability to survive without their main love interest. (end personal opinion) Christopher Paolini earns my res...

  “She wanted to say 'I love you like a thunderstorm, like a lion, like a helpless rage'...” This book was probably my most ambitious read of the year. A story over 900 pages, that covers decades of life. The characters were richly fleshed out: Tom Mason who dreams of building the greatest cathedral England has ever seen. Philip, youngest Prior of a defunct monestary, determined to raise it to glory. Young noble lady Aliena, betrayed, assaulted, robbed of her home, and fighting back for her rights in a time that favors patriarchs. William Hamleigh, cunning and cruel, who can't decide whether revenge or power is more rewarding. This story was a fine example of how characters should drive a plot and not be controlled by a preconceived notion of what should happen. Ken Follet crafted a world on paper where the characters didn't just live a little; they breathed and they bled into the soul of the book. I cried when they cried, I hoped when they hoped. My review does not do ...

"Make friends with fear, Lucien always said, because it will not go away, and it will destroy you if left uncontrolled." I'm a long time fan of the film, just reading the book for the first time. The story takes place in rural, 1980s Mississippi, where two men brutally assault a ten year old girl. Her father, Carl Lee Hailey, believes they'll get away with it because his daughter is black while the perpetrators are white... and he seeks revenge. Jake Brigance is a criminal lawyer who is called to represent Mr. Hailey and defend him from the ultimate punishment: death. I've never been to Mississippi so I can't say as to whether or not the public racial tensions depicted in this book are entertainingly cliche or disturbingly spot on. Segregation legally ended, but in the hearts of the citizens of Clanton, it ended too soon. White on Black on White crimes invite protests, Klansmen, excessive use of the N-word, more violence, and the National Guard... It also illu...

Book Blogger Hop Do you drink tea or coffee while reading? (submitted by Billy @  Coffee Addicted Writer ) My preference is actually for hot chocolate. I'll occasionally swap out the hot chocolate for a non-caffeinated herbal tea, and on hot summer days, swap out the hot beverage for a tall glass of chilled lemonade. What's your literary beverage of choice?

  "It isn't selfish to protect yourself from abusive people." No Gods No Monsters by Cadwell Turnbull No, it's really not. Thursday Quotables @  Bookshelf Fantasies

There is something wrong with my brain when it comes to connecting long-term human dialogue, to a story I can follow.  I first discovered this problem with radio broadcasts.  As a kid, my dad always had a radio outside on hot summer days, blasting the Red Sox game for the whole neighborhood to hear. I could sit in the stands and watch a baseball game, or sit in front of the television, but I never could bring the announcers voice into my mind's eye to hear the game.  Alternatively, my mother not only could listen and understand the broadcasts, she once told me she actually preferred listening to football and baseball on the radio. She'd get excited about some call made during a Patriot's game during a car ride, and be unhappy when I didn't know what was happening, never-mind which team it was happening too. I made a friend, who was older than myself, but shared my love of reading. Her thing was English Mysteries. She also liked to read "whatever the kids are readin...