World Teacher Day

From Grammerly.com

The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemisin

No, it's not a romance novel.  Well, I don't think there is a romance, there is some action but it's off the page so I don't suppose it counts either.

This is my first fantasy novel by N.K. Jemisin and besides really liking the book I also very much enjoyed the author's interview with herself at the end of the book. :)

The city-state of Gujaareh is a place where the peace is kept, no matter what.  What would you give up for security and certainty.  What if euthanasia were so accepted it was asked for almost lightly? What happens when a state has too much power?

I know, I know, no earth shatteringly new philosophical questions here but the characters are richly drawn, the social mores are unusual and interesting and the plot unfolds with enough tension to keep you reading.  In addition there is enough ambiguity to the "answers" to the social questions that the author doesn't hit you over the head with her opinions on the above questions.

I really enjoyed the book and am looking forward to reading the second book in the series.

Egyptian Inspired Fantasy 2012: 4.5 out of 5 humming jungissa.

Unchained by Caris Roane

I am so shallow.  Sucked in not once, but twice by a delicious cover and I have to admit, a cool author name.  I didn't realize before that I ever even pay attention to author names but the interesting font and strange emphasis on the "i" in Caris's first name definitely caught my attention.  (Yes I am boring you with talk of font, cause I'm not gonna talk about what attracted my attention about the half naked man on the cover. My mother raised me better than that, people.)

So Shayna is an incredibly beautiful blond strangely lightly blue eyed 24 year old anthropology grad student who looks 18, which is really annoying to her.  The cover tells you pretty much all you need to know about the strangely powerful vampire hero.

Again, just about any cheesy plot/character set up can still suck me in if it's well written. That is unfortunately not the case here.  I felt like the phrase "stating the obvious" went through my head a lot. And since I am not an English major, and you shouldn't just take my word for good/bad writing, let me give you one plot moment that pretty much brought all my frustration to a head.

Vampires live in caverns underground and conveniently can travel through rock and earth to get there, explaining why they have avoided detection by humans for so many years.  Maurius and Shayna travel to a sealed ice cavern deep under Sweden to find a part of an "extinction weapon" before his evil father can find it, but darn, evil Daniel is already there.  After they defeat Daniel's twenty minions and Daniel runs away, Maurius explains he needs to clean up before they can leave. 'Cause you know, they want to remain unknown to humans.  He pulls out his iphone, calls his friend (who he can also talk to telepathically from any distance) and asks him to send in a clean-up crew. His iphone! Yup, they have a whole group of vampires who volunteer for hazmat duty 'cause even if they're at war, they wanna keep it on the low down.

Oh my aching head.

Fantasy Romance 2014: 1 out of 5 magical new powers I never knew I had.  

What I Did for a Duke by Julie Anne Long

I was recently looking longingly at the book list of Ms. Long (because I lurv her books, well, Pennyroyal Green anyway, there were some others I didn't totally linger over).  And since I'm all caught up with the series but I couldn't for the life of me remember if I had read What I Did for a Duke, I bought it and started reading it (again, it turned out).

I am not typically a re-reader but like many other of Ms. Long's books, even though I recognized the story once I started it, it was so funny and lovingly written (I can imagine some might call Ms. Long's prose a bit purple, but I think she walks the line pretty much perfectly) I just kept reading and reading until I had finished it in a single weekend day.  Have I mentioned my daughter who is a grammar stickler says I am a comma hater and that I write run on sentences.  What!  Never say it!

Anyway, this isn't really a review cause I love this book, but it is a recommendation.  Really, if you have liked any of Julie Anne Long's Pennyroyal Green books, read this one.  Its fabulous (despite the lame cover.)

Historical Romance 2011: 5 of 5 "horses" not whores.

Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie

Shout out to Book Smugglers for this recommendation.  If I spend too much time on their site I sometimes become overwhelmed by the awesome (so many books, so little time) and decide to never read again. But I was lucky enough to hit on Ancillary Sword's release and thus Ancillary Justice's description before my eyes started to glaze over at all the pretty covers.

I loved this book.  Loved it, I say.  But I recognize (those of you with lesser intellects) not everyone is going to be entranced by the political and military meditation on what it means to be human.  No, seriously, it has an interesting, well constructed plot, but no one is going to accuse this book of being too plot-driven.  It's a character study with some really kickass cultural and technical concepts that are deftly explored and fun to think about.

Perfect example, I encouraged, cajoled, forced my daughter (14) to read the book and she dutifully did but at a much slower pace than she reads 80% of the other books she picks up.  When she finished it she told me that it was very cool, which is high praise, and she was glad she had read it and was looking forward to reading the sequel but I noticed she had another book in hand by the next day.

But seriously this book is so good.  I mean really good.  And I don't typically read a lot of sci-fi -   I'm more of a fantasy girl myself.  Get it now. Be so happy that the sequel is already out. Don't cry too hard when you buzz through the second book and realize you, like me, have to wait an entire year or more before the third book comes out......

Science Fiction 2013: 5 out of 5 Presger vivisections.