I have been avoiding this review. Let me give you the rundown on my thoughts for this blog post:

• I should write this review as soon as possible so I can new people to find my website!
• I still haven't figured this book out so I don't feel like I can write the book review yet. 
• I wasn't as fond of this book as I was hoping to be, and I don't really want to write the review because I generally love Neil Gaiman's books. 
• Maybe the book was about ______! No, that's dumb. I shouldn't have read that blog first. 

You get the idea. It's been a battle. Maybe you're wondering which blog I shouldn't have read first, it's the post Amanda Palmer (Neil Gaiman's wife) wrote: "A Book & Marriage Review". 

I want to know what Neil Gaiman said. As I read the book, I tried to puzzle out what it was really about. Fail. 

Anyway, so here is a breakdown of the book:

A young boy (who is never named, but you get the impression that Neil Gaiman is writing about himself as a child) meets the Hempstocks, the family that lives in the farm across the lane. They are what humans would call "magical" though the Hempstocks themselves would probably disagree. The youngest Hempstock, Lettie, shows our main character around the farm. She shows him the pond that is actually an ocean. She tells him to not let go of her hand. He does. What follows is a flea infestation, but not in the way you're thinking. People start getting what they want, which can only lead to trouble. What follows is dark and sad and fantastic. It's really hard to write a synopsis of this book because there is such fantasy involved, and there are things you need to know before you know other things. I can't tell you those things because you have to learn them at certain points. Thus is the difficulty in the synopsis. 

Let's move on to the review:

My favorite Neil Gaiman books are "American Gods" and "Neverwhere". I like the fantasy and mythology in the stories. I like how stark American Gods is, and I like how fanciful and dark Neverwhere is. I would not count this book in my favorites. It is a fantasy book, but the story is too real. Fantasy aside, the book is about an angry father, a crumbling marriage and the boy who escapes by reading books. I think the reason I didn't love this book was that it was too real. 

The writing, as always, was beautiful and efficient. His descriptions are unique and wonderful. The characters were terrifying and real. The book is very good. Why am I so reluctant to review it?

I think the reason I'm avoiding this is because I'm afraid Neil Gaiman is going to call me a twit. 

I don't want to make guesses about what this book is really about because I'm probably wrong. Usually I am okay with books with meaning because I think that authors enjoy hearing what other people think their story is about. After reading Amanda Palmer's blog, I know there is one thing that this book is about, and I'm probably wrong about it. 

I don't mind be wrong. I really don't. It's a learning experience. The problem I have is not knowing what "right" is. I know I might be wrong, I have no issues with that, but I will probably never know what Neil Gaiman told Amanda Palmer that the book was actually about. That drives me crazy. Being wrong is a learning experience. But you can't learn if you don't know why it was wrong. 

I would definitely recommend this book to other people. If you're looking for a good, engaging read, this is for you. If you don't mind not knowing what the book is actually about, this book is for you. If you were once a young child that escaped into books, this book is for you. I can't deny that this book is excellent, not that I would want to deny it. I just can't be as excited about this book as others might.

I was reading Joe Hill's blog, which is my wont to do. Besides some short stories, the last thing I read by Joe Hill was "Horns". 

Well, in the post I read, they're making Horns into a movie. Not only are they making it into a movie, but the main character, Ig Parrish, is being played by Daniel Radcliffe. Check out Joe Hill's post (It's at the bottom) for a picture of Daniel Radcliffe as Ig. Pretty awesome!

I'm excited to see this movie when it comes out. 

This is probably the third time I've "read" this book. I read it twice before and I listened to it this time. Why would I read this book so many times? Well, there are a few reasons. The first of which is that I read a good chunk of this series (Wheel of Time), 5 or 6 books (ranging from 600-1000 pages)at a time. It is at this point that I get burnt out on it. The second reason is that, despite my complaints about Jordan's unnecessarily detailed descriptions of what people are wearing, it's a very good series. The third reason why I keep going back to rereading it is that I just want to finish the darned thing. 

Well, this time I listened to it, and do you know what? I think I enjoyed it more. If it weren't for the fact that it took around 30 hours to listen to one book, I would probably continue doing so. Maybe when I get stuck later on, I will go back to audiobooks. We'll see. 

Why did I choose to reread it now? Well, I had an interesting conversation with my brother. Most conversations I have with my brother are interesting, I'll be fair. He and I have similar taste in books. I guarantee I've read some books that he would roll his eyes at, and I'm sure he's read some books that I tune out when he talks about them. For the most part, however, we have similar enough interests where we can talk about books, movies, shows, music, etc for extended periods of time. 

Back to this conversation: he suggested that in the different Ages of the Wheel of Time, there are different times that could be written as our same "universe" but during a different age. I used the example of Planet of the Apes when Charlton Heston discovers that he's been on Earth all along, he has just been in the distant future. So, perhaps Jordan wrote this story as either an Age in our past or an Age in our future? Who knows? The Wheel weaves as the Wheel wills. 

On to the book:

The story is about a sheepherder named Rand. He and his friends survive a trolloc (large Troll like critters) attack and, in order to save their families and their village, they leave with an Aes Sedai (a woman who can wield the One Power, like the Force) and her Warder (like a body guard but different). Rand is accompanied by his two best friends, Mat and Perrin. The three of them are wanted by the Dark One. Two women from their village also accompany them and eventually discover that they are both able to wield the One Power. A Gleeman (Mr Bojangles who can juggle) named Thom also joins them. Along the way, they are hunted by the minions of the Dark One who chases them by day and fills their dreams by night. They get separated and their paths in the pattern diverge. Perrin discovers something ancient about himself. Mat tangles with some dark stuff that changes him for life. Rand meets a princess and sees a false Dragon (a man who can wield the One Power, which can only end in madness, who also believes he is the answer to prophecy). This is the first book in a 14 book series. There is a lot of information to cover. I tried my best to summarize without giving anything away. 

My review of this book:

It was excellent to listen to. I love the characters, I love the language, I love the writing. There are paragraphs I find myself skimming, so maybe it is better for me to listen to these books. My favorite thing about this book (this time around) is finding all the little things that could potentially be from a different "age". Maybe something from our past is in these stories (just wait until the next few books and I can go further into depth on this one). So far, the one I am most excited to mention is the Green Man and Mount Dhoom. The Green Man is a tree like creature/man. Perhaps Middle Earth is a different age of this world... of our world! Where do the Ogier come from? Trollocs? I want to know. I got some insight into Mat that is also exciting, but it is too early in the series to bring it up. 

Would I recommend this book to someone? Only if I thought they were willing to hang in there for 14 long books. You know what, I would recommend this book to anyone who is capable of reading a 700+ page book. So, reader, can you read? (see what I did there? Of course you can read, you're reading this blog!) Read the book. If you don't like it, you can yell at me or whatever, but I would rather you tell me why you didn't like it and maybe start a discussion. I like talking about books. I'd happily have a conversation about it with you. 

What didn't I like about the book? I've said it before and I'll say it again. I hate it when independent, spunky, rebellious female characters are portrayed as being solid as a diamond on the outside, but are super fragile when it comes to emotions. Haughty is a word I often use to describe characters like this. All the women that I can think of in the story are like this. Unnecessary. Also, the descriptions can get a little tedious at times. 

Anyway, this book left me really excited to read more of this series. Just trying to puzzle out the different Ages is going to be super fun! It's like Myst, but not interactive. 

Amazon recommended this book to me. It looked well written enough for me to read it (300 pages is a long time to put up with bad writing). It has excellent reviews on Amazon, so I thought I would give it a shot. 

The Medium is like the force, or like the One Power in The Wheel of Time. It works like magic, but can only be wielded by people of certain lineages. Only people who can use the Medium can activate Leering Stones. Leering Stones are simply stones carved to look like faces that are useful in calling different elements of the Medium. There are leering stones for water and leering stones for fire etc. The elders, or maesters (Song of Ice and Fire) are called Aldermastons. They are strong in the Medium and are found at Abbeys. Learners go to the Abbeys to learn to read and write. Only Learners and those educated in the Medium can do so. The lowest caste, so it seems, are called the Wretched. The wretched are like orphans and are given last names that state their use. The main character is Lia Cook, a wretched who works in the kitchens of Muirwood Abbey, her deepest desire is to learn to read. The people who work in the laundry go by the last name of Lavendar etc. The premise of the story is that Lia is awakened one night by someone seeking aid for an injured man. Lia takes the man in and has to hide him until the man who brought him in returns. After sending the injured man into a trap, Lia seeks to rescue him. What follows is a journey across the country, all the while being chased by the authorities. She discovers a great many things along the way, including how the Medium works (but she still has much to learn. This is a book series after all). 

Review time: 

That was probably the most boring synopsis I have written. Just to describe the book takes a lot of effort. Watership Down is the same way. The review should be easier. Once I learned that the book was about a girl who wanted to read and use magic, I thought I should finish the book. The writing was excellent, and the concept was for the most part, original. There was very little romance in the book (which was a bonus for me), and my favorite part was the Medium. The Medium is basically Tao, or the Force. It cannot be controlled, but it can be used. I'm interested to learn what comes next and to what extent the Medium can be used. 

The characters are decent. I don't really love any of them. Lia is haughty, Colvin is rude (is this a Pride and Prejudice setup?). My favorite character is not a main character, and I don't think we'll be seeing too much of him in the next couple books. Jon Hunter, I'm guessing he is a Wretched based on the fact that his last name is his occupation. I think you're supposed to like Lia, the spunky, rebellious, independent girl. I don't. So many "spunky, rebellious, and independent" girls are written this way, and I don't like it. So hard on the outside, but so fragile on the inside. Why does it always have to be that way? Anyway, there are authors who can write someone that you want so badly to like, but that you just can't. The Brontes are good at that. There are authors who can make you loathe someone, and then slowly and sneakily make you love them. George R. R. Martin is one of those. The problem with Lia is that you are supposed to like her and her attitude. I don't. 

Beyond the characters, I like the concept enough to keep reading the series. I will always appreciate someone who places an importance on words and their power. It's worth reading. Give it a shot and let me know what you think!

This is the second book in the Flash Gold Chronicles. The first book, Flash Gold, has already been reviewed. 

Again, we follow Kali McAlister and Cedar on their adventures. This time, they end up in the Yukon gold rush. It is not bounty hunters that they are most concerned about, though they are still around to make trouble. This time, Kali meets an old friend of her father's. 

This novella is written like the first one. I am never thrilled with her writing style, but the story is still fun. Kali seems to be a lot more teenage angsty in this book. I don't know what it is with the books I've been reading and the female characters being very haughty, but it seems to be a trend. I'm not a fan. Once again, like in the first book, I do appreciate the relationship between Kali and Cedar. It is not a whirlwind, it is not infatuation. It has had time. Call it a steampunk romance novel if you will, but there is very little romance in it. Off of the hormonal topic, the steampunk contraptions are pretty awesome. 

The characters that Buroker writes are very extreme examples of their traits, it isn't very realistic, but it doesn't detract from anything. The story is enjoyable and it's an easy read. The three novellas together would make the length of a novel. I have to wonder where this story is going, because the two stories could easily stand alone. I guess I'll just have to read the last one. :)

This was another book that we read for Book Club. People keep talking about the movie and we needed a book that busy people could read (or if they had already read it, it doesn't matter if you've read that section a second time, you can still answer the questions). 

The story takes place in Jackson, Mississippi in 1963 (I think), just before desegregation and Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington. There are too many stories to be able to write a proper synopsis, but a white woman gets the idea to write a story that details the goings on of "the help" that work in the houses around Jackson. If you consider the implications with this, you realize that this could lead to a lot of trouble for the people involved. The story is told from the point of view of three different people: the woman who is writing the book, Miss Skeeter (Eugenia), and two very different personalities that are working for "friends" of Miss Skeeter. They are Aibileen and Minny. 

This is a book that tells a story from the point of view of "the help" who are trying to tell a story from the point of view of "the help". I tend to ask a lot of sociological questions when we get books that are influenced that way. I read an interesting statistic while researching ideas for questions to ask the Book Club: "According to the Civil Rights Project at Harvard University, the desegregation of U.S. public schools peaked in 1988; since then, schools have become more segregated. As of 2005, the proportion of Black students at majority white schools was at "a level lower than in any year since 1968." [9]" [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desegregation#Impediments_to_integrated_schools]

Let's jump into the review:

My tagline for this book would be: "The help always know."

I love the characters in this book, even the ones I didn't like, I still like that they are well written. I like that each of the characters has hidden facets. Example: Miss Leefolt doesn't seem overly fond of her children and treats them like a burden at times. On the other hand, Miss Hilly (who is a sort of antagonist) loves her children dearly and goes out of her way to tell them and show them that she does. 

I'll try not to give anything away, but just you wait until you find out what the Terrible Awful is. It's an awesome moment. Though she isn't a main character in the book, Mrs. Walters is hilarious and I love her. She is not involved in the Terrible Awful.

The story is interesting and it makes you want to read it all. I had a hard time stopping at the designated points for discussion. 

Review-wise, I would have to say that the POV hopping was annoying at times. I appreciate hearing the story from different sides, but it was unnecessary and I feel that it may have detracted from the story. I also feel that the dialect wasn't captured as well as it could have been. It got the point across, but it may have detracted from the story as well. If you can get past those two things, I think you have a high chance of enjoying the book. I sure did. 

Here are a couple quotes I loved: 

"That's all a grit is, a vehicle. For whatever it is you rather be eating."  I had honestly just been wondering about this, and then I read this section and all my questions were answered. 

"I wish to God I'd told John Green Dudley he ain't going to hell. That he ain't no sideshow freak cause he like boys. I wish to God I'd filled his ears with good things..."  

"Mississippi is like my mother. I am allowed to complain about her all I want, but God help the person who raises an ill word about her around me, unless she is their mother too." I think this goes for all people who have spent a long time in one place. It's how I feel about Minnesota. 

Looking back, I realize that these are all Aibileen quotes. Awesome. 

I see you judging me. The movie was very loosely based on the book. The book is an anecdotal story that covers many years. The movie focuses on only one small part of the story and drags it out. Would you like to know more?

The story is futuristic. It is about a boy who joins the military on a whim and finds out that it's the best place for him. The stories the narrator tells are of specific instances and adventures that he experienced. Between stories, time passes. Sometimes it's a long time, sometimes it isn't. If you've seen the movie, you know that there is an interstellar war with the bugs. The bugs are barely mentioned in the books until at least halfway through. So, the first portion of the book is about his training. The last part of the book is about the war. 

The book itself is quite thought provoking. The author makes it a point to not only describe the military but to discuss it. I'll be honest, I was not expecting the philosophical aspect of this book. It raises many good points, and it's worth the read, but I was expecting more action in the book. I still really enjoyed the debate, and the story is none the worse for it. 

One of  the major points that Heinlein's fictional society makes is the right to serve a federal term (not exclusive to military). Once the term is complete, the individual is allowed to vote. That being said, he makes it a point to state that military personnel are not allowed to vote, veterans can. I think the point Heinlein tries to make is that people need to earn their rights, like the right to vote. This is where the US fails. As it stands, the only things you need to vote are 18 years of life and citizenship. Duty is the underlying theme and message of the book, as I see it. The idea that as duty dwindles, so does morality, is an interesting thought. 

I'm not saying whether or not I agree with these ideas, but I don't know that it really matters whether you agree with them or not. They are there to make you think. So, if you're interested in thinking about a book and taking a look at society, then read this book. If you just want to read some stories that a man in a fictional and future military tells, then read this book. I believe it could be the beginning of some excellent discussion. 

Amazon recommended that I read this steampunk novella. It was short, as novellas generally are, and I had nothing to lose. So I read it. 

Synopsis:
It's about a girl, Kali McAlister who is good with engines and may just be based on the character of Kaylee in Firefly. Her father had recently died and with him died the secret of "flash gold", an alchemical phenomenon that can be programmed to do any given task. More flash gold is required for more complex tasks. When he died, the secret of flash gold died with him, but other's greed for it did not. Kali enters a dog sledding race to win some money. A bounty hunter, Cedar, teams up with her on this adventure. It's more than just dog sledding for young Kali, along the way, she is followed by bounty hunters trying to get any flash gold or the secret to making it. There is also a dirigible.

Review:
I'll be totally honest with you, the stories are not written that well. Beyond that, I am a fan. I like the characters Buroker writes. They are not complex, and even when there is mystery, it is a simple thing. I like how they interact with each other. 
I enjoy her contraption descriptions. I think they are a little far fetched for the world she created, but for the most part I really like them. 
I absolutely love that this story takes place in the Yukon. I think it is one of the more original locations for a book. As a lover of Canada and the Yukon, it warms my heart to read books that take place there. Sure, bustling metropolises like New Orleans make great settings for steampunk stories, but this is so different. Kudos. 

All in all, it's a short read, and it's entertaining. If you can't get past the writing style (it was difficult for me at first because I had just come off of reading Heinlein), then this isn't the story for you. I'd pick it up just for a fun read. 

There is also a dirigible. Did I mention that before?