Reading Update

Fairies of Dreamdark, Taylor

I actually really like this book! I was a bit dubious when it started and found it was about fairies. Because those are often rather childish (which is a silly thing for me to think - there are a few books/movies I love that feature fairies). But this was really well done.

Then I read the second book, and it was good too. It was interesting that the original protagonist had more of a supporting role, but it worked. But there's been quite a gap, and the third book's not out yet TT^TT With a cliffhanger too!

The Life of Pi, Martel

I was really impressed with how well this book discussed animal behavior. He did his research. And I can't help thinking. If the "second story" is true, how did he come up with the tiger story? Some sort of coping mechanism? 

Prelude to Foundation, Asimov

Hmm. This entire book was based off of a very flimsy theory that one guy might discover something important someday. The author seems to do this kind of thing a lot - basing a whole book on something hypothetical.

Sacred Horses: The memoirs of a Turkmen cowboy, Maslow

I read this because I thought it would be about horses. But it was more about Turkmenistan. It was interesting though, because this was written by one of the first foreigners to visit the country in a long time. There was some interesting stuff about culture and language. 

Thief's Magic, Canavan

This book started out with a student digging around in a tomb and stealing stuff as part of his studies. It made me cringe. But then later on, I was relieved when they acknowledged that this was a messed up way for a school to use its students. I was surprised that the two main stories never actually linked up. I suppose they will later on, but I don't think I'll keep reading this series. I have too many books to read, and this one didn't hook me as much.

The Rise of Kyoshi and The Shadow of Kyoshi, Yee

A pair of books based on Avatar: The Last Airbender.  They were pretty good too. They tell the story of Avatar Kyoshi's time learning to be the Avatar.

Ronia, the Robber's Daughter, Lindgren

I read this one because there's a series based off of it that I want to watch. It's a small book, so I was surprised that there's a full series made off of it. But I think I can kind of picture how they'd do it (well, I'm actually picturing how a particular director would do the series - the actual director will probably have his own style).

Spinning Silver, Novik

A very well-developed fantasy story. It took me a while to get into it, but I was impressed. It's the first of her books I read that wasn't Temeraire, and I was surprised how different it was. I wonder how all of the unusual marriages work out in the long run.

The Lost City of Z, Grann

I read this in preparation for my Peru trip. Man, I'll tell you, this book will definitely scare you into wearing bug spray. And it's remarkable how bad these early explorers were at exploring. 

Ecotopia, Callenbach

In which a reporter visits a region that has completely devoted itself to sustainable living. That region is the western edge of the United States. Heh. I wish.

Spirit Animals: the Evertree, Lu

I finally finished the Spirit Animals series. The ending felt... very phony. Kinda falsely bittersweet somehow. I dunno.

The Darkest Road, Kay

I kept hearing everyone gush about how awesome this series was. I listened to the audio books, and at one point in the second book, I think I spaced out and missed some of what was happening. I was never able to get fully back on track from there. Maybe that's why it felt overly complicated. It kind of rubbed me the wrong way that King Arthur and company were involved (maybe because in high school, I wrote a story where Arthur comes back).

Dragon Slippers, George

Interesting. but it had one of those sassy protagonist girls that has no control over her mouth. It seems like it should have gotten her into a lot more trouble.

H is for Hawk, MacDonald

The true story of a falconer and her goshawk. She parallels her story to TH White (the guy who wrote The Once and Future King - which Disney's The Sword and the Stone is based off of).

The Good Thieves, Rundell

This book had a very similar feel to the other book of theirs I read. I could tell right away they were by the same person.