Philotic Web

The Declaration of Independents: How Libertarian Politics Can Fix What's Wrong with America. Oh, Nick Gillespie.

Finally reading The Hunger Games. So far, so good.

(I had a 13-year old client inform me that I absolutely HAD to promise her I would read it, because it's SOOOO good. I'd already meant to, and we went to a bookstore last night, and so here I am.)

Somehow I TOTALLY missed this. Have you finished? I must know your thoughts!

I just finished Cinder, by Marissa Meyer, and it exceeded every last expectation I had.

I was sitting in on a YA webinar at work weeks ago when this book was mentioned and it, unlike most of the other stuff that was mentioned, caught my attention. The description, in a nutshell, is: cyborg Cinderella tale set in China. How could I not perk up at that? Sci-Fi? Check. Fairy Tale? Check. Sounds like something that could go very, very, horribly wrong? Check. And yet, it goes very, very, terrifically right.

A strong narrative voice, interesting though, admittedly, predictable in some ways with just enough new twists to keep it fresh, charming, and pardon my pun, I had a ball reading it. I'm just pissed off that it isn't published until January with no release date for part two (it's a four parter) in sight.

Don't want to take my word for it not being awful? See here for further reviews.

Don't want to take my word for it not being awful?

"You don't have to take my word for it." -Levar Burton

Don't want to take my word for it not being awful?

"You don't have to take my word for it." -Levar Burton

Since my last two posts had to do with John Hodgman, I figured I might as well post what I'm currently reading. I'm finally getting around to reading "More Information Than You Require." The sequel to Hodgman's hilarious "The Areas of My Expertise." I also have the last book in the trilogy "That is All" on order.

If you like the funny, you cannot go wrong with these books, and the best part is, you don't have to read them cover to cover to get the jokes.

I read Water for Elephants recently and it was actually rather enjoyable. And I really like the ending.

I just finished a YA novel called Tunnels. I enjoyed it but I found out that it is the first of a planned series of six, of which only four have been written. So, I think I might hold off on continuing the series.

The third and final book of The Maze Runner trilogy, The Death Cure, comes out next week. I plan on rereading the first two in preparation for that.

DUH, I made a mistake last time posting that I had read Second Foundation, it was Foundation and Empire that I had read. I'm reading Second Foundation now. Also:

The Good Atheist by Dan Barker and Climbing Mount Improbable by Richard Dawkins.

The third and final book of The Maze Runner trilogy, The Death Cure, comes out next week. I plan on rereading the first two in preparation for that.

Thanks for reminding me! *goes to pre-order for Kindle*

I finally got my hands on The Magician King; I had to email the head Collections Development person a while back and tell them we should get this book and awesomely enough, they listened. Why it wasn't already on order, however, is something I don't understand. I don't know who is in charge of adult Fiction but they dropped the ball.

I have, thankfully, found an ARC for a series I started that my library doesn't own and doesn't appear to have on order. With any luck, I'll get approved for that one and can start it as soon as I finish TMK.

I finally got my hands on The Magician King; I had to email the head Collections Development person a while back and tell them we should get this book and awesomely enough, they listened. Why it wasn't already on order, however, is something I don't understand. I don't know who is in charge of adult Fiction but they dropped the ball.

Magician King was awesome! I had it on pre-order after reading The Magicians. Lev Grossman blew my mind with this. I hope there is a third.

I am way behind but attempting to catch up on some of the recommendations from this thread. I just finished Blackout by Connie Willis and now I'm waiting to get All Clear from the library. I wouldn't say I loved Blackout, but I feel like I pretty much have to read All Clear to finish the story.

I'm also reading a book called The Condition by Jennifer Haigh. One of the main characters has Turner's syndrome, so it kinds of interesting to hear her view of the world. The writing is kind of haughty. I feel like she is using big words just to use them, and they don't always add to the story and it makes the dialoague seem fake. I do like the story though and it's told from the point of view of multiple characters. I'm about 2/3 of the way through. Jennifer Haigh's other popular books include Faith and Mrs. Kimble, which I may read in the future.

I'm also planning to read Dashner's series. I'm on the waiting list!

Has anyone else ever read the Seven Realms novels by Cinda Williams Chima? The first one was Demon King and it didn't really get much publicity despite the author's previous successes. It wasn't until the third book in the series, The Grey Wolf Throne, that Walmart started carrying it and Borders put it on display. I thought it was a great YA series on par with (although totally different from) Hunger Games or the Mortal Intruments. Just me?

I read Snuff (new Pratchett) and I've been reading the Annotated Heir to the Empire (Beautiful edition of the book!) and Wheat Belly and 1493.

I've been reading the Annotated Heir to the Empire (Beautiful edition of the book!)

Wow, has it been 20 years since that came out? Now I have book lust over that Zahn book... You be careful, I might just sneak into your house at night and steal it.

I made it even nicer by putting the jacket in mylar (I do that for all my hardcovers though).

Yeah, when I can afford it I want to get some archival materials for my books.

I've been reading the Annotated Heir to the Empire (Beautiful edition of the book!)

I'm tempted to get that. I'm a pretty big Star Wars Expanded Universe geek, after all.

Has anyone else ever read the Seven Realms novels by Cinda Williams Chima?

I haven't, but I'll definitely check it out. Anything I should know going in? (Like "Book 1 is okay, but Book 2 is where it really picks up" or anything?)

ETA: I'm working my way through the second Heroes of Olympus (the second Percy Jackson series). I like it so far.

I've been reading the Annotated Heir to the Empire (Beautiful edition of the book!)

I'm tempted to get that. I'm a pretty big Star Wars Expanded Universe geek, after all.

Ditto, and that novel was really what kicked my Star Wars geekieness into full-blown geekieness and not just being a fan of the movie.

Has anyone else ever read the Seven Realms novels by Cinda Williams Chima?

I haven't, but I'll definitely check it out. Anything I should know going in? (Like "Book 1 is okay, but Book 2 is where it really picks up" or anything?)

ETA: I'm working my way through the second Heroes of Olympus (the second Percy Jackson series). I like it so far.

All three that are written are very fun reads. I can't tell why, but I liked the second best so far. I think it left off on the best cliff hanger which made me really wait on the third (There seemed to be a significant increase in danger and romance too). Now I'm waiting on the fourth which is supposed to finish the series sometime in Fall 2012. CWC seems to split her time between the intertwining stories of a boy streetlord and fairly kick-A princess so its a great read for both genders. Let me know when you've checked it out.

I finally got my hands on The Magician King; I had to email the head Collections Development person a while back and tell them we should get this book and awesomely enough, they listened. Why it wasn't already on order, however, is something I don't understand. I don't know who is in charge of adult Fiction but they dropped the ball.

Magician King was awesome! I had it on pre-order after reading The Magicians. Lev Grossman blew my mind with this. I hope there is a third.

Ok, so I'm quoting myself and I'm sure thats against some well know rules of netiquette, but I just read a blog a couple weeks old on Lev Grossman's website that Fox has bought the rights for The Magians tv show! For those of you who haven't read it, Magicians is Harry Potter for grownups complete with sex, drugs, cussing, and violence. Fox will probably have to edit some of that out but still...

I just read a blog a couple weeks old on Lev Grossman's website that Fox has bought the rights for The Magians tv show!

Oh. God. No. I do not trust Fox to create a decent show and let it live. I'm also not convinced anything other than a cable channel (HBO, Showtime, etc) would do it justice. I'll probably take a look, if/when it's aired but I'm nowhere near optimistic it'll be worth a damn.

I just read a blog a couple weeks old on Lev Grossman's website that Fox has bought the rights for The Magians tv show!

Oh. God. No. I do not trust Fox to create a decent show and let it live. I'm also not convinced anything other than a cable channel (HBO, Showtime, etc) would do it justice. I'll probably take a look, if/when it's aired but I'm nowhere near optimistic it'll be worth a damn.

That was exactly what went through my mind as well. I heard Firefly got cancelled in part because Fox thought Mal was too dark. What'll they think about Quentin? There is very little hope that they won't botch it, but maybe it'll be ok.

I just started reading, after years of recommendations, World War Z.

It's pretty entrancing. I've always thought zombies as literature would be boring, but this approaches them in a way that I find so engaging I don't want to put it down.

The Secret of Father Brown

I just started reading, after years of recommendations, World War Z.

It's pretty entrancing. I've always thought zombies as literature would be boring, but this approaches them in a way that I find so engaging I don't want to put it down.

I read this a few years ago; it was one of the things that pushed me from the fringes of "Eh, I kind of, sort of appreciate zombie culture" to "Wow, who knew it could be such a rich, rewarding genre? Zombies are great."

I came to the zombie show a bit late but whatever.

I'm listening to an audiobook of Stephen King's Under The Dome. Really enjoying it. Haven't read/listened to King in a few years - last thing I read/listened to was Cell, which I actually quite enjoyed.

I just reread The Maze Runner and Scorch Trials but haven't gotten The Death Cure yet. Hurry up already, library! Grr.

I finished Wheat Belly. Davis is an irritating writer in print and for the most part seems far too committed to elisions, selection/confirmation bias in order to pin the blame on wheat. Starches and sugars have a lot to blame them on, but I don't think hybrid wheat introduced in the sixties is really the cause of the obesity epidemic. Going from eating around 60lbs of sugar a year to eating around 170 lbs of high fructose corn syrup a year probably has a lot to do with it. But a lot of that sugar is eaten in conjunction with wheat, so both are confounding factors on each other. I want to isolate the variables and test them against each other. Stupid dietary science "research" and it's lack of "Science!"

This seems like the best place, or at least as good as any, to post this.

Literary Pin-up Calendar

I spent today re-reading Anne of Green Gables. I love it more the older I get, I think. If the day ever comes when Matthew's death doesn't make me sob, you will know something is desperately wrong with me.

I just started Dashner's Death Cure, am a few chapters in for Kate Elliott's Cold fire, have a new take on Snow White by Yolen, am struggling through and might have to admit defeat on Haddix's Torn, and am expecting Crossed, the sequel to Matched, by Condie. I of course also just finished a bunch of EG comics.

I've had decent reading material lately/

I just finished Death Cure, as well. Let me know what you think. I'm terrible at giving reviews but I was satisfied overall.