Scott Westerfeld

August 2017 Wrap-Up (Part 2)

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Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor
(Strange the Dreamer, book 1)
Rating:  ★★★★★
Review:  Yes
Reading Dates:  August 18 – 25
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  Lazlo’s love of and respect for books and stories.
Least Favorite Thing:  Thyon Nero’s love of and respect for nothing. (The little prick.)

I spent 1/4 of my time reading this book going back and forth checking the prologue against things I learned to try and brace myself for the inevitable utter fucking heartbreak of the ending!

Trigger Warning:  Descriptions of the Carnage include the murder of infants. It doesn’t go into gory detail, it’s a little more abstract, but it’s still vivid and mentioned many times.

My Posts About Strange the Dreamer

Specials by Scott Westerfeld
(Uglies, book 3)
Rating:  ★★★★☆
Review:  No
Reading Dates:  August 16 – 27
Read Count:  2  (I really think I read this one other time, but I haven’t got a record of it…)
Favorite Thing:  Special Tally’s Special skillz!
Least Favorite Thing:  The way Shay treats Tally…

Raise your hand if you want to be a little teen angst Special!
No? Just me? Well then…

Seriously though, the Specials are so cool, if only they weren’t Like That (looking at you Shay!). I honestly wouldn’t mind a whole separate book that’s just Tally’s adventures as a lone Special.

Trigger Warning:  Self-harm (cutting, some passing mention of burning). Only one character really treats it like it’s a bad thing, everyone else treats it as normal and/or good for the majority of the book.

My Posts About Specials

Homecoming by Cynthia Voigt
(The Tillerman Cycle, book 1)
Rating:  ★★★★☆
Review:  No
Reading Dates:  August 28 – 29
Read Count:  3
Favorite Thing:  “Parents?” “Not noticeably.”
Least Favorite Thing:  Eunice…

I missed this series so much! I’m sitting here now (having just finished it) with a warm, fuzzy contentment that only the most special books give me. Thank goodness for Cynthia Voigt.

My Posts About Homecoming

The Cursed Queen by Sarah Fine
(The Impostor Queen, book 2)
Rating:  ★★★☆☆
Review:  Yes
Reading Dates:  August 29 – 31
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  Scrappy little (bisexual) protag 🙂
Least Favorite Thing:  Kill marks… (Why does every author feel the need to have a raider race that cuts themselves as a mark of honor? Can we stop that?)

This one was better than the first book. Somewhat less predictable, less annoying protag, more interesting people around the protag.

Trigger Warning: Self-harm (cutting). The protag glorifies it along with pretty much everyone else in her tribe, but towards the end of the book she seems to have realized it’s not a good thing. However, it is never explicitly decried.

My Posts About The Cursed Queen

Ash by Malinda Lo
Rating:  ★★★☆☆
Review:  No
Reading Dates:  August 31
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  The Fairy Tales
Least Favorite Thing:  Lady Isobel (duh)

I’m not 100% sure how to feel about this book. That is, I liked it, it’s a nice story, but it’s not what I was expecting. I’ll try to review it soon.

My Posts About Ash

In Progress

August 2017 Wrap-Up (Part 1)

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Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Rating:  ★★★☆☆
Review:  No
Reading Dates:  July 30 – August 7
Read Count:  2
Favorite Thing:  The author’s habit of giving back-handed praise to her characters. (For an example see the second quote in this post.)
Least Favorite Thing:  Willoughby whining about how much he was suffering under the pretense of seeking forgiveness, but really just trying to make himself feel better.

I did downgrade my rating of Sense and Sensibility from 4 stars to 3 stars, with every intention of explaining that here, but my explanation got too wordy so I included it in my rating post instead. (TL;DR I still like and recommend this book!)

My Posts About Sense and Sensibility

The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson
(Little Blue Envelope, book 2)
Rating:  ★★☆☆☆
Review:  Yes
Reading Dates:  August 6 – 8
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  The picturesque descriptions of her travel destinations.
Least Favorite Thing:  Keith.

It was neither bad nor good. I will never read it again or even want to. The idea of being sent on an adventure by a quirky relative will remain fun and delightful. However, if such a thing should ever happen to me I will control my hormones and focus on my adventure.

NEVER GETTING OVER THE LAME-ASS SWOONING WTF WTF WTF

My Posts About The Last Little Blue Envelope

The Impostor Queen by Sarah Fine
(The Impostor Queen, book 1)
Rating:  ★★★☆☆
Review:  Yes
Reading Dates:  August 9 – 10
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  BISEXUAL PROTAG (Literally the first time I’ve ever seen one in a fantasy novel!)
Least Favorite Thing:  First person narration… (I’m just not a fan, I feel like it hindered the story’s movement.)

It took longer to get into this book than I usually have patience for, but I’m glad I kept at it (thank you goodreads reviews) because I did end up liking the story and I look forward to reading the next book (even if I’m pretty sure I know exactly what’s going to happen).

My Posts About The Impostor Queen

Pretties by Scott Westerfeld
(Uglies, book 2)
Rating:  ★★★★☆
Review:  No
Reading Dates:  August 11 – 15
Read Count:  2  (Pretty sure I read this one other time, but didn’t keep a record of it.)
Favorite Thing:  Wilderness Tally
Least Favorite Thing:  Pretty slang… (It’s totally bogus!)

Tally’s fairytale dreams are so bizarre, I love them.

And I know I should be horrified by the reveal at the very end (and I think the first time I read it I actually was), but I love that too!

Trigger Warning:  Self-harm (cutting). Tally (POV) is horrified, but the people doing it treat it like a religious experience.

My Posts About Pretties

Crashed by Robin Wasserman
(Cold Awakening, book 2)
Rating:  ★★★☆☆
Review:  Yes
Reading Dates:  August 10 – 17
Read Count:  1
Favorite Thing:  The struggles faced by the mechs against the prejudiced people who would oppress them are brutally allegorical.
Least Favorite Thing:  I….I didn’t like….anyone….

My library doesn’t have the third and final book, but I’ll figure something out because I definitely want to finish the trilogy.

My Posts About Crashed

Part 2

WWW Wednesday: August 30, 2017

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Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at Should be Reading and revived on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three W’s!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading:  The Cursed Queen (The Impostor Queen, book 2) by Sarah Fine
I’m not loving the way cutting is being addressed so far, but I’m only in the first chapter. I hope this book will turn out to not glorify self-harm…

That aside, I’m definitely looking forward to learning more about the world outside Kupari. When I was reading the first one I found myself wondering what the rest of the world must think of them.

I don’t know if I will struggle with this book, but if I do, I have Dicey’s Song, the second in the Tillerman Cycle, to reread alongside this.

Recently Finished:  Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer, book 1) by Laini Taylor
I loved this book! It hurt me a little, but I forgive it because the story was so lovely and enjoyable.

The problem with loving this book though? Now I have to wait ages for the next one to find out what on earth happens to all those beloved characters! I’m so worried about them!

Actually, reading this one has me wanting to reread Laini’s other books, so I grabbed them from the library too.

I actually managed to write a review for Strange, which can be read here.

Specials (Uglies, book 3) by Scott Westerfeld
This whole series is so easy to breeze through, I’m glad I chose to reread it.

I very much wish I could be a special, only I hope they wouldn’t adjust my brain because I already have problems with anger management and impulse control!

I still don’t know if I want to reread Extras (book 4), but I might…

Trigger Warning:  Self-harm (cutting, some passing mention of burning). Only one character really treats it like it’s a bad thing, everyone else treats it as normal and/or good for the majority of the book.

Homecoming (The Tillerman Cycle, book 1) by Cynthia Voigt
I honestly didn’t intend to read this so quickly. I meant to read it in-between reading The Cursed Queen, but once I started I couldn’t read anything else until I’d finished it. And I also couldn’t bring myself to put it down for any significant amount of time.

There is some indescribable quality in Cynthia Voigt’s books that always leaves me feeling great and looking at the world in a very specific way (that also happens to be indescribable). It’s really so enjoyable.

I also really love the Tillermans. I feel, and have felt since the first time I ever read this book, like they are somehow my family too.

Reading Next:  Ash by Malinda Lo
I’ve had this one from the library for a while, long enough that I can’t remember when I got it, so I think it’s time to actually read it! I always love a fairytale retelling.

I’ve heard good things on tumblr so I’m fairly confident going in that this will be a decent book. I’m definitely looking forward to seeing where Lo has taken the classic Cinderella story. I’m also especially excited at the prospect of a non-heterosexual protagonist. YA Fantasy is my favorite genre and it’s so rare to find queer representation in it so the existence of this book is already refreshing.

Musing Monday: August 28, 2017

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Musing Mondays is a weekly meme, hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker, that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

I’m currently reading…
Up next I think I’ll read…
I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
I can’t wait to get a copy of…
I wish I could read ___, but…
I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Do you find yourself reading more or less as the school season starts?

I blogged about ____ this past week…

Do you find yourself reading more or less as the school season starts?
I haven’t been in school for a while now, but back when I was I always read more during the school year. It seemed like the more I had to do, the more I just wanted to read!

Update: Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor / Specials by Scott Westerfeld

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Lee is on page 153 of 532

Thyon Nero is still a douche, Lazlo is precious, Calixte seems awesome, and the blue children are still fascinating! I and loving finding out more about their world!

On a not quite unrelated note:  I think I’ve figured out something!!!!

Lee is on page 137 of 372

Every time I reread this I’m surprised by how long it takes for Tally to realize that Shay is going off the rails…

WWW Wednesday: August 23, 2017

LeeLeave a comment

Welcome to WWW Wednesday! This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at Should be Reading and revived on Taking on a World of Words. Just answer the three W’s!

The Three Ws are:

What are you currently reading?
What did you recently finish reading?
What do you think you’ll read next?

Currently Reading:  Strange the Dreamer (Strange the Dreamer, book 1) by Laini Taylor
I’m not very far into this one yet because I hit a bit of a slump for a few days, but I really like it so far. I love the way Lazlo thinks. Except for the part where he doesn’t try to just straight murder Thyon Nero. Fuck that guy…

I’ve just gotten into Part II and I’m fascinated by the blue people! I’m still not all that sure who they are or how they play into things, but I am definitely fascinated and eager to find out more!

It’s also just really refreshing reading a book about someone who loves books and words and stories.

I’m still working on Specials by Scott Westerfeld (I’m trying not to rush through it because it’s just an easy reread) and of course Persuasion by Jane Austen.

Recently Finished:  Crashed (Cold Awakening, book 2) by Robin Wasserman
I reviewed this book.

I’m glad I got back to this story. Wasserman gave a masterful depiction of prejudice and institutional oppression. I don’t want to put it all down to Wasserman’s being Jewish, that would feel like I was disregarding her intelligence and writing ability, but I don’t doubt her heritage played some part in making her so good at accurately portraying an allegory for racism.

I still maintain that I don’t really like any of the main characters personality-wise, but I don’t think that detracts much from my enjoyment of the story, and anyway it’s just a personal preference.

Reading Next:  The Cursed Queen (The Imposter Queen, book 2) by Sarah Fine
I got my hands on this one and despite my problems with the writing of the first book, I’m eager to know what happens next in the story. In fact, I read the first bit of this one to see if I wanted to use it in a First Lines Fridays post and found myself reading past the prologue and into the first chapter!

I did notice mention of some sort of marks that indicate how good a warrior is, which seem to be self-harm. I’m a little worried about that and I really hope this doesn’t go the way of Carve the Mark with glorification of self-harm… I’m hoping that Fine won’t do that though.

Homecoming (The Tillerman Cycle, book 1) by Cynthia Voigt
I have been wanting to reread The Tillerman Cycle for a while now, and this seems as good a time as any.

I love Cynthia Voigt’s writing style. I’ve mentioned this before I think, but I’ve noticed there are some books that just completely change the way you look at the world. Cynthia’s books are like that. It doesn’t matter how many times I read them, they always make me see things in such a unique way, a way I can’t quite manage without Cynthia’s writing voice.

Musing Monday: August 21, 2017

LeeLeave a comment

Musing Mondays is a weekly meme, hosted by Ambrosia at The Purple Booker, that asks you to choose one of the following prompts to answer:

I’m currently reading…
Up next I think I’ll read…
I bought the following book(s) in the past week…
I’m super excited to tell you about (book/author/bookish-news)…
I’m really upset by (book/author/bookish-news)…
I can’t wait to get a copy of…
I wish I could read ___, but…
I blogged about ____ this past week…

THIS WEEK’S RANDOM QUESTION: Do you steer away from heavy emotional books?

I blogged about ____ this past week…

  • Monday, August 14 – Musing Monday, where I talked about what I was reading at the moment and whether YA was just for teens.
  • Tuesday, August 15 – Teaser Tuesday using Crashed by Robin Wasserman, then a joint update on my progress through Crashed and Pretties by Scott Westerfeld, which I finished later that same day.
  • Wednesday, August 16 – My longest ever WWW Wednesday post in the morning, a little update on Crashed, then WAYRW in the evening (also using Crashed).
  • Thursday, August 17 – Thursday Quotables, pulling a quote from Persuasion this time, then that night I finished and did a rating post for Crashed.
  • Friday, August 18 – I got a review posted for Crashed in the wee hours of Friday morning, then a First Lines Fridays post later that morning, a currently reading photo post featuring Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor and Specials by Scott Westerfeld, and in the evening a Friday 56 using Strange the Dreamer.
  • Saturday, August 19 – My weekly update on my slow progress through Jane Austen’s Persuasion was the only post on Saturday.
  • Sunday, August 20 – A couple little commentary posts on Strange the Dreamer.

Do you steer away from heavy emotional books?
Not always, but a lot of the time yes. I don’t mind when a book makes me emotional, but I have a tendency to over-empathize with the characters in novels so if they are constantly feeling stressed and sad and hopeless I too feel stressed and sad and hopeless. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t read a heavy book if it was good enough, but it would probably take me some time and I would almost certainly need something lighter to pick me back up when it was done.