Review: The Land of Painted Caves by Jean M. Auel

I was super excited to read this book, not only because it was next in a series that I enjoy, but also because it was my very first Kindle library book! I couldn't believe how easy it was. We were at my parents' house in Ohio and I had wanted to check the book out (since it came out not too long ago, it was just too expensive to buy), but I didn't have time to do it before we left Florida, so I went online to our local library and got the Kindle version. So easy! Sadly, though, the book didn't live up to my high expectations. The first two-thirds were, quite honestly, a slog. The last third was great, and I wish the whole book were more like it. It seemed like Auel felt it necessary to regurgitate not only the whole five-book back story, but also all of the biology and cultural history of prehistoric times which she already covered, exhaustively, in the other books of the series. In my opinion, it is probably highly unlikely that someone who hasn't read the other five books would just randomly pick this one up, so it felt rather unnecessary to go over all that again. For those of us who HAVE read the other five books, it was needlessly repetitive, which was a complaint of mine in the last book, as well. There was too much slogging through caves, looking at cave paintings and not enough actual STUFF happening. I kept going through the rough patches because...well, I'd read the last five and I felt like I owed it to myself to read the next one. And the last part of the book, when Ayla went to the Summer Meeting and was called to be a Zelandoni...that part was great. But it just seemed as if nothing really happened in the book up till then. It was boring.

So, sadly, two out of five Whatevers. Not an auspicious start to the new reading year. But into every life a couple of bad books must fall. Just can't recommend this one except for those very committed to the series.

2013-1

End of the Year Roundup

I don't think I've ever really done an end-of-the-year post before.  But we have the day off of work today, and I'm feeling contemplative, so here we are.

2012 has been an interesting year.  I've spent most of the year reading from three different series of books:  Laurie King's Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series (my favorite books by far this year...all of them!); Jean M. Auel's classic Earth's Children series, which I never read when I was younger for some reason (maybe because of all the sex?) - anyway, I doubt that these would have held my attention when I was younger anyway, as they are very info-dump-y with all the prehistoric stuff in them; and Heather Webber's Lucy Valentine series - a paranormal romance-type series in which the heroine uses her psychic abilities to solve crimes.  I also joined a reading challenge for the first time this year.  Literary Feline's Merely Mystery Reading Challenge was right up my alley, especially since I knew I'd be reading quite a few mysteries this year.  I read six of Laurie King's books this year, and if you count the Lucy Valentine series, too, that brings my total up to ten, I think.  I didn't link all of these (in fact, I think I only linked like two of them), but I more than met my goal of reading two or more mysteries for the year!

All told, I read 22 books this year (and am about halfway through another one, but I definitely won't finish it before tonight is over).  That's two more than I read last year!  That may not seem like a lot, but I'm glad I increased from the year before.  I credit that to the quick reads that were Heather Webber's books.  I read almost all of those in a day or less.  The Earth's Children series are a bunch of chunksters, as were the couple of last books in Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series that I read this year (although those were pretty fast reads for me, too).  I'd like to read more than that next year.  Maybe I should up my YA and middle-grade reading, or start reading some graphic novels?  We'll see.  After I finish my current read (The Land of Painted Caves, the last in the Earth's Children series, published just this year), I have a review book and some more Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes novels awaiting me.  I'm glad - that's a series I'm not ready to see end.

What have you accomplished this year?  What are your reading plans for 2013?

Review: The Best American Non-Required Reading 2010 ed. by Dave Eggers

This volume is almost always my favorite of the Best American books. It's a great mix of humor, serious essays, fiction, and illustrations. This book was a Christmas gift in 2010, and I finally got around to reading it. I actually finished it on Sunday, but Blogger's been such a punk this week (and I've had so much going on in my own life with the end of the semester, a busy court week, and the holidays) that I couldn't post a review until now.

The Non-Required Reading book is split into two parts - a humorous intro by Dave Eggers and the kids of 826 National, a project intended to foster young writers and improve their writing skills - and the section including the selections from various magazines and literary journals. These included a memoir-ish essay by Sherman Alexis, excerpted from his book War Dances; an excerpt from Tea Obreht's The Tiger's Wife, which just makes me want to read it even more; and a short story by Kurt Vonnegut, called "The Nice Little People." There were also essays, most notably one called "Seven Months, Ten Days in Captivity" by David Rohde, about his time as a prisoner of the Taliban.

I'd give this one four out of five Whatevers. It was good, engrossing reading when I picked it up, but I wasn't running back to it as quickly as I might go back to a novel. Of course, that might have something to do with the season, too. It's been busy around here. Definitely a must for fans of the series or the Non-Required readers, and also for those who want something to digest in little pieces during this busy time of year.

2012-22

I'm not sure if I'll get another book in this year (in fact, I'm pretty sure I won't, since my next planned read is a doorstop), but I think I did better this year than last...I'll have to go check the numbers.

Review: The Language of Bees by Laurie R. King

Yet another in the Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series by Laurie King.  I bought this book when it came out, hence the hardcover version that I own.

Holmes and Russell have just returned home to Sussex from their trip abroad (chronicled in The Game and Locked Rooms) when Damian Adler appears at their door - Holmes' son by Irene Adler.  You may recognize her name from the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle series.  Damian is a Bohemian - an artist who has nevertheless seen his fair share of war.  He has married (an Asian former-prostitute named Yolanda) and has a three-year-old daughter, Estelle.  Damian is seeking Holmes' help because Yolanda has disappeared.  It's not unusual for Yolanda to go off on her own, leaving Estelle to Damian's care, in search of spiritual enlightenment.  But she's been gone longer than usual, and Damian is starting to get worried.

So he seeks out his famous father, with whom he has an uneasy relationship at best.  Holmes and Russell had once helped exonorate Damian when he was charged with murder, and when Yolanda turns up dead at the base of a strange monolith, it appears they may have to do so again.  Their investigation takes them into the strange world of the Children of Lights - a cult that has grown up around a man called The Master - one which Yolanda became involved with before her death.  Holmes and Russell soon discover that they are on the tail of a madman.  But what is Damian's involvement?  Is he an unwitting pawn?  Or did he have something to do with the murder?

This installment of the series was great.  I really enjoyed the look at alternative religions in the early 20th Century, especially the cult-like Children of Lights (a fictional religion, but similar to some of the spiritualist movements that were popular at the time).  The fact that this case involved Holmes' son gave it an added edge of suspense.  I'd give this one four out of five Whatevers.  Very solid entry in the series.  I only have three more to go!  At least King is still writing these.  I don't want the series to end!

2012-21

Review: Perfectly Matched by Heather Webber

The next novel in the Lucy Valentine series, Perfectly Matched was everything I hoped for...fluffy romance/mystery/psychic detective story and a quick read to boot.  I read my copy on my Kindle, so it was a copy I purchased from Amazon.  As usual, I loved it.

These books are fun and fluffy and a good break in between larger, heavier reading.  In this installment, a serial arsonist seems to be targeting Lucy's boyfriend's brother Sam...or is it her boyfriend Sean the arsonist is really after?  Lucy is also training with a group of other psychics, trying to expand her abilities beyond finding lost objects.  Will she be able to see visions of the past and present?  Can she teach herself to talk to animals?  What about spirits?

As with all the Lucy Valentine books so far, this one was a good mix of romance, mystery, and the supernatural.  The arsonist story was tense enough to keep me turning the (virtual) pages, and the side storylines of what was wrong with Lucy's friend Preston, and why Aidan Holliday, the state police officer she sometimes worked with, would be ignoring his burgeoning romance with Lucy's friend Em kept me interested as well.

This novel was a good continuation of the series.  Unfortunately, I think I am now caught up on the sereis.  But the ending left an opening for another installment, and I am eager to resolve the cliffhanger!!!  Five out of five Whatevers, just because it was such good fluff.

2012-20

Review: The Shelters of Stone by Jean M. Auel

I started this book during the Read-a-Thon, and thanks to all the reading time I got on RAT weekend, I was able to finish the book last night.  That's pretty good, as my copy was 741 pages long!  Usually, that would take me a good month to finish.  The copy I read was one that I Mooched several years ago.  It was a big, heavy hardback, and I've been carrying it around in my purse, so I was very happy to finish it in about a week.

 

While I've really enjoyed reading this series, this wasn't one of my favorites.  Ayla and Jondalar have finally reached Jondalar's people, the Zelandonii, in the far west of the country.  This book details Ayla's introductions, not only to Jondalar's immediate family in the Ninth Cave, but to the rest of the people in other Caves, as well, through the Summer Meeting.  I'm not sure what it was about this one, but it kind of bored me.  Maybe it was that they were no longer traveling, or that not much really seemed to happen in this one (ah, those days of domestic tranquility), but I was not as captivated by the story as I have been in the past.  While I've complained in the past about a bit of repetitiveness in the writing, it seemed more obvious than before in this book.  Auel would explain something, have a character TALK about what she JUST EXPLAINED and then reference it again a few pages later.  And, while the research she puts into these novels is more than apparent, sometimes I feel like we get a big infodump with paragraphs and paragraphs of lectures on prehistoric science or biology.

 

This one, unfortunately, only gets 3.5 out of 5 Whatevers.  It's a good one if you're following the series, but not even the birth of Ayla's child at the end of the book could spice it up for me.

 

2012-19

End of Event Meme

1. Which hour was most daunting for you?  Definitely Hour 17, because I kept dozing off over my book!
2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year?  A couple of Read-a-Thons ago, I read some of the Lonesome Dove series.  Those were good for the RAT.  But, really, anything you're into is good.
3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year?  None...it was so good this time around!
4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon?  Love that they brought back so many random reader prizes (even if I didn't win any) and kept all the mini-challenges, etc.
5. How many books did you read? One magazine and part of one book.
6. What were the names of the books you read?  Every Day with Rachael Ray and The Shelters of Stone
7. Which book did you enjoy most?  The Shelters of Stone
8. Which did you enjoy least?  Every Day with Rachael Ray, but it was still good.
9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders?  I was not an official Cheerleader, but I did pop around to people's blogs to cheer them on.  Getting cheerleading messages is fun.
10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time?  Oh, I definitely will be reading again in April!!!

I made it to through Hour 17 and finally threw in the towel at 1 AM.  So I didn't QUITE make my goal, but I am still really happy with that.  I haven't stayed up till 1 AM in...well, I don't know how long.  I credit a good book and Diet Mt. Dew.  Here are my final stats:

Title of book(s) read since last update: Every Day with Rachael Ray (magazine); The Shelters of Stone by Jean M. Auel
Number of books read since you started: one
Pages read since last update: 25
Running total of pages read since you started: 481
Amount of time spent reading since last update: 35 minutes
Running total of time spent reading since you started: 810 minutes
Mini-challenges completed: Introduction meme; Oldies but Goodies; Turn to Page; Mid-event Survey; End of Event Survey
Other participants you’ve visited: Deb Nance at Readerbuzz; Chris at Northern Stories; Becca S at The Sanborns; Alysia at My Little Pocketbooks; Courtney at Stiletto Storytime; Marina at Momma Writes About Books; Paulina at Two Canadian Readers; coffeymuse at Living to Think; Vincent at Vincent Does the Readathon; Christina at chimpanzee that; Melanie at Bookaholic's Bookcase; Alexa at Pages of Forbidden Love; Nadi at Lover's Indulgence; Bitsy at Ex Libris Bitsy; Mer at Boats Against the Current; Olivia at Down the Rabbit Hole; Lorren at The Story Girl; Bybee; Shel at The Hungry Readers; Jencey Gortney at Writer's Corner; Caitie at Pub Writes; Mango at liratouva2; D. Ann at Overflowing Bookshelves; Christina at Ardent Reader; Somer at The Further Adventures of Somer; and Kate at Midnight Book Girl
What I've eaten/drunk: two Ooey Gooey Chips Ahoy cookies (RAT breakfast of champions, baby!); a bottle of water; 1/4 of my leftover Obscenely Loaded Fries from Hurricane Wings (lunch the other day); Publix cola; a couple of pimento-stuffed green olives; TGI Friday's sliders (for lunch); some gummi bears; a bottle of water; the rest of the gummi bears; two-thirds of the remaining Hurricane Wings cheese fries; another Publix cola; leftover pad see-ew from lunch yesterday; some frozen pizza; a bottle of water; gum; some gumdrops; BEST SNACK OF THE DAY - TGI Friday's potato skins; a Diet Mt. Dew (because when you eat all that junk, you need a diet soda).


Thanks SO MUCH to the organizers, Cheerleaders, Angels, donators of prizes, participants, and just EVERYONE who makes this event so much fun twice a year.  You've made April and October two of my favorite months of the year, and you've helped my husband get back into reading.  And thank you most of all to Dewey, whom we miss so much.  Without her, we wouldn't have this event.  See you all in April!