Bogormen

Title: Can I Have and Do it All, Please?
Author: Christine Caine
Genre: Christian non-fiction
Rating: 2.5/5
# pages: 153
Date read: October, 2011

More than ever before, women are navigating through increasing amounts of responsibility, activity, scheduling and multi-tasking...and we need some answers about how to have and do it all in life!

An okay book, but a bit of a disappointment as it once again reminded me that an incredibly passionate and inspiring preacher does not always make for an incredibly passionate and inspiring author, and at times it fell a bit flat. I'm afraid it's one of those books that in two days' time, I couldn't tell you which points she made.

Title: Beggars in Spain
Author: Nancy Krauss
Genre: Sci-fi, short story (novella)
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 95
Date read: October, 2011

Leisha Camden was genetically modified at birth to require no sleep, and her normal twin Alice is the control. Problems and envy between the sisters mirror those in the larger world, as society struggles to adjust to a growing pool of people who not only have 30 percent more time to work and study than normal humans, but are also highly intelligent and in perfect health. The Sleepless gradually outgrow their welcome on Earth, and their children escape to an orbiting space station to set up their own society. But Leisha and a few others remain behind, preaching acceptance for all humans, Sleepless and Sleeper alike. With the conspiracy and revenge that unwinds, the world needs a little preaching on tolerance.

I didn't realize until after I had started reading it, that this was published first as a novella and later as a full-length novel. It was completely by accident that I'd gotten hold of the novella rather than the novel - might as well have been the other way around.

But now that I have read it, I'm glad I read the novella. It was a brilliant story - engaging and thought-provoking - but I don't think it would have worked nearly as well as a full-length novel. The pacing would have been off, it wouldn't have been as tight nor - I think - as poignant.

As it was, I couldn't get the story out of my head and found it extremely well written and provocative (in a good way). I'm sorry Alice and Leisha never became close, but was glad to see that the ending opened for the possibility of that in the future.

Title: The Beasts of Clawstone Castle
Author: Eva Ibbotson
Genre: Childrens, Fantasy
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 192
Date read: October, 2011

When their parents go to America for the summer, Madlyn and Rollo are sent to their great-aunt Emily and great-uncle George at Clawstone Castle, home of the legendary and mysterious Wild White Cattle of Clawstone Park. But times are hard at Clawstone, as the fancier castle down the road attracts all the tourist traffic. Determined to save the castle and the herd, Madlyn and Rollo audition a cast of ghosts to add some thrills to the Clawstone tours, and soon visitors are pouring through the gates. But just when things are looking up, the ghosts and children find themselves facing a great mystery, and some very sinister enemies. Will Madlyn, Rollo, and their ghostly friends find a way to save the day?

I've wanted to read this for so long, that I can't even remember who recommended it to me in the first place any longer! Finally it became available through interlibrary loan, so I could get my hands on it, and wouldn't you know - I ended up being ever so slightly disappointed! Go figure. The story was decent enough, but much more of a children's book than I had expected, and while I liked the characters well enough, there were too many holes in the plot for me to really appreciate it.

Had I been meant as the target group I would probably only have rated it 2 stars, but since it's so obviously a children's book - and I can definitely see the appeal it would have for children - I've given it one extra.

Title: Stone of Tears
Author: Terry Goodkind
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
# pages: Audiobook ~39hrs
Date read: October, 2011

The veil of the underworld has been torn.

And Darken Rahl, from beyond the veil, has begun to summon a sinister power worse than any he has wielded before.

Armed with the Sword of Truth, Richard Cypher, now become Richard Rahl, must learn to control his own new-found power; or the world will spin into darkness unending.

The Sisters of Light promise help. While Richard journeys to their forbidden city, his beloved Kahlan sets out for Ayindril, citadel of the old wizards, in search of Zedd and the help only he can lend. War, suffering, torture, and deceit lie on their paths. So, also, does their destiny.

I still love this series as much as I always did :) On my first read-through, this was actually my least favourite, because I didn't like all the pointlessness of getting Richard to the Sisters of the Light. Of course, I now know that it had to happen to set up the plot for the next books, and somehow don't mind as much. I do understand Richard's frustration with Sister Verna and Pasha though - they were insanely overbearing at times!

I really don't get why Kahlan didn't use her power against Prince What's-his-face and the wizard - that could have solved the conspiracy right there! But of course, then the prophecy wouldn't have come to pass.

Title: A Homemade Life
Author: Molly Wizenberg
Genre: Essays
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 336
Date read: October, 2011

When Molly Wizenberg's father died of cancer, everyone told her to go easy on herself, to hold off on making any major decisions for a while. But when she tried going back to her apartment in Seattle and returning to graduate school, she knew it wasn't possible to resume life as though nothing had happened. So she went to Paris, a city that held vivid memories of a childhood trip with her father, of early morning walks on the cobbled streets of the Latin Quarter and the taste of her first pain au chocolat. She was supposed to be doing research for her dissertation, but more often, she found herself peering through the windows of chocolate shops, trekking across town to try a new pâtisserie, or tasting cheeses at outdoor markets, until one evening when she sat in the Luxembourg Gardens reading cookbooks until it was too dark to see, she realized that her heart was not in her studies but in the kitchen.

Part essay-collection, part cookbook, I was greatly charmed by this book by Molly Wizenberg. Her essays were short and sweet, and fully explained to the reader, Molly's love of cooking and anything cooking-related. The recipes were unusual, and most of them sounded absolutely delicious. I've bookmarked pretty much half of them, to try out myself sometime.

Molly Wizenberg comes across as a charming and sociable person. I think I would like her :-)

Title: Autumn Term
Author: Antonia Forest
Genre: Childrens
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 295
Date read: October, 2011

Twins Nicola and Lawrie arrive at their new school determined to do even better than their distinguished elder sisters, but things don't turn out quite as planned.

I had this recommended to me because I mentioned loving books that take place at boarding schools, and fortunately the recommendation was spot on :-) I loved reading about Nick's and Lawrie's antics in Third Removed and especially thought the description of the play extremely well done - that is EXACTLY how it feels... right down to the melancholy and "day after blues". I think Antonia Forest must have had experience with acting herself, to be able to describe it so well.

A lovely cozy book, and the perfect accompaniment to a lazy afternoon.

Title: Heist Society
Author: Ally Carter
Genre: YA
Rating: 3.5/5
# pages: 304
Date read: October 2011

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her to the Louvre...to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria...to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own--scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind.

Unfortunately, leaving "the life" for a normal life proves harder than she'd expected. Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster's art collection has been stolen, and he wants it returned. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat's father isn't just on the suspect list, he is the list.

Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat's dad needs her help. For Kat there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it's a spectacularly impossible job? She's got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family's (very crooked) history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

Fun, unassuming read. Nothing to blow you away, but an enjoyable book to bring on a vacation and a quick read. Obviously completely unrealistic, but I still enjoyed reading about the tactics and details of setting up a heist. Reminded me somewhat of If Tomorrow Comes by Sidney Sheldon in that regard.

Title: The Woman Who Rides Like A Man Author: Tamora Pierce Genre: Fantasy Rating: 9/10 # pages: 216 Date read: August 2007, October 2011, April 2020, July 2024

A knight at last, Alanna of Trebond heads out to seek adventure in the desert of Tortall. Captured by desert tribesmen, she is forced to prove herself in a magical duel to the death. But her real challenge doesn't come until after she wins. As the first female shaman, Alanna must fight to change the ancient traditions of the stubborn desert tribes -- for their own sake and for the sake of all Tortall.


When I first read this quartet, I stopped after the two first books, because it just seemed wrong to me to read about Alanna when she wasn't still at the palace. I didn't realize that her adventures other places could be just as interesting to read. Fortunately I got over it, and now enjoy this book just as much as the rest of the series.

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Title: Third
Author: Lorna Summers
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5/5
# pages: 965
Date read: July 2007, April 2009, October 2011, December 2014

Summary: Set in a post-apocalyptic world similar to that of "A Handmaid's Tale" this story takes place in a world where only a small percentage of men and women are fertile. The population is kept from extinction by 'thirds' - fertile women who chose to serve as a surrogate mother as often as they can before they retire.

Charlotte Bennigan is an experienced third. Matt is her 6th "little husband", and she's already been pregnant 8 times by the time he moves in, so she assumed she knew exactly what to expect. She knew how to have a friendly, affectionate yet professional relationship with him. But Matt is nothing like any little husband she's ever met before and suddenly it becomes difficult to separate business from pleasure and remember what's appropriate for a third and her 10 year younger little husband.

Review: Third is one of those few books that I really cannot put down - forgoing sleep in order to read just a couple of more pages, not only on my first read-through, but in every subsequent reread. It's LONG (965 pages), but doesn't feel long, because I'm totally drawn in from the very first page. It's well-written, poignant, funny, devastating and just plain fascinating. Though I know what's happening quite well by now, I still alternatively laugh out loud and wipe my eyes while reading it. It has some of my favourite literary scenes, that just break my heart with the beauty and emotion of them.

I love the characterisations - the people become REAL to me, and they draw me in the way few others can. Lorna has managed to make the people three-dimensional, and I ended up caring for all of them and wanting to learn more about their internal relationships, their triumpths and their failures.

Third is still in the final stages of editing and thus not ready for purchase yet. I'll be sure to let you know when that changes.

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