Bogormen

Title: Wicked
Author: Gregory Maguire
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 454
Date read: July, 2010

Years before Dorothy and her dog crash-land, another little girl makes her presence known in Oz. This girl, Elphaba, is born with emerald-green skin -- no easy burden in a land as mean and poor as Oz, where superstition and magic are not strong enough to explain or to overcome the natural disasters of flood and famine. But Elphaba is smart, and by the time she enters the university in Shiz, she becomes a member of a charmed circle of Oz' most promising young citizens.

Elphaba's Oz is no utopia. The Wizard's secret police are everywhere. Animals -- those creatures with voices, souls and minds -- are threatened with exile. Young Elphaba, green and wild and misunderstood, is determined to protect the Animals -- even it means combating the mysterious Wizard, even if it means risking her single chance at romance. Even wiser in guilt and sorrow, she can find herself grateful when the world declares her a witch. And she can even make herself glad for that young girl from Kansas.

I'd heard very, very mixed reviews of this book, but absolutely loved the musical, and was intrigued by the book, so decided to give it a shot anyway. As the rating indicates, I found it fairly average - not as bad as I'd feared (low expectations always help), but not as good as I'd hoped either. The musical is definitely far superior, and they've changed the plot quite a bit, as the book is a lot darker and sadder. I still liked it through, and while I doubt I'll read more of Maguire's Oz books, I'm glad I've read this one.

Title: 84 Charing Cross Road
Author: Helene Hanff
Genre: Memoir, non-fiction
Rating: 5/5
# pages: 230
Date read: July, 2010

It all began with a letter inquiring about second-hand books, written by Helene Hanff in New York, and posted to a bookshop at 84, Charing Cross Road in London. As Helene's sarcastic and witty letters are responded to by the stodgy and proper Frank Doel of 84, Charing Cross Road, a relationship blossoms into a warm, charming, feisty friendship.

This edition contains both 84 Charing Cross Road and The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, and I'm glad, because I don't think either would have been complete without the other.

I had this book recommended to me because I loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and I can definitely see how the later was probably inspired by this one, but apart from a similar start, the two books are very different in both genre and atmosphere.

The book is labelled "an unmitigated delight from cover to cover" by the Daily Telegraph, and I would have to agree, although for me the real charm came in the diary that makes up The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street rather than in the letters that make up 84 Charing Cross Road (the last four letters did bring tears to my eyes though). It was such a delight to follow Helene Hanff's pure joy in finally getting to visit London - especially since I knew many of the sites she visited.

It did surprise me how many fans she made through 84CCR though. Certainly, it is good, but I think it would be a book I'd soon forget, if it wasn't for the follow-up. I was very surprised by how short it was too! Not even 100 pages.

It's well worth reading though. Very charming and very enjoyable. I finished it in a day.

Title: Dystopia
Author: Dennis Jürgensen
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5/5
# pages: Audiobook ~18hrs, 636 pages
Date read: July 2010, May 2012, February 2025

"There are more worlds than there are stars.
They can be ruled by Light or Darkness.
Their inhabitans can be civilized thinkers or primitive killers.
Two kingdoms can lie on opposide sides of Eternity, and still have borders that cross each other, without the worlds ever meeting.
But if fate so decides, the barriers of time and space disappear.
And the borders fade together and open gates..."
Dalixam's Book

Dystopia is one of those amazing fantasy books, that - though I remember I love them - I forget from time to time just HOW good they are. I love the universe that Dennis Jürgensen creates, and the detail he puts into the description of it.

Even though I more or less know the story by heart by now, I still lose myself completely in the universe of Dystopia, and the fates of the eudaimons and the two humans. It's the age-old fight between good and evil, but with some delightful twists that make it seem new and original.

Unfortunately it's never been translated into English. It's well worth learning Danish to read it though! ;)

Title: Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader
Author: Anne Fadiman
Genre: Essay, non-fiction
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 162
Date read: July, 2010

Over the course of 18 charming essays Fadiman ranges from the "odd shelf" ("a small, mysterious corpus of volumes whose subject matter is completely unrelated to the rest of the library, yet which, upon closer inspection reveals a good deal about its owner") to plagiarism ("the more I've read about plagiarism, the more I've come to think that literature is one big recycling bin") to the pleasures of reading aloud ("When you read silently, only the writer performs. When you read aloud, the performance is collaborative"). Fadiman delivers these essays with the expectation that her readers will love and appreciate good books and the power of language as much as she does.

I love books about books, so when a friend recommended this as one of the best of the genre, I knew I had to pick it up. And it didn't disappoint.

Ex Libris is a charming essay collection all about books, reading and the love of both. As something of a bibliophile myself, I could very easily relate to Anne Fadiman's experiences, and was delighted to see some of my own thoughts echoed in her writing.

Title: Mistwood
Author: Leah Cypess
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4.5/5
# pages: 300
Date read: July, 2010

The Shifter is an immortal creature bound by an ancient spell to protect the kings of Samorna. When the realm is peaceful, she retreats to the Mistwod.

But when she is needed she always comes.

Isabel remembers nothing. Nothing before the prince rode into her forest to take her back to the castle. Nothing about who she is supposed to be, or the powers she is supposed to have.

Prince Rokan needs Isabel to be his Shifter. He needs her ability to shift to animal form, to wind, to mist. He needs her lethal speed and superhuman strength. And he needs her loyalty--because without it, she may be his greatest threat.

Isabel knows that her prince is lying to her, but she can't help wanting to protect him from the dangers and intrigues of the court... until a deadly truth shatters the bond between them.

Now Isabel faces a choice that threatens her loyalty, her heart... and everything she thought she knew.

I was oddly taken with this book from the very start, and have no idea why it took me so long to read, other than that I'd keep getting sidetracked by other books.

Mistwood is a fun and more classic fairytale/fantasy novel than most common publications. It got back to the basics of the genre, and I actually found it a refreshing change. Also, I liked that it kept me guessing, and I never could figure out what was up with the Shifter.

It's a very charming story, that I was sad to leave behind me. I would like to hope that it's part of a series, but it does very much seem like a stand-alone book... which in itself is a refreshing change for the fantasy genre ;)

Title: The Singer of All Songs
Author: Kate Constable
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 297
Date read: July, 2010

Calwyn, a young priestess of ice magic, or "chantment," joins with other chanters who have different magical skills to fight a sorcerer who wants to claim all powers for his own.

A friend recommended this series to me, and I was fascinated by the idea of singing spells, and having music be part of the magic, so I immediately went out and got it out of the library. Fortunately, it did not disappoint, and had I read it as a kid, I think it could easily have become a fast favourite.

The story itself was nothing out of the ordinary, and did occasionally come across as a bit rushed, but it was charming and I really got to care for Calwyn.

Unfortunately the copy I'd gotten hold of was rather poor quality, so the map was almost illegible, which did frustrate me a bit as I tried to follow their wanderings, but really - that's nitpicking!

Title: Helvedet - og en kærlig Gud (Hell and a Loving God)
Author: Claus Tøndering
Genre: Christian non-fiction
Rating: 10/10
# pages: 122
Date read: October 2005, March 2008, July 2010

Is it possible to see damnation and Hell as a side of God's love for us?

If we trust in Jesus' words there's no escaping the fact that Hell is real. But most of us hide this thought far away in a small corner of our conscience and are very reluctant to bring it forward. Many of us find it difficult to match our belief in God's love with the undeniable words of Hell found in the Bible. How do we unite the belief of God's unlimited love with the fact that Jesus often talks of damnation and Hell as a reality?

This book is an attempt to address this problem. The author manages to do this without coming with easily bought explanations and with the goal to help us to retain our belief in God's love - also when confronted with the reality of Hell.

I have reread this book several times since I first got my hands on it, because it offers a good take on an interesting subject. The problem of how to understand hell is one that most Christians face sooner or later, and it's important to realize that God doesn't send some people to hell because He doesn't love them, but rather because He loves them too much not to let them make their own decisions.

I won't claim to understand everything about hell - far from it - and there are still things that make no sense at all to me, but this book has given me a greater understanding for how the idea of a loving God can be combined with the horrors of Hell.

Translated into English as "Hell and a Loving God".

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