KNT's Bookshelf

Reserved for the Cat

2008-06-30T10:25:00.000-05:00

Reserved for the Cat by Mercedes Lackey

This book was entertaining, a quick read, but not very deep. A friend of mind called it "fluff," and I'd have to agree with that. You are not going to get any enlightenment from it, but it can fill those moments when you need a small diversion. It was good for me at the time, if I recall. It did not disturb my inner world, and sometimes, that is what you need from a book.

(I found this title saved in my blog on 2/27/08, along with several other posts. I can only jot down a few remembered impressions, because of the length of time.)

Lover Enshrined

2008-06-29T00:02:00.004-05:00

Lover Enshrined [ Black Dagger Brotherhood Series Book 6]
by J. R. Ward

eBook Category: Romance/Dark Fantasy
eBook Description: In the shadows of the night in Caldwell, New York, there's a deadly war raging between vampires and their slayers. And there exists a secret band of brothers like no other--six vampire warriors, defenders of their race. And now, a dutiful twin must choose between two lives... Fiercely loyal to the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Phury has sacrificed himself for the good of the race, becoming the male responsible for keeping the Brotherhood's bloodlines alive. As Primale of the Chosen, he is to father the sons and daughters who will ensure that the traditions of the race survive and that there are warriors to fight those who want all vampires extinguished. As his first mate, the Chosen Cormia wants to win not only his body but his heart for herself--she sees the emotionally scarred male behind all his noble responsibility. But while the war with the Lessening Society grows more grim, and tragedy looms over the Brotherhood's mansion, Phury must decide between duty and love.

I read J. R. Ward's new book, Lover Enshrined. It was not my favorite of what she's written, but it was certainly a very good book. She keeps you guessing in a way that most romance novels cannot do. She also tackled a couple of controversial subjects in this one, and she did them well. As always with her books, I reach a point where I can't stop reading! Once I reach that point, I have no choice but to finish the book!

When I think of someday being a writer, I aspire to someday be able to create as powerful of imagery as she is able to craft.

Bloodwind [WindDemon Trilogy Book One]

2007-12-03T22:32:00.000-05:00

Bloodwind [WindDemon Trilogy Book One] by Charlotte Boyett-Compo

eBook Category: Erotica/Fantasy
eBook Description: The Rysalian Empire, in their determination to crush their enemies, had unleashed their horror upon themselves instead. But the women of the megaverse and beyond, even unto Terra, paid the price. Plucked from their home worlds and enslaved by the Rysalian warriors, they were bought and sold, bred and discarded or slain at the whim of their captors--until the Resistance was born of their hate and suffering. The Elite warriors, the Reapers were the demons of every Terran woman's nightmare. And one in particular was a nightmare in his own right, a killer among killers. His name was Kamerone Cree. But the Resistance needed him and it fell to Dr. Brigit Dunne to do the unthinkable, the impossible--she must seduce Captain Kamerone Cree and make him fall in love with her to turn him from the Empire. Rating: Contains graphic sexual content, adult language, and violence.

I was not impressed with this book.

There was way more torture in it than I liked. Not that I like torture, but sometimes description of what a character endured gives you a feel for who they are. The lead male character was taken to Behavioral Modification for what amounted to chemically induced hallucinations of being killed over and over. She showed so much of it that I felt like saying, “Enough already!” She did summarize some of it, but there was just too much.

The author was skimpy on descriptions where they might have helped you feel the scene. I knew she was on a space station, but beyond knowing that, I had no feel of atmosphere. Was there a sameness to the air that irritated the character? Did the metal walls make her feel claustrophobic? Were the decorations spare? Even what the f was the color of the walls and floors? I wondered why she skimmed those parts as if we live on space stations and understand the look and feel of them!

She “told” in areas where showing would have been better. You knew that women had been abducted, enslaved, and used, but I never got a feel that their captivity was intolerable. Women held important positions within the space station, such as doctors and techs. There were some women used as prostitutes, which would be a demeaning status, but that was only given a surface treatment. She also told you how, in the Rysalian society, all the women died. But you didn’t get a feel of it, the anguish that the loss of loved ones would cause, nor why the government became so callous and mistreated it’s population.

She gave far more description to things that didn’t seem to matter. I found out more political intrigue than was necessary. Who out-ranked who, what the names of the rebellion women were, but none of the descriptions that would make them accessible as more than cardboard cutouts. They were not people, they were poorly-envisioned literary constructs.

I didn’t develop empathy or caring for any of the characters; they were just names on a page. I think that it is important that at least the hero and heroine are sympathetic characters. If you identify with them and/or love them, it’s even better. It leaves you feel heartless when the heroine cries, “Boo hoo, I’ll never see him again,” and you feel like telling her to stop whining.

It is a trilogy, and I won’t be buying the sequels.

I found out that I bought another book by her, Spring Wind [Seasonal Winds Book 1]. We’ll see what I think of this book, if she does a better job or if she skimps on it again. I won’t read it right away.

Black Dagger Brotherhood series

2007-12-02T14:14:00.000-05:00

I haven’t posted any book reviews recently, but not because I wasn’t reading, but because I was so enchanted by WHAT I was reading! A friend of mine at work gave me Dark Lover by J. R. Ward to borrow. I read two or three chapters, and I gave it back to her.

“Are you done?” she said, probably wondering how I could have finished it so quickly.

“No,” I said. “I am going to buy my own copy of it in eBook.”

I was so quickly drawn into the intensity of the world J. R. Ward had created. The language she used was intense, the descriptions were vivid, and the characters were larger-than-life but very desirable and accessible. Rather than write a review for each book, I simply read them, one after another. I devoured them like the sweetest of delicacies.

These are Supernatural Romance books. They do follow a certain formula, which, if you read any amount of romance, you will be able to discern very quickly. However, she brings a freshness to the genre that I didn’t expect. I was not bored once in five books, despite certain predictabilities. She was able to bring a little twist to each, and weave a bit of suspense. She was able to keep the intensity alive across all five books, which I have seen other authors fail to do. I was impressed, delighted, titillated and turned on. The only regret I had is that I couldn’t have one of these larger-than-life men for myself!

I got lucky in some ways because of WHEN I became a fan. I had 5 books to read consecutively. Prior fans had to wait some time between each book, and I can imagine the impatience they felt… because there is a sixth book on the way, and it won’t be out until next year! (June 2008) When I was talking to my friend at work, another fan, I banged my fist on the desk and said, “I want it now!” and I laughed at the intensity of my desire.

I loved all the men of the Black Dagger brotherhood, and admired most of the women, but the character in book 5 was my favorite. He is a kinky, rough SOB, and the love scenes between him and his woman sparked that kinky sub girl inside me. Ah, to submit to him… sigh… but I have to shake myself and realize this is just a fantasy, written by a woman for women, and that is why it sparks those feelings. Rough, with love.

Anyway, I recommend this series VERY highly. If you like Romance, you will LOVE these books. I know I do!

Dark Lover
Lover Eternal
Lover Awakened
Lover Revealed
Lover Unbound
Lover Enshrined (coming in June 2008) I can’t wait!

http://www.jrward.com/

Born With the Dead

2007-10-08T11:13:00.000-05:00

Born With the Dead

By Robert Silverberg

eBook Description: His wife was among the rekindled dead now. He'd heard that she was on a plane to Zanzibar with five other rekindled dead. As a "warm" he was not really allowed to make contact with her. The dead liked to stay in their cold-cities. But he'd loved her so much when she was alive, he just had to try.

It’s been awhile since I read a book. My life has been so hectic, and I rarely take the time. That is a shame, truly it is…

This book has Silverberg’s wonderful emotive style. He uses such amazing descriptions, has moments that make you go, “Oh wow, I wish I had said that!” I have to say this book was enjoyable to read for those moments alone. When I read him, I always get the feeling that he knows something profound, something that I don’t.

Now, the plot was interesting, but mostly because I kept hoping he would EXPLAIN what was going on. Apparently, in this society, once you die, you can be “rekindled.” He never explains how, or what that does to you, and I want to know so badly. It is an impetus to read the whole book. Along the way, you get to enjoy the scenery, lol. And of course, the ending was ironic.

It only took me a couple of days to read. It was pleasantly diverting with some profound moments, with an ending that made you go, “hmmm.” That is the essence of a good book!

Nebula Awards News

2007-06-24T18:21:00.000-05:00

James Gunn was honored by becoming the latest Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master for his lifetime achievement in science fiction and fantasy this year. I haven't read any of his books. Maybe I'll check him out.

The Nebula Awards® Winners 2007:
Novel: Jack McDevitt for Seeker
Novella: James Patrick Kelly for "Burn"
Novelette: Peter S. Beagle for "Two Hearts"
Short Story: Elizabeth Hand for "Echo"
Script: Hayao Miyazaki, Cindy Davis Hewitt, and Donald H. Hewitt for Howl's Moving Castle

I believe a friend of mine mentioned Jack McDevitt as one to watch, so I'm sure that I will read something by him soon. I got a short story of his off of Fictionwise.com called "Henry James, This One's for You." I haven't read it yet. When I do, you can read the review right here!

Soothsayer

2007-06-24T12:01:00.000-05:00

Soothsayer [Oracle Trilogy Volume 1] by Mike Resnick

Description: Resnick's sweeping novel is the first volume of a trilogy that traces the life of a girl who has an interesting form of precognition. In this first volume, she's a little girl who's running from several different governments as well as crooks, gangsters, and creatures of all descriptions who wish to use her powers for their own good. This novel takes place on a dozen different planets across the galaxy, and is filled with colorful characters and strange aliens. (Published: 1991)

Sadly, I’d have to give this book an ‘OK.’ The characters were flat, and the dialog was repetitive. The characters he has written that I have enjoyed the most were the ones he had the most skill to write, the ones that were most like him. The woman and the child had no resonance, no depth. The story was supposed to be dramatic, I suppose. It lacked much of his trade-mark humor. It seemed very much the same in many places.

One thing that has felt comfortable is the fact that he uses the same “Universe” as in other books, but in this one, the convention felt tedious. Maybe I’m just becoming too accustomed to it. Can you describe one more sideshow, or one more whorehouse, or one more dusty Frontier planet? (And hey, I was never fond of whorehouses to begin with, lol.) At first, it seems a gritty sense of realism, a slightly slanted vision of what other authors don’t say. However, when the story isn’t all that good, the gritty realism tends to chafe a bit. The grit gets under your skin, so to speak.

The premise he starts with is very interesting. She can see the possible futures, and affect the outcome by choosing what to do to bring about the future she wants. She is eight years old, and her sense of empathy and responsibility have not been formed. Her family is dead or missing, and she must protect herself. What will she become when she grows up?

Sometimes, I felt that too much thought was given to “what will she become” rather than to what is she now. Her future was a valid topic, and the point was that she was an unfinished force. I felt that she should have been a pivotal character and yet she remained marginal to the story. It became confusing as to who was the focal character. Who is the hero? The Mouse, the small woman thief who rescued the girl, or the Iceman, the scary former spy who dogged their steps and had insubstantial motivations?

This was the first book of a Trilogy. I got it as an eLibrary book. Thankfully, I was able to read it past the time it expired, because I wasn’t all that motivated to finish it. There was some small curiosity in me to see how he ended it. I knew it was a Trilogy, so I knew it wasn’t exactly the end, but would the end be interesting enough that I would want to read the other books? (Books which I would have to buy and cannot borrow…)

At this point, I believe that if I could read the other books for free, I would do it. I’m not motivated to pay $5.52 per book to see what kind of monster little Penelope grows up to be. There are other books to read, so I’m off to do that!

Sideshow: Tales of the Galactic Midway, Vol. 1

2007-05-26T11:55:00.000-05:00

Sideshow: Tales of the Galactic Midway, Vol. 1 by Mike Resnick

I had so much trouble finding motivation to read the last book that I had to borrow it from the eLibrary twice. When I saw I was about to have to borrow it again, I cracked down and finished the book before it expired. Afterwards, I considered my strategy. Should I borrow it 3 days at a time or a week at a time, assuming that was all the time I'd need, or go ahead and borrow it for the full 16 days? If I read the book quickly, it would then take up space for those days and I couldn't borrow any new ones...

Needless to conclude, I borrowed this book for 16 days and read it in 3 days! What an awesome book!

I got a chance to see how well he develops characters when he has a chance to focus on them. It was an amazingly deep book, for the subject. It dealt with some intense human moments, some of which made me a little teary. I guess it didn't hurt that the relationship between Thaddeus and Alma reminded me of me and D. There were moments in this book where I would stop and think, what horrible lives these people lead, but I was so fascinated by the way it was woven and so interested to see what would happen next, that I was compelled to keep reading.

The ending was predictable, but I didn't mind. He threw a twist in it to make it more of a happy ending, but honestly, the Thaddeus character was such a bastard that it could have gone the other way... You were not quite sure it was going to be a happy ending until it was.

This was a great book and I cannot wait to read more of his books!

Ivory

2007-05-24T20:45:00.000-05:00

Ivory by Mike Resnick. Copyrighted 1988.

His Acknowledgements show that he did research for this book, which I found immediately impressive. I’ve read that he has a love of Africa, and often visits.

I love Mike’s style. His rhythm and word choice paint a picture that makes me feel like I am there. It doesn’t feel belabored or hard-sold. It feels good. This is my third book of his to read, and I am impressed.

I have noticed that widely disparate stories are set in the same Universe. It lends comfort, the feeling of “I’ve been here before.” I don’t know the characters, the story is going to be very different, but the planets and the way he numbers and/or describes them are consistent. It might just be a coincidence, since all of the books I read by him were found on Fictionwise.com. Somehow, I doubt that.

I enjoyed the structure of the book, but in a way, it was the very structure that was it's undoing. He wrote it in episodes, like little stories, linked with one major story-line. Each micro-story was a chapter. the problem with the structure was that he had only a short time to create meaningful characters, and there were time I found it difficult to care about them. The connecting story, of necessity perhaps, became a bit repetitive, going over and over the main character's motivations and nothing really changed except the way it was expressed. He held out the antagonists motivation as a carrot to the reader, and it sort of made me think, ok I'll read it because I want to know it... but this book took me longer to read than the other two of his books I read, which lets me know that when I had a choice between reading it or doing something else, I did something else. Ultimately, the end of the book left me feeling a little let down. The main character didn't achieve fulfillment or even gain optimism or enthusiasm for his life, like I had hoped.

I have a strong admiration for Mike's cadence and style. I gave this book a Good rating, because I did enjoy it overall, but did not give him Excellent, because I felt no voraciousness for the book. I was impressed with his choice of structure; I am not sure that I have ever seen a book structured that way before.

I definitely count Mike Resnick as an major author and I intend to read more of his books in the future!

Author Loyalty

2007-05-12T09:44:00.000-05:00

I have been reading reviews to help me determine what books I want, keeping in mind that these opinions are just that, opinions. Amazon.com generally has lots of reviews, and now I am seeing that SFBC has some too. One thing I am finding very amusing is what I call “author loyalty.”

To me, a book is an author’s product. In a lot of ways, the book is an intimate product, but each should be taken each on it’s own merit. It is possible to be a fan of an author’s work, and yet not like a book or two that they have written.

I read a review for a book where one person had criticism for the book, and another person felt the need to defend the author. I found that very amusing! He did not say that the author was in any way lacking as a person for having written something he felt was a little below par, yet she defended the author as if this person needed to understand where the author was at that point in her life. Why? Would that truly make the book more enjoyable if he knew? Would his opinion be affected by your opinion? Is he not actually entitled to have an opinion that is contrary to yours?

I am a little worried about getting into the book review arena because of this. I want to give my opinions because I have so many of them! But would my observations truly benefit others? Or would it only serve as a mental exercise for me? Would anyone be interested in the books I chose to read? Would I stir up controversy in my approach that “each books is an individual product to be reviewed?”

I decided to proceed. Even if this is just a mental exercise for me, I can get pleasure and practice from the process. I am sure I will review books that people don’t care about, and that’s okay; it’s my blog! If I stir up controversy, that is quite okay. If someone wants to add their opinion or help me flesh out ideas, it could only make my blog better.

Sidebar

2007-05-11T22:14:00.000-05:00

Sidebar:

One of the things I’ve always liked about Science Fiction is the “if” factor. There tends to be a point to the story. For instance, in the story, “In the Group,” you know pretty much from the beginning that something is going to go terribly wrong. It is about a man who has old-fashioned concepts of love and one-on-one in a society where sharing is considered the norm. I expect him to explore certain social conventions and put his spin on them, maybe illuminating our societal biases in the process.

This comes at a time when I am struggling with my own concepts of relationships. Basically, the group is a polyamorous society and the hero is feeling very monogamous. Right now, I can really relate to that. Since monogamy is popular in our society, I am sure there are a lot of people who can relate to it.

I got used to reading stories that have a point. I didn’t always get the point, depending on my age and experience level.

In The Group

2007-05-10T08:10:00.000-05:00

In The Group By Robert Silverberg (Short Story)

Fictionwise.com bills this as Erotica. I understand that it needed something to indicate that it would contain explicit sex. I wouldn’t put this in the Erotica category; I would classify it as Science Fiction.

The Merriam Webster definition of erotica is: literary or artistic works having an erotic theme or quality. The definition of erotic is: of, devoted to, or tending to arouse sexual love or desire. Romance books can sometime be classified jointly as Erotica. My question is: “Would you lie down and masturbate to the story?” If the answer is yes, then it’s Erotica to me. Hell, it’s probably just written porn, but you know what I mean!

All that being said, I would not lie down and masturbate to this story. I got the feeling from the beginning that the author was trying to convey a concept beyond the message of sex. The sex was a backdrop, a prop, to how the character felt and reacted the other characters.

The story is about a man who has old-fashioned concepts of love and one-on-one relationships in a society where sharing is considered the norm. It is about how his feelings interfere with the group dynamic when he falls in love with one woman in a virtual sex group. Some actual sex is had, but others in the group tune in to members who are having the sex, feel what they feel, physically and emotionally. He wants a relationship, and she just wants to enjoy herself.

I love his writing style. Some of his observations are very sharp, and the words that he chooses are apt in ways I don’t anticipate. “A multi-carat glitterstone sparkled fraudulently between her flawless little breasts.” What an exquisite line!

The story was first published in Eros, a men’s magazine, in 1973. I guess that sets the stage for how explicit he was able to be in this story. But he makes it clear pretty much from the beginning that something is going to go terribly wrong.

I had read the story before, a long time ago. When they purport to give him “therapy” by having sex with Kay one after the other while they restrain him… yeah, I remembered that scene!

Of course, there was no happy ending. He gets kicked out of the Group and loses Kay forever, because he could not conform to their dynamic. It leaves him feeling lost and unable to figure out how to find what he is missing. It left me feeling sad for him, and concerned about what he might decide to do next.

I suppose here is where Author Loyalty comes into rating a book. I did enjoy the story very much, however I felt some of it was written for the expected audience. I am not the expected audience. Since I perceived the flaws, I should probably give it a Good rating. But since he is one of my favorite authors, I am tempted to give him a Great rating, because it was an enjoyable read. Hmmm. I’ll go with my conscience and rate him Good.

Grand Masters of Science Fiction

2007-05-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

At the end of one of the books I read, there was a blurb about Fritz Leiber being a Grand Master of Science Fiction in the Science Fiction Writers of America. I’ve heard this term and I’ve never really understood what this meant.

The SFWA says: “The title Damon Knight Memorial Grand Master is bestowed upon a living author for a lifetime's achievement in science fiction and/or fantasy. Nominations for recognition as a Grand Master are made by the president of SFWA; the final selection must be approved by a majority of the SFWA® officers and participating past presidents.”

The current list of Grand Masters:

Robert A. Heinlein (1975)
Jack Williamson (1976)
Clifford D. Simak (1977)
L. Sprague de Camp (1979)
Fritz Leiber (1981)
Andre Norton (1984)
Arthur C. Clarke (1986)
Isaac Asimov (1987)
Alfred Bester (1988)
Ray Bradbury (1989)
Lester Del Rey (1991)
Frederik Pohl (1993)
Damon Knight (1995)
A. E. Van Vogt (1996)
Jack Vance (1997)
Poul Anderson (1998)
Hal Clement (Harry Stubbs) (1999)
Brian W. Aldiss (2000)
Philip José Farmer (2001)
Ursula K. Le Guin (2003)
Robert Silverberg (2004)
Anne McCaffrey (2005)
Harlan Ellison (2006)
James Gunn (2007)

I was disappointed to see that Frank Herbert was not on the list of the so honored. I loved his books and I cried when I had learned that he had died. Even if he is not an official Grand Master, in my heart, he will always be one of the greatest Sci Fi authors of all time.

*Links to the authors via wikipedia.org

To the Haunted Mountains

2007-05-09T11:00:00.000-05:00

To the Haunted Mountains [First Tale of the Nedao] by Ru Emerson
Category: Fantasy

The book begins awkwardly. I had a hard time figuring out what style she was going for. I also felt that some of her descriptions used inappropriate words or grammar, which meant I had to read the sentences a few times to figure out what she meant. The narrator apparently speaks in some archaic dialect about occurrences which the reader was not present and which left me confused. I understand how sentence fragments can be stylistic and add cadence and variety; however, a fragment should have relevance and logic to it.

“Silence within the smoky ravine, save for the faint victory cried of the Tehlatt.” So began chapter 3. I am compelled to ask, “Silence did what? And how can it be silent if you could hear the victory cries?”

Suspension of disbelief is an important part of a story. When you add an element that is not conventional, it should add to the story in a believable way. In my opinion, it should also add a stylistic element or element of interest. What does it add that no other story/book has?

The story is supposedly told from the perspective of Nisana, the cat. She is supposedly a magical breed of cat that has the ability to communicate with humans and has magical powers. She lives as a type of familiar to humans, supplementing their magical powers, lending aid.

The cat adds little to the story. A person could have played her part, and probably been a more rounded character in the process. In other words, there seemed little advantage in having this character played as an animal. In reading the Thanks at the beginning of the book, I noticed a blurb to the cat, and I got the impression that this was a way of adding the family pet in a personal way to the story. While my heart goes out to her for the loss of her beloved calico, I would not have added her to the story unless she made a major stylistic or elemental contribution.

The other part of the story I had trouble grasping was AEldra. Does it refer to the cat? Does it refer to a place? Does it refer to the heroine’s mother’s race? Sometimes it seemed to refer to all three. I decided to go with the flow, and maybe it would begin to make sense eventually.

The writing style seemed clumsy and somewhat lackluster. There are times that the author seemed to forgo any descriptions whatsoever in favor of some uninspired action. The dialog seemed strained, exaggerated, and unnatural. I found myself unable to care about bad things happening to the characters. When the messenger died in the King’s chamber, how could I care? I didn’t know him! When his sister screamed and had a nervous breakdown, I didn’t even know her name! The only way that had any impact is in how it affected the heroine, and this early in the book, I didn’t really even know her!

This is an eLibrary book, and I have a short time to read it. To do justice to this review, I knew that I had to finish the book before it expired, but I had trouble finding the enthusiasm necessary. What happens next? I wasn’t sure I even wanted to know!

I checked the author’s website, and this may have been her first book. As such, one might be tempted to forgive certain mistakes, however I felt that the mistakes were so basic that I could not overlook them without commenting. This was her product, and I’m sorry, but I found it lacking. I am sorry that I had to give it a "poor" rating on Fictionwise.com.

In the end, I decided to stop reading the book. In chapter 3, she continued to tell without showing, and it had the feel of a shopping list; I had no investment and I just didn't care. I have other books from better authors waiting for me in my eLibrary bookshelf. Although I feel a bit irresponsible writing a review based only on 3 chapters, (it might get better towards the end!) I just couldn't make myself continue to read this book!

Hesitation

2007-05-07T21:37:00.000-05:00

I am finding myself hesitant to begin this blog! I am going to have to just dive in and run with it, I guess. I am so worried about it being perfect. I worry about things such as what format should I use, how much should I say about the book, how objective/subjective should I be about the subject… I also wanted to go back and review books I read previously, to keep a consistent time-line, but I am reading one book currently which should be the focus of my attention.

I joined the Science Fiction Book Club. I should say, I re-joined it. I was a member years ago, and I wasn’t always thrilled with the quality of the books. However, I did get some awesome books as well, books that I will treasure forever. I decided to take a chance and rejoin SFBC.

One of the things I like about them is they publish volumes that contain more than one book. They combine all the books in a Trilogy or Quartet. Since I like to have all the books in a series, if possible, this is a real space-saver and convenience!

I am a loyal member of Fictionwise.com, but some of the books out there today cannot be purchased as ebooks. I am an advocate of the whole concept of ebooks. I bought a Palm Z22, and currently have 52 books on it! Granted, some of them are stories, and so they are small anyway, but you get the picture. Devices little bigger than a cell phone can house so many books! The convenience of reading while waiting at a Dr office or car service garage or airport is beyond cool! I even found an amazing case on Cases.com that is brushed aluminum; it is beautiful and durable and it satisfies my metal fetish, lol.

I like the look and feel of a real book, but I found myself pretty spoiled by the ebooks! I consider that my preferred format now!

Book Reviews

2007-05-05T17:49:00.000-05:00

Because I am enjoying my new lease on life, and my newly re-acquired love of reading, I decided to write reviews of the books that I read. I am always so full of opinions and observations, and I thought this would be a good place to put those thoughts in relation to books and authors. Previously, I had a blog about video games, and I didn’t keep up with it. I may lose interest in this blog in just the same way.

But whatever, here goes…