The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

Posted by melydia on May 3, 2011 No comment

The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke (unabridged audiobook read by Simon Jones; 8.5 hrs on 7 CDs): Young brothers Prosper and Bo are on the run in Venice, having escaped their aunt Esther who intends to separate them. Esther hires Victor, a private investigator, to find them. Soon Victor finds himself in the middle of a complex plot involving orphans, mysterious counts, and a certain Thief Lord with secrets of his own. Though the fantasy element was an interesting treatment of classic Bradbury, it came out of nowhere and left me a little cold. If the story leading up to that part hadn’t been so thoroughly within the realm of Realistic Fiction it would not have been quite so jarring. That said, it was still a fun little tale with likable characters, and I am still a little bit in love with Scipio.

A note on the audio: Though his use of voices is a little strange with some of the female characters, Jones is a thoroughly entertaining narrator.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Storm Front by Jim Butcher

Posted by melydia on May 2, 2011 1 comment

Storm Front by Jim Butcher: Urban fantasy is so chock full of paranormal detectives it’s practically a cliche. But just because the premise has been done before doesn’t mean the story has to be predictable. I admit that I wasn’t too impressed with Harry Dresden at first; he too closely resembled the ideal geeky males strive for – mysterious, chivalrous, attractive, powerful, dangerous, even wearing a black duster! – that I worried I was dealing with a Gary Stu. Luckily, it didn’t take long for Harry to show his true colors and to win my affection. I loved the nonstop action, bizarre (and yet thoroughly consistent) magic system, and Harry’s sarcastic commentary. I almost wish I hadn’t read this because there are more than a dozen books in the series so far and my to-be-read pile is already threatening avalanche. Definitely recommended if you’re looking for a fun ride.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

BookCrossing Article in Street Sense

Posted by melydia on April 29, 2011 No comment

Recently I met with Kelsey Osterman, a reporter for Street Sense. This biweekly newspaper is written, published, and sold mainly by homeless and formerly homeless people. Ms. Osterman’s editor had found a BookCrossing book, and she contacted BCinDC about doing an interview. We met up with her a few weeks ago, and the article is the cover story for the latest issue. If you’re in the Washington area, purchase a copy for only $1 from one of their vendors. Otherwise, you can read the article here: Not All Those Who Wander Are Lost.

Sleepy Bill

Posted by melydia on April 28, 2011 No comment

Tip of the day: never take a nap while your wife has her art supplies out.


Sleepy Bill by *melydia on deviantART

My husband gave me two sets of Copic markers from Otaku Fuel for Christmas and another set for my birthday, plus my parents gave me a set of Prismacolor markers. My dear husband fell asleep on the couch while I was drawing, so I decided he was the perfect victim subject for trying out my new markers.

And you know what? It’s a pretty decent likeness.  Even more amazing, he thinks so too, and even made it his Facebook profile picture. :)

Exchange by Dale R. Cozort

Posted by melydia on April 27, 2011 No comment

Exchange by Dale R. Cozort: When the Exchange occurs, seemingly at random, a small portion of our world switches places with that from an alternate reality. This other Earth, known as Bear Country, is a wild, dangerous land where humans either died out or (more probably) never evolved at all, inhabited instead by strange animals such as enormous bears, twittering wolves, and minuscule poisonous bats. When Sharon’s hometown of Rockford, Illinois, is Exchanged, she is stuck in a strange world of religious cults, escaped convicts, and demanding Marines. If that weren’t headache enough, her abusive ex-husband has kidnapped their special-needs daughter and escaped into Bear Country with her. I haven’t read such an action-packed book in quite a while. There’s never a dull moment. I am fascinated by the idea of the Exchange, and can imagine many more stories set in this universe. I wish there had been some mention of Exchanges happening in the middle of the ocean, but that’s a petty quibble. I also enjoyed how I was never quite sure when people were telling the truth, without feeling like the drama emerged purely from people not telling each other things. In short, this was a fun SF adventure and a quick read. I look forward to Cozort’s future works.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells

Posted by melydia on April 26, 2011 No comment

The First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells: As some have created barriers to heat or sound or water, so our heroes have created a barrier against gravity. This material, called Cavorite, it then used to create a spherical capsule to ferry them to the moon. There they find life, of course, because if they found what’s really on the moon (i.e., nothing), we would have no story. The aliens were interesting enough, but what really fascinated me was the idea of the atmosphere freezing into snow at night, then thawing into thin-but-breathable air each day. I felt real suspense as the characters desperately searched for shelter as the deadly sunset approached. While Wells is most known for his visionary science fiction, what I love is the interaction between the two main characters, particularly Bedford’s outrage at Cavor’s absent-minded apathy. This short book may not be one of his more famous works, but I definitely enjoyed it.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien

Posted by melydia on April 25, 2011 No comment

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien (unabridged audiobook read by Barbara Caruso; 7 hrs 15 min on 6 discs): I grew up on the movie version, and figured it was high time for me to finally read the book. Mrs. Frisby is a widowed mouse with four children living in a cinder block in a farmer’s garden for the winter. At the start of the story, her youngest son Timothy is ill with pneumonia and cannot leave the house. However, the plow will be coming through soon, which will destroy the cinder block and kill everyone inside. After helping a young crow named Jeremy, he takes her to see a wise owl, who tells her to ask the rats to move her house. These rats are unusually intelligent, with quite the backstory. I was a little disappointed that Mrs. Frisby never got a first name, but given that her husband’s deeds were the only reason anyone gave her the time of day, I suppose it was fitting. All in all, I liked it. The characters were compelling and the ending was satisfying, if quite bittersweet. I’m not sure I would have enjoyed it as a child; I was fairly sensitive when it came to the death of animals. As an adult, however, I found it to be a fascinating exploration of how a wild animal would deal with newfound intelligence. Recommended.

A note on the audio version: Caruso, unfortunately, narrates as if she were reading to a small child with a learning disability, adding lengthy pauses between each and every clause. It took me well into the second disc before I got used to her cadence. Once I did, however, I had no trouble getting into the story.

A note on the movie: The first half or so of the movie is quite true to the book, but it adds a mystical element in the form of a magic amulet. This is completely out of left field, but it does help Mrs. Brisby (changed from Frisby at the insistence of the makers of Frisbee) come out looking more like the hero of the tale. The book is also much less clear-cut: there are no true villains, and you don’t even know for sure who’s still alive at the end. That’s not to say one is better than the other, of course; I enjoy both book and movie for what they are.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

The Lovely Bones

Posted by melydia on April 22, 2011 No comment

The Lovely Bones: Though I was fairly meh about the book, the movie was more engaging. The basic storyline is the same: 14-year-old Susie Salmon is murdered and narrates the story from the afterlife. There is less focus on the family’s grieving process (including the removal of the mother’s affair and the father’s heart attack) and more on Susie’s journey to accepting her own death while exploring a realm quite reminiscent of What Dreams May Come. And you know, this was fine: I didn’t feel leaving out those details detracted from the story at all. Mark Wahlberg was touching as Susie’s father as he obsessively tried to solve her murder. Susan Sarandon was clearly having a ball as the eccentric grandmother. Stanley Tucci, whom I know primarily as Nigel and Puck, scared the everliving crap out of me. I’m not sure this movie would necessarily appeal to fans of the book – the critics certainly hated it – but it was a decent way to spend a couple hours on a Friday evening. Just not something I’d watch again.

Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult

Posted by melydia on April 21, 2011 No comment

Harvesting the Heart by Jodi Picoult (unabridged audiobook read by Cassandra Campbell; 17 hours 20 min on 15 discs): When Paige was five years old, her mother left, abandoning her and her father suddenly one night. The story opens with Paige, as an adult, camped out on her own front lawn, barred by her husband from entering the house or seeing their infant son. Slowly, through flashbacks and memories, we learn about Paige’s childhood, her abortion as a teenager, her flight to Boston after high school, and her fast-paced relationship with medical student Nicholas and his affluent parents. As a wannabe sketch artist myself, I was drawn to Paige’s love for drawings and her mysterious talent for incorporating other people’s secrets into their portraits without realizing it or understanding its significance. I was also a little spooked by Paige’s early experiences with motherhood, as I imagine I would act the same way. My favorite character, however, was Astrid. She started out as a one-dimensional snob of a wicked mother-in-law, but later revealed herself to be an actual human being.

The story itself is just the sort of glurge I’ve come to expect from Picoult, but felt less like she’d come up with the plot from reading a couple of sensational headlines. No kidnapping or murder or suicide or courtroom scenes – just family drama. Sure, most of the conflict came from people not talking to each other (a pet peeve of mine), but I was more patient with that this time around, given how extraordinarily unapproachable Nicholas (whom I imagine as looking like Neal Caffrey) was. I wouldn’t want to talk to him either. In short, this book was decent but nothing spectacular.

A note on the audio version: Campbell was a good choice as narrator, with her natural voice seeming to channel Paige’s soft-spoken angst, while also handling Nicholas’s fury, Patrick’s Irish brogue, and Astrid’s aristocratic air without resorting to caricatures.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

Creative, Inc. by Meg Mateo Ilasco and Joy Deangdeelert Cho

Posted by melydia on April 20, 2011 2 comments

Creative, Inc. by Meg Mateo Ilasco and Joy Deangdeelert Cho: I only got about halfway through this book, but not because it’s bad – it’s just not relevant to my life. I’m sure the freelancing advice is excellent, but most of the interviews are with photographers, graphic designers, and illustrators, fields I know (and care) next to nothing about. Don’t get me wrong: the writing is friendly and the content is organized well. I just don’t particularly enjoy reading books about business management, even those tailored to artsy people. Simply put, I am not a member of this book’s target audience.

Also posted on BookCrossing.

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