This month you will read a book:

1 ~ that is a good beach read.

2 ~ that takes place near a body of water.

3 ~ that you thought was all wet.

4 ~ where a character(s) drowns or almost drowns or a ship sinks.

This definitely counts, although it isn't really the most interesting part of the story.

I'll be honest in that I read this because it was one of those things that it felt like everybody had read but me. I wasn't completely against the idea of reading it, but other things always ended up coming up first, and I wasn't in a rush. I almost set it down for a little bit once the bits about the ships and the submarines started--I am not generally a fan, so I was not really looking forward to a Moby Dick-style sort of story. The intrigue throughout this section was interesting, however, and I liked the back-and-forth of the characters.

Things pick up quite a bit once the boat sinks. Attempting to handle what is already living on the island is difficult, and the society that has set itself up there is quite intriguing. Also, I just kind of love dinosaurs, so I loved seeing them co-existing with things like submarines.

In the end, this was an adventure story, which is not normally my cup of tea, but it was a good one and it held my interest once I got into it. I enjoyed it quite a bit and I'll be picking up the next portion of the story (apparently this is a trilogy, though don't be daunted--it has a "proper" ending) and seeing where things go from here. I'll also be picking up some more Edgar Rice Burroughs books, assuming they are in a similar style.

April's Reading Challenge ~ Spring in Your Step

This month you will read:

1 ~ book that takes place at least partly in spring.

2 ~ book about new life in some form.

3 ~ book with sun on the cover or spring in the title.

4 ~ book that includes outdoor things (i.e. sports, gardening, care of animals).

 

This is an extremely twisted version of this prompt, but hey, I'm pretty sure it counts.

"If snow melts down to water, does it still remember being snow?"

This was fabulous all the way through.

I love the sort of horror novel that sets itself up to be creepy. Not outright scary, but with a subtle kind of horror, where several of the twists seem almost expected because it is impossible to believe anything else could happen, where the flow of the story just makes sense and leaves you feeling shivery and horrified but not always completely sure you would act differently in this kind of situation.

This book is best compared, probably, to

The switching between the diary entries from the past and the "present-day" narrative was beautifully done, and it all came together quite well. I was very impressed with the writing and with the handling of the characters, who acted in a way that seemed in keeping with their personalities and also almost terrifyingly rational, given the horrors contained in this small New England town (why is it always a small New England town? What is it about that setting that is so terrifying?)

I loved reading through the diary entries and watching what was happening. On some level, we knew the ending of the story from the first--it is part of the legends of West Hall and we hear bits and pieces of it very early on. On the other hand, watching it actually play out was terrifying and heartbreaking.

I thought everything came together quite well and I was pleased with the fact that we had a lot resolved, often in ways that would have been completely unexpected at the beginning of the book but somehow felt quite right at the end, and that we still had a hint of mystery once things were wrapped up.

If there are more horror novels by this author, I am absolutely going to pick them up. Maintaining a creepy atmosphere throughout an entire novel is not an easy thing to do, and to do it so seamlessly means real talent that I am interested in watching closely.

March's Reading Challenge ~ Go Forth!

This month you will read:

1 ~ a book with character(s) who travel.

2 ~ a book that takes place in a different country from where you live.

3 ~ a book that takes place in the future.

4 ~ a book you read at a place other than your home.

This was another prompt that wasn't terribly difficult for me, as I do an awful lot of reading either in coffee shops or at work. This happens to be a book I read entirely at work.

If the first book was about Alanna learning to train for knighthood while being a girl, this book was about Alanna learning to be a girl while training for knighthood. A fine distinction, perhaps, but an important one for her character development. This book in the quartet was about her embracing those parts of her that are absolutely female, and about learning that they are not weaknesses, that they needn't be hidden all the time, and that they are completely compatible with and in fact necessary for living the life she really wants to live.

Faithful's introduction was a lovely thing. I do so love an animal companion, and Faithful is one of the best. Vaguely sarcastic talking magic cats are pretty much the perfect thing.

There is more Myles being awesome, more George and Jon being pretty darn cool, a larger role for Gary, and just generally Alanna having really great friends who know her better than herself and have got her back. She is even a heroine who realizes that, for once, and almost never takes them for granted. I just love all of these characters and everytime I pick one of these books back up I remember why.

The Ordeal was kind of dark. Not too dark, because this is obviously not an adult book, but handling everything that went on in there was kind of scary. Also, I share her distaste for spiders. Just...ew. It was worth the terror for her to end up handling her fears and finally earning the knighthood she so deserves.

I am probably going to be spending some time in Tortall for the next few weeks; I can feel it growing on me again, and they are all rather short books. For now, I'll leave you with Alanna's last words:

"C'mon, Coram!" she cried, galloping past him. "Let's go find an adventure!"

March's Reading Challenge ~ Go Forth!

This month you will read:

1 ~ a book with character(s) who travel.

2 ~ a book that takes place in a different country from where you live.

3 ~ a book that takes place in the future.

4 ~ a book you read at a place other than your home.

This particular prompt was quite easy given my Anglophilia. I chose The Girl on the Train to cover it, mostly because my e-book hold from the library finally came in. It is set in England, and unfortunately I do not live there.

“There's nothing so painful, so corrosive, as suspicion.”

This was intriguing and rather dark. None of the narrators are entirely trustworthy or not morally questionable in some way. One of them I outright hated. I did see the ending coming before I got there, but I made it about to the halfway point before I started guessing right and I am a suspicious little bugger, so I didn't feel like things were too apparent.

I enjoyed the particular way the "unreliable narrator" thing played out here as well as how carefully plotted everything was. I pretty much swallowed the whole novel in one quick rush and I did enjoy all of it, even the parts where I was busy hating someone. The ending was worthy as well, which has been a problem with thrillers lately. It's not going to go on any "favorites" lists for me (thrillers almost never do, admittedly, for all that I enjoy them), but I'm quite pleased I read it and I'd be interested in something else by the author.

A well written historical in a time period I didn't even know I'd enjoy. Originally written for the 'Love Has No Boundaries' free fiction event put together by the Goodreads M/M Romance group, I picked up the expanded and re-edited version on Amazon, and what a great find! I'd like to read more from this author and I will definitely seek out more medieval settings.