Reviews of Books I've Read

Occasionally I will post reviews of books I've read (or re-read) on other websites and (if I remember!) will post them here, too. Here are a few:

Kingfisher

Patricia A. McKillip

This book was such fun to read! It’s been a while since I’ve read any McKillip, and even though other readers have pointed out the opacity and confusion of characters, I still highly recommend Kingfisher. I loved the homage (at least to me) to Diana Wynne Jones, with the knights riding on motorcycles instead of horses, reminiscent of Fire and Hemlock’s car/steed mashup. I also loved the hints of Arthurian legends, Welsh mythology, the fey, the Odyssey, even the Rivers of London series and (unless I misremember) a nod to Firefly. Living on the north coast, I appreciate McKillip’s geography and her theme of water as life, healing, transformation, as rivers, ocean, mist. And of course, the quirky magic of cooking. A delightful read.

The Blue Sword
Robin McKinley

This was a fun blast from the 1980s fantasy genre: full of long sentences and paragraphs, dense and wordy, with points of view all over the map. Even so, I admired the story and especially the characters, who shine with McKinley’s knack for vivid imagery and wry metaphor. And who doesn’t treasure an author who loves semi-colons as much as I do? Writing styles have changed; I have not read any of McKinley’s current works, but appreciate this flashback to the style that I grew up with. It certainly influenced the writing of many authors (and me, too). It proves the maxim: a good story soars above minor nitpicks. This is a good story, and it soars. 

The Homeward Bounders

Diana Wynne Jones 

This book, published in 1981, evokes fun D&D and other gaming memories for me, and seems to pre-date TV show premises like “Sliders” and possibly even “Stargate.” But the plot is not fun-and-games, and the story is bittersweet, joining the ranks of DWJ’s Dogsbody and Fire and Hemlock. This is a heavy story that deals with war, slavery, being different, sacrifice and hope; it touches on mythical ideas such as the Flying Dutchman and Prometheus—yet DWJ includes lighter elements like teenagers bickering and trying to learn cricket. She takes the phrase “you can’t go home again” and dissects it from every angle, making the reader consider not just where home is, but what home is.

The Goose Girl
Shannon Hale 
This was a delightful, enjoyable read, a clever reworking of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale. Having said that, let me get the nitpicks over with: Hale’s prose is a formal passive-voice style, like a fairy tale except that it is inconsistent and the writing sometimes leads to less-than-gripping action scenes. The metaphors seem self-aware, there are several plot holes and loose ends not tied up at the book’s end—but still I was carried along by the suspense. Having read Austenland and Princess Academy, I’m familiar with Hale’s imaginative plots, and enjoyed her mix of characters and the world she has created here, especially her knack for visualizing all the different forms of communication between humans, other animals and nature. This is not, to me, a children’s book because there is violence and torture, but the story works well as a gritty fantasy with fairy tale elements. I know there are sequels; I suspect I’ll be reading them soon!

Dark Lord of Derkholm
Diana Wynne Jones 

One of the review snippets on the cover of this book states “A tour-de-force.” They got it right. Having read DWJ’s The Tough Guide to Fantasyland, I knew that Derkholm would be a send-off, spoofing all the clichés of high fantasy and sword-and-sorcery tomes. But it is still classic, brilliant DWJ, managing a complicated plot with loads of weird characters and stunning the reader with not one or two surprise twists at the end, but at least six! This is simply a really good book, and makes me appreciate the adventure of reading a high fantasy, a genre I don’t typically read. The fact that there is a sequel, Year of the Griffin, is the icing on the cake. The fact that I am staring at it right now and will begin reading it soon, is the frosting on the icing on the cake. 

The Dalemark Quartet: Cart and Cwidder, Drowned Ammet, The Spellcoats, The Crown of Dalemark

Diana Wynne Jones

Well, wow. These four books deserve a full post, not just a little book review. I started the first book in this quartet a few months ago, then slowly spread out the enjoyment of reading the other three until I finally finished Crown a few nights ago. When I browse reviews of the quartet, many readers say that they read these when they were young and now have come back to re-read and appreciate them. I missed all of DWJ’s books when I was young (although Crown was written in the 1990s, and I certainly wasn’t young then). As mentioned in a prior post (link), I missed out on her magic way back when, but now I get to immerse myself in it with childish delight.

I really didn’t think the fourth book could tie up the loose ends from the first three books—but it does, and with effortless ease. As with each novel, the story, the characters, the style—all are quintessential DWJ. It’s no wonder that this novel won the 1995 Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature. After closing Crown, I experienced a Tolkien-esque yearning: I didn’t want the series to end, I wanted to read all of the books again, I wanted to hear what happened to everyone and their descendents. This is because DWJ’s world-building is so thorough, so richly conceptualized that she makes you want to live with the characters, be their best friends, share meals with them, groom their horses, gossip with them. I just long for the world of Dalemark to be real, and to be able to flit back and forth between time periods, or to work in the Library at Hannart maintaining everyone’s family tree and history.

Part of this whole-world envelopment is illustrated in DWJ’s use of character names. Particles of names—Tan, Noreth, Amil, Moril, Mitt—mix together throughout generations or are spelled slightly differently from generation to generation. The characters wonder about the meanings, but the reader does, too, and the realizations of what names mean are clues to the plot and ultimate ending. DWJ’s use of gods’ names, also, is so vivid and mythological that the reader will be surprised, by the end of the series, to remember that they do not exist. (Or do they? :) )

There are a lot of characters, especially in Crown. I think I counted ten-plus main characters in several scenes. Many writers/readers nowadays caution not to use more than three or four main characters—but DWJ gets away with it. Sure, you have to work a bit to remember them all, but you’ll find that you want to remember them, so you’ll invest the time to concentrate. This many characters, and the convoluted, layered plot, can be difficult for adults to read, but as DWJ has stated many times, her books written for children are actually more complicated than her books written for adults because children understand them better:

“Children are used to making an effort to understand. They are asked for this effort every hour of every school day, and though they may not make the effort willingly, they at least expect it. In addition, nearly everyone between the ages of nine and fifteen is amazingly good at solving puzzles and following complicated plots . . .  I can make my plots for them as complex as I please, and yet I know I never have to explain them more than once (or twice at the very most).” (Reflections on the Magic of Writing, p.34)

Finally, I want to say that the ending of Crown was just plain lovely. Some of DWJ’s endings are bittersweet, but this one is quite satisfying. She just keeps on squeezing her plots and surprising her readers. Wouldn’t it be fabulous to have her imagination and her ability to view lives differently, to always present an unexpected jolt that makes the reader sit up and exclaim, “Flaming Ammet! I didn’t see that coming!” 

DWJ, wherever you are, thanks for another wild experience. And lucky me, I’ve still got lots of your books yet to read.

When Gods Die

C.S. Harris 

I have a confession to make: sometimes I’m in the mood to read thrilling historical murder mysteries with dashes of breathless romance and even more dashes of handsome, rugged heroes. This series, featuring Sebastian St. Cyr, definitely fits into my “guilty fun” reading. Everyone should have guilty fun reads once in a while, right? The first novel in the series, What Angels Fear, was overly long and perhaps a bit too breathless, but I am well pleased with this second offering. This book is a shorter, tighter-edited read, with established characters who have gained in depth and back story: Sebastian, Kat, and little Tom (my favorite), as well as Sebastian’s father, his aunt, the short, tidy magistrate Lovejoy, and the sometimes-baddie, Lord Jarvis. All are given space to spread their wings, and since the next novel has been set up in this one, I’m sure I’ll be seeing them all again. Harris’ research is impeccable; you really feel that you are in the Royal Pavilion with the Prince Regent in 1811; her style is fast, constantly moving you forward with Sebastian as he solves the murder mysteries. And there are more than murders to solve; there are secrets galore with Kat and with Sebastian’s family. Who know what truths will out in the next novel? I suspect that I’ll be squeezing in another “guilty fun” read fairly soon . . . 

The Terra-Cotta Dog

Andrea Camilleri

This is the sequel to The Shape of Water, a Sicilian mystery novel featuring the fabulous Inspector Montalbano. While the first novel, even with the exceptional translation by Stephen Sartarelli, was a little difficult for me to “get into,” the wacky characters and Camilleri’s sardonic humor were refreshing. Here, Camilleri has me hooked on page one with an incredible, twisted plot and crazy characters. Reading one scene, I laughed so hard I had to set the book aside until I could calm myself down. Every other word, brilliantly translated by Sartarelli, had me in stitches. Yet the novel is also brutally bleak and realistic, mixing humor with pathos in quick, pithy scenes. I will be reading more about Inspector Montalbano, for sure.

Grandad, There’s a Head on the Beach

Colin Cotterill

This is the second Jimm Juree novel, and while Cotterill seemed slow to develop his style in the first novel—Killed at the Whim of a Hat—here he has no problem. From page 1, he’s off and running with the current breathless, youthful style of short sentences, sentence fragments, funny digressions, and wonderfully timely and imaginative metaphors. And he still manages to embed political commentaries and human rights issues that affect Thailand today, but without being obvious or preachy. This plot (and subplot and another subplot) has many LOL moments and long, drawn-out chuckles in store for you. The words “farce” and “ridiculous” will keep cropping up in your mind, yet it all fits, and there’s even a surprise ending (so I advise not reading ahead). And of course, the karaoke . . . well, you’ll just have to experience it yourself. Read this book!

Killed at the Whim of a Hat 
Colin Cotterill
This book, by the author of the Dr. Siri mysteries, took me by surprise at first. It takes place in present-day Thailand, with a young female protagonist, Jimm Juree. At first I was a bit thrown off by Jimm’s character, written with more gushing female teenager angst than I would expect from someone who is supposed to be older. But once I accepted the style of the writing, I was hooked on the nutty plot and knew I was immersed in a Cotterill novel. As always, the ancillary characters—family members, police officers, monks, dogs—are given full steam and allowed to develop at their own paces. And Cotterill includes some hilariously witty political quotations (like the book title itself), all of which are apropos to the story. Well done. I eagerly look forward to reading the next Jimm Juree mystery.


A Sea of Troubles

Donna Leon 

This novel, the tenth in the Guido Brunetti Venetian mysteries, was a powerful offering, with a haunting, disturbing ending. Leon gives us another delicious scene of mental dueling between Brunetti and his boss Patta, and her writing is inspired, with superb imagery particularly near the end. But the crux of this book is the relationships between certain characters that run deeper and richer, with more nuances than in prior books. The issues involve attraction, friendship, loyalty, trust and especially love between and among friends. The ending is a shocker, and makes me wonder how the characters—Brunetti, Elettra, Vianello—will be different in the next novel. I will know when I begin the next installment!

Night Crossings 
Jon Humboldt Gates
This is a gripping read, all the more so because it is based on historical facts: five tales of crossing the bar of Humboldt Bay at night, when the really big waves can hit. Each story has an intensely individual voice as Gates weaves both the events and the characters’ personal histories and impressions together. While reading, I had to keep remembering that these were all real events and people, precisely drawn.

      "Cachelot” is a heartbreaking story of close friendship and boyish bravery; “Avoyel” is about the sea versus ships and people, and who will win the battle; “Thor” illustrates the bravery and skill that only years of working on the ocean can achieve; “Koala II” reads like a real-time news story that has you gripping your chair with dread, worry and relief; and finally “Lady Fame,” my favorite among the stories, about the peril of four incredibly strong men and their ship who, as a friend has suggested, is the fifth character in this drama and plays a pivotal role.

      I was especially impressed with the marvelous bravery and efficiency of the Coast Guard; these people are amazing. And since I live where these events took place, it is all the more vivid to me; I have been on the jetties, I have seen the dolosse “sculptures” in action. The ocean is very much alive, and the waves can be very big.

 

Dark of the Moon

Tess Pendergrass

This is the second book of a loose trilogy, and while the first book (Dangerous Moonlight) is more lightweight reading, I enjoyed this offering much more. The main characters—a cop and a librarian—have more depth and intricacy to their relationship, but I loved the ancillary characters. This group of sidekicks is given full definition, heft and weight, with unique personalities that provide memorable and often very funny scenes. Sure, there is some predictability as to who the baddie is, but Pendergrass makes up for it with the offbeat, unlikely locales for her action scenes. This book has romance, but is primarily a solid murder mystery/police procedural with those quirky twists that only Pendergrass can deliver.

The Coroner’s Lunch

Colin Cotterill

This is an intriguing and delightful surprise, a mystery set in Laos in the 1970s, with the “detective” a native-born coroner, Dr. Siri, who is in his 70s and has seen much in his life. Cotterill sets his writing style on the first page, with unpredictable, lovely choices of words. His characters are quirky and individual, the plot is full of the culture and politics of that region of the world, and the bonus: magical realism, supernatural elements, and “animate” descriptions of both nature and the inanimate. Not only are the characters unique, but they are also used unobtrusively to address discriminations against age, gender and special needs. The plot kept me guessing all the way to the end—and usually guessing wrong—but the ending was . . . weird. A bit of a SPOILER alert coming . . .

. . . but my guess is that Dr. Siri cannot achieve spiritual connections through the good talisman unless he also accepts the evil talisman, because both exist in the world. I’ll need to read more of this series to find out!   

Dogsbody

Diana Wynne Jones

This book is wonderful, a story about a dog who is found guilty of a crime he did not commit, and must solve a mystery to prove his innocence—and save Earth in the process. But wait—did I say “a dog” must do all this? Perhaps he is more than that. This is classic DWJ: people may not be what they seem; the ending is bittersweet (get your hankie out); bits of fantasy, science fiction and myth are interwoven in the plot; and you will find yourself, on the last page, skimming the book again to understand the clues that she so cleverly inserts. If you love dogs, you will love this book. If you love cats, you will love this book, too.

Dreams of Gods and Monsters

Laini Taylor

This is the concluding novel in her “Daughter of Smoke and Bones” trilogy, and Taylor does not disappoint: it is as good as the other two books. What a ride! And to say that Taylor is the queen of metaphors is like saying … a really cool metaphor that only she can possibly think of. But there are some caveats: it is an overly long book (600+ pages), and perhaps the series could have been made into a quattro of books instead of a trilogy. Incredibly, the ending seems rushed, with several story points or character resolutions obliquely referred to or hastily concluded when I wanted to actually read the scenes. There is almost too much going on, and Taylor seems unable to quite finish it all satisfactorily. But is the story really finished? The ending was not the absolute “happy ever after” resolution I was expecting, and I wonder whether more books may be forthcoming? Hmmm I kind of hope they are... but only time will tell.

Vendetta

Michael Dibdin

This is the second Aurelio Zen mystery/crime novel, and is as good or better than the first (Ratking). Dibdin paints the bureaucracy and political games of Rome in such cynical terms that you wonder how anything gets done. And Zen wonders this, too. But the real wonder is how everything bad that happens to Zen—and a lot of bad happens—turns into good luck for him in the end. You are left chuckling and shaking your head at the farce of it all. While reading this novel, notice that the word “vendetta” shows up multiple times; there are in fact several vendettas occurring, some criminal, some professional, and some very personal. Which ones will Zen foil, or will he be the victim? Even if the mystery is not necessarily that, Dibdin writes so beautifully that it is hard to put the book aside. I love to read certain sentences three or four times just for the sheer delight in his choice of words. His sentences can be long and complex, but the imagery evoked by his word choice is wonderful.

Charmed Life

Diana Wynne Jones 

What a lovely read! DWJ never ceases to amaze me with her convoluted plots. It’s a coming of age story for a little boy who thinks he possesses no magical skills, but all I’ll say is beware of older sisters! And just when you think you’ve got the plot figured out, something completely unexpected happens that throws all your suppositions out the window—or out the doorway into one of DWJ’s other worlds. She is definitely the master of the Twisty Plot. This is the first in her Chrestomanci series, and I am so looking forward to reading the other books.

Tuva or Bust!

Ralph Leighton

This is a fascinating, humorous and sometimes bittersweet tale of Nobel-Prize winning physicist Richard Feynman’s search for the mysterious country of Tannu Tuva. Many years ago I read Surely You’re Joking, Mr. Feynman, and have seen at least one PBS special on his life and search for Tuva. Reading this book, I am agog at the incredible lengths he and Leighton and others went through to get to a place so far away—a place Feynman never reached in the end. The journey is sometimes more important than reaching the goal. This adventure occurred in the 1980s when Russia was the USSR, and before the Internet had really taken off; the nostalgia of pre-internet methods of researching — letters, telexes, especially academic libraries—is fascinating. Tuva is now well known, along with its famous throat singers, but back then it was one of the few remaining mysteries of the world—a country that existed on maps, then suddenly didn’t, hinted at through its colorful stamps to collectors like Feynman. With today’s globalization via the internet, there are no longer any mysterious unknown countries lurking about . . . are there? Read this book, then read more books by and about Feynman, a man who loved to learn and share his learning with the world. 

Fire and Hemlock

Diana Wynne Jones

I stayed up past midnight to finish this marvelous book, and am still pondering it days later. It is full of symbols from ballads and medieval tales like Tam Lin, and even The Odyssey. The plot is haunting, confusing, sometimes creepy, sometimes muddled and very twisty in that special DWJ way, with an opaque ending that makes you want to start the book over again to recognize all the clues that she sprinkles throughout. Her use of names is very important, as well as what it means to be a hero in every-day life, but the book is also a story about a young girl growing up and being in love (despite the age difference). Reading her essay “The Heroic Ideal: A Personal Odyssey” in her book Reflections on the Magic of Writing, helps me to better understand it. I loved the character of Granny, I loved the classical music references (the “quartet” in more ways than one), and I loved the painting references. The reader learns things while she reads, but DWJ isn’t obvious about it. Final advice: Everyone should read this book.

Days of Blood and Starlight

Laini Taylor

Well, this second book of the trilogy is non-stop thrills! Although it could have used some tightening (many repetitions), I had a very hard time putting it down. A lot more blood than starlight, pretty dark on the whole, but the laughs were therefore all the funnier, and the plot twists, oh boy, can Taylor out-do herself in the third volume? Read it and see for yourself!

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Laini Taylor

It is surprising to read a refreshingly different and highly imaginative fantasy, with just the right amount of teenage love angst thrown in. This is such a book. Taylor is a master of beautifully lyrical description, both of her world and her characters’ feelings. The twists and shocks of the plot carry the reader onward, and boy, talk about a cliff-hanger ending! Since this is the first of a trilogy, I can guess and fret about what it all means and how it will end, and will no doubt be completely wrong and completely surprised — as I should be. I can hardly wait to start reading the next book!

The Name of the Wind

Patrick Rothfuss

First of all, I will say that Rothfuss is a wonderfully lyrical, poetic writer, as many of his descriptive images show, but unfortunately they are not enough to keep me enthralled. This book is one of the clearest examples to me of the need for editors. I had high expectations for it, based on what other reviewers have said, but I was very disappointed. The writing style is overly detailed, leaving nothing for the reader to imagine or “fill in;” the constant foreshadowing spoils my suspense. The protagonist is so self-aware of his clever uses of words, names and the stories within stories that it becomes a distraction from the plot. And the plot . . . I kept waiting for one, but no. Even though this is the first of a trilogy, I would expect something to happen, and certainly toward the end of the book, like a climax. At least during one of the oddly placed “interludes” in Kvothe’s life story, we finally see some weird action with the creepy mercenary, but then we plunge back into more life history, and then it’s the end (whew).

I really tried to like Kvothe, but he is very unlikable—selfish, always lying (never clear why he feels he has to), uncompassionate, proud, and usually involved in breaking the rules (again, never clear why; I guess he feels he is above them?) I am hoping that this trilogy will show him grow up and become a little nicer, but since he is telling his life history and does not seem to be much different (just sad and world-weary), I have my doubts. I did love the character of Auri, but we didn’t get enough of her.

The book could have been edited by half and be a tighter, better read; too much “telling and not showing,” too many scenes that do not advance the plot or characters, too many scenes that are in the wrong order. However, now that I’ve finished The Name of the Wind, I’m going to re-read A Wizard of Earthsea.

Missing Incorporated

Tess Pendergrass

This is a fun read, full of fast action, unexpected plot twists, and strong female characters. There is enough romance to be teasing but not overpowering, and the protagonist has a deep history and personal fears that she must conquer—if she doesn’t, everyone will die! Recommended for twisty action fans.

The Tough Guide to Fantasyland

Diana Wynne Jones

“Dark Lord Approved” says it all. This “tour” of all the clichés, monsters, missing heirs and magic users of most fantasy novels is witty, very funny, and very true. It pretty much covers any possible combination of characters and plot devices you might encounter in any fantasy book you read. It will have you laughing out loud in many places, especially if you recognize which books some of the clichés come from. The standard food of stew and Jones’ theory of how horses are bred in Fantasyland are hysterical; the Gnomic Utterances at the beginning of each alphabetical section are a hoot. I had not heard of several of the topics—the Marsh Dwellers, the Reek of Wrongness—so I guess I need to read more. Altogether, The Tough Guide to Fantasyland is a must-have reference work. ;-)

Uncivil Seasons

by Michael Malone

This is a fantastic read. It combines a slow, unhurried southern style with passages of pure lyrical poetry that make me pause and re-read, pause again and contemplate how Malone came up with the imagery and why I can’t ever think of such cool metaphors. And all this superb writing in a whodunit murder mystery with two police detectives as the main characters. Justin and Cuddy are the high points of the book, each sharply drawn and given equal time, but the ancillary characters are also well developed, with quirks and eccentricities that keep the story moving. The book is overly long, but that is a minor quibble when I am immersed in Malone’s world. Read this book. 

Mary Poppins Comes Back
by P.L. Travers

As an adult, re-reading this book, along with Mary Poppins, was a different experience for me than reading it for the first time as a child. 

The nuances of the characters are better understood and appreciated; while I used to think that Mary Poppins seemed mean to the children, I see now her subtlety in that the magic isn’t magic if it is exposed to the “real” world. The life lessons that she teaches are still fresh, and the humor in the characters is abundant and definitely worth an occasional LOL. 

Mary Poppins’ deep mysticism comes across much more so now than during my first read, and after perusing a couple of biographies of Travers, I am quite impressed by this fascinating writer. I can’t remember whether I read beyond these first two books, but I’ll have to find out.

Princess Academy 

by Shannon Hale 

This is a delightful story about growing up and grieving and family (and princesses); the plot is fairly predictable, but the characters are given room to grow, and not everyone is what they seem. The protagonist reminds me of a Jane Austen heroine at a younger age merged with Heidi and a bit of Jacky Faber tossed in to give her that extra punch. A fun read.

 

Od Magic

by Patricia A. McKillip

I loved this McKillip book! Of course, I love them all, but this one had me sitting with a big smile on my face at the end. The characters and some pieces of the plot reminded me of her RiddleMaster trilogy and Cygnus series, using earth magic, and also the “magic” of love and friendship.

   And I always thrill at the crucial scene where all the main characters are in one room together discovering the mysteries solved (two mysteries, at least, in this book). These scenes always remind me of the classic climaxes in whodunits written by Agatha Christie, Rex Stout, the Thin Man movies (I didn’t read the books), and even recently the climax of Gregory Maguire’s A Lion Among Men, with all the bizarre characters stumbling toward revelation at the Cloister. They all have me chuckling aloud whether I guessed the truth or whether I am as surprised as the characters.

   Anyway, read this book because it is wonderful -- and it even includes gardening, one of my person passions!

Off the Rails

by Lisa St Aubin de Teran

This book caught me off-guard since I knew nothing about the author, but love travel books and travel by train in particular. It is part-memoir, part-reveries about train travel and the seemingly hundreds of places that Lisa has visited. She jumps around, from England to Venezuela to Italy to Scotland, throwing in Russia and Argentina and several other countries, but writes with passion and paranoia and profound insight into the psychology of people; she also knows her botany, rambling off garden plant names casually, which always impresses me. Reading this book made me visit Wikipedia to get a fuller understanding of her life, her many loves and homes, in a more comprehendible chronology. But someone who cherishes (and lugs around) favorite old suitcases, and who wears Edwardian dresses when she travels by train, is someone I would like to read more about. I highly recommend this book and her other memoirs.

The Fire’s Stone

by Tanya Huff 

Wow. I had never heard of this author before reading this book, but quite enjoyed it. The plot is surprisingly engaging for a fairly standard fantasy novel; the three main characters are deeply drawn and given complicated back stories, and wrestle with very real issues such as alcoholism, childhood trauma, and acceptance of love that isn’t just between man and woman. Sometimes they offer sophisticated modern psychoanalysis of one another -- something not often articulated in “real” life -- but I forgive them that because they had me caring about what happened to them and hoping that they all made it in the end. I will look for more of Huff’s books, for sure.

Alphabet of Thorn

by Patricia A. McKillip

This is another winner from McKillip, and one of my favorites. She blends elements from prior works such as warring across time and the wild magic of woods and sea, then mixes in a group of quirky, unique, strong characters, both female and male. Role reversals dominate: kings who turn out to be queens, sorcerers who are sorceresses. As always, she leaves the reader thinking about what she didn’t write, or perhaps what she implied between the lines. A must read!

Into Thick Air: Biking to the Bellybutton of Six Continents 

by Jim Malusa

Wonderful premise of bicycling to the world's lowest points, including my favorite (and only one I've been to), Death Valley. Creative, thoughtful descriptions of the plant and animal life, including human, that he meets; very poetic imagery at times. I don't own this book, but now want to buy it so I can browse it again in the future. 

Illumination 

by Terry McGarry 

I have mixed feelings about this book. It is well-written with a unique take on the magic of triads, with some intriguing characters... but it is overly long, way too violent in creepy ways, the ending is very unsatisfying, and I just did not like the protagonist as much as I liked other characters (Heff, mainly). 

In the Forests of Serre 

by Patricia A. McKillip 

I really enjoyed this one. I love the quirky characters, the fairy-tale action, the marvelous witch, and the hauntingly lyrical images that McKillip weaves through her metaphors. 

Amazing Traveler Isabella Bird 

by Evelyn Kaye 

A fascinating biography of the 19th (and very early 20th) century English woman traveler, indefatigable and energetic. Kaye's biography shows what Isabella really thought of the religious beliefs she encountered that were different from her own, but her own works faithfully described them without much personal judgement. She endured much hardship on her travels, but while reading the book, I kept thinking that the animals -- horse, mule, etc. -- often endured as much or more than she did! I also wish that Kaye had included maps that traced her travels: one from her own time, and one modern map since some of the political geography has of course changed. But on the whole, this book is well worth the read.

A Lion Among Men

by Gregory Maguire

While I enjoyed this book more than Son of a Witch, it still cannot quite compare with Wicked itself. Still, we always wondered why the Lion was cowardly, and Maguire provides his past in flashbacks and memories that reveal a cowardice both physical and, more importantly, spiritual. The action is as remarkable and unpredictable as ever, and I was pleased that my favorite characters, the maunts such as Sister Apothecaire, the dwarf and especially Yackle, were given juicy parts. I would certainly recommend this book, and look forward to Out of Oz.
 
The Cygnet and the Firebird 

by Patricia A. McKillip

Just finished this book after reading The Sorceress and the Cygnet; wow what a fabulous fantasy trip! I’d only read one other McKillip book in high school -- The Forgotten Beasts of Eld -- and can’t believe I didn’t read any others until now. I will be catching up on her works for some time to come. Strong female characters, bonds of love and friendship, and the possibility of redemption through character growth -- loved it all.

 
The City Under the Back Steps

by Evelyn Sibley Lampman

This was one of my two favorite books as a child; finding it again as an adult (I couldn't remember the name) has been delightful. While it is a children's book that educates the reader about the tiny world of ants, I loved (and still do) the idea of "big bugs" as characters in a book, and not necessarily as the bad guys.

The Gammage Cup

by Carol Kendall

I read this book as an adult and love its originality, creativity and simple themes of individuality, teamwork and friendship. I remember smiling when I read Rowling's "Muggle" reference and thinking she may have been influenced by this wonderful book.

The Left Hand of Darkness

by Ursula K. Le Guin

This book is my favorite Le Guin book; reading it in college while being an anthropology major meant a double-dose of wonderful. A thoughtful treatment of intolerance and communication across cultures.

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West (Wicked Years)

by Gregory Maguire

Having waited for some years until I was in an “Oz” mood before reading this novel, I must say that it has lived up to its reputation and then some! It is as if Maguire has grabbed the rich imagination of the original Oz books, of which I’ve only read the first few, and then run rampant with it. The novel was an (ebook) page turner, with morals and ethics, religion and love and friendship analyzed at every turn. There were very dark moments and moments of inspiration. Truly well worth reading.

 

The Beekeeper's Apprentice

by Laurie R. King

This is a modern twist on the Sherlock Holmes legend with a strong female protagonist every bit the mental equal of Holmes. It has a very clever and unpredictable plot that drew me in and kept me turning the pages until the end.