Audio: Brida

Brida is a short novel of love, life, magic, and nature. The main character, Brida, is a young, Irish woman who decides she wants to learn witchcraft. She seeks out a magus and a witch to be her teachers of the traditions of the sun and the moon, respectively.

(picture taken from Photobucket;

uploaded by romela)

First impression: I like Coelho's writing style. He tends to wander from the main focus at times, but that fits with this story. I can't tell what the balance of every day to magical events is going to be in this story. I thought it would be a fantasy, but it seems to be more rooted in existing traditions than in new magic and fabricated ideas. The magus is an interesting character, although his motives are questionable. Brida is still somewhat undeveloped. Right now she's just a young woman trying to be strong and independent while longing for companionship and purpose. We'll see where Coelho takes her.

(picture taken from Photobucket;

uploaded by amigonas)

Conclusion: What an interesting book! Coelho uses such poetic language in all of his writing, and I love the way he mingles all things together in the world: religion, magic, nature, etc. His books vaguely remind me of Hermann Hesse's writing, and his characters are detailed and fantastic. Linda Emond, the reader of the audio CD version, also does a fantastic job. Her smooth, layered voice lends personality and connection to Brida. I will definitely continue reading books by Coelho in the future.

Just a heads-up, my computer decided to crash this week. Something is wrong with the motherboard (I don't know much about computers, but that's what the guy who can fix it said). I'm using my husband's computer right now, and hopefully I'll be able to alternate this one with the library computers to keep writing reviews for you guys, but until I figure this out, my responses might be delayed. I wanted you all to know--I'm sure you understand what a pain this is in the incredibly digital world in which we live! Anyway--keep entering for my giveaway and sharing with your friends! You guys are awesome!

Giveaway: Pride and Prejudice Bicentenary Celebration!

Two days ago, I promised you all a Pride and Prejudice-themed giveaway, so here it is! There will be four prizes and three ways of entering. Here are the prizes:

1. Two Guys Read Jane Austen by Steve Chandler and Terrence N. Hill

As you know, I think this book is amazing! You can read my review here.

2. Lost in Austen (2008 movie with Elliot Cowan and Jemima Rooper)

(picture taken from IMDb)
Although I've had mixed feelings about this movie, it's grown on me. You can read my review here.

3. an art print of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy as a couple

The artist is Jess Purser. I love Etsy (probably my favorite shopping destination), and she has a great shop there called Castle On The Hill! I contributed to her Kickstarter campaign earlier this year for some postcards of various Austen couples, and this print was one of my prizes for contributing. It's really pretty, but I have nowhere to put it, unfortunately. My loss is your gain!

4. a set of postcards of Austen couples

These were also created by Jess Purser! Aren't they fun? I kept a set, and I'm giving one away!

Now for the contest entry information and rules. Please read all the way through them before participating!

How to Enter:

• To enter, leave a comment on this post answering this question: Which one of the prizes are you most excited about? After you answer the initial question, you can earn an extra entry by commenting on this post answering this question: Which book featured on my blog in other posts are you most interested in reading in the future (or if you've read them all, tell me which was your favorite)? Last but not least, after posting the two comments above, you can earn a third entry by sharing this post on your blog and linking back to it through a comment on this post. If you don't post a link here or I can't click through the link, I can't count your entry. The entries can be posted together in one comment, or they can each be posted separately. Comments that do not fulfill these requirements will not be included in the drawing.
• Comments must be left on this post before 11:59pm on Tuesday, December 31, 2013 (Central Time) to be entered into the drawing. One entry per type per person please. Contest open to entrants with continental U.S. mailing addresses only.
• Each qualified entry will be entered into a drawing, and four winners will be selected randomly from those entries. Each winner will receive ONE of the four prizes listed in this post.
• The winners will be contacted via e-mail, so please be sure you leave a valid e-mail address in your comment(s).
• The winners will be notified by January 7, 2013. If a winner doesn't respond with his or her mailing address within 72 hours of the notification e-mail being sent, he or she forfeits the prize and an alternative winner will be selected (same guidelines apply).
• Each winner's prize will be shipped by me after the mailing address is provided. After the prizes are claimed, the winners' names will be announced on this blog.

This is my first time hosting a giveaway, and I'm excited! Make sure you check back to see how things are going and to find new books to love! Good luck!

Neglect

Wow, so I have really lost track of the time passing in-between my posts here. Since I work in retail, this time of year is completely insane, not to mention I've taken on a ton of new responsibilities lately. I'm actually reading quite a bit, though; I just forget to update my blog. So, I'm sorry for that. If I have the time in the next couple of days, I'll try to back track with a few posts. Anyway, this is me rambling, but my main point is that I definitely won't be finishing my blog challenges for the year. I was sad about it at first, but I don't regret participating, and I'm not really upset about it any more. I think the important thing is that I tried, and next year my reading focus will be on two things: my book club books and my giant beanstalk of a TBR list. This is a more realistic goal, as there will be some overlap, and it will still leave me plenty of freedom to read extra books without the pressure of four or five novels a month (which is just too much right now, since I'm a fairly slow reader). I still have fun ideas for this blog, but they will probably be spread out over time rather than a full revamp that you can expect soon. I hope that I don't lose any readers due to my inconsistencies, because I appreciate you all.

That being said (if you stuck with me), this is the fun part! Although I won't be finishing my P&P Bicentenary goals, that's no reason for you to suffer! I will still be doing my Pride and Prejudice Challenge themed giveaway, and there will be three prizes: Lost in Austen, the 2008 movie that I reviewed here; Two Guys Read Jane Austen by Steve Chandler and Terrence N. Hill, which I reviewed here; and the third is still TBD, but I've already decided it will not be a movie or a book, so we can have some variety. I hope you all get excited about these--I know I am! I'll try to be back tomorrow with the giveaway or at least more information, so stay posted!

(from Feed Your Soul: The Free Art Project;

artist Shira Sela)

Book Club: Ender's Game

I've always heard Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card touted as a modern classic and a must-read for all youths and adults who love sci-fi or reading in general. Needless to say, I've always wanted to read it, but I've just never made the time. Since it was the book club selection for this month, however, I made the time to read it, and I'm so happy I did! The story is centered around a young, gifted boy (six-years-old at the beginning of the book), Andrew (or "Ender" as his brother nicknames him). It is set in the future, and there are many societal rules (laws against over-population or religious practice of any kind, for example) that do not exist in today's society. The primary goal of children in this altered world is to become great commanders in the war against the "buggers"--aliens who have attacked Earth and been beaten back twice before the book's storyline. Ender is one of the young geniuses chosen to attend Battle School, and as his prospects become more and more promising, his life and his goals become more and more difficult and indecipherable.

(taken from Photobucket;

uploaded by bandgk424)

First Impression: This book starts out strong. Card has a really good feel for how these children might think and feel. They understand a lot about what is going on and how the adults are lying to them, but they don't quite know why they are being manipulated. I'm enjoying this so far.

Conclusion: Ender's Game is fantastic! Card lays out the similarities and differences of his world through the experiences of his characters rather than blanket description, so the reader can understand what is happening and feels like part of that world. All of the characters are very complex and well-developed, especially Ender. I'm afraid of giving away any details in case I'll ruin part of the book for another reader, but suffice it to say that this book is thrilling and every step of the story is unexpected. It completely took my breath away. Card has apparently written some other storylines with some of the characters from this book, and I will definitely be reading those. Apparently a movie version of this is being made soon as well, so I'll be interested to see how that will turn out:

(taken from Photobucket; uploaded by kwamie42)

kwamie42

Don't forget to follow my blog for regular updates and make any suggestions in the comment field for improvements! Thanks for reading with me!

I'm Back!

Okay, I know it's been about a month and a half since I updated, but let me make a couple of quick apologies and promises for the future, and then we'll act like this never happened. First, the apologies: my son turned 1 1/2 (not technically a birthday but significant all the same) and I got a promotion (finally full-time at my beloved book store)! I think you'll agree that these are celebratory events, but I still miss you all, and I'm sorry for keeping you waiting. Now for the promises: I have a couple of new ideas brewing for the blog, including some cosmetic and functional changes, my planned North and South Book Talks, something with tea and poetry, and...drumroll, please...giveaways! I've decided to wrap-up the year-long bicentenary celebration of Pride and Prejudice with some Austen and P&P-related giveaways in the next couple of months. This will be a first for Reading in the Dark, and it's very exciting! So stay posted for all of that! Don't forget to follow my blog for regular updates and make any suggestions in the comment field for improvements! Thanks for reading with me!

Book Club: The Eleventh Plague

 (book cover; taken from Goodreads)

You can probably tell from the cover what The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch is about. Post-apocalyptic America! So, initially I thought this was going to be a zombie book, which made me not want to read it, because I'm kind of sick of zombies right now. But it's not. The background of the story is that the United States and China decided to start a biological war with each other which killed off most of the people in at least those two countries (the rest of the world isn't really mentioned, so I'm not sure what happened to them). What's left is a shell of what once was--amusement parks with weeds and vines growing up the rides, broken billboards that you can see from miles away, abandoned and broken-down houses that could fall at any minute, etc. The worst part is what happened to those who were left: ex-military slavers, abandoned children, scavengers, and small hypocritical towns left where civilization once reigned. The main character is a teenage boy named Stephen--a scavenger like his father. He has lost his mother and grandfather to the hardships of the only existence he's ever known, but at least he always knows where he's going and what he's doing...until his father falls into a coma after hitting his head and Stephen meets a group of men who offer him shelter and security.

First Impression: The main purpose of this world eludes me. Stephen makes references to why the world fell apart, but has yet to explain if the "plague" from the biological warfare is still active somehow. Also, how are there still scraps for them to find after such a long time? I have a lot of questions, and I'm intrigued only enough to want answers so far. This is mostly an adventure/survival story, it seems, without a lot of literary meat or value.

Conclusion: This was a really interesting take on the post-apocalyptic world. Probably the most realistic one I've read, since I could see that war actually happening in the future. It took me a while to get into it, but I like what Hirsch decided to do in part three, bringing it all together. His characters were well-written, too--flawed and never black-and-white (by which I mean he had lots of realistic variation). I never really liked Jenny, but her character was well-designed and served its purpose. Stephen's father could have done a bit more, I think, but he served most of his purpose as well, I guess. I do wish that Hirsch would have expanded a bit and written a longer book. There wasn't quite enough detail for the complicated premise of the story. Not at all what I was expecting but a good read for older children and adults.

Don't forget to follow my blog for regular updates and make any suggestions in the comment field for improvements! Thanks for reading with me!

Audio: The Host

I listened to an audio version of The Host written by Stephenie Meyer and read by Kate Reading. The book is set on Earth, where aliens have taken over by entwining themselves with the spinal cords and brains of human host bodies. These aliens (who call themselves souls) are gentle, peaceful creatures (with the exception of seekers) who decided to take over because humans are prone to violence and destruction. The main character and narrator, Wanderer, is one such soul, who has been placed in the body of one of the few human resistance fighters (or really just survivors) left, Melanie. She finds that her host is not going to fade away easily, and so begins the story. (picture taken from Photobucket; uploaded by allwaysatoffee; probably a promotional picture from the movie, which I haven't seen) First Impression: Meyer uses simple language in this book, which was also the case in her Twilight series. Perhaps because she's writing about an alien, or "soul," most of the time, her style seems more appropriate for this type of book. Reading does a very good job varying her voice between characters, especially with the small difference in tone she uses between Wanderer and Melanie. It makes a big difference when they are having conversations internally. There isn't the same "teen drama" as I found in Twilight, so I'm enjoying The Host so far. Conclusion: I found myself genuinely curious throughout the book as to what might happen to Wanda and Melanie. Will they be separated? Will one of them disappear? Will Wanda fall in love or steal more bodies for her kind? Okay, that last one was a little complicated. But generally, I just found myself curious as I read on. I saw a lot of things coming in this book, mostly because I had so many ideas; one of them was bound to be right. The encouragement of these ideas is what I like in a book such as The Host, so I would consider Meyer successful in that respect. The extraction about 65% of the way through the book is very well done--possibly one of the best parts. I can't be more specific or I'll ruin it, but Meyer shows a great eye for detail in that section of the story. While I'm not sure that I like where that portion ends, I think it is more true to Wanda's character because of my non-agreement. I find the emphasis on the body in connection with love very interesting. I don't necessarily agree that the body has such a strong physical reaction against the mind, but the connection fit in well with the story. I don't think this novel needed to be so long in order to tell Meyer's tale, but it is more well-rounded than the Twilight series, which I hope is a sign that Meyer is maturing as an author. I also think she does better with sci-fi than with dark fantasy. Maybe it's the higher ratio of science to drama. Anyway, this book saved Meyer as an author that I might read in the future. I'll probably read the next one she writes.