Blog Changes

I've been playing with the structure of All Booked Up and I've added some new features to the navigation bar on the right, including a list of other blogs about books.

I've also gone back and tagged each of the reviews with their author as well as the categories I was already using. I partially did this for my own convenience, as I've found myself searching for reviews I've posted in the past.

Acheron - Sherrilyn Kenyon

Acheron
Sherrilyn Kenyon
St. Martin's Press
Copyright: August 2008
9780312362157

The most recent book in Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark Hunter series, this is the story of Acheron, one of the characters that shows up in all of the books but Fantasy Lover. He's been a mystery to the readers from day one.

Who is he? What happened to him? What is he? Why does he hate Artemis so, and yet keep returning to her, and what hold does she have over him? We've been given hints about Acheron through all the books, leading to the above list of questions, which are answered in this book. Finally.

Acheron is also the longest book in the series to date, with 736 pages. It's also quite different from the typical Dark Hunter story. Where the others start in the present day, and we learn about the character through flashbacks, Acheron starts with the main character's birth and works forward, until it finally jumps into the present day.

To be honest, this wasn't my favourite book in the series, that being held equally by Unleash the Night and Night Play, but especially the latter present day half of the book was a good read. I did find myself skimming some parts of the earlier half of the book, as it made for slightly depressing reading. So as not to spoil things, all I will say is that Acheron did NOT have an easy life.

On the other hand, as this is a romance novel, you know that it will have a happy ending, and so it turns out. Acheron does get his happy ending, but it leaves some major questions to be answered in future books. I'm looking forward to them.

Squire - Tamora Pierce

Another re-read where my opinion of the book hasn't really changed, so I'm linking to my original review: http://allbookedup-elena.blogspot.com/2008/02/squire-tamora-pierce.html.

Companion To Wolves - Elizabeth Bear and Sarah Monette

Companion To Wolves
Sarah Monette and Elizabeth Bear
Tor Books
Copyright: July 2008
9780765357786

This is a stand-alone book, and not part of a series for once. I thought it was a good read (ended up reading until the early hours of the morning again), but I do have one big issue with Companion To Wolves: This is the first fantasy novel I've read that I believe needs an "Adult Content" warning of some sort. The story was very sexually explicit, and violent as well.

While this isn't a problem for me, I know that the fantasy section is a stepping stone for many from the Childrens/Young Adult areas of the store to the regular fiction section.

Aside from that one issue, I really enjoyed reading this book. The storyline is original, the characters good and the world well created.

Like some other fantasies, such as those of Micky Zucher Reichert, this book is set in a northern/nordic based world. However, the authors have gone a little farther and based all the names, as well as many of the terms used on those of the appropriate region of northern Europe.

I liked the book, but I don't think its for every reader.

Another well thought out review of this book can be found at the blog Age 30+.
There is a review at the Fantasy Book Critic as well.

Tamora Pierce - First Test and Page

I've been re-reading the Protector of the Small Quartet. I finished the first two yesterday, and my original opinion still stands, they're very quick reads. I read the first one entirely on the bus, so about an hour and a half or two hours from start to finish, and the second one took about the same time.

My original reviews of the books are:
http://allbookedup-elena.blogspot.com/2008/02/first-test-tamora-pierce.html
http://allbookedup-elena.blogspot.com/2008/02/page-tamora-pierce.html

By Schism Rent Asunder - David Weber

By Schism Rent Asunder
David Weber
Tor Books
Copyright: July 2008
ISBN: 9780765315014

By Schism Rent Asunder is the sequel to Off Armageddon Reef and it was just as good as all of Weber's other science fiction. However, unlike his other science fiction novels, the technology is in the background, making this more of a fantasy type story. Regardless, I loved it.

The only thing is, and this was completely my fault, I found myself quite lost in reading the book, as I last read Off Armageddon Reef when it first came out (now well over a year ago), and I'd forgotten much of the detail. I'm now going to have to re-read that book.

As good as the story is (and I stayed up most of the night to finish reading it), unlike the first book, By Schism Rent Asunder is definitely a 'middle book' in the series. Although the story ends on a victory, it really doesn't resolve anything. This is a book that is just crying out for a sequel, whereas Off Armageddon Reef stood alone very well, and until I saw this book in the store, I'd wondered if it was simply a stand-alone novel. Now, I want to know what happens next.

I highly, highly recommend this book.

My review of By Heresies Distressed, the sequel to By Schism Rent Asunder.

Other reviews can be found at:
Fantasy Book Critic: By Schism Rent Asunder

1215 The Year of the Magna Carta - Danny Danziger & John Gillingham

1215 The Year Of The Magna Carta
Danny Danziger & John Gillingham
Coronet
Copyright: 2003
ISBN: 9780340824751

Despite the title, 1215 isn't as much about the Magna Carta as it is about what led up to it in the previous years, such as the behavior of King John. There is a lot about what life was like in the period in Britain: wedding rituals, the structure of the church, clothing etc, incomes and how much things were worth and the like.

If you are simply curious as to what life was like in the period, this is a good book and very readable. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of life, such as 'School' or 'The Countryside'.

1215 was a good book, with lots of good information, but I wouldn't use it in research for any classes. This is it's biggest downfall in my mind. The authors don't give detailed sources and when they quotes a chronicler, they doesn't give a specific translation with page numbers or any other locating marks, something that any student is required to give in their papers.

On the whole though, I liked 1215 The Year Of The Magna Carta, and considering it was a bargain book, I think it was worth what I paid for it.

Other medieval history books I've reviewed:
Pilgrimages - John Ure
The Worlds Of Medieval Europe - Clifford R. Backman
Reading The Middle Ages - Barbara Rosenwein
The Crusades - A Very Short Introduction - Christopher Tyerman
Life In A Medieval Village - Francis And Joseph Gies
By Sword And Fire - Sean McGlynn

The Ancient Tea Horse Road - Jeff Fuchs

The Ancient Tea Horse Road
Jeff Fuchs
Viking Canada
Copyright: 2008
ISBN: 9780670066117

The Ancient Tea Horse Road is a fascinating read if you are interested in any of the following: China, Tibet, tea and history. I picked it up out of random curiosity, not being especially interested in the region, but being a fan of history and horses. I couldn't put it down.

Honestly, I'm surprised that this is the first book the author has written. Jeff Fuchs is an exceptional writer, capturing his experiences vividly.

He's following an ancient trade route between China, Tibet and India and capturing the memories of the last generation to do so using the traditional methods. It's fascinating to learn so much about something we all take for granted, whether we like it or not: tea. Throughout the book there is a lot of detail about the various types, methods and history of the substance.

I think one of the things that is so interesting is it's apparent in the book that the author has spent a lot of time in the region before he embarked on the trail, something it appears that no non-native has done before. It would have been good to find out more about Jeff's earlier experiences, I think, and I hope he writes more.

By Sword And Fire - Sean McGlynn

By Sword And Fire
Sean McGlynn
Weidenfeld & Nicolson
Copyright: 2008
ISBN: 9780297846789

The amazon.com product description:

For all the talk of chivalry, medieval warfare routinely involved acts that we would consider war crimes. Lands laid waste, civilians slaughtered, prisoners massacred: this was standard fare justified by tradition and practical military necessity. This popular treatment of a grisly subject examines the battles of Acre and Agincourt, sieges like Béziers, Lincoln, Jerusalem, and Limoges, as well as the infamous chevauchées of the Hundred Years War that devastated great swathes of France. Learn how these events formed the origin of accepted “rules of war”; codes of conduct that are today being enforced in the International Court of Justice in The Hague. This is an all-encompassing portrait of war in the Middle Ages that combines vivid narrative with explanation and analysis.

By Sword and Fire is certainly a different take on medieval history than many of the books I've read. Instead of chronicling the events, beliefs etc quite briefly as a lot of the general history books do, this book looks at medieval warfare, the attitudes of the time towards it and atrocities that occurred during wars. It's not exactly for the faint of heart. However, it's not overly graphic either.

Sean starts out by examining recorded cases of punishment for various crimes and the attitudes of the people towards criminals, then looks at the place of the King in all of this. It's only after he's set the stage with these relatively everyday occurrences that the book delves into soldiers behaviors.

Within the book, the author has chosen to examine specific examples of several different types of warfare: open battle, sieges and then whole campaigns, using a number of examples for each. The examples range from the campaign termed The Harrying of the North after the battle of 1066 to sieges during the Crusades.

All of the examples are well documented from chronicles of the time, generally including chronicles from both sides of the dispute so there is little bias, then the author looks at the statements made in the chronicle, such as death figures and explains how they have been interpreted over the centuries.

This book has more or less disproved the chivalric ideal of the Arthurian Romance and medieval movie.

I do recommend By Sword And Fire for anyone who is interested in medieval history.

Other medieval history books I've reviewed:
Pilgrimages - John Ure
The Worlds Of Medieval Europe - Clifford R. Backman
Reading The Middle Ages - Barbara Rosenwein
The Crusades - A Very Short Introduction - Christopher Tyerman
Life In A Medieval Village - Francis And Joseph Gies
1215: The Year Of The Magna Carta - Danny Danziger and John Gillingham

Edited in 2013 to add the amazon.com product description. The rest of the review is unchanged.

Tolkien And The Great War - John Garth

Tolkien And The Great War
John Garth
Houghton Mifflin
Copyright: 2003
ISBN: 0618331298

One of a growing number of biographies of the author J.R.R. Tolkien, Tolkien And The Great War focuses on the years of the First World War (1914-1918).

According to the dust-jacket flap, this book "is the first substantially new biography of Tolkien since 1977" (the latter would be the Humphrey Carpenter volume). However, it's not the last. There's the Ring of Words (Tolkien's years at the OED) and the books by Hammond and Scull.

It's one thing to have read the Letters and Humphrey Carpenter's bio on what Tolkien went through during the War, but the way John Garth does it, by looking at Tolkien's battallion as well as those of his friends from the TCBS really brings what Tolkien experienced home to you.

Tokien And The Great War is not just about Tolkien, but also about his three friends from the TCBS, Rob Gilson, G.B. Smith and Christopher Wiseman.

It's not just the movements of the war that Garth goes over, but also he examines Tolkien's early writings: his poetry and the Book of Lost Tales and demonstrates how they were affected by the War.

There were two negatives to the book, one of which is probably just a flaw in my copy. The blue ink on the dust-jacket is like old-fashioned newsprint. It smears onto my fingers. This was the first book I've had to remove the dust-jacket to read. However, I haven't heard about anything like this happening to anyone else, so I suspect it was just my copy.

The second flaw in my mind is the way the end-notes were set up, and here I'm comparing the book to Shippey's Road To Middle-Earth. Unlike the latter book Tolkien and the Great War doesn't use any note numbers. The notes are simply at the end of the book and listed by page number. It made it a lot harder to find the notes, to the point where I finally didn't even bother.

Overall, however, I found the book to be a very engaging read and I think I learned quite a bit about those years which were so formative to Tolkien and his writing.

Other Reviews:
Bookspot Central: Tolkien and the Great War

Square Foot Gardening: A New Way To Garden In Less Space With Less Work - Mel Bartholomew

Square Foot Gardening: A New Way To Garden In Less Space With Less Work
Mel Bartholomew
Rodale Books
Copyright: 2005
ISBN: 9781579548568

The publisher describes this book as a 'bestselling garden book' (on indigo.ca). I waited to review it from when I first read it at the beginning of the month because I was inspired to try the methods the author describes.

In my experiment, I'd have to say it's a success so far. Last night I harvested the first lettuce and swiss chard from the garden. The beans are blooming and one of the tomato plants as well. I'm actually thinking of setting up another patch this year.

Square Foot Gardening is good for the beginning gardener as well as the advanced gardener. It starts out describing the method, tells you how to set up the garden, and even gives a few recipes to use the vegetables in. Not to mention plant spacing and growth to harvest spans as well as how long you can harvest and replant the plant before the season is over. At the end of the book it gives detailed information down to the pests to watch out for for each of the plants the book discusses.

Speaking as someone who's never had success with a vegetable garden before, I have to recommend this book highly.

The Snow Queen - Mercedes Lackey

The Snow Queen
Mercedes Lackey
Luna Books
Copyright: 2008
ISBN: 9780373802654

This is the latest offering in Mercedes Lackey's Five Hundred Kingdoms series, and in addition was the first book in the last couple of months that I've read and couldn't put down.

As with all of the series, The Snow Queen looks at a particular fairytale or fairytale convention from an unusual point of view: That of the magical agent who enables the tale and gives us the happy ending, be it a Fairy Godmother, sorceress or some other magical figure. As a result, the story is filled with all of the details and thought needed to have the situation be resolved and the characters involved come out as better people.

Unlike some of the other books in the series, such as The Fairy Godmother (the very first book in the series), I couldn't outright identify the fairytale the story is centered on this time. Not that it mattered, The Snow Queen was definitely a very good read. I'm just kind of curious, because the last book had elements of Russian tales and also bits from Japan and the Middle-East incorporated into the story.

The whole series is one where the magical system is well thought out and makes sense as a coherent whole, but also leaves room for new things to be shown in upcoming books as well.

Perhaps The Snow Queen isn't the highest of literature, but it was a good read regardless, of the sort where you know there will be a happy ending. The question is, "how is it going to get to that happy ending?" I certainly enjoyed finding out the answer.

The Road To Middle-Earth - Tom Shippey

Cross-posted with a few changes to the Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza boards.

The Road To Middle-Earth
Houghton Mifflin
Copyright: 2003
ISBN: 0618257608

I finally got around to reading Shippey's The Road To Middle-Earth all the way through, after owning my copy for about five years.

First of all, I thought it was a really good look at Tolkien's ideas and the backdrops for his ideas and writing. Tom Shippey has a different perspective on Tolkien from some of the other books I've read, probably due to his background in the same academic fields.

The time Shippey spent throughout the book examining languages and cultures as they are reflected in the LOTR was time well spent in my opinion.

There were some portions of the book that more or less flew over my head, such as the debate on Manichean vs Boethe philosophy as it concerned the Ring and the nature of Evil in Tolkien's writings. I just don't know enough about either concept to really have it all make sense. However, the way Shippey put it, his conclusions make a lot of sense.

I'm not sure I agree with his opinion that "non-human characters of The Lord of the Rings are natural objects", (p. 132 or "A Cartographic Plot) at least not in the example of the fight between Gandalf and the Balrog, which he uses. I'd always viewed that fight somewhat differently. Gandalf was already shown as having abilities with fire and light, as did the balrog. In that, yes, they could be seen as "natural objects", but to the distant observer well, the damage to the mountain was described as pretty extreme. Wouldn't the crumbling stone sound rather like thunder to that distant observer?
That's how I interpreted it anyway every time I read that scene.

There are also a couple of pages in the chapter 'Interlacements and The Ring' which go very well with that thread a while back on proverbs in the LOTR.

Shippey also spends quite a bit of time on the character of Saruman, raising a number of interesting points.

I thought Shippey's assessment of character traits being inherited in the Silmarillion was interesting, and makes sense the way he explains it. Again it comes from the older sources Tolkien knew so well.

One thing Shippey spends a lot of time on throughout the book is an emphasis on the language Tolkien used in his writings, picking up on secondary meanings and language shifts of specific words. A good example of this is in the pages on Doom in the chapter "Visions and Revisions". Also, though and this was something I'd never really thought on, just accepted is the care Tolkien took at the different types of language used, such as the speech modes of Rohan, vs. that of the hobbits.

Another thought provoking section was that looking at Tolkien's writings on The Lost Road. Shippey interprets this as writings on death and paradise. I'm not too sure how I feel about that interpretation, as The Lost Road and The Notion Club Papers (the second especially) is one of my favourite of Tolkien's unfinished stories. Still, it's something to think about next time I re-read them.

Shippey weaves throughout this book the criticisms laid against the Lord of the Rings and examines what the critics said, often disproving their claims completely.

Other Tolkien related book reviews I've posted here:
Mr Bliss - J.R.R. Tolkien
Tolkien And The Great War - John Garth
Sigurd And Gudrun - J.R.R. Tolkien

Victory Conditions - Elizabeth Moon

Victory Conditions
Elizabeth Moon
Random House Publishing Group
Copyright: 2008
ISBN: 9780345491619

The final book in the Vatta's War saga, Victory Conditions winds things up in a realistic way for all of the different character threads. I really liked it, and I'm wondering what Elizabeth Moon's going to be working on next. I've heard rumors of a sequel to The Deed of Paksenarrion, one of my all-time favourite fantasy novels.

I know this is a really short blurb, but to be honest, I read the book a while ago, but between work and classes, didn't have time to do anything about it until now.

Travels With My Donkey - Tim Moore

I'll admit right off the bat to skipping several books I've read: The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley, Lady Knight by Tamora Pierce, Bill of Wrongs and probably at least one more.

Travels With My Donkey
Tim Moore
St. Martin's Griffin
Copyright: 2004
ISBN: 0312320833

I've also seen this book under the title Spanish Steps, which includes a photograph section from the trip.

Travels With My Donkey is one funny book in places. It charts the pilgrimage made by the author along the Camino De Santiago, the pilgrimage route across northern Spain. The book is rather irreverent in places, particularly as the author tends to refer to St. James, the patron saint of the pilgrimage as 'Jim', 'Jimbo' and 'St. Jim'. The latter name comes in more closer to the end of the pilgrimage.

On the other hand, the author has a way of turning phrases to make you laugh. For example, this one from the beginning of the book on page 19: "There were still wolves in some of the lonelier forests, and bears had been reintroduced by someone with his heart in the right place and a desire to see mine in the serrated, slavering wrong one."

Also often amusing is the way Tim describes the other pilgrims and the places along the route. Sometimes funny, sometimes simply breathtaking, especially for the places and the weather.

Watching the author change throughout the journey is interesting. Perhaps it's because I took so long reading the book (mostly in little half hour segments over my lunch breaks) but I didn't really notice the changes until at the end. At the beginning, Tim is frightened of the donkey he's decided he's going to use for the pilgrimage, but over the course of the journey that changes.

On occasion as Tim Moore writes about the medieval pilgrims he seems to perpetuate the stereotypes about the time period. On the other hand, the author often makes reference to the medieval pilgrimage guide and what it said about the places, which I found particularly interesting.

Overall, I highly recommend this book for anyone who is either interested in the pilgrimage route, likes travel literature, or who simply likes to read about Spain.