katelisim's 1010(10

I will attempt the ten in every category, just so I can say the list is my answers to life, the universe, and everything... since 101010 is 42 in beta. . . and I'll just hope you guys can get that reference. I doubt I'll make it, as I'm only at 53/75 on that challenge, but we'll see.

I'm not sure what categories I want yet, but I'll be back when I think of some.

Alright, I think I will go with these:

1. Drawn Out: Graphic Novels/Comics/Manga
2. Supernatural: Zombies, Werewolves, Vampires, Ghosts, etc
3. Historical: People, Places, Events, Time-line
4. Under 20: Children and YA
5. I Got Me Lern-ed: Textbooks from class
6. By Non-Author Famous People: tv personalities, movie stars, musicians, etc
7. What Will We Become?: Sci-fi, dystopias, set in future
8. 1001 List
9. Familiar Faces: Favorite authors/rereads
10. Jumble: Whatever else

Any suggestions for the last 2 categories?

Edited For: Finalized my categories

Do you have some ongoing series with books you haven't yet read? If so, you could include a continuations category. Or perhaps a favourite authors category.

I'd also suggest you take a peek at this thread to see others' selections gathered in one place to see if inspiration strikes.

^Thanks! That helped a lot. Now I have them all set :)

Glad to help. I wish you luck with your challenge.

I'm going to do an young adult category also, so I'll be curious to see what you read for that one. Good luck!

Thanks! I haven't started plotting out actual books yet, but that one I don't think I'll have any trouble with. It's the historical category I'm worried about. That is the 'big' try something new category, so I'm not too sure what's out there.

Well, for history, first pick a period or region you find interesting. I myself am deeply interested in Medieval History (so if you like that, check my library), but I read some other historical stuff. Also, maybe you find a subject more interesting, like war, or exploration, or non-western civilizations... This all should make your search for books you'll like easier.
Also, start with the "popular" books. I read scientific books about the middle ages, but there is no other period where I would have the patience to read books like that about.

And, for some period there are specific groups, they can help you along. And tags are your friend ;)

^Thanks, I do like medieval history. I actually like quite a bit of history, but I lean towards the weirder aspects and cultures outside my own. I can't stand to read American history.... or really any modern history.

I've noticed other people set up posts for each category, that will probably make things a lot easier. So I'm going to go ahead and do the same. Although, I won't be starting the challenge until January 1, 2010 to keep my 75 challenge going.

1. Drawn Out: Graphic Novels/Comics/Manga

1. Nightmares and Fairy Tales: Once Upon a Time by Serena Valentino
2. Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes by Neil Gaiman
3. Trigun Vol. 1 by Yasuhiro Nightow
4. Trigun Vol. 2 by Yasuhiro Nightow
5. Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House by Neil Gaiman
6. The Good Neighbors: Book One: Kin by Holly Black & Ted Naifeh
7. Demon Flowers Vol. 1 by Mizuki Hakase
8. Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman
9. The Essential Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Watterson

Possibilities
The Book of Deady vol 1 by Voltaire
300 by Frank Miller

2. Supernatural: Zombies, Werewolves, Vampires, Ghosts, etc

1. Bite Me: A Love Story by Christopher Moore
2. Fallen by Lauren Kate
3. Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow
4. The Nimble Man by Christopher Golden
5. Betrayals: Strange Angels 2 by Lili St. Crow
6. The Gargoyle Prophecies: The Savior Rises
7. Dracula by Stoker

Possibilities
Of Saints and Shadows (The Shadow Saga, Book 1) by Christopher Golden
Lonely Werewolf Girl by Martin Millar

3. Historical: People, Places, Events, Time-line (Fiction and Non-fiction)

1. Alchemy and Alchemists by Sean Martin
2. The Castle of Otronto by Horace Walpole
3. Poison by Sara Poole
4. The Letters of Denise Levertov & William Carlos Williams
5. Conversations with Denise Levertov
6. The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got That Way by Bryson

Possibles
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson
The Book of the Dead--E.A. Wallis Budge

4. Under 20: Children and YA

1. The Keeping Place by Isobelle Carmody
2. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
3. The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
4. So Punk Rock: And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother by Micol Ostow
5. The Poison Eaters by Holly Black
6. Hero by Mike Lupica
7. Juggler in the Wind by Wim Coleman and Pat Perrin

5. I Got Me Lern-ed: Textbooks from class

1. The Longman Anthology of British Literature Vol. 1A
2. The Longman Anthology of British Literature Vol. 1B
3. The Longman Anthology of British Literature Vol. 1C
4. Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective
5. Persuasion: Reception and Responsibility
6. The Philosophy of the Visual Arts
7. Consumer Behavior: Building Marketing Strategy
8. Statistical Reasoning for everyday life by Bennet
9. Reading Lessons by Carpenter
10. Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice by Bressler
11. Contexts for Criticism by Keesey
12. A Contemporary Guide to Literary Terms with strategies for writing essays about literature by Barton
13. A Biography of the English Language by Millward

6. By Non-Author Famous People: tv personalities, movie stars, musicians, etc

1. Oh My Goth! Version 2.0 by Voltaire
2. Official Book Club Selection: A Memoir According to Kathy Griffin by Kathy Griffin
3. My Booky Wook by Russell Brand

Possibilities
Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea by Chelsea Handler
My Booky Wook: A Memoir of Sex, Drugs, and Stand-Up by Russel Brand
8495200::American on Purpose: The Improbable Adventures of an Unlikely Patriot by Craig Ferguson
8499559::I Am the New Black by Tracy Morgan
The Long Hard Road Out of Hell by Marilyn Manson
58490::And the Ass Saw the Angel by Nick Cave
6488::The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy: and Other Stories by Tim Burton
45023::Ghosts of Albion: Accursed by Amber Benson

7. What Will We Become?: Sci-fi, dystopias, set in future

1. The Farseekers by Isobelle Carmody
2. Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
3. Massively Multiplayer by P. Aaron Potter
4. Chasing the Dragon: Quantum Gravity Book 4 by Justina Robson
5. The Road by Cormac McCarthy

8. 1001 List

1. The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
2. Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
3. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams
4. The Wasp Factory by Iain M. Banks
5. Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice
6. Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
7. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick
8. The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells
9. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
10. Catch-22 by Joseph Heller

9. Familiar Faces: Favorite authors/rereads

1. Ashling by Isobelle Carmody
2. Malice by Chris Wooding
3. So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld
4. Johnny the Homicidal Maniac: Director's Cut by Jhonen Vasquez
5. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

10. Jumble: Whatever else

1. Nightlight by The Harvard Lampoon
2. Candide or Optimism by Voltaire
3. Coffee by Mark Fiszman
4. Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern
5. Lycidas by Milton
6. The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman

So I'm starting to pick books to read for categories, but I have no idea what to read for my historical category. I think I'm going to have fiction and non-fiction books work for this one.

Any suggestions?

I like a lot of not-modern history, and I really dislike American history. I find it really boring. If you just want to tell me what you've liked, that's fine too, cause I really just don't know any books in this genre.

The Family by Mario Puzo. It's set in 15th century Italy. I quite liked it, but I haven't read a lot of historical fiction. Maybe I'll go for such a category next year. Hmm.

I really enjoyed The Crusades Through Arab Eyes by Amin Maalouf. Its very readable and manages to pack a lot in for a small book. I didn't need an indepth knowledge of the crusades to appreciate too.

Of course Terry Jones did a Crusades book but I enjoyed it less. His other history books might be worth a go though.

For fiction I really like the historical fantasy books by Guy Gavriel Kay. The fantasy aspect might not fit though.

I loved Terry Jones' history books. He writes them with a lot of humor and yet with scientific background. Very light and good as a starter to try out some subjects (he writes mostly about late Roman times and the Middle ages).

I feel I ought to try another of history books :)

clfisha, I think it also depends on if you like his humor. I am a big fan of Monty Python and anything those guys do, so I guess I have a standard soft spot for Terry Jones and his books. His documentaries are brilliant too...

Thanks for the suggestions! It'll definitely help in my quest for readable history. I'll look into all of these.

^divinenanny- I also love Monty Python. I had to have watched Holy Grail over 20 times in high school :)

Drawn Out #1
Nightmares and Fairy Tales: Once Upon a Time 3.5 Stars
A dark comic that twists some classic fairy tales in a modern setting. The stories are connected by a doll that sees all the events. While it sounds a little cheesy, it is done really well. The doll has consciousness, that some of the characters can hear. So the doll tries to save them from these morbid situations.

1001 #1
The Picture of Dorian Gray 4.5 Stars
I learned of this story while in Chicago for a school art trip. One of the museums had a set of portraits of Dorian Gray and his degraded portrait. There was a short description of the story. Then, I saw the movie The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen which had a character based off of Gray. These influenced the expectations I had of the story.

The actual story was quite different. It starts with the completion of Dorian Gray's portrait and his wish that the portrait would age, rather than himself. Following Gray, the story shows how beauty and youth aren't what makes a person and how choices and actions will change a person's soul.

Much deeper than I had thought it would be. There was also a lot of humor that I didn't expect.

Oh, does anyone know the html coding for a strikethrough. . . I can't remember, so I just used X's on the lists for now.

It's the word "strike" put between these brackets and to end the strike through put a "/" in front of the word "strike".

edited to add that of course the brackets don't show up. They're the pointy ones we use to say less than or greater than in math.

^Thank you! I thought it was just an 's' in the brackety-things, but that didn't work.

Historical #1
Alchemy and Alchemists 3 Stars
A brief look at alchemy through the ages. Focuses on some of the influential practicing alchemists and how they affected modern sciences. Interesting, but a little too basic for my tastes, and repetitive. There were a lot more big names that practiced alchemy than I thought--Sir Isaac Newton and St. Thomas Aquinas being the most surprising.

What Will We Become #1
The Farseekers 5 Stars
I am deeply enthralled by this series :)
This is book 2 of the Obernewtyn Chronicles. This installment continues with the strengthening of Obernewtyn as a safe haven to all Misfits, those with mental abilities such as telepathy, empathy, etc who are persecuted by the new government that arose after an apocalyptic event. Elspeth must journey to the lowlands to find a Misfit as powerful as she, find a lost library of the Oldtimers (pre-apocalypse peoples), and find out who of their enemies is investigating Obernewtyn.

Both books have been fast-paced with characters that you can connect to. I already have the next 4 books and just started the 3rd. I hope the rest are just as good!

Familiar Faces #1
Ashling 5 Stars
This is book 3 of the Obernewtyn Chronicles. This time through, Elspeth goes to Sutrium to return a gypsy to her people and try to convince the Rebels that the Misfits are worthy to join their alliance. We also get our first look at the Sadorians and how Elspeth's quest is linked to all people and creatures of the world. Like the previous books, Ashling offers a lot of action with twists and turns. The Obernewtyn Chronicles are becoming a very elaborate series :)

Jumble #1
Nightlight 2.5 Stars
This was lent to me by a friend and is a parody of the Twilight series. It was horrible, but to be fair my friend did say it was so. It gets the 2.5 stars simply because it did make me laugh several times with its ridiculousness and phrasings.

Under 20 #1
The Keeping Place 5 Stars
This is book 4 of the Obernewtyn Chronicles. Rushton is missing and the rebellion is about to start, oh no! And during it all, Elspeth needs to search for the signs of her quest to prevent the next Great White. Like the others of the series, lots of action and an increasing complexity of characters and plot. We see more of the Dreamtrails and how the Misfits' abilities are growing.

Under 20 #2
The Lightning Thief 4 Stars
So, you grew up -mostly- normal, a little ADHD and learning problems, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Then some weird stuff starts happening, like your math teacher turning into a giant bat. I guess it doesn't help that you accidentally vaporized her. Then more supposedly* mythical creatures start attacking. Well, turns out your a demigod--half-human, half-god. Oh, and did I mention Zeus thinks you stole from him and is threatening a war? And you have to find whatever it is and return by the summer solstice to stop that war? Good Luck!

#33 Alchemy and Alchemists looks interesting - I've added it to the wishlist, but it might take a while to get to it, since my library doesn't own a copy. Maybe I can do an ILL...

Under 20 #3
Sea of Monsters 3.5 Stars
Book 2 of the Percy Jackson series
Okay, so some cannibals decided to join my school dodgeball game. Safe to say, I'm expelled again, but that's the least of my problems. Annabeth shows up after being chased by monsters and we get to camp while it's under attack by giant metal bulls. Turns out, someone poisoned Thalia's protective tree and now camp isn't safe anymore. Now we have to save camp and avoid a whole lotta monsters -and people- attacking us.

A good follow up to the first, but not quite as riveting. A section uses a very similar progression of events from the Odyssey, which wore on me, but I still enjoyed it. I plan on trying to read the next before school starts, if I find it at HPB today.

Under 20 #4
The Titan's Curse 4.5 Stars
Book 3 of the Percy Jackson series
So, we went to pick up a couple of Half-bloods the Grover said were in trouble. Turned out to be A LOT of trouble. The kind that makes a friend disappear over a cliff and Artemis, the goddess of the hunt, to be worried. She goes off on a hunt for the big monster, while her hunters come with us and the new Half-bloods to camp. We aren't there long before another quest is under way to prevent another disaster.

This is my favorite so far. We get to see a lot more of the gods and elements of their world.

I love Percy! My son is also ADHD and dyslexic. My daughter asked if I didn't remember being a little busy with someone besides her dad. Well, I told her, there was that ONE guy. He was sort of glowing and really hot.

I Got Me Lern-ed: Textbooks #1

The Longman Anthology of British Literature Vol. 1A 3.5 Stars
Covers major works from the Middle Ages including Beowulf, Taliesin, The Wanderer, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (and other Arthurian stories), Chaucer, and others. I was already familiar with several of the selections. I especially enjoyed the anglo-saxon writings. It loses points for not-so-complete translations of the Middle English--translated words that are still in use (i.e. sepulcher) and didn't translate words that no longer exist (i.e. everichoon). While I enjoy learning new words/languages, I don't appreciate it when I need to read 100 pages and take notes for the next day.

Still catching up on threads here, and enjoyed yours. I didn't know 101010 was 42, but otherwise I got your reference! LOL, 42 is usually the answer I give when somebody says, "Can I ask you a question?" Sometimes it even works.

Love your category names; I always think I will do that, then the time comes and I'm late and in a hurry, and they end up being functional but very boring...oh well.

Lots of good potential books on your lists. I read Sandman last year and it is a good intro - definitely made me want to read more of this series.

I'll have to check out The Obernewtyn Chronicles - looks very interesting.

^Thanks! I'm glad people got the reference :)

My friend just lent me the first 3 Sandman books, so I should be able to knock those out pretty fast between classes or something.

Comics #2
Sandman Vol. 1: Preludes and Nocturnes 4 Stars
This is a comic series I've heard all sorts of praise for, but nothing by way of the story. It's very different from what I had even sort of expected. I was right about it being nice and dark with some interesting evil being committed. . . but I thought it would be the Sandman doing those things. On the contrary, he's the victim, trapped for a century by occultists and just trying to get free, get his things back. . . and maybe a little revenge. But he's kind of a good guy. I really liked it, and as a Gaiman fan, thought I would. Definitely plan on reading the rest of the series, especially when my friend is willing to lend them to me :)

Comics #3 & #4
Trigun vol. 1 & 2 4 Stars apiece
These are rereads. I love this series. Finding the anime when I was but a wee little middle-schooler, I've devoted some serious hours to this series.

Vash the Stampede has a sixty billion double dollar bounty on his head. But our sharp-shooting pacifist doesn't want any trouble, just to live a quiet life. Of course, there are plenty of bounty hunters that make that completely impossible. Through the comedy, we learn about Vash's past and how the human race ended up on a desert planet. Plenty of action, adventure, and comedy. Also, Vash's amazing ability to dodge bullets and bad guys to win, usually without hurting anyone.

Don't know if you're already aware or not but if not then I have some good news for you. There's a new movie due for release next month called Badlands Rumble. It gets a world premier at Sakura-con in Seattle between April 2nd & 4th with Japanese release scheduled for April 24th.

Yes I knew, and I'm sooooooooo excited :D :D :D
I didn't know about the Seattle bit, just Japan. . . does that mean it'll be released in the US somewhat soonish? Cause that would just be fabulous :D

Not seen anything at all about a theater release for the US as yet. If I hear anything I'll try and remember to let you know.

Sweet! I'll keep an eye open and post it here if I find out :D

I Got Me Lern-ed #2
The Longman Anthology of British Literature Vol. 1B 3.75 Stars
Massive book #2 down for my English class! It picks up after Vol. 1A, surprise surprise. Includes More's Utopia, Spenser's The Faerie Queene (parts of it anyway), Marlowe's The Tragical History of Dr. Faustus, poetry by Jonson and Donne, and a ridiculously long section on Milton with Paradise Lost. Those were the favorites of the bunch, I don't even want to talk about how painful it was to get through the essay section. What I liked, I -really- liked and what I didn't like, I -really- didn't like. There wasn't anything in the middle. So sometimes I found it easy to fly through and understand everything, other times, I didn't retain a damn thing which will kill me on the next test.

Drawn Out #5
Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House 4 Stars
Continuing from the first, The Sandman, or Morpheus, or any of the other names he goes by, is still fixing things after his imprisonment. He gathers a few of his straying subordinates. We see him getting them, but also how they've been interacting with the mortal world. More of Morpheus and his personality, as well as how it has changed through history. Some fun references to literature in these sections. We also get a tiny peek at the rest of his 'family' and the Dreaming world.

Drawn Out #6
The Good Neighbors: Book One: Kin by Holly Black & Ted Naifeh 3 Stars
Definitely in the tradition of previous Holly Black works. Rue's mother goes missing and her father is accused of murdering one of his students. Her estranged grandfather comes to claim her, but she doesn't know him, so stays with a family friend. Rue digs into her family history and finds out her mother is a faerie. Slowly her ability to see the faerie realm increases. It seems that the faerie world is beginning a takeover of the city.

A good start to a new story. It hints at some future plot changes/twists in the upcoming books. If you like Holly Black's other works (Tithe + others in series, or Spiderwick Chronicles) you'll probably like this story as well.

Drawn Out #7
Demon Flowers, Vol. 1 2.5 Stars
Manga from the library. It's very meh to me. Since it's volume 1, it's mostly set-up for the future installments. And there are some awkward moments that I think are intentional, but not completely sure since they aren't obvious on that aspect. Since the library has them, I will probably continue reading them--I really hate to leave a series unfinished, especially mangas that end in action. . .

A demon assassin is sent to kill the gods' half mortal offspring, called the kuruizaki no hana. The demons are able to steal their powers by eating them. He sees something in a young boy knh that he just cannot kill. So, he leaves the demon family and takes the boy with him. Somewhere along the line the two accumulated an orphaned girl. Now they are on the run from the demons, but only the assassin knows why they're constantly moving or the boy's past. Can they continue living as they are when the truth comes crashing in?

Historical #2
The Castle of Otronto 3 Stars
I read this one for my British Literature class. It was written in 1764, and set earlier. . . not 100% on when, but will fit this category nicely :P

The Prince of Otranto, Manfred, arranges the marriage of his 15 yr old son, Conrad, to Princess Isabella. An unfortunate event on the wedding day, in the form of a huge falling helmet from the sky, kills poor Conrad. Instead of sending Isabella back home, Manfred decides he will marry her, since his wife hasn't produced a suitable heir for him. Of course, Isabella is completely against that.

This is the original gothic novel. And being such, is filled with castles, underground tunnels, ghostly activity, and a prophecy.

I thought this book was a fast fun read. Some of its over dramatic bits were hilarious, including the line "Ah me, I am slain" -- just wonderful. It was easier to read than I thought, with it being written well over 200 yrs ago. The story also moved nice and fast, instead of getting hung up on trivial details like so many modern novels do.

Drawn Out #8
Dragon Ball Z 5 Stars
Any review I do of this is going to be ridiculously high in praise and nostalgia, as I've been watching this series since I was in elementary school. I like it waaaay more than I should. So I'll just stick with what happens in the book :P

The one I read is a mega 3-in-1 of DBZ 1-3 (aka DragonBall 17-19). It starts with Raditz, a Saiyan from outer space, landing on Earth. He's a big bad fighter dude finding out why Goku, aka Kakarrot, hasn't destroyed the planet yet. Well, he's good, that's why. So now Goku and friends, who are much weaker, must defend the planet from the invading Saiyans.

Yay! It's the end of the semester! Finals next week, which is not quite so yay, but just means I get to read for fun again :D These will be some short reviews, I really don't feel like spending much more of my time with these at the moment

I Got Me Lern-ed #3
The Longman Anthology of British Literature Vol. 1C 3.75 Stars
Similar to the previous 2. This one had some scathing satire that I greatly appreciated, especially A Modest Proposal where Swift promotes eating young children to help solve the hunger and poverty issues in Ireland. Included: Swift and Pope, some of the early novelists, and poetry.

I Got Me Lern-ed #4
Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective 4 Stars
This is how a textbook should be formatted. It was easy to read and had a lot of information. It was set-up so I could go back and easily find what I needed. Clear headings and titles. I rent my textbooks from my school, but when they get the next editions they sell the previous ones for cheap. So I will buy this book from textbook services in a couple years for my sparse reference section of my book collection.

I Got Me Lern-ed #5
Persuasion: Reception and Responsibility 1 Star
This book would be okay for general reading, but as a textbook it was such a fail. It referenced Wikipedia for a definition that could be found elsewhere--all credibility gone, which is ironic since it has a section on credibility. It would bold words and not define them for a couple sentences later (sometimes in the next paragraph). It just felt chaotic and rambley. Not my ideal style of learning.

I Got Me Lern-ed #6
The Philosophy of the Visual Arts 3.5 Stars
I enjoyed the theories and perspectives. They were all copies of the philosophers' original works so it was difficult to get through some. And some of their ideas were very abstract and described in the context of a century ago. This was just a compilation, the editor didn't make any comments on the works, though I wish he had for some--just to update the comparisons and to clarify the some concepts with modern context.

I Got Me Lern-ed #7
Consumer Behavior: Building Marketing Strategy 3.5 Stars
Formatted well. Good information. Came with a disc that we didn't use for class--I tinkered with it but without further explanation I couldn't quite understand all of the abbreviations used in the tables (though, I think it was comparative data with dimensions in product, service, and consumer segments).

What Will We Become? #2
Incarceron 4.5 Stars
So at some unspecified time in the future, there is a "Time of Rage" --which is also fairly undescribed, but is alluded to be war and dissension. So in response to these events, the leaders of the time had the Sapienti, their scientists, build a self-contained prison called Incarceron. It is an artificial intelligence that has ultimate authority and let's nothing go to waste. The Sapienti built it to be a paradise, but over time it degraded to the opposite. Now, almost 2 centuries later, it has small groups that are like tribal war societies. There is widespread violence, starvation, people being born with mechanical parts, and fear.

The same leaders that commissioned Incarceron decided they wanted better control over their people. To accomplish this they essential undid progress, so everyone must live according to Protocol-- as if they were in the sixteenth or seventeenth centuries. Most technology has been outlawed, well, unless you're part of the aristocracy or Sapienti-- but they have restrictions. Now, it is a world of deception and games that can have deadly consequences. With only Incarceron's warden knowing the state and location of the prison, it's failure is one big secret.

Whew, now that I'm done with the world set-up I can get to the actual storyline. It follows 2 characters. The first is Claudia, the daughter of Incarceron's warden who has plotted for years to make her queen. Not happy with her fate, she starts digging into the mysteries surrounding Incarceron and the past events of the outside world that has been hushed-up. The second is Finn, a prisoner of Incarceron who only remembers the last 3 years of his life. He is part of a fierce group of thieves and murderers, though he doesn't quite fit in. One of Incarceron's remaining Sapienti thinks he is a Starseer, one who gets visions of the outside world and will lead them to escape.

Claudia and Finn both find keys to Incarceron. They discover that they can communicate with each other through the keys. Together, they work for Finn's escape from Incarceron to try to save the people inside and out.

Drawn Out #8
The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country 3.75 Stars
On par with the first 2, but not really a continuance of the story. This one has 4 different short, stand-alone episodes: Calliope, the muse, being kidnapped; a cat's view of human tyranny; the first performance of A Midsummer Night's Dream; and a metamorphae that wants to die but can't figure out how. We see more of Morpheus' personality and some fun new creatures. We also see some fair folk. Calliope's story is the only one that has any continuance with the previous 2, but it's still good and has interesting ideas of how these characters have interacted with mortal creatures and the world itself.

Supernatural #1
Bite Me: A Love Story 4 Stars
This is the third story in Christopher Moore's comedic vampire series. From Abby's point of view, a perky high school goth minion of the vampires Jody and Tommy (who are complete vamp noobs). After bronzing Jody and Tommy so they wouldn't split up, Abby and her boyfriend Foo set up in Jody and Tommy's loft, nick named the love lair. All is going smooth since all the vampires are gone until they figure out Chet, a huge cat, had been turned vamp by Elijah and is now running around San Francisco making a horde of kitty vamps. Then they start to eat all the homeless people and the hookers. Things get out of control, so all the players of the last books are brought in to help stop Chet, who is getting bigger by the day.

Hilarious like the first two. You don't need to read them in order, as there is a mini sum-up at the beginnings. Official order of the books = Bloodsucking Fiends, You Suck, Bite Me. I read them 2, 1, 3. Order of liking is 2, 3, 1-- although the margins are very slim.

I do want to read something by Christopher Moore. At the moment Lamb is sitting on my wishlist but I just haven't gotten around to picking it up yet. That series sounds like fun too though I think I might stick with the stand-alone book to check out first.

Those are the only 3 I've read by him. Eventually I will read other stuff, but these are the ones that caught my eye first.

Historical #3
Poison by Sara Poole, 3 Stars
This is an advance reader edition I received through Early Reviewers.
It's Rome, 1492. Francesca Giordano just poisoned a Spaniard to secure her place as Borgia's official poisoner and her father's successor. But being the poisoner of a high-ranking family isn't quite what she expected. Right away she is pulled into a plot to kill the Pope. Francesca does what is needed and much more, accumulating friends, enemies, and a broader knowledge of what is truly happening in her world. Filled with conspiracies, action, and a representation of Rome that feels real.

The first couple of chapters were exciting, but then it hit a slump that took forever to get through. It was a lot of talking and walking and not much else. Although it was necessary set-up for the later chapters and excitement. Once through the slump, the story got better and better. This is the first book of a series, so I hope the series follows the trend. Now that several elements have been set-up, I see it as a good possibility. I will definitely be reading the follow-up.

Supernatural #2
Fallen by Lauren Kate 4 Stars
After a terrible accident and a dubious record of sanity, Luce is sent to Sword and Cross Reform School. As she learns how to navigate her new foreign surroundings, Luce also starts to piece together mysterious events that are happening at the school and from her past. She falls for Daniel, who wants nothing to do with her. Cam wants to be more than friends, but she can't get past Daniel.

This book surprisingly sucked me in. I love the fallen angel lore, but sadly there was only the beginnings of it in this book. I thought it was a stand alone book, but I was wrong--it's the first of a series. So hopefully it goes more into in the next book. There was one spot (totally insignificant tho) that bothered me ***Possible Spoiler*** Daniel tells Luce not to be shocked at Cam's style of warfare, but it doesn't say/show what that is--only the dust that shows up after all angel battles. . . did I just read too fast and sort of miss what was pointed out/not obvious?

Familiar Faces #2
Malice by Chris Wooding 4 Stars
There's a rumor of a comic called Malice that can literally suck you in. You do a little ritual and call upon Tall Jack to take you there. But be careful, this is no empty request. Malice is a very real world full of danger. Most don't make it out. Seth and Kady lose their friend Luke to Malice and are now trying to figure out this new reality and how to bring it down so more kids don't die.

The formatting of this book is sooooo cool. The cover is in relief (yes, an actual 3D book cover!). Inside, it is part novel, part comic. And there are a couple other fun visual formatting of text and pages. Again, I read this thinking it was a stand alone, only to find out that it is the first of a series. Book 2, Havoc, is due this fall. And I can't wait! It left off where I would have much preferred it to continue.

Familiar Faces #3
So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld 4.5 Stars
How does 'cool' make it from its beginning to a phenomenon? It is Hunter's job to find cool new innovations to send them up the chain to become a fad. His specialty, shoes and laces. On a search he meets Jen, an innovator type who creates unique ways to tie her laces. He brings her to a focus group and the trouble begins. Hunter's boss goes missing, big thugs are chasing them through abandoned buildings and release parties, and a whole new breed of technology is making people talk befuddled. And all this over the coolest shoes ever. Or maybe it's a bigger plan, one to end the high-speed trend cycle?

I love Scott Westerfeld's books. And I'm going into marketing communications. And I was part of ridiculous corporate street teams that they had to find out if their stuff was cool, being paid in free advanced products and discounts, etc. So, maybe I'm a little positively biased on this book. It's amazing to see some of the marketing/consumer concepts so simply put that a middle schooler could understand it. It's also a good look at how creativity is both exploited and crushed. I hate that. It's one reason I want to do it, to be creative while still practical (creative ads win awards, not sales unfortunately).

Under 20 #4
So Punk Rock (And Other Ways to Disappoint Your Mother) by Micol Ostow 3.5 Stars
Ari dreams of indie-rock glory, but he is stuck in a wealthy Jewish school in the suburbs buried in SAT prep. Sneaking behind his parents backs he starts The Tribe and they knock out an instant favorite with a ska rendition of Hava Nagilah. Ari now needs to deal with his fellow band mate's inflated ego, his unrequited love who pines for his best friend, and all the other pitfalls of instant pseudo-fame.

This one is really funny. Ostow writes in a straight forward way that is completely real and able to relate too. Descriptions of the music scene is dead on, but I can't vouch for the Jewish part. It felt right, and there is a nifty section in the back that described the terms. Somehow, I found another book that was part comic, didn't even realize it until I started reading it. It completes the artistic feel. I especially like the comic jab at Bono's photo-sensitivity :P

Anything which manages to poke fun at Bono will get a thumbs-up from me.

Supernatural #3
Strange Angels by Lili St. Crow 3.75 Stars
Dru Anderson has been around the strange her entire life. Her grandmother was a wisewoman who could do some mystical workings and her father hunts the things that go bump in the night, bringing her along after her grandmother died. Or, at least he did right up until he was turned into a zombie and sent to kill her. Now Dru has to figure out what to do next about the looming threat. Go to school like a normal kid, find her father's killer, or get the heck out of town before she ends up with the same case of reanimation.

It's a fast read that never gets boring or slow. Constant action and suspense. If you've ever seen the CW/WB (or whatever the station goes by nowadays) show Supernatural, it's a bit like that. . . except from a teenage girl's perspective. Strange Angels bad guys are mostly suckers (vampires) or werwulfen (werewolves) and the strange creatures they get to do their bidding. The only thing I didn't like about this book is that the author had a few favorite phrases that you would see repeated within a few pages and a couple redundant paragraphs. But it doesn't detract from the story. . . I mean, if I were being chased by things that are most likely going to shred me to pieces, I would also keep returning to that thought, among a couple others.

Under 20 #5
The Poison Eaters by Holly Black 3.5 Stars
A collection of short stories. Some are supernatural, some hearken back to her Modern Faery series, but all are quirky. Like In Vodka Veritas when the Latin club play the role of Maenad and drug the school dance. They're all entertaining and very Holly Black in style. I liked her take on vampires in The Coldest Girl in Cold Town.

1001 List #2
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? 4 Stars
Androids were created to assist people on Mars essentially as slaves. However, they don't like that, so they flee to Earth to try and live their lives free. Police stations employ bounty hunters to capture and 'retire' the escaped androids without the public finding out that they roam amongst them. The new Nexus-6 type androids are almost indistinguishable from humans and are giving the bounty hunters a tough time. Rick Deckard has just obtained the position of lead bounty hunter in San Fransisco after his predecessor got lasered by one of the 8 Nexus-6's he's been hunting. Now, he needs to find the remaining 6 before they know they're being hunted. But it's not as easy as finding the older models. They can play human very well, and Rick starts to feel empathy towards them, threatening his view of how the world is.

For liking this type of sf, I haven't read a whole lot of it. It's short but insightful, unlike many of the modern books I've been reading. It brings up many philosophical issues pertaining to technological advancement, societal structure of a dying world, empathy, equality, and depression. I feel like this would probably appeal to those that don't necessarily read sf.

What Will We Become #3
Massively Multiplayer 3.75 Stars
Andrew is a college student on summer break without motivation to do much of anything, except playing the online virtual reality game Crucible. It's an MMORPG* that utilizes the best physics probability generator, which has made it one of the top online community games. But when Archimago, Crucible's creator company, has a shift in management and a rollout of a huge new update, things get dicey for everyone. Andrew is drawn into a quest with murderous companions and monsters, not to mention his parents in real life completely not understanding. The established Archimago staff is overrun by problems from the new owners, a hacker, and what is shaping up to be a conspiracy. All of which could pose problems for all Crucible players.

An interesting and captivating look at the gaming industry. Issues of technological advancement, psychology, law, ethical business practices, morality in general, and family are all explored--however, it feels natural, not at all pushed or like it's trying too hard. You don't need to be a gamer to enjoy this either. Concepts are clearly explained, though not overly technical. And acronyms are kept basic or explained.

I would've given it 4 Stars, but the early review copy I have is riddled with typos. It didn't take anything away from the story, though, just a little distracting. Hopefully they clean it up a bit for the actual release.

*massively multiplayer online role playing game

Supernatural #4
The Nimble Man 3.5 Stars
I'm really sleepy right now, so I'll be back later to review it.

ETA: This book reminded me of the movie The League of Extraordinary Gentleman. It's a mash up of characters from other places. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle is alive and kicking monster butt as a mage/alchemist. Next to him is Eve, the original vampire, who helps him out while searching for her evil offspring to kill. The rest are a shapeshifter as old as time, the ghost of an explorer from the last century, a faerie princess with mad magic skills, and a 16 year old boy just discovering that he's a demon. Spooky signs start popping up, including raining frogs, a red fog/mist, and the dead rising as zombies. Doyle and his crew learn of the apocalyptic plans that include freeing his once mentor and teacher to steal his power. And they intend on stopping it.

I thoroughly enjoyed it. The mash ups didn't feel overly forced, in fact pretty on the DL if you don't get the clues until the overt reveal. Sometimes it was a little thick and overly worded, but it fit with the 'old' personalities and the times they came from. This is the first in the series, but there is a lot of history before its beginning, which made it feel much more plausible.

What Will We Become #4
Chasing the Dragon: Quantum Gravity Book 4 3 Stars
Picks up right after book 3, no time gap. Lila has been catapulted 50 years into her own future. Much has changed: Zal is missing, The Agency employs cyborgs-advanced versions of herself, Mal has taken more of his ancient fey qualities, Teazle is now Lightbringer-whatever that's supposed to be, and now there is the Signal--a constant buzz of mechanical chatter trying to do something. But in all this change there is some consistancy: problems galore, The Agency telling her what to do, and Lila still losing herself to her machinery and the plots/schemes of beings from other planes.

Not the best of the series. Too much going on and I wasn't completely sure which story line was supposed to be the main one. I assume when they merged is the climax but it doubled as the conclusion. It was a little confusing and disappointing. But it left a lot of loose ends, so hopefully there is a next one that ends a bit better.

In the series the character Zal fronts the band The No Shows. Justina Robson had the real band Cynic Guru make a few of the songs and I finally got around to listening to the song Doom. I really like it :D Here's a link it you want to check it out too:
http://www.garageband.com/mp3player?|pe1|S8LTM0LdsaSlZVm-Zms

Supernatural #5
Betrayals: Strange Angels 2 3.5 Stars
Picks up with Dru and Graves at the Schola, where they thought they'd be safe. But some inky things are going on. Dru isn't being taught anything, Christophe has been m.i.a., and the Schola keeps getting attacked by suckers bent on killing her.

A good follow up novel-so if you liked that one, you will like this one. Kept the action and suspense. We also learn more about the suckers, djhampir, werwulfen, and Loup-garou and some of the things they're capable of doing. I could have done without the prolonged re-acquaintance period and stretching of the beginning though.

What Will We Become #5
The Road by Cormac McCarthy 3.5 Stars
This is the bleakest book I've ever read. McCarthy has done a brilliant job of creating our future world of ruin without hope. It is beautifully and simplistically written. A father and son journey to find food, warmth, and good people. McCarthy also explores the psychology of a post-apocalyptic world: how far will I go to survive?

Jumble #2
Candide or Optimism by Voltaire 3 Stars
An amusing satire on the literature, criticisms, and politics in Voltaire's time. Again, I am surprised at how easy it is to read some of these classics. Very simple language with short chapters. The chapter titles amusingly tell you most of what happens in the chapter. Recognition scenes are my favorite; they are like a soap opera with their excessiveness and swooning. Basically, a bunch of bad things happen to Candide and the other characters, but they have the philosophy of "alls for the best". And then silly luck happens to where they are reunited or get fortune, etc, but it's not always good luck as they assume.

Drawn Out #9
The Essential Calvin and Hobbes 5 Stars
This is a reread, I think I've had this since middle school--over a decade at least. Anyway, there was a storm last night that was super windy. So I assume a big tree fell and that's the reason my power went out on one of the hottest and muggiest nights of the year. I figured of everything I had, this would be easiest to read by dimming storm-light. And it's been quite a while since I read my most favorite-est of Sunday comics ever :P

By Non-Author Famous People #1
Oh My Goth! Version 2.0 by Voltaire 3.5 Stars
Not to be confused with the French philosopher, Voltaire is an icon in the goth community. He got his start in stop-animation. I know him best for his hilarious music that satires goth culture, nerd-isms, and life in general. The closest he's gotten to main stream is his songs Brains! and Land of the Dead being used in Cartoon Networks animated series The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy. Oh My Goth! Version 2.0 is a omnibus collection of short comics originally used to promote his live shows.

Now, on to the actual story. Heironymous Posche is an alien who is intent on making a peaceful connection with the humans on Earth. He arrived centuries ago, but the humans were never ready for him, resulting in humorous attempts at his death. Cut to the late 90s, and he finds an outcast goth girl that gives him faith again. However, now he has his home-world bosses and a bunch of Satan's demon slaves out to kill him. Heironymous, his frankenstein-ish monster servant, a floating tombstone, and a "dancing pocket goth" must now save Earth. Highly satirical, like his music, and often his lyrics make cameos. There are several pop-culture references too.

If you enjoy other things by him, you'll enjoy this as well. I recommend to people who like really quirky things, have been in the goth (or related) scenes, or like dark-ish humor. If your not sure on this one, check out some of his songs on youtube or whatever online radio station. . . good ones that fit/relate to the comic: The Vampire Club (several references made in Oh My Goth to this one), The U.S.S Make S**t Up (Star Trek satire), When You're Evil, Day of the Dead, and Brains.

By Non-Author Famous People #2
Official Book Club Selection by Kathy Griffin 3.5 Stars
Kathy Griffin is most famous for her celebrity skewering stand-up and tv roles in My Life on the D-List and Suddenly Susan. In this book she talks about her childhood, breaking into Hollywood, family, and celebrity reactions to her comedy routine. I'm not into memoirs. . . usually; they have to be really weird or really funny for me to enjoy. Kathy Griffin's humor is everywhere in this book, even when the subject is serious, which made it very entertaining and very easy to like.

Familiar Faces #4
Johnny the Homicidal Maniac: Director's Cut by Jhonen Vasquez 5 Stars
Reread and comic. Johnny, who prefers the name Nny, is crazy. But he has the inkling that what he experiences isn't in the norm: talking statuettes, urges to kill, a wall that needs a constant coat of fresh blood--to keep the monster at bay. Despite it at all, he feels he is doing society a small favor by killing those who deserve it or cause pain and hatred in the world. As he starts to question the motives of the 'voices', things start to get a little weird, to say the least.

Jhonen is the creator of Nickelodeon's animated series Invader Zim. This has the same styling and viewpoint, just sans the aliens. . . and not for children. It isn't a mindless gore-fest either. He pulls apart the reasoning behind insanity and what it entails, adding his dark humor too.

Familiar Faces #5
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare 5 Stars
Reread. While at Pandemonium, an all ages dance club, Clary sees something no one else can: a demon being lured away and killed by teenage hunters with strange markings. Brushing it off as possible temporary insanity, she goes about life the next day only a little preoccupied. But then, she sees one of the hunters again. And her mom is taken. And there are monsters trying to kill her. And there is a love triangle of unrequitedness. Now she must rely on the hunters to help find her mother and keep her alive while navigating this new world of deadly creatures.

I love this series. Their fast-paced and fun. Figured I would reread them before the next books come out. The prequel series starts with Clockwork Angel comes out tomorrow. The sequel series starts with City of Fallen Angels in April.

Under 20 #6
Hero by Mike Lupica 3 Stars
Billy Harriman had a pretty good life: swank apartment next to Central Park, parents that worked for the president and a senator, and a great best friend named Kate. His biggest problems were homework, a bully, and his mediocre basketball skills. But the day his father died in a suspicious plane crash, everything changed. Billy could sense when things were wrong, like when a mugger was about to attack a lone jogger. And weirder things were starting to happen. Not only that, but some old guy was talking to him about 'the magic', whatever that was. But if it all has to do with continually being attacked by masked strangers, it may be bigger and worse than Billy could have ever expected.

I got this one through the early review program. I believe it's due for November. Overall, I really liked the concepts in the book. It's a very interesting take on the superhero--not vats of this, experiments gone wrong, or radioactive spiders. The problem I had was with the beginning. It's very slow and depressed emo teenager. If he would have condensed it a bit, I probably would've given it 3.5 stars, maybe even 4. But as it was, I struggled through the beginning, often only reading a couple short chapters at a time and coming back to it later. Hero is pretty good as a stand-alone novel, resolving the main story lines, but does leave it open for a possible sequel. What was left unanswered are the vague questions that in real life may never have answers or take several years to decades to get.

Non-Author Famous People #3
My Booky Wook by Russell Brand 3 Stars
He is a comedian and actor. His stand-up has been on Comedy Central and he has had roles in the films Forgetting Sarah Marshall and Get Him to the Greek.

Bit busy now, I'm afraid, so this will be short. Funny, with his specific humor. And explains a lot. . . I mean, A LOT. If you've seen his stand-up and enjoyed it, you will like it and feel like you mind was illuminated with insight towards this crazy person.

Historical #4
The Letters of Denise Levertov and William Carlos Williams 3 Stars
Just that, letters between them--a few by their spouses. Interesting. Read it as background and quotable material for a paper. . . . which I should be working on right now instead of being on LT, but need Levertov break--and to finish other Levertov background book first :/

Historical #5
Conversations with Denise Levertov 3.25 Stars
Collection of interviews of Denise Levertov. Slightly more interesting than the letters, purely because there was direct conversation-y-ness rather than letter-listing formats all the way through. But. . . yay! Paper's done :)

Jumble #3
Coffee by Marc Fiszman 4 Stars
Let's get into the mind of the newest prophet, shall we? Being nothing and everything. Suddenly thrust into a corporeal human body that is a cog in the white collar society. Not sure what's going on, but it sure is boring. That is, until consciousness is duplicated and displaced into steaming mugs of coffee. It's the beginning, the beginning of ascension.

I'm not really sure how to classify this. It uses its words, but has plenty of visual elements--that look computer generated from the early days. I wouldn't really call it a comic or graphic novel, but I think I'll go with 'visually enhanced'. Coffee is very quirky. Small moments reminded me of both Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the movie Office Space. I don't think this will get popular in the mainstream, but I see potential to be a cult book--highly popular with some groups.

Supernatural #6
The Gargoyle Prophecies: The Savior Rises 4.5 Stars
Stefani's life has been filled with tragic events and loneliness, all starting when she saw her mother killed in her home. After that, anyone who got close to her died. So, resolved to isolate herself, she doesn't talk to anyone and works two jobs: waitress by day, stripper by night. It is in her strip club that she first encounters the gargoyle world when a free-for-all battle breaks out over who will be taking her. The story following is all about trying to figure out what is real. Is she really turning into a gargoyle? Is everyone lying? Why are they tricking her left and right? Or is she just going crazy?

I got this through Early Reviewers and it definitely took me by surprise. It was much better than I had anticipated. It's been a while since I read anything not 1st person, so it took me a couple chapters to reacquaint myself with the omniscient pov. It does get confusing towards the end, but it all fits with the story and works itself out. It's a magnificent start to a series, and I will definitely be reading the second.

Jumble #4
Sh*t My Dad Says 4.5 Stars
Justin Halpern's dad is blunt. . . and that's putting it nicely. Some of his truth-isms have hilarious metaphors and similes. Funniest book I've read this year!

Supernatural #7
Dracula 2.5 Stars
First of all, I read it for class. . . so automatically drops rating because of that. I can't help it, when I'm ordered to read things I get rebellious and petulant. So in reality that 2.5 is probably a 3, but I can't give it that now. *le sigh
As for the book, ugh, it was boring. It's an epistolary (in letters, journal entries, documents) with several points of view. So it's repetitive. Somewhere around 370 pages could've been cut down to 200 easily imo. I think I read this when I was younger. . . not 100% on that, but feels true. I've seen a couple play versions and Mel Brooks' movie Dracula Dead and Loving It. And I love the horror genre. So, I had trouble taking it seriously. The few times it had stuff happening, I read it as comedy. As positives, some of those comedic readings were great. It's good to see where some of the conventions are rooted. There are interesting ideas buried in the long-windedness.

I know what you mean about Dracula, too old fashioned for me and it's been told much more interestingly in other books.

Agree completely on the 'other versions are more interesting' bit. Old fashioned, I don't mind. I've read several Dracula contemporaries and earlier works that I really like. It's Stoker's style I didn't care for. It was like trying to get through Francis Bacon's essays--3 words are important in a 40 word sentence filled with conjunctions and function words that are 10 words away from what they're affecting, and by the time I get to the end I wanna shoot myself. Well maybe that's an exaggeration, but you get the point.

LOL I know what you mean. I must admit I did whisk through Carmilla quite easily and without anyone pain.

Text books! All are under that category except Lycidas and Bryson, put those elsewhere as I should have for the overflow in the category. Feeling much to meh at these right now, so maybe change it later. . . or maybe not. These put my total to 64. No chance of 100, but I'm already beating last year's total of 62, so I'm happy with it :)

Statistical Reasoning for everyday life by Bennet
Boring boring boring boring book and class.

Reading Lessons by Carpenter
Fun. Had a section on 'reading' The Invasion of the Body Snatchers movie.

Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice by Bressler
Not too bad.

Contexts for Criticism by Keesey
So/so. Pretty dry in some places.

A Contemporary Guide to Literary Terms with strategies for writing essays about literature by Barton
Pretty good for definitions and handbook style.

Lycidas
We actually read this one a while ago now. . . 2nd time reading this in 2 semesters. Okay, because I like it and I got more the 2nd time. I will presume that Lycidas is one that I'll find new things every time I read it.

A Biography of the English Language by Millward
Pretty good. Wonderful formatting though--each chapter followed the same pattern/order as did each section w/in the chapters. Headings, tables, summary boxes. . . did lack on bolding critical terms, but I think I can forgive :P

The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got That Way by Bryson
My favorite of the semester. It's meant more for general reading than scholarly learning, but fit well as a class supplement. Broke down concepts well. Best of all, it had SARCASM and funny examples. *Love* One such example is that there used to be a street in Kent called Gropecuntlane that prostitutes frequented. You don't get that fun info in -real- textbooks, lol.

1001 List #3
The Island of Dr. Moreau 3.5 Stars
Edward Prendick thought it a miracle that he was piecked up by the Ipecacua after floating at sea for 8 days without food or water. He befriends the doctor that saved his life who has a strange companion. After an altercation between the doctor's companion and the ship's crew, Prendick is sent off ship by association to their island. Not the ideal, but better than being stranded at sea waiting for death, right? Major hitch, an infamous doctor runs this island with his ethically questionable experiments. And the results sometimes bite back.

I was very entertained even though I had seen the movie a few times when I was little. As usually the movie is different, so the plot and sequence of events wasn't spoiled. As I read I came to a discovery though. . . the song No Spill Blood by Oingo Boingo is totally based off this book :P

Under 20 #7
Juggler in the Wind 3.75 Stars
We've all heard of kids running away with the circus, but Randy didn't want that. He just wanted some answers. Why did the mysterious Circus Olympus unnerve his mother? Why were there weird disembodied voices calling him there? And who was this strange man that kept showing up in his dreams? When Randy goes to get these answers he catches the circus at the beginning of their get-away drive. So the only way to get answers is to jump on one of the trucks and hope for the best.

This book was a kind of mash-up between Percy Jackson and Pilo Family Circus, of course still kid friendly. If you happen to have read them both, you may see a difficulty of combination. . . but it's definitely there. From PJ the adventure aspect and myths/people from Olympus--though they don't quite know who they are. Which leads me to the PFC link: this is a circus of forgetfulness. No one fully remembers who they once were. The circus makes them different, realize who they are deep down. That, and people kind of know what's happening subconsciously--acting without understanding.

Surprisingly good and a quick read at 202 pages. Appropriate for the young'ns. I'd recommend for fans of Percy Jackson, new takes on old myths, children's lit, and mysterious magic.

Jumble #6
The Left Hand of God 3.75 Stars
Being raised by military religious fanatics in a fortress meant to keep in and train young children to be killing machines will do a hefty number on one's psyche. And our main character, Cale, has been singled out by the Lord Militant Redeemer for an even harsher existence. But when he walks in the Lord of Discipline committing an unforgivable crime, he saves a girl against his better judgement by killing him. Now he must risk an unlikely escape with the girl and 2 of his 'friends', for they'd be killed as an example. But is the outside any better, or will he just find more violence and killing wherever he goes?

I liked it, though it has its flaws. Most annoyingly, using real place names. It is confusing to have Memphis somewhat near Kent. For the first while I couldn't quite tell if he was trying to have a specific setting or a made up one. The religion bit was a little confusing in the beginning too. Talking about a 'Hanged Redeemer'--I thought by rope, because at this point it all seemed made up. But later I decided it was Christianity and Jesus. Which the two together was "Is this crusades related?" -which I never really decided on. Despite these confusions, I liked the story and the odd characters. Oh, and the ending is a real kicker. . . though, just a tad frustrating as it leaves me wanting the next of the trilogy :)

I've thought about picking up The Left Hand of God a few times but not quite got around to it. Your review makes me think about waiting to see how the next book in the series is regarded before I try it.

^That's a solid plan. I know there have been mixed reviews. . . about everything. Some people hate the characters, some love them; some had the same issues as I did, some are less geographically aware; etc. I don't usually pay much attention to reviews except when I have ARCs to review myself, get a little curious, but this one is the most split I've seen in a loooooong time.

Next year's 11 in 11 thread is set up.
http://www.librarything.com/topic/97340