![]() ![]() King isn’t a great scifi writer because he doesn’t delve into it much, but when he does in short bursts like this, he shines. How often do characters these days truly give you a “oh my god - I can’t believe he just did that?” reaction of true horror? “The Mist”'s one weakness, the ending (huh - King couldn’t close the deal?), was finally given closure. He took some liberties with the ending, but if anyone is going to be allowed to fudge with King’s written word, it’s Darabont (or Robin Furth…). ![]() Some people hate the movie adaptation by Darabont, but I thought it was perfect. class finally figured out that the “tiger” in the bathroom was just the daydreams of a young boy as his mind played tricks with the light pouring through the “stripes” of the horizontal blinds, we were pissed (because it wasn’t an actual tiger)! But it definitely left an impression of what writers could do with a short story. I also remember how very similar the bathroom being described looked just like the bathroom we used when I was in 1st grade. I remember dissecting “Here There Be Tygers”, and comparing it to Kipling, and ancient maps where you’d fill in the gaps with “Here there by tygers”. ![]() It was probably the 8th time I’d read it. ![]() We read Skeleton Crew my freshman year of high school. ![]()
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![]() ![]() ![]() □ĭaphne has a terrific recap and extra thoughts on Fingersmith and the author. Laughing Stars’ review includes a great discussion of the social and women’s issues of the novel (and a few spoilers if you are wanting to avoid…)Īnd Amanda didn’t love it as much as most (referred to as The Fingersmith Club!) of the blogging world and that’s OK, too. Kate at Literary Transgressions, “… notice how perfect the structure of the plot was and how beautifully symmetrical the outcome.” Plot is run on conflict, and nothing says conflict like girls in love across class boundaries in Victorian England.” Literary Omnivore –> “Nobody does repression better than the Victorians. ![]() –> “The plot was … insanely well-put-together, with twists that I never, ever saw coming, yet that interwove in such a way that everything came together in the end.” Iris On Books has a post today on Fingersmith !įyrefly listened to the audio. I need to take a break for September – I will be out of town and I’m finding it incredibly difficult to blog only with my iPad access. AND we need to pick a book for OCTOBER 10. We’ll have to figure it out in a few posts, I think…. It’s almost 7 am – I have some errands to run and then have all day to devote to discussing this book. Did you read it? Did you love it? Any insight to share? Favorite quotes? It tells the story of two young women, one passion, mutual betrayal and final retribution. TODAY! We’re talking about Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. From acclaimed novelist Sarah Waters comes this tale of dark deeds and intrigue, set in Dickensian London. ![]() ![]() ![]() One she doesn't really love, but pleases her family and the other she does love but risks losing everything for. Unlikely friendships are formed and even some romance as Kitty finds herself torn between a Scottish soldier, and a German prisoner. ![]() But despite a rocky start both Dora and Kitty soon grow fond of their patients realizing that they are no different than the English boys. Poor Helen seems afraid to even go onto the ward despite being the senior nurse in charge. The three women are put in charge of a POW ward and while Dora tackles the job as she would any other, Kitty tries to get a change in assignments at the behest of her father who is bitter over the death of his oldest son at the hands of the Germans. Mostly we follow original characters Dora and Helen as well as Kitty who is a close friend of Dora's sister Bea. As always there are several stories going on at once. I was also sad that the three original characters didn't get a reunion in this book. ![]() While there is still one book left, and there is a prequel series this feels like the last time we'll see the main core characters. ![]() Not the actual stories, but the fact that it's basically the end of this part of the story. ![]() ![]() ![]() The largest and rarest of dragons, to be considered Heavyweight, a dragon must exceed 18 tonnes in weight. ![]() Middleweight dragons range from 10-18 tonnes and are relatively common. Lightweight dragons who are over 6 tonnes are considered large enough to be useful in combat and known as Light Combat dragons. Any dragon under 6 tonnes is considered Courier-weight. ![]() While still technically Lightweights, Couriers are dragon breeds that are so small that their main duties involve carrying messages and mail rather than in combat. Lightweight dragons are the smaller breeds, falling anywhere under 10 tonnes. A fourth, Courier, is sometimes applied to dragons on the smaller end of Lightweight dragons. All dragon breeds are divided up into three weight classes Lightweight, Middleweight and Heavyweight. ![]() ![]() (It is used in the book, too.)īut here’s the thing – when such books work, they work well. ![]() Mary’s as they hurtle around History…” “Disaster magnets”… yuck. It also doesn’t help that the blurb at the bottom of the front cover made me wince – “Meet the disaster magnets of St. With that in mind, this is a novel that by taking on both of these aspects is possibly the worst I could choose to read. They are the most personal of elements for a reader, and I know to my own cost that what works for one reader can leave another remarkably unimpressed. (Well, actually, names can be a deal breaker, sometimes.) No – the two things that work, or don’t, for me are humour and romance. ![]() And whilst characterisation, setting, internal logic and appropriate names are all very important, it’s none of those. I’ve often said on the SFFWorld Forums that there are two elements that can make or break a novel for me. ![]() “History is just one damned thing after another.” Arnold Toynbee ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() Sugar was a Junior Library Guild selection, a Kirkus Best Book of the Year, an IndieBound Kids' Next List pick, a Jane Addams Book Award winner, an IRA Top Chapter Books selection, and a CCBC Choices Pick.īayou Magic was an LA Times summer reading selection and a Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Books selection. Ninth Ward was named a Coretta Scott King Author Honor Book, a Notable Book for a Global Society, a CCBC Choices pick, a VOYA Top Shelf Fiction pick, an ALSC Notable Children's Book, an SLJ Best Book of the Year, an IndieBound Kids' Next List pick, a Parents' Choice Gold Award recipient, and an NYPL Top 100 Title for Reading & Sharing. "Rhodes approaches a complex, painful topic with insight and grace, providing context to an event distant to the book's audience."Īdditional praise and awards for Jewell Parker Rhodes' books: "This is a welcome contribution to children's literature."― School Library Journal "This tender retelling of tragedy is a solid vessel to help young readers understand the gravity of 9/11 and how it touches all Americans, no matter where we come from. ― Linda Sue Park, Newbery Medalist and New York Times bestselling author " History made personal-and what a person! Deja's voice is real and memorable, her compelling story one of hope unmarred by sentimentality." ![]() ![]() ![]() He moved to Utah, where he worked as a counselor for American Indian students before completing a PhD program in English at the University of Utah. King eventually completed bachelor's and master's degrees from Chico State University in California. Following this, King worked several jobs, including as an ambulance driver, bank teller, and photojournalist in New Zealand for three years. After flunking out of Sacramento State University, he joined the US Navy for a brief period of time before receiving a medical discharge for a knee injury. Īs a child, King attended grammar school in Roseville, California, and both private Catholic and public high schools. In his series of Massey Lectures, eventually published as a book The Truth About Stories (2003), King tells that after their father's death, he and his brother learned that their father had two other families, neither of whom knew about the third. King says his father left the family when the boys were very young, and that they were raised almost entirely by their mother. Thomas King, who was born in Roseville, California, on April 24, 1943, claims German and Greek descent from his mother and unconfirmed and not tribally recognized Cherokee descent from his father. Thomas King CC (born April 24, 1943) is a Canadian writer and broadcast presenter who most often writes about First Nations. Medicine River Green Grass, Running Water The Truth About StoriesĬhristian (born 1971), Benjamin (born 1985) and Elizabeth (born 1988) ![]() Postmodern, trickster novel comedy and drama script ![]() ![]() Message in a Bottle is a story about love, loss, and hope. Here are the best Message in a Bottle Quotes The novel was adapted into a film starring Kevin Costner and Robin Wright, released in 1999. When she finally meets him, they begin a tentative relationship that is threatened when both get into a serious confrontation. Theresa was touched by the kindness of the letter’s words and set out on a journey that would alter her life considerably. One day, while jogging along the beach, she finds a message in a bottle sent by Garrett Blake, a man grieving over the death of his wife. The story follows the life of Theresa Osborne, a divorced mother of one kid. Message in a Bottle is a novel by Nicholas Sparks, released in October 1998. The two begin exchanging letters and eventually fall in love. ![]() The message is from Garrett, who is grieving over the death of his wife. In Nicholas Sparks’ novel Message in a Bottle, Theresa Osborne finds a message in a bottle on the beach and decides to track down the sender. ![]() ![]() The whole story has a bit of a Victorian theme to it and is kind of a retelling of Alice in Wonderland (maybe?). There are so many interesting mysteries presented to the reader in this volume. I loved the idea of the Abyss and how it wasn’t what Oz thought it would be in the beginning. The story starts out looking like it’s going to be all light and fluffy and then takes a serious turn for the creepy, dark and strange as things continue. I loved the characters especially Black Rabbit and Oz. The story is a bit complex and confusing at first, but things really come together as the story progresses. Well, this one was spectacular…it grabbed my attention, held it, and made me want the second volume immediately! I have heard a lot of great things about this manga series but I also know it’s tough for a manga series to grab my attention and make me love it in the first volume. Now that the relentless cogs of fate have begun to turn, will they lead only to crushing despair for Oz, or will Alice provide him with some shred of hope?” Thrown into the Abyss – an eternal prison from which there is no escape – Oz meets a young girl named Alice who is not what she seems. “The air of celebration surrounding fifteen-year-old Oz Vessalius’ coming-of-age ceremony quickly turns to horror when he is condemned for a sin about which he knows nothing. ![]() Stand Alone or Series: 1st volume in the Pandora Hearts series ![]() ![]() But Sheffield’s inimitable humor makes it a delightful page turner. The book’s obsessive detail on the protocols and guidelines of karaoke might seem a little much for some. “One of the nice things about karaoke” Sheffield reminds us, “you just have to get up there and do it, throwing all your heart into the song…even when you know you’re making a first-class fool out of yourself.” ![]() And it’s certainly a lot more fun belting out a fervent, unselfconscious version of “Livin’ On A Prayer” than letting out primeval shrieks in your psychologist’s office. ![]() One might consider that it is simply a pop culture version of Arthur Janov‘s Primal Scream Therapy - which, by the way, specifically inspired the Tears For Fears karaoke-ready hit song “Shout”. ![]() Karaoke, often considered as merely drunken birthday fun, actually makes perfect sense as a grief recovery plan. PHOTOS: VMAs 2013: Best and Worst Moments ![]() |