Sunday Post #153

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

Another nice summery week. No shortage of sunshine and it's been pretty warm again. We're having a nice summer but it's going quick. Lots of fun stuff going on, I may or may not make it to the Coast Guard festival and the Renaissance festival returns in a few weeks. Hard to believe it's that time of year again. And the Olympics start next week. 

This past week I did the Bookish Time Travel Tag and some other stuff - I also reviewed At The Edge of Summer which I won in a Goodreads giveaway, and started The Woman in Cabin 10. Loving that one so far. 

Mind Meld the monthly discussion feature at sci-fi blog SFSignal  has a new home. Barnes & Noble.com has a science fiction blog as well and they have picked it up. You can find the first post here. I've been a contributor to Mind Meld in the past and I'm happy to see it has a new home. 


And I'm listening to... 



PULP COVER OF THE WEEK: 

  

NEW ARRIVAL/ UPCOMING REVIEWS:



BOOKISH LINKS

Here's a fun car chase from the Bond movie For Your Eyes Only. It takes place on Corfu and below it is someone recreating the route. And just to show that the Internet has everything they have here a website that revisits the Bond locations. And nice scenery. 

Bookcover Spotlight #59

This is the German cover of Thunderball by Michael Gillette.

At The Edge of Summer

At The Edge of Summer is the follow up to Letters from Skye by Jessica Brockmole. Like that book it takes a poignant view of two people and the way their relationship changes over time, as events take their lives in different directions, only to bring them back together later. Clare is a fiercely independent girlwhose mother has left her and whose grandfather is off traveling the world- she is taken in by a friend of her mothers and spends a summer in France at the chateau Mille Mots. It's a crumbling place but it's a haven for Clare as she struggles with the betrayal by her mother and her sense of loss, and she gets to know Luc over the course of the summer.

Luc is the son of her mothers friend and they are both drawn to the arts, and over the summer they become friends and perhaps more. Clare's mother was an artist and felt that her freedom and arty lifestyle was more important to her than raising her daughter, so she left, but Clare also has an artists touch. Together her and Luc spend a glorious summer exploring the grounds and getting to know one another, until her grandfather arrives to take her back to Scotland. Their lives take them in different directions as Clare travels with her grandfather and Luc goes to war- they stay in touch by letter but as time goes on the letters cease for various reasons and they lose touch.

Luc eventually returns to Paris where he will cross paths with Clare again. They're different people now though - will the connection still be there?

I think the author does a great job showing us pre-war France and the changes brought by WWI, and the first part of the book paints a vivid picture of Mille Mots and the idyllic countryside. The bonds that Clare and Luc forge that summer see them through years of heartbreak and adversity, and so it's fascinating to see them come back together as different people- and yet the same.I especially liked Clare's perspective and really felt for her with all she went through, and it was interesting to see her character develop through the years of traveling throughout Africa.

At The Edge of Summer is a fine story, well told,  and hits many of the same notes that Letters from Skye did. A long distance relationship in an era when communication was sketchy, the uncertainty of not knowing if someone is even alive or thinking of you, a love that crosses years and great distance, and two well drawn protagonists. And France isn't a bad setting either. A good read.

A Dance with Dragons The Kingbreaker/ The Dragontamer

This week we revisit Barristan the Bold as he makes his move, in concert with the Shavepate. The two of them are trying to keep Dany in power and foil Hizdahr's attempt to take over and accede to her enemies. Then we check in with Quentyn and his Dornish companions as they put their plan into motion- to steal a dragon. Lots of action and intrigue in Meereeen this week. We're getting to the end of the book- lots of things are happening now and the pace is rapidly picking up.

The Shavepate tells Barristan that the Yunkai'i dumped Groleo's head in front of Hizdahr to give him an excuse to kill the dragons. He says Hizdahr's own family members amongst the hostages were returned with no harm done to them. Barristan's plan is to take Hizdahr and form a council to rule, and only attack the Yunkish if they fail to withdraw and return the hostages. Shavepate says that's dumb and they should attack immediately. He agrees grudgingly to go along though and they move.

They also discuss whether to free the hostages (if possible) with Shavepate arguing that it would be better for Dany if Daario died. Barristan thinks it would be better for Dany and Westeros but knows she loves him. They also disagree about killing the Harpy hostages in kind if any more of Dany's are slain, but Barristan refuses.

I am not made for this, he reflected as he looked out over the sprawling city. The pyramids were waking, one by one, lanterns and torches flickering to life as shadows gathered in the streets below. Plots, ploys, whispers, lies, secrets within secrets, and somehow I have become part of them.

Barristan goes to the king's chambers in the night and confronts him about whether he is the Harpy, and did he try to poison Daenerys. He also points out the men in the arena obeyed Hizdahr when he told them to kill the dragon. Hizdahr sputters and denies all but is clearly nervous and calls for his guard- Khrazz the pit fighter. He and Barristan fight and the old knight kills the pit fighter, and takes Hizdahr in hand. Then a serving boy comes and says that the dragons have been loosed.

MY THOUGHTS: 

We're told here that Summerhall happened after Aegon V let three of his sons marry for love rather than duty, and this led to treasons and grief culminating in the Summerhall incident. More hints. We also learn here that Varys was whispering to Aerys about his son Rhaegar, that he meant to depose his father- Varys' games go way back don't they?- and we also discover that was in love with Ashara Dayne. She killed herself after her daughter was stillborn, and perhaps also over grief for the man who had dishonored her. What's going on there?

I also get the sense that Barristan wanted a fight in the king's chambers, the way he drew his sword and was happy when Khrazz came at him. Barristan is a soldier, a knight and he lives for that- the intrigues and the secrets are not to his liking.

THE DRAGONTAMER

Quentyn is nervous about his plan, and Drink tells him he should go to the Temple of the Graces and have a woman- apparently the Temple has pleasure gardens. Quent wants to marry Gwyneth Yronwood and be home. In spite of his misgivings the three of them dress up as Brazen Beasts and meet with Pretty Meris and her crew, who have a wagon and chains to bind the dragons. When they get to the holding place the doors dented and dinged as if something has been trying to get out...

They give the code word but it's the wrong one and they have to fight the guards, killing them. What I think happens here is the word they were given was correct, but this is happening at the same time as Barristan and the Shavepate are executing their plan, and Shavepate's men are using a different word.

The dragons, Prince Quentyn thought. Yes. We came for the dragons. He felt as though he might be sick. What am I doing here? Father, why? Four men dead in as many heartbeats, and for what? "Fire and blood," he whispered, "blood and fire."

They enter the vault and feed a sheep to Rhaegal, hoping to make them full and drowsy, but it goes wrong. Viserion has dug a burrow or cave out of the brick walls and comes down and everything falls apart.

The woman, Quentyn realized. He knows that she is female. He is looking for Daenerys. He wants his mother and does not understand why she's not here.

Quentyn thinks he can cow the beast into submission but one of the mercenaries shoots Viserion with a crossbow, and the dragon kills him. They fall back but Quentyn tries to lash Viserion with his whip- unfortunately Rhaegal is behind him and Quentyn realizes he's burning.

In some ways Quentyn is an idiot, thinking a scheme like this would work. Martin does a great job here showing the majesty, and the terrifying power, of the dragons- Quentyn is awestruck when he gets in there and soon forgets all his plans. Of course it all goes to pot, and it appears here that Q is done for. There is a theory out there that Q is still alive, but I don't put much stock in it. We'll check in one more time with these characters, and it's pretty clear there that the goose is cooked. Not only that, but this is how the dragons get out, as referenced in the previous chapter.

The Bookish Time Travel Tag

The Bookish Time Travel Tag is hosted by The Library Lizard. I was tagged for this by Mareli Thalk ink and thought it sounded like a lot of fun. And I love time travel. So here we go...

The rules are:

• Answer as many of the questions as you can/ want
• Tag other people- as many as you like. share the love!
• Please leave a link to this post/ blog
• Tag the post as "Bookish time Travel" 
• Explore! Try and visit other people's Bookish Time Travel posts and leave a comment. 

The questions.

1) What is your favorite historical setting for a book?

I like the Victorian era, both for murder mysteries as well as fantasy or vampires/ strange creatures. There's just so much atmosphere... give me foggy streets, gas lamps and perhaps a werewolf or creature of the night on the prowl...

2) What writer(s) would you like to travel back in time to meet?

I would say JRR Tolkien and C.S. Lewis. To sit with them and discuss their creations as well as philosophy (I think Lewis would be fascinating in that regard).

3) What books would you travel back in time and give to your younger self?



Maybe The Lord of the Rings- although I did read it young I had read other, derivative fantasy first.

4) What book(s) would you travel forward in time and give to your older self?



Not really sure- I think maybe a Peanuts compilation or something humorous. There's a tendency to lose the sense of wonder as you get older, and as a kid these were a refuge from the humdrum. Maybe having these as an older person would remind me to lighten up? :)

5) What is your favorite futuristic setting from a book? E.g Panem from the Hunger Games.

I love futuristic, cyberpunk- ish settings so probably something like that. A futuristic city with starports and neon- something like Blade Runner. Or maybe Chicago from Divergent- it was a lot of fun wondering what was outside the wall. Too bad the answers were ultimately disappointing. But I always like ruined cities in the future...

6) What is your favorite book that is set in a different time period (can be historical or futuristic)?



A Princess of Mars is a childhood favorite that I'm still fond of today. I'm not sure it's a favorite anymore, but it had such a impact on me as a kid it deserves mentioning. It's set in Civil War times but the majority of the book is set on Mars and could be any time period really.

7) Spoiler time: Do you ever skip ahead to the end of a book just to see what happens?

I've been known to do this... from time to time. I don't do it as much now, but in the past I have done it, especially if it's something I'm really anxious to know. Sometimes in split POV books I'll skip a chapter if I have to know how a cliffhanger resolves. :)

8)  If you had a Time Turner, where would you go and what would you do?

Wow, tough one. I have several answers.

The age of dinosaurs. Forget Jurassic Park, I want to see dinosaurs in the primordial world and see what they really look like. As long as I could get out again...

Egypt at the time of the pyramids. How did they really build them?

The birth or crucifixion of Christ. So many questions could be answered... or maybe Easter.

9) Favorite book (if you have one) that includes time travel or takes place in multiple time periods?



As a kid my favorite time travel book was Tunnel Through Time. These kids and their scientist dad go back in time to the dinosaur era, and also visit the Ice Age and end up bringing a prehistoric girl back with them. If I remember right she jumps back into the past...



A more recent might be Time Salvager. While it's not a favorite book necessarily, I do like the concept of going back in time to acquire resources- things that are no longer available but can be used in the future.

10) What book/ series do you wish you could go back and read again for the first time?

Probably the Lord of the Rings. When I read it as a kid some of the stuff in Fellowship bored me... all the Shire stuff. Now I appreciate it more and as an adult I think it would be a blast to discover for the first time.

So... there you have it. It's been fun traveling through the mists of time to answer these questions. A big thank you to Mareli Thalk ink for tagging me... and feel free to tag yourself and join the fun!

Cover Characteristics Robots

Cover Characteristics is a meme by Sugar and Snark- every week a characteristic is selected and we post 5 books with that week's theme.  

This week's pick- Robots/ Androids  

This week I decided to go with robotic/ android cover art- this is one I've been wanting to do for a while.  



Obviously an old school cover but I am intrigued by the robotic arm.



This one's just kinda freaky. 



Another older cover 



I remember seeing this around a year or two ago- always liked this cover. 



Nice cover  - but my favorite part of this is the title. 



This one is kinda terrifying.

Sunday Post #152

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer

It's been a pleasant- but HOT- week with temps in the 90's. Reading has been okay- I'm getting through about a book a week which is good for summertime. Didn't make it to the beach but there are some festivals going over by the lakeshore. So maybe this week. In show news I'm pretty much caught up on everything, and I'm looking for something to watch on Netflix. I've been binging so much the last few months that I've gone through pretty much everything on my list. 

I reviewed The Girls in the Garden this week and it just might be one of my favorites of the year so far. I also talked about Weird Titles in books and had the usual discussion on A Dance with Dragons as well as Bookcover Spotlight. There are a few movies I'd like to see but I never seem to make it to the theater... and the Olympics are getting closer. Two weeks to go!



This Suicide Squad promo dropped this week and it looks as fun as ever. 

PULP COVER OF THE WEEK: 


  
NEW ARRIVAL/ UPCOMING REVIEWS:

BOOKISH LINKS

Boats Against the Current talks about book covers. 

Bookcover Spotlight #58

Why exactly are they diving naked? That's what I'd like to know.

The Girls in the Garden

The Girls in the Garden starts out with a party and a girl in a coma. Pip and Grace are brought to the Victoria Park development to live after their father goes into a hospital for his mental illness. Their mother is a bit distracted and they make friends with the other kids in the complex- there's a mix of upscale and more modest homes and they all back onto a communal garden area, complete with a rose garden and paths and even an enclosed "secret" garden. It sounds like a wonderful place for kids to hang out- but one night after a summer party in the park Grace is found unconscious- and there are signs of an assault.

The story is told from the point of view of Pip, her mother Clare, and Adele who lives across the park. And a fascinating story it is. Clare deals with being a single mom while Adele has a beautiful home, three daughters that she homeschools, and a husband who is popular with the kids- perhaps too popular with some of them. Grace is hospitalized after the incident and while Clare and Pip try to hold it together, and figure out what happened, it's Adele who starts digging into the secrets and lies that permeate the community, even as the police are doing the same thing. I loved switching from Pip's perspective to Adele's- both had fascinating personalities and such a different perspective on things, and both were equally compelling.

This story explores the question of how well do you really know someone- your kids, a husband or wife, family? Adele realizes over time that in some ways she doesn't know her kids at all- even though they live together, the kids have their own world in the park and it's a little scary to realize that in real life there's a lot of things we don't know about the people closest to us. To me that was the message of the book- how much do you really know? And does it matter? Here it clearly matters as we slowly learn more about what happened that summer night.

There are some chilling moments towards the end where we discover things that tie everything together, and I enjoyed trying to figure out what happened. Each revelation was a peek into a society centered around the park, where kids grow up too fast and parents don't realize it, where clues and links to past events provide a context to what happened. The only real complaint I have is the explanation at the end seemed a little bit contrived, perhaps a smidgen unrealistic considering how young the kids are, but overall this was a fantastic read that explores family and kids and what happens when it all goes wrong. One of my favorite reads of the year.

SPOILER DISCUSSION

For those who've read the book I wanted to talk spoilers a bit.

So I thought Tyler would be involved in some way, although I wasn't sure if she was a red herring as Leo obviously was- but one of the most chilling aspects for me was- did Adele's kids have involvement? Maybe Catkin at least? After all she and Grace had harsh words just before the incident. And Adele seems to suspect the same thing, even as she and Leo resolve to not ask the questions- to let it go. So we never get a definitive resolution of that- who assisted ? What do YOU think?

Wednesday Reviews #7

"I've Seen The Other Side Of You" looks at the tension on the ship after the crew's recent escape from the security moon where they were held captive. Two wants to take on the corporations in the wake of One's death, and the three newcomers find their access to the ship restricted- which seems prudent since neither we or the crew know very much about them. Android, meanwhile, cannot re- establish her neural link with the ship, due to the injuries she sustained on Hyperion-8. So she shuts down to effect repairs- and then bad stuff happens.

Basically this episode is one of those exercises in what happens when people lose their memories? Two, Three and Four are all uploaded with their old memories, back when they were criminals- so they get to sneer and be ruthless and Five has to figure out a way to survive and restore them to their, um, new selves. Or whatever. Of course she does so in the end but we learn a few things- we get a glimpse into what made Two the way she is (er, was), we find out that Arax is the mole onboard, and we also find out that the crews old memories are available- but they decide not to upload them as Android warns it could make them into their old criminal selves again. I'm not sure any of that really makes sense, but whatever. A moderately entertaining episode.

I think Dark Matter has a lot of potential, I really liked S1 with the slightly claustrophobic feel aboard the Raza and the dark themes- and three episodes into S2 I'm not sure where this is going but I'm cautiously optimistic. This show isn't as polished or as well written as say a 12 Monkeys, like I said last week, but it is keeping my interest.



Speaking of 12 Monkeys- this week The Memory of Tomorrow  is the final episode of S2. We finally get to find out who the Witness is- but more on that in a moment. First we start off with Cole and Cassie in 1959, exchanging presents for Christmas. Awww... we want them to be happy, but of course it's not to be. The much ballyhooed appearance of Madeleine Stowe as a guest star happens- Cole encounters her on the street and time just... stops. It happens again and Cole finds her in an insane asylum. Guess what? She's a Primary... or something. She tells Cole he can go back to 1957 and try again to stop the paradox... the only problem is doing so will erase the happiness that he and Cassie have found in the last year.

The other wrinkle is- Cassie is pregnant. Yay Cole and Cassie- congratula- wait that's not going to happen if Cole does his thing. And sure enough... he does, drinking the red leaf tea or whatever and going back. And he doesn't tell Cassie- which is the biggest problem I have with this one. I HATE it when a show does that- I can't see him not telling her. Shouldn't she have a say? Anyway Cole succeeds and he and Cassie are pulled back to 2044. The happiness of their time together is erased- or is it? Later Cassie remembers their time together- yay! But what does that mean?

It's nice to have the band back together. Cole and Cassie, along with Jones, travel to Ramse's location and mount a rescue, along with Jennifer and the Daughters. Everyone in one place! But things go wrong, because of course, and Ramse ends up with Olivia and her dissidents while Cassie is snatched away just before the bad guys get away via time displacement. Argh- they're separated again! And no- Deac gets taken out after valiantly defending Jennifer. He really grew on me- if he's truly dead that's a shame.

It was nice to see Jones kick a little ass in this one- that image of her with a shotgun and a cigarette was a hoot. Cleaning house! And she has a dog. And her daughter wasn't too shabby with the weapons either! But we end with Cassie in 2163- they're in the future now, not the past- and Cole is determined to go and save her. And the big reveal... the Witness is- the child. Cole and Cassie's child will be the Witness? I was kinda hoping that wouldn't be the case- but at least now we know. Although on this show you never really know.

A Dance with Dragons Cersei II/ Tyrion XI

This week it's time to check in with Cersei and see what she's been up to. Not much actually, as she is still in her cell waiting for her Walk of Atonement. A traumatic experience to be sure, and one that will change her- but will it really? Cersei in the books seems a bit more erratic, more dangerous, than the version on the show... and you never really know what's going to happen. And then we're going to check in with Tyrion, who last time had just bet everything on a desperate gamble to join the Second Sons. They're a mercenary group that were with Dany and changed sides- and now represent Tyrion's last hope for freedom and survival.

CERSEI II

Cersei is afraid and debating whether she should go through with the Walk of Atonement or risk all on a trial, but she knows that won't work. You almost feel sorry for her here as the idea of walking naked through the streets clearly terrifies her, as it would anyone.

Cersei raised her head. Beyond the plaza, beyond the sea of hungry eyes and gaping mouths and dirty faces, across the city, Aegon's High Hill rose in the distance, the towers and battlements of the Red Keep blushing pink in the light of the rising sun.

It's a tough slog and she falls several times, trash is thrown at her and she's totally devastated by the end.

There will be more, and worse. These creatures have no sweeter joy in life than jeering at their betters. 

TYRION XI 

Tyrion is in the tents of the Second Sons signing papers awarding each name one hundred gold dragons. This is the price he has to pay to be free from the Yunkish and join the free company. Farther down the amount changes to one thousand coins. Then at the bottom the amounts are ten thousand coins for Kasporio and Inkpots, and one hundred thousand for Brown Ben, as well as fifty hides of land, a castle and a lordship. After he signs their book making him a Second Son, he goes through the company steel to get some armor and weapons. It's all junk basically and he has to deal with Penny complaining but he tells Jorah that the goal now is to get the Second Sons to switch sides again and join Dany.


Not a lot happens here other than Tyrion joining the mercenaries, although there is a little back and forth between him and Brown Ben Plumm. Tyrion has successfully saved them by being smart and getting them away from the Yunkish- now he has to stay alive as a member of Brown Ben's company. He'll be working with the ledgers though so that's pretty safe. And of course once he gets to Dany he may not be a Second Son for long?

What's Up With Weird Titles?

This post was inspired by a comment over at It Starts At Midnight- I made a crack about weird book titles and how that could be a post, and after that conversation I got to thinking. There have been so many book titles lately that just... I don't know, mystify me? Or make me curious. YA titles in particular can be interesting at times. So here we're going to talk a bit about book titles- the good, the bad, and the WTF-ery.

Now weird is subjective. My weird may not be your weird, but for purposes of this discussion I want to look at not only weird titles but titles that seem pretentious or whatever. This is all in the spirit of fun, so if I mention a favorite title please don't be offended- I'm just talking about titles that I find funny or whatever.

So I'm just going to show a few that have caught my eye or I've been like, what?? These could be great books for all I know- but the titles are... interesting.



You get the idea. Again, these might all be great- but the titles are just kinda weird. Or vague or not really clear what the book is about. They probably make perfect sense once you've read the book. Does anyone else get annoyed at titles like these though? Maybe it's just me... and once I look at the synopses often a book like this has a message or explores a theme that's actually pretty important.

Veronica Mars meets William Shakespeare...  so says the synopsis. Actually it sounds like this could be a very moving book- and I don't want to make light of it because it covers a serious topic. But it's one of those titles that if I saw it on a bookshelf I would have no idea (I mean, presumably cheerleading) but other than that...

So... what do YOU think? Weird or vague titles- like or dislike? Or don't care either way?

Top Ten Books Set Outside The U.S.

 Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week a new Top Ten list will be posted. Everyone is welcome to join. Link back to The Broke and the Bookish so everyone can check out other bloggers' lists. It's a fun way to get to know fellow bloggers.

This week's topic is Ten Books Set Outside The US 

This is a good topic, I enjoy reading about mysteries or thrillers set in Europe or Asia. And it seems like I've read a fair amount of stuff that qualifies in the last year or so, so here we go. 





This one is set in Southeast Asia and the Australia/ New Zealand area, and is about two girls from London who join a yacht of free spirits and of course things happen.   



Shattered is the third of the Slated trilogy and is set in a dystopian future London. 



This is set throughout Europe- starts off in Italy and Perry & Gobi gallivant all over doing, ya know, assassin stuff. 



This was probably my favorite read of last year (yes I tell anyone who will listen) and it's set in Australia. 



Vitro is a favorite of mine, about a girl who finds her mother on a remote island in the Pacific working at a secret facility (there's always a secret facility).  



This one, also knows as The Girls in the Garden, is set in London.  



One of the better mysteries I read last year, this is set in England in the '30's.  



This is set in Edinburgh and on the isle of Skye in Scotland. 



This one is the third of the Amory Ames mysteries.  



Another book I like to plug whenever I can as it's fun.