Read for the Armchair Traveler’s Reading Challenge. Only Bill Bryson can make driving through an endless wasteland into an amusing story. I very much enjoyed this book. My prior knowledge of Australia has been pretty much limited to what I’ve seen on Crocodile Hunter episodes and a Lonely Planet podcast on Perth, so it was […]
In a Sunburned Country – Bill Bryson Read More »
This is technically a reread, as I read it some time ago when I found it at the library, when I was devouring anything Robin McKinley. My mother found it used, and it passed it along to me when she was done with it, as she knows I’m collecting McKinley’s book when I find them
A Knot in the Grain and Other Stories – Robin McKinley Read More »
I picked this book up because I’d seen an interview with the author on the Daily Show. It was an interesting interview, and he seemed very articulate and knowledgeable, and since this seems to be my year to learn about Islam, I short listed this to the top of my Amazon wishlist. The book is
No god but God – Reza Aslan Read More »
Hard to believe it’s over. I finished around 1 last night, so I’m still processing. Overall, I think I’m pretty happy with the book. The deaths were meaningful, the people that survived acquitted themselves well in battle, it was a lovely story of how the people around you help you to become a hero, and
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – J. K. Rowling Read More »
Lovely, different story then the Sabriel trilogy. (Does that trilogy have a name? I’ll have to look that up.) Definitely a younger slant than those books, but still an engaging story that I’ll enjoy reading the rest of, once I get near a Barnes and Noble again and can pick up their exclusive omnibus addition
The Seventh Tower Volumes 1-3 (The Fall, Castle & Aenir) – Garth Nix Read More »
I didn’t hate this book. It was interesting enough to keep me going to the end. There were enough questions I wanted answered that I kept going. I didn’t hate this book. Unfortunately, after finishing the book, I’m mostly left with a laundry list of the things that irritated me about it: 1. I realize
The Last Green Tree – Jim Grimsley Read More »
First, I have to say, I don’t normally bring hard historical non-fiction as a vacation reading book. Second, I slogged through Alison Weir’s book on Eleanor of Aquitaine (the grandmother in law of two of the queens mentioned in this book) earlier this year, and was a bit nervous about trying other book about roughly
Four Queens: The Provencal Sisters Who Ruled Europe – Nancy Goldstone Read More »
I love Mercedes Lackey’s 500 Kingdoms series. I love the way she works in any number of fairy tales into a cohesive single story. The Fairy Godmother is still my favorite, but Fortune’s Fool is definitely the second on the list. This book is set in the world of Russian fairy tales, and works in
Fortune’s Fool – Mercedes Lackey Read More »
I picked up this book when I found it used because it’s a favorite of my best friend. It’s a very interesting commentary on discrimination in society, as well as a great cautionary tale on genetic engineering. The book concerns the creation of the Sleepless, genetically engineered children who do not need to sleep, and
Beggars in Spain – Nancy Kress Read More »
Read for the Armchair Traveler’s Reading Challenge. Yemen is probably best known to Americans these days as the site of the USS Cole bombing, which is a shame, as this books paints a picture of a fascinating country with a long history. The author first traveled to Yemen because he was learning Arabic and desired
Yemen: The Unknown Arabia – Tom MacKintosh-Smith Read More »