Poor little neglected favorites...

I wish that I reread books more often like I used to.  When I didn't have so many unread books.  I'm trying to remember the last time I had this few books in my TBR pile... and I can't.

I miss my favorite characters in books. I miss visiting them again. I miss reliving those adventures that kept me up all hours of the night.

Is it bad that certain scenes from books make you think that they should be in the movie and you can't remember if they're not even though you've seen the movie more than you've read the book?

Will I deny my need for those fictional characters dear to my heart because I might have a few new friends whom I haven't met just yet? When will I allow myself to see Sorcha again? Sirius? The Lisbon sisters? Tom Sawyer? Edward Rochester?

Many times I have wondered why I continue to persist in assuming that I will ever finish all these unread books on my shelves. I think it would be better if I just gave in when the urge strikes me to revisit these literary realms that brought me so much pleasure in the past.

Anticipation

I am quite certain that most of the female population is excited about the release of the film adaptation of New Moon, but I just cannot share that enthusiasm. No, my excitement lies with other movies.

The Road is expected to be released next weekend. At last! We've been waiting, what, a year now? I'm very optimistic about this film. It may be a challenge to put on film, but it has a good cast so I have no worries there.

Sherlock Holmes is another movie that I am very anxious to see in theaters. I have adored Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary detective since the tender age of eight, thanks to a TV movie. This is the perfect excuse to read my collection of Holmes stories because sadly I haven't read much beyond the stories in The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I'm a bit worried about what the movie may do to the character of Irene Adler, but I will wait and see. The real question will be this:  Will Robert Downey, Jr.'s portrayal reach my lofty standards on the same level as Basil Rathbone? We shall see.

The Lovely Bones is another film that I look forward to. Really loved the book and I'm interested to see Peter Jackson's vision of Suzie's heaven.

Holding on to hope

I'm giving myself a temporary respite from fantasy books that have consumed my literary diet as of late. So I decided to read Rhett Butler's People, a novel that I was greatly anticipating upon its release two years ago and mentioned as much in this blog. I've had the book for two years... wouldn't you agree, dear reader, that it's time I cracked open its spine and perused those pages?

At this moment I am about fifty pages into the novel, but I can't really find much redeeming value in the narrative. It's as though the author forgot to include the passionate and descriptive prose that one would expect from a novel supposedly rich with Southern beauty. Some of my problems with the book so far may be addressed in later chapters, but we shall see. This will probably be a novel that receives a review on here once I am done.

I did a quick glance over some readers' ratings and reviews for this novel. It seemed mixed for the most part. Much of the hatred for it also mentioned Alexandra Ripley's Scarlett, which is a book that I really liked to be honest.

Repeated disappointments make it seem easier to just not get excited about upcoming books, but we still do, don't we? Readers are eternally optimistic in our books if nothing else.

Sojourn, by R.A. Salvatore

Alone with only his faithful panther, Drizzt faces the trials that living in the surface world bring him.  A wrongful charge against him leads the drow to the residence of an aging ranger and a greater understanding of his new world.  Gaining the training to be a ranger in more than heart, the time comes for Drizzt to find his place in the surface world.  However, will the tragedy of his heritage keep him forever wandering?

I'm kind of surprised how I managed to finish this book in two days. I can only assume it's because the adventures on the surface world are more appealing to me than the intrigues of the Underdark... which I can't rightly explain to satisfaction. It's a mystery to me. A lot of new and interesting characters are introduced in this installment and I found myself eager to know how they fared by the end of it. I was hopelessly hooked to the narrative, I admit it. Dwarves amuse me.

I enjoyed reading about the time Drizzt spent learning to be a ranger. And the battle against the orc army. Yes, owls are cool. I want an attack owl.

I'm starting to see why Drizzt is such a popular character with Salvatore fans, but he's still not my favorite character as of yet. That's not to say there's no possibility that he won't be, but I would need to read more to come to that determination. This book definitely felt like it was more about Drizzt than the last two books. Perhaps that's why I can sense a reader's attraction for Drizzt. Of the three books the comprise the Dark Elf trilogy, Sojourn is definitely the best. It proved to be the most engaging of the set.

It was very entertaining. I look forward to reading the Icewind Dale trilogy now.

A few changes...

I've decided to change the title of my blog. It was a long time coming, but I couldn't really decide on anything before until lately I've realized that I read quite a lot of fantasy novels in the last few years. I'd like to be able to have a fancy layout as well, however, I don't really see that happening any time soon. Maybe if I find a nice template that can be edited to suit my needs. Although I can make my own banner later. Yet I've taken a lot of things away from the side bar that I felt were not necessary and my blog seems less cluttered.

And I've chosen to stop writing reviews of everything that I read. I thought it would make me a better reviewer, but I don't believe that has been the case. Sometimes the reviews are troublesome to write as well. It becomes more of a chore than a past time. I created this blog for enjoyment and when one has to force the words out it takes all the fun out of it. If I was getting paid to review books that would be different, yet these are for pleasure reads so it should be an enjoyable activity and not a burden. I want to hold myself up to a higher standard of reviewing, too.

Future book reviews may be a little random from now on. Although I will finish reviewing the last books in the trilogies that I have begun such as the Dark Elf trilogy and the Night Angel trilogy. I will try to finish Sojourn in the next few days and I can get the last Night Angel book over the weekend.

Exile, by R.A. Salvatore

For ten years Drizzt has lived as an outcast in the wilds of the dangerous Underdark, but the disfavor that he brought to his family in the eyes of his people's evil Spider Queen diety causes evil tricks of the drow to haunt his steps. Troubled by his own deadly instincts of survival, he makes unlikely friends in his quest to do more than survive. However, when Matron Malice sends an unstopable monster after her son in the familiar guise of his father, will it prove the end of the exiled drow warrior?

I was a bit surprised that Drizzt had chosen to stay underground so long to be honest. I imagined he'd head for the surface right away after leaving his home since he seemed to be spellbound by it during the raid to the surface in the first book of this trilogy. If I may be frank in my observations, the Underdark is a somewhat uninteresting place. So it should prove to be interesting how the story progresses on the surface now. The narrative did show itself to be more interesting than the first book because once Drizzt throws himself upon the mercy of the deep gnomes, I started enjoying the novel. It seemed a bit slow during the mind flayers bit, but luckily that didn't last for long.

There is still not a favorite character for me in these books, but I find Belwar to be comic amusement in this installment of the series. I would have liked to read more about Drizzt's time spent in the city of the deep gnomes. The decisions to show mercy to pitiful creatures prove to be most fortunate in the epic fantasies as well, don't they? Peches might have been intriguing to read about in their natural states. Although with Drizzt's sensitive hearing, how could he not hear what the wizard muttered that so enraged Clacker? If he can hear the approach of someone far off, why not a hushed dialogue of the individual standing right next to him?

You would think that I'd probably like Drizzt because of one, he's a dark elf, and two, he has purple eyes, but alas he has not endeared himself to me as a favorite character as of this moment. Is it just me? By all accounts this is a well-liked character so why am I not loving Drizzt as I feel like I should by this point?

I still like those bits of memoir in Drizzt's words. I'm starting to think that the chapters or portions of chapters that deal with the events that happen to Drizzt's character might have been written in this manner. Wouldn't that be interesting? It's not as though novels don't switch between first and third person narratives at times anyway.

Exile was an entertaining read, and a bit more engaging than Homeland. Things seem to be fleshing out more and our drow's ascension to the surface world as a permanent residence will prove to be most enlightening. Just one more book to read and the Dark Elf Trilogy will be finished.

Reading List 2009

JANUARY
01. Just After Sunset - Stephen King
02. Dragon Blood – Patricia Briggs
03. Death Note: Another Note, The Los Angeles BB Murder Cases – Ishin Nishio
04. Templar Knight, Forbidden Bride – Lynna Banning
05. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court – Mark Twain
06. The Devil Wears Tartan – Karen Ranney

FEBRUARY
07. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl

MARCH
08. Confessions of a Shopaholic – Sophie Kinsella
09. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight/Pearl/Sir Orfeo – J.R.R. Tolkien

APRIL
10.Nancy Drew: The Secret of the Old Clock – Carolyn Keene
11.The Graveyard Book – Neil Gaiman
12.The Dragon King’s Palace – Laura Joh Rowland
13.The Magician: The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel – Michael Scott
14. Rurouni Kenshin: Voyage to the Moon World – Koaru Shizuka

MAY
15. The Way of Shadows – Brent Weeks *
16.Civil War Poetry and Prose – Walt Whitman
17. The Jewel of Seven Stars – Bram Stoker
18.The Kouga Ninja Scrolls – Futaro Yamada
19.Shopaholic Takes Manhattan – Sophie Kinsella
20.Ranger’s Apprentice #1: The Ruins of Gorlan – John Flanagan
21.Shopaholic Ties the Knot – Sophie Kinsella
22. Angel of Music: Tales of the Phantom of the Opera – Carrie Hernandez

JUNE
23. Sebastian – Anne Bishop
24. Shopaholic & Sister – Sophie Kinsella
25. The Asian Mystique: Dragon Ladies, Geisha Girls, and Our Fantasies of the Exotic Orient – Sheridan Prasso
26. Andre the Giant: A Legendary Life – Michael Krugman
27. Shopaholic & Baby – Sophie Kinsella
28. Fledgling – Octavia E. Butler *
29. The Picture of Dorian Gray – Oscar Wilde
30.Bone Crossed – Patricia Briggs *

JULY
31. The Silmarillion – J.R.R. Tolkien
32.The Children of Húrin – J.R.R. Tolkien
33. White Fang – Jack London
34.Star Trek New Frontier: House of Cards - Peter David (re-read)
35. Star Trek New Frontier: Into the Void – Peter David (re-read)
36. Star Trek: The Two-Front War - Peter David (re-read)
37. Star Trek New Frontier: End Game – Peter David (re-read)
38. Star Trek New Frontier: Martyr – Peter David
39. Star Trek New Frontier: Fire on High – Peter David
40. Star Trek New Frontier: The Quiet Place – Peter David
41. Star Trek New Frontier: Dark Allies – Peter David

AUGUST
42. Warriors: Bluestar’s Prophecy – Erin Hunter
43. Star Trek New Frontier: Requiem – Peter David
44. Anastasia: The Last Grand Duchess – Carolyn Meyer
45. Everything’s Eventual – Stephen King
46. The Art of War – Sun Tzu
47. Children of the Flames – Lucette Lagnado & Sheila Dekel
48. Star Trek New Frontier: Renaissance – Peter David
49. The Swan Kingdom – Zoe Marriott *
50. A Seduction at Christmas – Cathy Maxwell
51. Lady of the Forest – Jennifer Roberson *

SEPTEMBER
52. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies – Jane Austen & Seth Grahame-Smith
53. Rampant – Diana Peterfreund
54. Devoted – Alice Borchardt

OCTOBER
55. Spirit Fox – Mickey Zucker Reichert & Jennifer Wingert
56. Ranger’s Apprentice #2: The Burning Bridge – John Flanagan
57. Ranger’s Apprentice #3: The Icebound Land – John Flanagan
58. The Street of a Thousand Blossoms – Gail Tsukiyama
59. Hunting Ground – Patricia Briggs
60. Shadow’s Edge – Brent Weeks *

NOVEMBER
61. Homeland – R.A. Salvatore *
62. Exile - R.A. Salvatore *
63. Pyramids - Terry Pratchett
64. Sojourn - R.A. Salvatore *

(Asterisks mean they were books that I did not own at the time of being read.)

Homeland, by R.A. Salvatore

The Underdark is the savage home of the drow, dark elves whose only ambition is to obtain power and destroy those who displease their bloodthirsty Spider Queen. Drizzt grows up in this harsh world and learns the truth of his people as each test shatters the innocence of his youth. A massacre committed on the day of his birth brings his House into danger, but who is the more perilous adversaries: his enemies or his own family?

This was my introduction to the character of Drizzt and the Forgotten Realms. It was an interesting look at the havoc that could come with a society under female domination, but then again their diety is a deadly spider that gorges on the blood of her subjects... there's really no pleasant aspect to that prospect. Before Salvatore, my only exposure to dark elves were the bits that are seen in Tolkien's The Silmarillion. So it was intriguing to read a story where they were the focus. Although the constant intrigues started to get old after awhile and I'm amazed that it took Drizzt so long to act as he did by the end.

I didn't really find any characters that I liked in the story. Yet it is an introduction in the chronicles of Drizzt so I will cut the book some slack and hope for developments as the series progresses. For all the action that happens in the book I failed to find much enticement to say, "Oh, I love this book." I liked it. I didn't love it. I feel like I may have liked it more if I were more familiar with the Realms... or perhaps I am wishing to read far too much into it?

Although I must admit that I would have found it more interesting of a book if the whole story had been written like Drizzt's passages of memoir that are inserted ever so often at critical points in his life. But that could just be me.

Homeland is a quick and easy read. It's not going to challenge your mind, but it will entertain you if you are into this type of fantasy stories. And so I'm off to read Exile, the second book in the Dark Elf trilogy. I need to get back to my own books again in the worst way, but I've borrowed this book for too long and would like to get it returned to its rightful owner instead of abandoning the reading to accomplish another day.

Shadow's Edge, by Brent Weeks

Kylar takes Elena and Uly out of the city and tries to start a new life as something other than the ultimate killer. However, his actions have made him the target of enemies and allies alike, and when he hears that his friend Logan may still be alive in the nightmare dungeon the Night Angel must return and restore the kingdom to its rightful heir. Can he take down the Godking as the ultimate hit?

Like the first book in this trilogy it took a while for anything to pick up in the story. I've noticed that the action itself can be interesting, but I just don't care for the writing style of this author in this set of books. I may have just been spoiled on beautiful prose in certain books and seek to find it elsewhere and that's just not going to happen in most fantasy series. I found it difficult to keep the intertwining stories in a narrative that makes sense, but it's been a few months since I read the first book so I could have just forgotten certain details that piece it together. Sometimes it feels like several directions of plot are cast and it's like the story is trying to go down all of them.

Is it just me or are most of the characters just unlikeable? I root for Momma K, but I find her interesting. Although I found myself starting to like the female "wetboy" named Vi if not for that crush she developed on Kylar. Kylar just comes across as a Mary-Sue to me, but then again most main characters seem to be Mary-Sues to a certain extent. I just think it would have been cooler if he hadn't gained his superpowers until the last book. Elena just seems like some kind of moron, what woman is going to travel alone when she can be so easily overpowered? It's like she won't get any common sense into her head until something really bad happens to her. Although I'm sure any other book would have her raped by some random soldier, but I doubt that Weeks will marr the virginity of this heroine with the scarred face.

I don't think I've read this much rape or implied rape since Iris Chang's The Rape of Nanking detailing Japan's autrocity toward the ancient capital of China. Invading armies brutalize women, but you gotta love how the prostitutes fight back around the middle to later part of the book. It would have been better if we'd gotten glimpses of that during the narrative instead of a brief flashback with the female pirate's role.

Could I recommend it? I'm thinking maybe that it's interesting for male readers for all the action that transpires. The romance might come off as a little weak to a female audience since I know some of my blog readers fancy reading the romance genre. I'd read it if you feel the need for something light. I realize these books are 600+ pages a piece, but they're light reading in my opinion. It's a pity that some of the dialogue failed to be more mature than vulgar language. But if you need a more concrete rating, I'd give it two bloody knives out of five.