tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7034070035515411132024-03-14T02:59:33.014+00:00Spoilers and NutsMay contain spoilers and nutsQuiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.comBlogger193125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-21568636507561693782019-02-25T08:50:00.000+00:002019-02-25T10:35:52.597+00:00On the value of re-reading<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(peeks from under the piles of books read and not reviewed, and books not read, because I just got a lot of feelings and it appears I have something to say about that)</span></i><br />
<br />
Ahh, re-reading books. I used to do it a lot more than I do now but then again, I used to read a lot more than I do now. I know people that don't do this and are surprised that I would a) re-read a book, and b) keep a book because I might want to re-read it in the future. But for most of my reading life, I've been re-reading books that I've enjoyed, although now I prioritise new reads over re-reads (gotta keep that TBR pile tamed).<br />
<br />
Even so, the last book I re-read wasn't that long ago. As I finally read Thick as Thieves late last year, I realised that it had been too long since I had read the last two books of the series (the first two I had re-read a few years back). Too long meaning that there were details I couldn't remember very well. The broad strokes, yeah, those I had, but with any book by Megan Whalen Turner, you gonna need more than that (seriously, even if you have it committed to memory you'll be surprised and miss things. As they say, fool me once, shame on me, fool me 5, possibly 6 times, you must be Megan). So that brings us to one of the points on re-reading: <b>our memory is not perfect</b>, so if a series takes say, 10 years to produce a sequel, you'll need a refresher at some point (even if it takes less than that - my memory is not what it was). So, after I finished Thick as Thieves, realising there were some things I couldn't remember, I just picked <a href="https://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/2011/10/king-of-attolia-by-megan-whalen-turner.html" target="_blank">The King of Attolia</a> the next day. And what fun it was to be thrown back in that book, with a somewhat spotty knowledge of the <a href="https://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/2011/10/conspiracy-of-kings-by-megan-whalen.html" target="_blank">Conspiracy of Kings</a> and very fresh read of Thick as Thieves. <br />
<br />
And that knowledge of what happens next brings us to point number two: <b>hindsight is 20/20</b>, and when you are re-reading you really appreciate the cleverness of an author, the details and the foreshadowing that are there that you missed the first time,. You pay attention to different aspects of the story, you may skip any parts you didn't particularly like and not miss the thread of the story (or read them anyway and have an '<i>Oh!</i>' moment), and you may linger on the parts that you loved, reading them again and again. You are reading the same book you've already read, but the experience you are getting is a different one altogether. <br />
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The final points on the value of re-reading, and what lead me to want to write this down, come not from re-reading a book, but from listening to an adaptation of a beloved series, which I have not returned to in a very long time (especially not the first books). I'm talking about Earthsea, and the <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b05pktp7" target="_blank">BBC radio series adaptation</a> from 2015. <a href="https://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/2012/06/top-ten-tuesday-rewind-top-ten-books-i.html" target="_blank">A long time ago</a>, I said I'd wished I could read these books again for the first time (along with some others by Ursula K. Le Guin). And while reading for the first time is a very specific experience, some of these books I haven't even re-read. This is due, mostly, to fear that the magic that I associate with these stories will be lost. I'm older, hopefully wiser, with more reading mileage and with a different understanding of the world than I had when I was 12 or 15 or 22 (the world itself is a very different place too). With these fears in mind (and also the terrible track record of Earthsea adaptations), I gave the radio series a try (previous BBC radio dramas have been very good, this one was shared by a friend whose opinion I trust, and since the metro was crowded it was easier to listen than to read my current book). <br />
<br />
And it was like coming home. That's point number 3. Most of the times I've re-read books before have been because it is <b>a comfort read</b>. Reading something I love, because I'm in a streak of books that don't satisfy, because life is being troublesome, or just because I need something familiar. And being back at Earthsea was familiar. Ged and Tenar speaking to each other, as the stories are recounted, that was familiar. It wasn't familiar in the sense of '<i>oh I know these characters and these places and these stories</i>'. No, it was familiar in the warmth you get when you are back at home after being away for so long, the one you get when you see a good friend. It was a very emotional response that I did not expect to have. <br />
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The final point, and that somehow connects to point number 2, is that books shape who we are. They make you see the world in a different and wider way. There might be moralities in them that will guide you or make you realise that they don't work for you, but hopefully they teach you to be better, and to understand yourself better. The Earthsea books are that from me. And listening to this story again, I could see some of the building blocks of the person I've become. But also that I have lost some lessons along the way (or that I had to re-learn them in some other way), while others only now make sense to me. <b>A different (re-)read puts things in perspective, and so does being older</b> and the different experiences we have through life. My experience of these stories now is obviously different from my experience then, and so are the lessons I learn. It’s not a new thing that books still can teach me how to be better and help me understand myself. It is a pleasant surprise when an old favourite still manages to do that almost 20 years later, both in the same ways that it did then and in completely new ways.<br />
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And while I've enjoyed the BBC radio drama very much, I still want to re-read these books (now slightly less afraid, because the magic clearly is still there). On a similar note, I have the radio drama for the Left Hand of Darkness, which I've yet to listen to (or re-read the book - it's only been like 15 years since I've read it) and I have exactly the same fears that I had with Earthsea. Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-74529551629732059902018-03-17T17:02:00.000+00:002018-03-17T17:02:08.761+00:00Cry Your Way Home by Damien Angelica Walters<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQUKwvnk2Hqj0N0vu5nyox2mW0MtWmNFzntUkjh0EFbZ3-mBEbj7exUEgkpcFXZDW7mvH1ZPccJMW5PgRDzu8BTwLqxrBc6Pikmc-xII7ackWgbH3gakAStPIUlYCYI-WUGJrBHSPPSA/s1600/Cry-Your-Way-Home-Generic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1052" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQUKwvnk2Hqj0N0vu5nyox2mW0MtWmNFzntUkjh0EFbZ3-mBEbj7exUEgkpcFXZDW7mvH1ZPccJMW5PgRDzu8BTwLqxrBc6Pikmc-xII7ackWgbH3gakAStPIUlYCYI-WUGJrBHSPPSA/s320/Cry-Your-Way-Home-Generic.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><b>Title:</b> Cry Your Way Home<br />
<br />
<b>Author:</b> Damien Angelica Walters<br />
<span style="font-size: 90%; line-height: 1.6;"><br />
<b>Date Read:</b> 2.March.2018<br />
<b>On TBR for:</b> 8 days<br />
<b>TBR status after reading:</b> 269 books to read (TBR expected to be cleared in 2036) <br />
<b>Format:</b> Ebook - ePub format<br />
<b>Source:</b> LibraryThing Early Reviewers<br />
<b>Challenges:</b> Pace yourself; Keep things balanced <br />
</span> <br />
<a href="https://www.librarything.com/er/list"><img alt="LibraryThing Early Reviewers" border="0" src="https://www.librarything.com/pics/lter_long_transparent.gif" width="362" style="background-color: #ffeecc;" /></a> <br />
<b><i> This review was written for <a href="https://www.librarything.com/er/list">LibraryThing Early Reviewers</a></i></b><br />
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"Once upon a time there was a monster. This is how they tell you the story starts. This is a lie."<br />
<br />
So starts <i>Cry Your Way Home</i>, a collection of short stories by Damien Angelica Walters. These stories span from fairy tale-like to science fiction to magical realism, with the common thread of being dark, dealing with loss and grief, dealing with monsters (allegorical or not) and things that go bump in the night. <br />
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Most of the 17 stories in this collection were enjoyable - only a few didn't quite work for me. The opening story, <b><i>Tooth, Tongue, and Claw</i></b>, had me worried that there wouldn't be a happy ending, that that would be the tone of the entire collection. But while most of the endings are not happy, this one included, they are not grim and dark and full of hopelessness has I had feared. In most of the cases there is some kind of closure to be had.<br />
<br />
And still speaking of endings, a few of the stories felt incomplete, like the actual story had just started and then it ended. Two others were a variation of this: they felt as the start of something great, something that I would love to read in a longer format.<i> <b>The Serial Killer’s Astronaut Daughter</b></i> feels like this, and so does <b><i>The Floating Girls: A Documentary</i></b>, but the latter still works very well as a short story and was my favourite of the book.<br />
<br />
Although some of the stories weren't totally to my liking, I enjoyed this book. It was well written, and vivid enough to leave me with that pleasant-unpleasant feeling in the pit of my stomach that something terrible was about to happen.<br />
<br />
<b>Rating:</b> 4 out of 5 <br />
<br />
<b>Quotes I enjoyed:</b><br />
<i><span style="font-size: 90%;"></span></i><br />
<blockquote><i><span style="font-size: 90%;">Is a final word even important if no one hears? Is a final apology meaningful if every preceding action says otherwise?</span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-size: 90%;">You think it’ll kill you, but it’s a hell of a lot more clever than that because it lets you live. Only thing you can do is give it the finger and move on as best you can. Only thing anyone can do.</span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-size: 90%;">It’s the sort of floor on which a girl could dance a pirouette and a woman, a waltz. I do neither, afraid I might trip over my own aspirations.</span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-size: 90%;">Autumn, like Alzheimer’s, turns everything strange and unfamiliar, and when you look for the shape of the real hidden within, you find only a promise of the winter to come.</span></i></blockquote><blockquote><i><span style="font-size: 90%;">This is the way the world breaks you. It takes everything you know and love and turns it inside out. It leaches the color from your hair, yellows your teeth, and curves your spine, and even though you wish you were the same person you’ve always been on the inside, you go grey and stained and frail there, too.</span></i></blockquote><br />
<br />
<b>Other Reviews: </b><a href="http://www.easyvegan.info/2018/01/09/cry-your-way-home-by-damien-angelica-walters/" target="_blank">Vegan Daemon</a><br />
<br />
<b>This Book on:</b> <a href="https://www.librarything.com/work/20315649" target="_blank">LibraryThing </a>| <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36204153-cry-your-way-home" target="_blank">GoodReads </a>| <a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Cry-Your-Way-Home-Damien-Angelica-Walters/9781937009618?a_aid=quigui" target="_blank">BookDepository </a>| <a href="http://amzn.to/2GDQJsz" target="_blank">Amazon UK</a>Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-77978986854374564102018-01-31T23:48:00.000+00:002018-01-31T23:48:11.505+00:00I'm back (?) and 2018 challengesAs mentioned <a href="https://draft.blogger.com/2018/01/ursula-k-le-guin.html" target="_blank">before</a>, I'm trying to get back to book blogging. I thought I was going to make a comeback last year, back to writing reviews (I started writing one, I swear) - but it didn't pan out. But this year, this is it!<br />
<br />
So, what has happened in the last 5.5 years?<br />
<br />
Well, I'm still at same job that lead me to read less. The job changed location one time (and will do again soon), I changed house twice, both times to be in walking distance to work, so no reading on commutes (this will change when job changes address). This means that my reading rate skydived to almost nothing.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6Lk_1R1u-KXwfF1CqHmDRBLIM2pcfIkaLrkuNDM8iB02Jug7kq0GVlkk_eLTQaVEhTkmOMoW_-jUmUGaZ7S8OG50FnypxNvN-TXNdJoOD6bWqKRzTLS9DKvdd0D0yXwk6d12zwWS7R4/s1600/books_evol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="530" data-original-width="935" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW6Lk_1R1u-KXwfF1CqHmDRBLIM2pcfIkaLrkuNDM8iB02Jug7kq0GVlkk_eLTQaVEhTkmOMoW_-jUmUGaZ7S8OG50FnypxNvN-TXNdJoOD6bWqKRzTLS9DKvdd0D0yXwk6d12zwWS7R4/s640/books_evol.jpg" width="600" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look at this! Look at 2013. I don't know what happened in 2013. </td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLJbpPVxwPceHjl2ugvwRv9mZybqnwIo2rj5ALmPZrinY6lkeDNN82nG_yXI_Benkcf5Ye5XmxS7Y363pD1qRwZJSrFMBAWAXMrmAM8sBtY8uUECKRFoeqjV-9NZnQnTKUz1Qoq0grAs/s1600/fanfic.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="430" data-original-width="452" height="190" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisLJbpPVxwPceHjl2ugvwRv9mZybqnwIo2rj5ALmPZrinY6lkeDNN82nG_yXI_Benkcf5Ye5XmxS7Y363pD1qRwZJSrFMBAWAXMrmAM8sBtY8uUECKRFoeqjV-9NZnQnTKUz1Qoq0grAs/s200/fanfic.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So that's what happened in 2013.<br />
55 <span style="font-size: 12.8px;">Hobbits happened</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>I also (re-)started to read more fanfiction. So my reading kind of shifted from books to fanfic. Maybe it should count as books? There are some really lengthy fics out there.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://quigui.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">Tumblr </a>started to take more of my time, because it's easier to just reblog stuff instead of creating new material, right?<br />
<br />
Got my eyes fixed (Yay!) and couldn't read for awhile. I tried audiobooks, and while I liked it, I still prefer reading.<br />
<br />
Google Reader died (and I'm still not over it), and it meant that keeping tabs with blogs was harder. <b><u style="font-style: italic;">Question</u><i> </i></b><i>[to the void, maybe]:</i><span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><u style="font-style: italic;">How do you guys now keep track of new posts?</u><br />
<br />
Another new hobby is podcasts, which some can count as stories, but I don't really track as such. Ditto for the BBC dramatisations.<br />
<br />
Knitting is also a new hobby, but I can't multitask it with reading (maybe I can with audiobooks, provided it is not a very complicated pattern)<br />
<br />
So the result: A huge TBR list. Huge. Books to last me till 2035, assuming no more books are acquired, which is a very unrealistic assumption (trust me, I did the math. I have a spreadsheet).<br />
<br />
Despite not updating the blog, I've participated on the <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/user_challenges/11217433" target="_blank">Goodreads reading challenge</a> every year (because you pledge early in the year, when you're motivated, and that's what new year's resolutions are for - stuff you end up not accomplishing).<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<table style="width: 100%;"><tbody>
<tr> <td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGt7vXwK4ZeD4mlRt_vu6y-EBOHjE4L16m3aKsAmx57UyDu6E9CHEPtEROIWkQSrSx9fNW2_Kzr_XPwkBzmhoNQOuf_ppGXkzQHwD3yPPJCzS5CAPfD178WqNDEMtshq9RUfAXV0RPcsw/s1600/2012challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="948" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGt7vXwK4ZeD4mlRt_vu6y-EBOHjE4L16m3aKsAmx57UyDu6E9CHEPtEROIWkQSrSx9fNW2_Kzr_XPwkBzmhoNQOuf_ppGXkzQHwD3yPPJCzS5CAPfD178WqNDEMtshq9RUfAXV0RPcsw/s320/2012challenge.jpg" width="280" /></a></td> <td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPj7iovQ7HR9sQ6QPiwqA43ZKz_CXI2PkCOxAn0_MGqPsEsVMvIp9d1c9Otoc40xIAkpTCPPNeZvP3ShqmNEDNsmhlfoZ73f1iJsM_LlLMY_e1PdeokaqPOovUr5Q3CD9a_HOrhB5UB50/s1600/2013challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="948" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPj7iovQ7HR9sQ6QPiwqA43ZKz_CXI2PkCOxAn0_MGqPsEsVMvIp9d1c9Otoc40xIAkpTCPPNeZvP3ShqmNEDNsmhlfoZ73f1iJsM_LlLMY_e1PdeokaqPOovUr5Q3CD9a_HOrhB5UB50/s320/2013challenge.jpg" width="280" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtY1ogY_JDN70dTVfYwiNvjRf_cQII-L1xalPEe-9ddMe4SQFUz9kVzbrEEDTlzq7X8s724gsf-jtfVOqUy7psYJzmgqwMoN9eSNWToXLKMYhq0q78GvAOrnwXwa8VmS0ZrdpycIey2DY/s1600/2014challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="948" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtY1ogY_JDN70dTVfYwiNvjRf_cQII-L1xalPEe-9ddMe4SQFUz9kVzbrEEDTlzq7X8s724gsf-jtfVOqUy7psYJzmgqwMoN9eSNWToXLKMYhq0q78GvAOrnwXwa8VmS0ZrdpycIey2DY/s320/2014challenge.jpg" width="280" /></a></td> <td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZufXsqSGvIe-3zMhEZowrLOPkLqaSEMSujuIuiV1OUs7z0xP5Z685FwWx-z7fnT1K3YAr-Tmi_J_QcXsiGw8yEBtEjU1LqEYzAg_bTLFxGHcqtrt3zcJLKkSIay0DAk2yQvmu91Y8EAA/s1600/2015challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="948" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZufXsqSGvIe-3zMhEZowrLOPkLqaSEMSujuIuiV1OUs7z0xP5Z685FwWx-z7fnT1K3YAr-Tmi_J_QcXsiGw8yEBtEjU1LqEYzAg_bTLFxGHcqtrt3zcJLKkSIay0DAk2yQvmu91Y8EAA/s320/2015challenge.jpg" width="280" /></a></td> </tr>
<tr> <td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45t_26imEEDsyOkdbUYGJ6TifoLcj37EZngkhN9mkmj49qPxUEjpIjoSzjHYjE-aaSFmKDkCFSsp05sCIKwkjDAlPXMNU_z8St55-pXf0vmwasrkwoumirmMObLIRVTM6SDEiSNAbPHo/s1600/2016challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="948" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45t_26imEEDsyOkdbUYGJ6TifoLcj37EZngkhN9mkmj49qPxUEjpIjoSzjHYjE-aaSFmKDkCFSsp05sCIKwkjDAlPXMNU_z8St55-pXf0vmwasrkwoumirmMObLIRVTM6SDEiSNAbPHo/s320/2016challenge.jpg" width="280" /></a></td> <td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXn8XXL6axG69qoGZRIllzp0Ax6TjVSNFc-2vcH5iQcX8fD78ZpTIF3jVUBl_Nh-TH7cTR7HdOtHDSMDHrpKhsSa3wEyWIHVbSaSfq7oG5bE4rGwMD6pxVoXIXQUtnNnLrFHt4atk0AaQ/s1600/2017challenge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="375" data-original-width="948" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXn8XXL6axG69qoGZRIllzp0Ax6TjVSNFc-2vcH5iQcX8fD78ZpTIF3jVUBl_Nh-TH7cTR7HdOtHDSMDHrpKhsSa3wEyWIHVbSaSfq7oG5bE4rGwMD6pxVoXIXQUtnNnLrFHt4atk0AaQ/s320/2017challenge.jpg" width="280" /></a></td> </tr>
</tbody></table><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"><br />
Look at all these failed resolutions</span></div><br />
So, this year I'll be participating in even more challenges, now with fancy names, because I really can't help myself. Here they are<br />
<br />
<ul><li><b>Pace yourself:</b> Read 15 books</li>
<li><b>Keep things balanced:</b> 50% of books by female authors</li>
<li><b>Polyglot:</b> 1/8 of books read in Portuguese, at least 1 in Spanish, and 1 in Galician</li>
<li><b>Orgulho Nacional [National Pride]</b>: 15% of books read from Portuguese speaking authors</li>
<li><b>Tame that pile:</b> Reduce the TBR list by at least 1 book</li>
<li><b>Out of my comfort zone: </b>Read 1 non-fic book</li>
<li><b>Read our own tomes (<a href="https://www.librarything.com/groups/2018rootreadourownto" target="_blank">ROOT, a LibraryThing Challenge</a>):</b> Read 12 books acquired in 2012 or before (with a Fibonacci twist: 1 from 2012, 1 from 2011, 2 from 2010, 3 from 2009 and 5 from before)</li>
</ul><br />
<br />
Tracking will be semi-live on <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/p/2018-challenges-status.html" target="_blank">this page</a> (and live on my spreadsheet).<br />
<br />
So, yay to being back. Let's see if I can keep up.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything is tied in a neat Excel file that grew in complexity while I was not reading.<br />
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</div>Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-53721411406973761182018-01-24T03:03:00.000+00:002018-01-31T12:43:47.270+00:00Ursula K. le Guin<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahRlhiTjB_AejzfziE60mwtER8WrjAbmZThVhMCkinx0owpoZPiLhGwj7_2F0LwAN-N9y3opGECGcs8C3qhGEYcU3LnyE__xJ7F1VvYV3pSUWxel_qMdIW_WdgKzxJUvo4o1LIOzBqQY/s1600/d949fbb784a4c89636d49746a51434b41716b42.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="321" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhahRlhiTjB_AejzfziE60mwtER8WrjAbmZThVhMCkinx0owpoZPiLhGwj7_2F0LwAN-N9y3opGECGcs8C3qhGEYcU3LnyE__xJ7F1VvYV3pSUWxel_qMdIW_WdgKzxJUvo4o1LIOzBqQY/s200/d949fbb784a4c89636d49746a51434b41716b42.jpg" width="166" /></a>This was not the way I wanted to get back to book blogging (really, I have a draft on rebirth and challenges and whatnot started, but alas, work happened) but I arrived late at home today/yesterday, no power on my cell for at least a few hours, turned up the computer, hoping to work a bit more (presentations to prepare for a meeting the next day) only to find that Ursula K. le Guin has passed away.<br />
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And while this was something that was bound to happen during my lifetime (has happened with other authors, will happen again, certainly), I was not prepared.<br />
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The works of Ursula K. le Guin have been with me since my early teen years, and have shaped me and my views of the world in many ways. Discovering Earthsea and loving it, moving on from book to book, until there were no more left - until I decided that if there was no more fantasy, I would go read science fiction (which at that time, silly me, I believed I didn't like, and I hadn't realised that like everything else, fixed categories are mostly artificial, and I gravitate towards the spaces in between).<br />
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The Left Hand of Darkness was my choice, and it opened up worlds that I hadn't imagined (even if it is in a very gendered version, but that's the Portuguese version for you). Since then, I've tried to read everything she has written (I'm a completist), and although I've made some headway, there are still more stories, and essays, and poetry that I haven't read yet.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDAwTr6UePD8ClSFx0-FNtZL5kOnnJPMVTjGRhgCX9z6vFljFh-pR1ctbUJbelSietg2SgJHJWI17R_IHHGv5Wh2XVlMJ9KKq6iw7SOFAPB1UbzeeBlTU4AMRFRoP-CpSbwbNJ8554dKA/s1600/uklg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="727" data-original-width="828" height="350" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDAwTr6UePD8ClSFx0-FNtZL5kOnnJPMVTjGRhgCX9z6vFljFh-pR1ctbUJbelSietg2SgJHJWI17R_IHHGv5Wh2XVlMJ9KKq6iw7SOFAPB1UbzeeBlTU4AMRFRoP-CpSbwbNJ8554dKA/s400/uklg.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">According to LibraryThing I have 39 works by Ursula K. le Guin (3 unread, and 3 part of omnibus edition)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>The Left Hand of Darkness was followed by Four Ways to Forgiveness and the Lathe of Heaven, before I discovered that her books had been published in Portugal for ages, and at every book fair I would hunt down the books that I could find. Eventually I started reading in English, and I started acquiring those that had yet to be published here.<br />
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And while different books have marked me in different ways, and many of her books and stories are my favourite, one that I often remember is Changing Planes, a collection of short stories that feel more like field reports.<br />
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You see, I find myself often waiting at airports (something that didn't happen when I read it, but has been a constant while I did my masters, and now that I'm working), and sometimes I work, sometimes I read, sometimes I rush from one place to the other trying not to miss my flight, but often times I'm bored. And wouldn't it be so much fun if we could just jump to another place, see new peoples, new worlds, while we wait for another flight?<br />
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It took me awhile to understand (in fact, it took me the time of waiting a few times at an airport) that we can. We can make up our own stories and travel to that world, or make a quick stop to different ones in between the pages of a book. It can be a story that starts to present itself while you listen to a song, or a podcast, or simply starts as if by spontaneous generation. It can be a place you've been so long ago, and now you remember again, and decide to visit. And it doesn't necessarily need to be on airport. It can be while you walk to work, while you stay in line at the supermarket, waiting for your doctor's appointment,...<br />
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And maybe I don't remember the stories in Changing Planes anymore, some of them didn't feel like stories, after all, more like prompts, given by the author: Here's a world, go imagine a story in it. Or a dare: I built this world, now build yours (I've shown you mine, now show me yours).<br />
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But I remember that sense of possibilities, of different worlds. Of daring to imagine a world like our own. A world not like our own. People like us. People not like us. And in all these worlds, with all these characters, there being stories.<br />
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So the the world may be poorer now that Ursula K. le Guin has left it, but it is also extremely richer that she has lived in it.Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-41350736230664550602012-07-26T00:26:00.000+01:002012-07-26T00:26:18.658+01:00Shadowfell by Juliet Marillier<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/19/97/1997cc82de64eb959685a6b6577444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/19/97/1997cc82de64eb959685a6b6577444341587343.jpg" width="208" /></a></div>
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<b>Title:</b> Shadowfell <br />
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<b>Author:</b> Juliet Marillier <br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><b>Date Read: </b>20.July.2012 <br />
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<b>On TBR for:</b> 1 day<br />
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<b>Format:</b> paperback<br />
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<b>Source:</b> Won on a giveaway (<a href="http://draft.blogger.com/raidingbookshelves.blogspot.com">Raiding Bookshelves</a>) <br />
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<b>Challenges: </b><a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/p/challenges-2012.html#outdo" target="_blank">2012 Outdo Yourself</a> </span> <br />
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Shadowfell is the new series by Juliet Marillier and I was so lucky to win a copy in the <a href="http://raidingbookshelves.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Raiding Bookshelves</a> giveaway, and not wait till September to read it, and have the gorgeous Australian version of the book. I take this moment to thank both Alex and Juliet for this book. And now, on to the review.<br />
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Shadowfell takes place in Alban (read Scotland, oh Beloved Scotland), and the main character Neryn is on the run, soon to be very alone in a country ruled by a tyrant, and where people who have uncanny powers are either executed or made to work for the king against their will. The odds are not very good for Neryn, even worse because she also has an uncanny power herself, one that allows her to see and talk with all sorts of Good Folk. She is in search of a place called Shadowfell, a name that is only whispered and is the synonym to the fight against king Keldec, but that to her it's a place where she can be safe.<br />
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And then there is Flint, a stranger who won her in a wager, saved her from the king's Enforcers, and said that all he wanted was to give Neryn a choice. But in these dark times of Alban, trust is a foreign concept, and Neryn would much rather make her way on her own than be with this mysterious man.<br />
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The journey to Shadowfell is fraught with dangers and perils and misfortunes, but also with unlikely friends. It's a journey of growth, self-discovery and some healing.<br />
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So, did I like it? Yes, of course I did. I didn't fall in love with it from the start, but once I closed that last page, I wished to still be in Alban with Neryn and Co., to not have to wait for book 2 to be written/published. I came to love the characters, main and secondary. Actually, one of strengths of this book is the richness of the supporting characters. I absolutely adored the ensemble of Good Folk characters. <br />
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Yet, this book feels like it is just the first leg in a very long journey. I am not sure if I should consider this a good thing or bad thing. I think it ties with the fact that it is written for young adults, and for a Juliet Mariller book, it felt shorter than it should have been. Maybe it was just me wishing it had been longer, because as a reader, I always want more.<br />
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And for all the downsides of books targeted to young adults, this one is all that such a book should be. In some ways, I would have loved to have this book as my first contact with fantasy (and Juliet Marillier for that matter). There is magic, but also the price of it, the consequences of actions, and how everything will help you grow. In fact, I think Neryn's growth throughout the book is one of the things that makes you like it so much (besides the Good Folk. And Flint.).<br />
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And so, after all this, how much did I like this book? A lot, though it was a gradual love, but like I said before, once I was done with it, I wished I was still there. I will anxiously wait for Raven Flight, hoping there will be more of Flint, of tyrant Keldec, of Good Folk, of Regan and his warriors and, of course, of Neryn.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 4.5 out of 5 <br />
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<b>Other Reviews: </b><a href="http://raidingbookshelves.blogspot.pt/2012/05/shadowfell-by-juliet-marillier.html" target="_blank">Raiding Bookshelves</a> | <a href="http://thesilenceisinthelibrary.wordpress.com/2012/04/25/shadowfell-by-juliet-marillier/" target="_blank">The Silence in the Library</a> <br />
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<b>This Book on:</b> <a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/12012181/87697804#" target="_blank">LibraryThing</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/15709129-shadowfell" target="_blank">GoodReads</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Shadowfell-Juliet-Marillier/9780375869549?a_aid=quigui" target="_blank">BookDepository UK</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Shadowfell-Juliet-Marillier/9780375869549?a_aid=quigui" target="_blank">Book Depository US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0375869549/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0375869549&linkCode=as2&tag=spoilandnuts-21">Amazon UK</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=spoilandnuts-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0375869549" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />| <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375869549/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0375869549&linkCode=as2&tag=spoilandnuts-20">Amazon US</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=spoilandnuts-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0375869549" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-11075244517501334332012-07-25T00:21:00.001+01:002012-07-25T00:21:10.437+01:00The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/d4/81/d481a6ebc5d412159316f315777444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/d4/81/d481a6ebc5d412159316f315777444341587343.jpg" width="218" /></a></div>
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<b>Title:</b> The Solitude of Prime Numbers <br />
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<b>Author:</b> Paolo Giordano <br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><b>Date Read:</b> 11.July.2012 <br />
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<b>On TBR for:</b> 397 days <i>(or 1 year, 1 month and 1 day. Also 397 is prime)</i><br />
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<b>Format:</b> Mass trade paperback <br />
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<b>Source:</b> Bought at a bookfair: Feira do livro do Porto 2011<br />
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<b>Challenges:</b> <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/p/challenges-2012.html#outdo" target="_blank">2012 Outdo Yourself</a>, <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/p/challenges-2012.html#shelf" target="_blank">Off the Shelf 2012</a></span> <br />
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Before beginning the review proper, I'll just leave this gif here because it's relevant:</div>
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The Solitude of Prime Numbers tells us the stories of Alice and Mattia, from when they were young and something tragic happened to each of them, to how they grew, met, and went their own ways. They are pretty lonesome people, they have their own quirks and weirdness about them, which means that this is not a happy sort of book.</div>
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Yet it is a good book. Maybe it's the way these stories, or episodes of two lives, are told which makes it quite easy to turn each page, wanting to know more. Maybe it's the fact that some part of me can't help but relate with the solitude of these two characters. The writing is both beautiful and simple (I would say beautifully simple), but manages to convey how different, and sometimes how desperate both Alice and Mattia are. And since we follow them since early childhood into adulthood, we see how they change, how they grow (or do not grow), and how some choices can have repercussions for the rest of a life.<br />
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I confess that the reason I was drawn to this book was its title. It's nerdy and quirky, quite up my alley. And I am glad I did end up reading it. Maybe not the most cheerful of reads, but it's a good and enjoyable one.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 4 out of 5 <br />
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<b>Other Reviews: </b><a href="http://theunreadreader.com/2010/08/review-the-solitude-of-prime-numbers.html" target="_blank">The Unread Reader</a> <br />
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<b>This Book on:</b> <a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/5363841/74165329" target="_blank">LibraryThing</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6613956-the-solitude-of-prime-numbers" target="_blank">GoodReads</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Solitude-Prime-Numbers-Paolo-Giordano/9780143118596?a_aid=quigui" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BookDepository UK</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Solitude-Prime-Numbers-Paolo-Giordano/9780143118596?a_aid=quigui" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Book Depository US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0552775479/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0552775479&linkCode=as2&tag=spoilandnuts-21">Amazon UK</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=spoilandnuts-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0552775479" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />| <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0030CVQ9O/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B0030CVQ9O&linkCode=as2&tag=spoilandnuts-20">Amazon US</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=spoilandnuts-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B0030CVQ9O" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />| <a href="http://www.wook.pt/ficha/the-solitude-of-prime-numbers/a/id/2755272?a_aid=4e98b01b1c652" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wook</a> | <a href="http://www.wook.pt/ficha/a-solidao-dos-numeros-primos/a/id/10016003?a_aid=4e98b01b1c652" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wook</a> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWfWquT6pXbTbupmlzJqeyWg9ulsszcqAygyi8EbPtZOOEH9Z3iV-PMDNiNewXi5aP6G7o2sDSB8lmEddCCIPu_NXEZZrR2p7PBlZUMS7feEUhZSkCdZMw3Rh4QJdBsoFMMRJOciM8ec/s1600/pt.gif" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-19069520420241704772012-07-04T01:36:00.000+01:002018-01-28T16:13:08.031+00:00Ins and Outs: April, May and JuneI started writing this post thinking it would be about only April and May, but time just vanished and June was suddenly over! :O As it can be seen, blogging hasn't been my top priority, and I don't expect that to change any time soon. I hope there will still be reviews (once in a while), but I will not try to review every single book I've read (not that there have been many of those lately either). The Ins and Outs will continue, though (well, I'll try).<br />
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And so, here's for April<strike> and </strike>, May and June: <br />
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<h2>INS</h2><h3>April</h3><h4>Bookmooch:</h4>Son of Avonar by Carol Berg<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/d8/06/d8062fc354d6a95597241666577444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/d8/06/d8062fc354d6a95597241666577444341587343.jpg" width="124" /></a></div><br />
<h4>Gifts:</h4><div style="color: #783f04;"><i>My Bday was on April, so I got some books!</i></div>The last unicorn by Peter S. Beagle <i>(Thanks Anita!)</i><br />
Night Over Water by Ken Follett<br />
Spark: How Creativity Works by Julie Burstein<br />
The Kingdom of Gods by N. K. Jemisin <i>(Thanks Carlita and Sofi)</i><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img height="200" src="https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/e0/fb/e0fb5e04ca3d054593743556151444341587343.jpg" width="132" /><img height="200" src="https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/55/50/5550cf2dfbbb16e593377696241444341587343.jpg" width="127" /><img height="200" src="https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/c7/59/c7595a2be496a2f593467696241444341587343.jpg" width="131" /><img height="200" src="https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1313690257l/7923006.jpg" /> </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><h3>May</h3><h4>Bought:</h4>The Map of the Sky by Félix J. Palma<br />
Breath and bone by Carol Berg<br />
Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img height="200" src="https://imagessl8.casadellibro.com/a/l/t0/48/9788401388248.jpg" /> <img height="200" src="https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/58/0e/580e1552031116b592f72795651444341587343.jpg" width="133" /><img height="200" src="https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/02/c0/02c0032b39550dc5977522f6151444341587343.jpg" width="134" /></div><br />
<h4>Bought at a Bookfair</h4><i>(Feira do Livro de Lisboa)</i><br />
Marvel 1602 Vol. 2 by Neil Gaiman<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/d8/41/d841efcb5a413c2593864786241444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/d8/41/d841efcb5a413c2593864786241444341587343.jpg" width="132" /></a></div><h4> </h4><h4>Bookmooch:</h4>Royal assassin by Robin Hobb<br />
Sourcery by Terry Pratchett<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img height="200" src="https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/e1/a3/e1a3e97dd3f4c29593463645551444341587343.jpg" width="121" /><img height="200" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/3/33/Sourcery-cover.jpg" width="118" /></div><h4>Winking Books:</h4>Black Cat. Volume 1, The man called Black Cat by Kentaro Yabuki<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img height="200" src="https://cdn.archonia.us/images/1-26034-1-1-original1/black-cat-manga-vol-1-the-man-called-black-cat.jpg" width="147" /></div><h3>June</h3><h4>Bought at a Bookfair</h4><i>(Feira do Livro do Porto)</i><br />
The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien <i>(Marvellous pocket edition!)</i><br />
A luz do oriente by Jesús Sánchez Adalid <i>[The light of the Orient]</i><br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img height="200" src="https://www.tolkienlibrary.com/press/images/the-hobbit-pocket-edition.jpg"><img height="200" src="https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/b8/91/b8917c29d7ff2d5593267575651444341587343.jpg" width="136" /></div><br />
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<h2>OUTS</h2><h3>April</h3><h4><a href="https://www.bookdepository.com/Leviathan-Scott-Westerfeld?a_aid=quigui" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" id="r1" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/1/13/Leviathan_westerfeld.jpg" width="130" /></a>Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld</h4><i>Read along with <a href="https://cuidadocomodalmata.wordpress.com/2012/04/06/leviathan/" target="_blank">Jen7waters of Cuidado com o Dálmata</a>. </i><br />
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I enjoyed Leviathan, although I didn't fall in love with it. I guess Scott Westerfeld's writing is to blame because, while he can tell a pretty awesome story, he just tells the story, he doesn't try to tell it beautifully or with any quirks in the language. But I liked to to read a book set in WWI, even if it's an alternate universe with lovecraftian beasts at the service of men. The two kids in story, Aleksandar and Deryn are really sweet, both with something to prove, and they both manage to get on their own feet and do what they like.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 4 out of 5<br />
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<h4><a href="https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/0f/45/0f45cc568cfad0d597974665377444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/0f/45/0f45cc568cfad0d597974665377444341587343.jpg" width="122" id="r2"/></a>Dune by Frank Herbert</h4>Not a new universe for me, but the first time I actually read the book. However, found it a bit disappointing, especially in terms of characters. The political machinations and survival parts of the story were good, but I just couldn't stand Paul and all the messianic tone of his story. So, I'm glad I finally read it, but I will not read anything else about the Dune universe.<br />
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Rating:</b> 3.5 out of 5<br />
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<h4><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/P/140120077X.01._SX450_SY635_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/P/140120077X.01._SX450_SY635_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" width="121" id="r3" /></a>Fables. Vol. 2 : animal farm by Bill Willingham</h4>This was better than the first one: the story was more gripping and it didn't feel so much of an introduction, even if there were some new settings and characters. Will keep reading.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 4 out of 5<br />
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<h4><a href="https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/P/0857684833.01._SX450_SY635_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/P/0857684833.01._SX450_SY635_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" width="133" id="r4" /></a>John dies at the end by David Wong</h4>I was actually surprised to like this book. It's not that I don't like this type of surreality (although I tend to go for less gore), but usually books like this (and I admit my knowledge about books like this is limited) tend to bore me after a while. I mean, there is only so much surreality and weirdness that you can throw at me without it crossing the line of too much and therefore becoming just plain stupid. Or the author starting repeating himself. Or there stopping being a point to the story. Not with John dies at the end; it kept being interesting throughout its 400+ pages.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 4 out of 5<br />
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<a href="https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/9b/a0/9ba0b1abaf4569f592f62795651444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/9b/a0/9ba0b1abaf4569f592f62795651444341587343.jpg" width="133" id="r5" /></a><br />
<h4>Flesh and spirit by Carol Berg</h4><br />
<a href="https://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/2012/05/flesh-and-spirit-by-carol-berg.html">REVIEW</a><br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 4.5 out of 5<br />
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<h4><a href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/99/4c/994ca09d714937f592b7a745641444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/99/4c/994ca09d714937f592b7a745641444341587343.jpg" width="117" id="r6" /></a>I am Mordred : a tale from Camelot by Nancy Springer</h4>A retelling of Arthurian legend from the point of view of Mordred, in a try to humanized him. Doesn't bring much new to the story, and the good thing about taking so long in reviewing books now is that I can comment on how memorable the book is: this one, not much.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 2.5 out of 5<br />
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<h3>May</h3><h4><a href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/2c/a6/2ca6d3a47a44fa7593567415451444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/2c/a6/2ca6d3a47a44fa7593567415451444341587343.jpg" width="123" id="r7" /></a>Magic bites by Ilona Andrews</h4>Read this one after <a href="http://cuidadocomodalmata.wordpress.com/2011/12/20/magic-bites/" target="_blank">Jen7waters raved about the series</a>, but it didn't work out for me. It never left the pages for me, and I never connected with any of the characters. So... Not for me.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 2.5 out of 5<br />
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<h4><a href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/d7/27/d727381c55cdade597754545a41444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/d7/27/d727381c55cdade597754545a41444341587343.jpg" width="134" id="r8"/></a>The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay</h4>I had such high hopes for this one. It's Guy Gavriel Kay, and one of the Fantasy's classics. Well, I didn't like it.<br />
But let me start by talking about the cover, because I love <a href="http://frankenboris.deviantart.com/art/The-Summer-tree-2090102" target="_blank">that illustration</a>. I see it, and I imagine an entire story just by looking at it! A guy, tied to a tree, all naked! Why is he there? Is it punishment? Is he a good guy? Does he deserve it? Does he feel like he deserves it? I can see someone broken, and who has abandoned himself to despair. Someone with a hint of darkness inside. <br />
I wasn't far from the truth, but the execution left so much to be desired. The concept was not one that I like: regular, "our world" kids, get transported to a magic world of elves (<i>*by any other name*</i>) where there are prophecies, and wars, and epic battles with gods and other magical beings. And-They-Don't-Even-Bat-An-Eyelash-At-It. Really, after a brief "I don't believe in magic." they all go so jolly into a freaking vortex of magic to go help this random dude (and accompanying dwarf) set up a celebration to his king. So, no, I couldn't suspend my disbelief, and the hopping POVs where too bloody distracting.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 2 out of 5<br />
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<h4><a href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/58/0e/580e1552031116b592f72795651444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/58/0e/580e1552031116b592f72795651444341587343.jpg" width="133" id="r9" /></a>Breath and bone by Carol Berg</h4>The continuation of Flesh and Spirit doesn't disappoint. Valen is about the best character ever! And he changes so much since the beginning of Book 1 till the end of Book 2, and it's such a treat to get to read about all that development, how he grows, and learns who he is, and what he is, and goes from not caring about anything but his own neck to becoming a hero. Just go read this series. Now. <br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 4.5 out of 5<br />
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<h3>June</h3><h4><a href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/02/c0/02c0032b39550dc5977522f6151444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/02/c0/02c0032b39550dc5977522f6151444341587343.jpg" width="134" id="r10" /></a>Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore </h4>Ah, Bitterblue, one of my most awaited books of 2012. And I finally read it! Opinion? Not as good as Graceling and Fire, but it does bring closure to the story. I liked how it still deals with Leck and all he had done, and how Bitterblue is trying to find herself as a woman and as a queen.<br />
I can't quite put my finger on why it wasn't as good as the other books, but I just didn't have the same grasping eagerness to get to the end as with the other two (or go back to the beginning once it was done).<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 4 out of 5<br />
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<h4><a href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/25/bb/25bb2d13ad291f9593555625967434d414f4141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img alt="I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak" border="0" class="workCoverImage" height="200" id="mainCover" src="https://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/25/bb/25bb2d13ad291f9593555625967434d414f4141.jpg" width="129" id="r11" /></a>I am the messenger by Markus Zusak </h4><a href="http://cuidadocomodalmata.wordpress.com/2011/08/31/i-am-the-messenger/" target="_blank">Jen</a>'s fault again, but since it is Markus Zusak, I was bound to read it anyway. It is such a sweet book. Yet, quite like <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.pt/2011/12/book-thief-by-markus-zusak.html" target="_blank">The Book Thief</a>, quite prone to break your heart only to mend it again.<br />
If you, like me, are likely to tear up at the first moment of sweetness or at a tragedy, please be warned that you'll be crying your heart out with this book. It is weird, and although you know what's going on, you are never sure why is it going on, and so you read, and are amazed by it, and read some more, and fall in love with it.<br />
However, it is not quite to the level of The Book Thief (in my opinion), the short, fragmented sentences feel a bit forced here. But everything else is simply amazing.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 4.5 out of 5<br />
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<h4><a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/P/8401339553.01._SX450_SY635_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/P/8401339553.01._SX450_SY635_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" width="131" id="r12" /></a>The Map of the Sky by Félix J. Palma</h4>Not as good as the first one, somewhat overly long with too much philosophical questions in between. The story is good though, and I especially loved that the little "mistakes" and incongruities that I came across while reading the book were explained at the end of the book, as intended discrepancies. It reads more like a horror story than the previous one (well, 3 horror stories), to the point that you are actually frightened and spooked out. Yet, where H.G. Wells is involved, I was never really able to suspend my disbelief. Maybe it was the fact that I know this author is always up to something, but it just didn't ring plausible, even within the context of this universe.<br />
Oh, and I really liked to see old characters appear, and see how they had changed, and get to know a bit more of them.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 4 out of 5<br />
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<b>TBR Change: </b>+1 (From 225 to 226)<br />
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<h3>Other Stuff</h3>I was kindly given this stamp by p7 of <a href="http://p7-books.blogspot.pt/" target="_blank">Bookeater/Booklover</a>:<br />
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<div style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx_qFX76trMePdKCDolWWNezZQnCYPDapIx-8jEvRwGzCWFwhtZ1OJ-jlMohXCNNR2QWAGxXEUvyTu2y4tLMWuUceeLhl7rFAH2hdUsIi35cMZ7dv8HvVF3rQ6h0TciNVe1_m0DpSLWett/s1600/selinho-byday.jpg" /></div><br />
Thank you so much!<br />
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<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b>1º - Escolher três blogues para passar...</b></div>Como eu estou muito atrasada nestas coisas, parece-me que todos os blogs que sigo já receberam este selinho. E bem merecido!<br />
<div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b>2º - Fazer a ligação de quem te ofereceu:</b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;">Mais uma vez, obrigada <a href="http://p7-books.blogspot.pt/" target="_blank">Bookeater/Booklover</a>.<b> </b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b>3º - Escolher 5 factos aleatórios sobre ti:</b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;">1. 90% das vezes que como gelado, este é de limão. O resto das vezes o mais provável é não haver gelado de limão.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;"><b> </b></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;">2. Se saio de casa sem um livro sinto-me despida. Às vezes levo um livro comigo sabendo que não vou ter nenhuma oportunidade de o ler.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;">3. A forma que mais gosto de conhecer sítios novos é meter os pés ao caminho e andar sem destino pelas ruas de uma cidade nova.</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;">4. Agora que comecei a trabalhar a sério, descobri que não consigo ler tanto como quando era estudante, mesmo em tempo de exames. Conselho para a malta jovem: Leiam, Leiam, Leiam!</div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;"></div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS",sans-serif; text-align: justify;">5. Adoro a ideia de me apaixonar por um livro, por uma frase, por uma personagem, e fazer isso todas as vezes que tenho um livro novo. </div>Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-11819602868903500162012-06-05T15:42:00.001+01:002012-06-05T15:42:16.585+01:00Top Ten Tuesday Rewind: Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexqRvAu8cIWO99l4MP1fwFUCCVbkVEoxjNEeD4hPDvAgX4h4OVsCtzcE2pYUGds-zz3dNh-0r6YkwAMlOvGefvjYg3rXCZv0GoOqvKznR361mcC_QNgBOiLBqFpWzciuk5YIy4wJJtXc8/s200/bookcase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexqRvAu8cIWO99l4MP1fwFUCCVbkVEoxjNEeD4hPDvAgX4h4OVsCtzcE2pYUGds-zz3dNh-0r6YkwAMlOvGefvjYg3rXCZv0GoOqvKznR361mcC_QNgBOiLBqFpWzciuk5YIy4wJJtXc8/s200/bookcase.jpg" /></a></div>Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/">The Broke and the Bookish</a>. Every week a theme for a list is suggested. This week is a Top Ten Tuesday Rewind, and I get to choose to do one of the past topics. I chose <b>Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time</b>. A lot of these books will be ones that I love, because there is a very special joy in falling in love with a book for the first time, of being amazed by it, and of being pleasantly surprised.<br />
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<a href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/d0/2e/d02e37655a91d2e592f69755477444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/d0/2e/d02e37655a91d2e592f69755477444341587343.jpg" width="100" /></a><b>1. Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier</b><br />
Juliet Marillier is a regular on these lists. It is known that I love her books. But I wish I could go back to that first book I ever read of her, to the feelings and thoughts it provoked, to the magic of something new and good that has been so very hard to find since. And this holds true with the rest of the series and her books.<br />
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<a href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/b9/a3/b9a300cc16f551c592b626f5777444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/b9/a3/b9a300cc16f551c592b626f5777444341587343.jpg" width="100" /></a><b>2. Howl's Moving Castle by Diane Wynne Jones</b><br />
I would love to read this book again for the first time, but more than that, I would love to read it before watching the Anime, and then compare my views of Howl and Sophie and Calcifer, to those of Miyazaki.<br />
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<a href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/eb/2d/eb2d57a9185b0045939634f5767444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/eb/2d/eb2d57a9185b0045939634f5767444341587343.jpg" width="100" /></a><b>3. Earthsea Cycle by Ursula K. Le Guin</b><br />
I wish I could read this series again, but for the first time, now that I'm older. But at the same time, it's hard to relinquish having read it so young, as these books made me grow up to who I am today.<br />
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<a href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/d8/4e/d84e91a8d49d0df597a46475341444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/d8/4e/d84e91a8d49d0df597a46475341444341587343.jpg" width="100" /></a><b>4. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien</b><br />
Almost the same as the Earthsea Cycle, I am torn between wanting to read for the first time now that I am older or cherish the fact that it was so important to my growth and that of my literary tastes. But I would definitely love to plunge into that amazing world for the first time, again.<br />
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<a href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/89/fb/89fb11567afc2f259772f2b5751444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/89/fb/89fb11567afc2f259772f2b5751444341587343.jpg" width="100" /></a><b>5. Palimpsest by Catherynne Valente</b><br />
I read Palimpsest in a strange time of my life, when I could not give it the attention it deserved. I wish I could go back and read it for the first time, but with attention, really soaking in all its imagery and strangeness, basking in its writing, and maybe come to actually love this book.<br />
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<a href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/3b/6d/3b6de335176818f593968305767444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/3b/6d/3b6de335176818f593968305767444341587343.jpg" width="100" /></a><b>6. Plain Kate by Erin Bow</b><br />
Plain Kate is like Daughter of the Forest, as I would love to be overwhelmed by it and the emotions it provokes for the first time again. It would leave me raw again, and broken hearted, but it would be worth it.<br />
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<a href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/be/e9/bee9fe568e3dd0a593551665267444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/be/e9/bee9fe568e3dd0a593551665267444341587343.jpg" width="100" /></a><b>7. Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling</b><br />
With the Harry Potter series I am not sure if I wanted to read it for the first time now that I am older, but I wish I could have read the books in a shorter period of time. I'll explain: I started with Harry Potter when I was 13, and it was good, because Harry was 11 and it was still close to my age. But when the final book came, I was 21 and Harry was still 16, going 17. It no longer ran parallel with my own growing up, and I had left him being some time before. So, I wish I could now read it for the first time, but being 13 again (or 11 for that matter), so I could grow up with him. <br />
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<a href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/e6/22/e6226a47d0d6433592b2b6f5277444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/e6/22/e6226a47d0d6433592b2b6f5277444341587343.jpg" width="100" /></a><b>8. The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin</b><br />
I never had the heart to re-read this book, in part because I am afraid not to like it as much, and in part because there are key moments in the story that I already know, and so my perspective will change. But if I read it for the first time...<br />
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<a href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/e4/bc/e4bcc863b431026593965635541444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/e4/bc/e4bcc863b431026593965635541444341587343.jpg" width="100" /></a><b>9. The Voice of Fire by Alan Moore</b><br />
This is a strange book, and I have been promising a re-read for sometime now, but what I really would love was to read it again for the first time, with the eyes and mind of someone older. <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/0c/17/0c17c69b3f4cf89593068505841444341587343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://pics.librarything.com/picsizes/0c/17/0c17c69b3f4cf89593068505841444341587343.jpg" width="100" /></a></div><b>10.Sunshine by Robin McKinley</b><br />
Sunshine is, like most books on this list, a case of wanting to be plunged into a magical and awesome world for the first time, of having amazing adventures for the first time, and of meeting characters that will stay with me for a long time for the first time. Nothing really beats that feeling, right?<br />
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</tbody></table></center>Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-45754738837836947962012-05-08T11:00:00.000+01:002012-05-08T11:00:00.178+01:00Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Favorite Quotes From Books<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexqRvAu8cIWO99l4MP1fwFUCCVbkVEoxjNEeD4hPDvAgX4h4OVsCtzcE2pYUGds-zz3dNh-0r6YkwAMlOvGefvjYg3rXCZv0GoOqvKznR361mcC_QNgBOiLBqFpWzciuk5YIy4wJJtXc8/s200/bookcase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexqRvAu8cIWO99l4MP1fwFUCCVbkVEoxjNEeD4hPDvAgX4h4OVsCtzcE2pYUGds-zz3dNh-0r6YkwAMlOvGefvjYg3rXCZv0GoOqvKznR361mcC_QNgBOiLBqFpWzciuk5YIy4wJJtXc8/s200/bookcase.jpg" /></a></div>Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/">The Broke and the Bookish</a>. Every week a theme for a list is suggested. This week's theme is <i>Top Ten Favorite Quotes From Books</i>. This is rather easy because GoodReads has such a cool quote function, that all I had to do was go there and choose ten :D That being said, with some authors it was hard to pick just the one quote, or not to quote an entire book.<br />
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<h3>Markus Zusak on <i>The Book Thief </i></h3><blockquote>“I wanted to tell the book thief many things, about beauty and brutality, but what could I tell her about those things that she didn't already know? I wanted to explain that I am constantly overestimating and underestimating the human race - that rarely do I ever simply estimate it. I wanted to ask her how the same thing could be so ugly and so glorious, and its words and stories so damning and brilliant.<br />
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None of those things, however, came out of my mouth.<br />
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All I was able to do was turn to Leisel Meminger and tell her the only truth I truly know. I said it to the book thief and I say it now to you.<br />
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I am haunted by humans.” </blockquote><br />
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<h3>Elizabeth Gaskell on <i>North and South</i></h3><blockquote>“I wish I could tell you how lonely I am. How cold and harsh it is here. Everywhere there is conflict and unkindness. I think God has forsaken this place. I believe I have seen hell and it's white, it's snow-white.” </blockquote><br />
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<h3>Félix J. Palma on <i>La hormiga que quiso ser astronauta</i></h3><blockquote>"And the thing is that there are women and women and men and men, and it is not enough to just shuffle them and pick one card from each deck and believe that the result is a couple." </blockquote><br />
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<h3>J.K. Rowling on <i>Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone</i></h3><blockquote>“To the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.” </blockquote><br />
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<h3>Catherynne M. Valente on <i>Palimpsest</i></h3><blockquote>“She did not want to read this book from start to finish, or rather, she thought perhaps it did not want her to. Instead she practised the art of bibliomancy, trusting the book to show her what it wanted her to know.” </blockquote><br />
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<h3>J.R.R. Tolkien on <i>The Fellowship of the Ring</i></h3><blockquote>“What a pity that Bilbo did not stab that vile creature, when he had a chance!"<br />
"Pity? It was Pity that stayed his hand. Pity, and Mercy: not to strike without need. And he has been well rewarded, Frodo. Be sure that he took so little hurt from the evil, and escaped in the end, because he began his ownership of the Ring so. With Pity.” </blockquote><br />
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<h3>Douglas Adams on <i>The Restaurant at the End of the Universe</i></h3><blockquote>“It is known that there are an infinite number of worlds, simply because there is an infinite amount of space for them to be in. However, not every one of them is inhabited. Therefore, there must be a finite number of inhabited worlds. Any finite number divided by infinity is as near to nothing as makes no odds, so the average population of all the planets in the Universe can be said to be zero. From this it follows that the population of the whole Universe is also zero, and that any people you may meet from time to time are merely the products of a deranged imagination.” </blockquote><br />
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<h3>Jorge Luis Borges on <i>Fictions</i></h3><blockquote>“That history should have imitated history was already sufficiently marvellous; that history should imitate literature is inconceivable... ” </blockquote><br />
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<h3>Neil Gaiman on <i>Anansi Boys</i></h3><blockquote>“Stories are like spiders, with all they long legs, and stories are like spiderwebs, which man gets himself all tangled up in but which look pretty when you see them under a leaf in the morning dew, and in the elegant way that they connect to one another, each to each.” </blockquote><br />
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<h3>George R. R. Martin on <i>A Game of Thrones</i></h3><blockquote>“Never forget what you are, for surely the world will not. Make it your strength. Then it can never be your weakness. Armour yourself in it, and it will never be used to hurt you.” </blockquote><br />
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</tbody></table></center>Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-33793314504826506772012-05-05T20:49:00.001+01:002012-05-05T20:49:05.736+01:00Flesh and Spirit by Carol Berg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174770127l/437790.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1174770127l/437790.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<b>Title:</b> Flesh and Spirit<br />
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<b>Author:</b> Carol Berg<br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><b>Date Read:</b> 27.April.2012<br />
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<b>On TBR for:</b> 172 days<br />
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<b>Format:</b> Paperback<br />
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<b>Source:</b> Bought<br />
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<b>Challenges:</b> <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/p/challenges-2012.html#outdo" target="_blank">2012 Outdo Yourself</a>, <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/p/challenges-2012.html#shelf" target="_blank">Off the Shelf 2012</a></span> <br />
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If I had any doubts that Carol Berg can write superb characters <i>(<a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.pt/search/label/Series%3A%20Rai-Kirah" target="_blank">see Rai-Kirah series</a>)</i>, Flesh and Spirit completely erased those. In Flesh and Spirit, the main character Valen seems to be made of actual flesh and spirit (and breath and bone, following the name of book 2), and has become one of my favourite characters.<br />
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He is a pureblood, which would mean privilege and magic, but a <i>recoudeur</i>, which is the worse offence possible for a pureblood. A <i>recoudeur</i> is pureblood who does not answer to family and the Registry, and runs away and does as he pleases. Only they are hunted down ferociously, so a <i>recoudeur</i> isn't free for very long.<br />
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Not Valen, of course. He managed to stay away from the Registry's clutches for 10 years. He managed to do this by taking all sort of jobs, nothing being too lowly to him, by fighting wars and running away when luck turned sour. It is after such an event that we start the story of Flesh and Spirit. Valen and his “friend” have ditched the soldier life to ransack some villages. But Valen managed to get himself shot by an arrow, and his partner in crime is far more greedy than friendly, and as such robs him blind, except for a book that he thinks it's worthless, and leaves him near death to plea for help and sanctuary in a nearby monastery.<br />
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And so Valen cries and crawls in search of help, and help does come. Valen gets his wounds treated, a warm and soft bed, and food (glorious food!). Never being one to waste a good bed and meal, he pretends to be more sore than he actually is while he is healing, so that he may never lose the food and the comfort. When he can longer pretend, he decides to take vows and join the brotherhood.<br />
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His book, which was far from worthless as he well knew it, is also becoming very famous in the monastery. It is such a rarity, a real Cartamandua book! Cartamandua is a pureblood family whose magic bent is finding ways and making maps. Such a book is infused with magic, that can help anyone find any place, even if they are not on this world. So, basically, priceless.<br />
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Valen has no problem with the brothers reading and admiring his book, but he really doesn't want anything to do with it. Valen doesn't like books much, to him the best use they could ever have is as bricks to make walls. He has no use for them, as he can't read. And this isn't because he doesn't know how, but because letters unfocus when he looks at them, making it impossible for him to even learn how to read. But he really hates that Cartamandua book (even if he finds irony in the way it keeps coming back to him), because it reminds him of his family, his abused childhood, and the magic he never cared to learn.<br />
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In his time in the monastery Valen manages to get himself thrown in conspiracies of the line of succession and the war that rages throughout Navronne, and of the end of days. All the while, he tries to keep his ancestry unknown and well hidden, has a nasty addiction that is also a cure that must also be secret, and tries to also hide the fact that he can't read. So, not an easy life after all.<br />
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But Valen is happy at Gillarine Abbey. <br />
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Happiness doesn't last long. All the conspiracies and the war come to bite him in the ass, and he sees all his freedom taken away from him, falling as low as he could ever be.<br />
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I really, really liked this book! At first I was a bit lost with the all the names and the geography and the kings. I kind of wished there was a glossary that I could check. But after the first chapters were done, the ones with the infodump about the world, I was just so hooked. <br />
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Like I said at the start, Valen is an amazing character, that feels very real. I really liked the way he changes throughout the book, and how no matter how low he got he was never broken. There is a strength to him that was really inspiring.<br />
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There is a lot that happens in this book, and from the cliffhanger at the end, much that will happen in the second one, and it seems that more great characters are coming. I'm just waiting for the book to arrive so that I can read it!<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 4.5 out of 5 <br />
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<b>Other Reviews: </b><a href="http://www.bookwormblues.net/2010/07/28/flesh-and-spirit-carol-berg/" target="_blank">Bookworm Blues</a> | <a href="http://www.cherrymischievous.com/2011/04/review-flesh-and-spirit.html" target="_blank">Cherry Mischievous</a> | <a href="http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2007/09/flesh-and-spirit/" target="_blank">Fantasy Cafe</a> <br />
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<b>Some great articles by Carol Berg:</b> <a href="http://www.bookwormblues.net/2012/05/03/special-needs-in-strange-worlds-carol-berg-on-writing-differences/" target="_blank">About writing differences @Bookworm Blues</a> | <a href="http://www.fantasybookcafe.com/2012/04/women-in-sff-month-carol-berg/" target="_blank">About creating characters @Fantasy Cafe</a><br />
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<b>This Book on:</b> <a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/book/79733756" target="_blank">LibraryThing</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2551191.Flesh_and_Spirit" target="_blank">GoodReads</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Flesh-Spirit-Carol-Berg/9780451461568?a_aid=quigui" target="_blank">BookDepository UK</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Flesh-Spirit-Carol-Berg/9780451461568?a_aid=quigui" target="_blank">Book Depository US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0451461568/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=spoilandnuts-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0451461568">Amazon UK</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=spoilandnuts-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0451461568" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />| <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000XEC3US/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=spoilandnuts-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B000XEC3US">Amazon US</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=spoilandnuts-20&l=as2&o=1&a=B000XEC3US" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-43680046343710111802012-05-01T12:58:00.000+01:002012-05-01T12:58:22.549+01:00The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1334257154l/6571771.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1334257154l/6571771.jpg" width="198" /></a></div>
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<b>Title:</b> The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker<br />
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<b>Author:</b> Leanna Renee Hieber <br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><b>Date Read:</b> 21.February.2012 <br />
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<b>On TBR for:</b> 38 days <br />
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<b>Format:</b> Paperback <br />
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<b>Source:</b> Gift<br />
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<b>Challenges:</b> <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/p/challenges-2012.html#outdo" target="_blank">2012 Outdo Yourself</a> </span><br />
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The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker starts with six children being called by some mystical creature who has chosen them to be The Guard. Their task is to fight demons and evil spirits and generally save humanity. Oh, and they must also wait and prepare for the coming of a seventh one, someone so powerful that will ensure they win their battle against the evil ones once and for all, The Prophecy (cue to dramatic music and lightning).<br />
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Flash forward some time, well, about 18 years, and we have young Percy Parker entering the prestigious Athens Academy (even if she is a little older than the majority of applicants). She is intelligent and a genius when it comes to languages. Maths, however, befuddle the poor girl (this point is so stressed out that I was surprised she could even do sums). And since Miss Percy Parker is the main character in this book, she had to have something else to set her apart, wouldn't she? Well, she does have a lot to set her apart. For starters, she is an albino, which means everyone thinks she is a ghost at first. And then there is the fact that she can see and talk to real ghosts and other unseemingly creatures. All of this means this girl is a pretty much a loner, even if she manages to make a couple of good friends throughout the book.<br />
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And all along The Guard are still fighting the evil ghosts and demons, and looking for the The Prophecy (even if they are losing a bit of hope on this part).<br />
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This book caught my eye because it combined mythology, gothic elements and Victorian Era, which in itself is not a strange combination but it just appealed to me. However, it turned out to be a disappointing book.<br />
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What bugged me most with this book was the writing style. I can't really explain why it didn't work for me, but it just didn't. And then, after reading the prologue, I already had a fairly good idea how the story was going to play out, so the next 300 and so pages seemed a bit pointless. <br />
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So, what did I like about this book? The characters did grow on me (eventually), especially Alexi and Percy. I liked to read about their romance, and I did think they deserved each other. And, in a way, the fact that the Big Bad Guy and lackeys seemed like something out of Sailor Moon did score some points with me, just because it made the story as silly as it should have been. I did like the mythology and how it was woven in the story, both Persephone and the Firebird.<br />
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But in the end it was not enough to make me like this story much. So, that's it for me regarding Miss Percy Parker and her tales. <br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 2.5 out of 5 <br />
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<b>This Book on:</b> <a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/8527635/summary/81871552" target="_blank">LibraryThing </a>| <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6571771-the-strangely-beautiful-tale-of-miss-percy-parker" target="_blank">GoodReads </a>| <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Strangely-Beautiful-Tale-Miss-Percy-Parker-Leanna-Renee-Hieber/9781428511453?a_aid=quigui" target="_blank">BookDepository UK</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Strangely-Beautiful-Tale-Miss-Percy-Parker-Leanna-Renee-Hieber/9781428511453?a_aid=quigui" target="_blank">Book Depository US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005SF3L76/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=spoilandnuts-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B005SF3L76">Amazon UK</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=spoilandnuts-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B005SF3L76" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />| <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B005SF3L76/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=spoilandnuts-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B005SF3L76">Amazon US</a>Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-13219267495398512002012-04-08T01:04:00.000+01:002012-04-08T01:04:53.395+01:00Ins and Outs: February and March<b></b>Spoilers and Nuts has been very sparse in updates lately - I have said before that the new job takes much of my time, and the truth is that when I get home my head is so mushy that I do very little (to say nothing of my eyes, that after hours spent staring at a screen itch and ache and water at will). And so there was no Ins and Outs in February, and almost no reviews in March. That doesn't mean I haven't been getting more books and reading, although the latter has also been going a bit more slowly.<br />
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But here are the books I got and read in the last 2 months.<br />
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<h2>
Ins</h2>
<h3>
Bought</h3>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvrohmrGT3xkEgd5FVIcIlQtbYHueNDszhAbc4XkS2LRQ1krax_lXxeSg77RQ4VJ0T73AlJl99s2PhyphenhyphenWHca3TmRCXr_X6yplUrH3gWKXtrlZeDMzQIb-Rq9uTVfhnAVVIzpbjA_w4HZw/s1600/IMG_6684.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="144" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinvrohmrGT3xkEgd5FVIcIlQtbYHueNDszhAbc4XkS2LRQ1krax_lXxeSg77RQ4VJ0T73AlJl99s2PhyphenhyphenWHca3TmRCXr_X6yplUrH3gWKXtrlZeDMzQIb-Rq9uTVfhnAVVIzpbjA_w4HZw/s200/IMG_6684.jpeg" width="200" /></a><i><b>February</b></i><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7741551-el-mapa-del-tiempo" target="_blank">El mapa del tiempo<i> [The Map of Time]</i> by Félix J. Palma</a><i> *already read, but now I have my own copy!*</i> </li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13482375-mi-nombre-es-jamaica" target="_blank">Mi nombre es Jamaica <i>[My name is Jamaica]</i> by José Manuel Fajardo</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/62291.A_Storm_of_Swords" target="_blank">A storm of swords by George R. R. Martin</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13383474-extremely-loud-and-incredibly-close" target="_blank">Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer</a></li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiiUZboiDsoGtgsctkt2ldJZe64mpQTw4oNj9xYtmUn3pUMQNMa885CC-fobBrvQUrQ-_lrEI8xhE7m0_3cTfLLnefUn5i9vK_JWU8KfCuLJjnX_CmoYHd8MMlUstxq8szjvzZlm2BUPk/s1600/IMG_6685.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="120" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiiUZboiDsoGtgsctkt2ldJZe64mpQTw4oNj9xYtmUn3pUMQNMa885CC-fobBrvQUrQ-_lrEI8xhE7m0_3cTfLLnefUn5i9vK_JWU8KfCuLJjnX_CmoYHd8MMlUstxq8szjvzZlm2BUPk/s200/IMG_6685.jpeg" width="200" /></a></div>
<b><i>March</i></b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/38619.Magic_Bites" target="_blank">Magic bites by Ilona Andrews</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/153362.Firebirds_Rising" target="_blank">Firebirds rising by Sharyn November and more</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10305156-daughter-of-smoke-and-bone" target="_blank">Daughter of smoke and bone by Laini Taylor</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/167010.Fables_Vol_2" target="_blank">Fables. Vol. 2 : animal farm by Bill Willingham</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13558709-brevi-rio-das-m-s-inclina-es" target="_blank">Breviário das más inclinações<i> [<span class="short_text" id="result_box" lang="en"><span class="hps">Breviary</span> <span class="hps">of</span> <span class="hps alt-edited">evil intents</span></span>] </i>by José Riço Direitinho</a></li>
</ul>
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<br />
<h3>
Bookmooch</h3>
<i><b>March</b></i><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/132380.Politically_Correct_Bedtime_Stories" target="_blank">Politically correct bedtime stories by James Finn Garner</a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2N3DGEh3EVSFts4G8bhb_f7pGrqPWP27ScpqgQnvTu4OaRQ3INN9TJRgXL2OHBu8aE5BTf0GO0dDX4oHcVdTKQRsnjWP7EpsaA1HiZBRjEb6EMpD9ek265dF0Wg4mQjd2H-KI2ycwCBk/s1600/IMG_6689.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2N3DGEh3EVSFts4G8bhb_f7pGrqPWP27ScpqgQnvTu4OaRQ3INN9TJRgXL2OHBu8aE5BTf0GO0dDX4oHcVdTKQRsnjWP7EpsaA1HiZBRjEb6EMpD9ek265dF0Wg4mQjd2H-KI2ycwCBk/s200/IMG_6689.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<h3>
Freebies</h3>
<h4>
Won on a giveaway</h4>
<i><b>February</b></i><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10430194-night-reigns" target="_blank">Night reigns by Dianne Duvall</a><br />
<i>*Thanks to <a href="http://www.thebookvixen.com/" target="_blank">The Book Vixen</a> and <a href="http://www.dianneduvall.com/" target="_blank">Dianne Duvall</a>*</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglI4KfhSMVjvXUnB01aydGVL2vNJ2Nvi1uWZpwhsa0odmtKnFMpbSTRxFgyeyAlt2_Qg-ob1dv92qjqyTH7azYFXkQwk0cKWXjz6sakKaat0uK9PPuvIw9kbyaFUk4gsNFRq8a856bbCo/s1600/IMG_6666.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglI4KfhSMVjvXUnB01aydGVL2vNJ2Nvi1uWZpwhsa0odmtKnFMpbSTRxFgyeyAlt2_Qg-ob1dv92qjqyTH7azYFXkQwk0cKWXjz6sakKaat0uK9PPuvIw9kbyaFUk4gsNFRq8a856bbCo/s320/IMG_6666.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<h4>
Gift</h4>
<i><b>March</b></i><br />
<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6321898-mundo-do-fim-do-mundo" target="_blank">Mundo do fim do mundo <i>[The world of the end of the world]</i> by Luis Sepúlveda</a><br />
<i>Luis Sepúlveda was in Porto at the beginning of March, and my mum went to the book signing event and got me this book :) </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX_eQ_HiFK7oZjtgXli781jXTgcagJaqdo9gaVPKIhk5r2KibTiU3x0Kxz8EMvydaYJEBKfjtL-t7DfPfTbtdSOL4GyM7WfsNM-p4AWtBYnmObZyAax4j6vY8OGhsKF7x6eztW_r5uzfk/s1600/IMG_6688.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX_eQ_HiFK7oZjtgXli781jXTgcagJaqdo9gaVPKIhk5r2KibTiU3x0Kxz8EMvydaYJEBKfjtL-t7DfPfTbtdSOL4GyM7WfsNM-p4AWtBYnmObZyAax4j6vY8OGhsKF7x6eztW_r5uzfk/s200/IMG_6688.jpeg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrRmlTNg2gLU1TNrt9j9xw8pOzNO1j8y2RM5bf6NcCkH5tLHYUZSuuILXyvhxYx93eJsQUj3IpNKm4RgPpQdpDHFsyR81GWnCehSU8zhMa3GvC2jT1fopaqTfHKYTmrXF-HOjLcPobkQ/s1600/IMG_6687.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwrRmlTNg2gLU1TNrt9j9xw8pOzNO1j8y2RM5bf6NcCkH5tLHYUZSuuILXyvhxYx93eJsQUj3IpNKm4RgPpQdpDHFsyR81GWnCehSU8zhMa3GvC2jT1fopaqTfHKYTmrXF-HOjLcPobkQ/s200/IMG_6687.jpeg" width="150" /></a></div>
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<br />
<h2>
Outs</h2>
<i><b>February</b></i><br />
<b>The Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko </b><i>[<a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/2012/03/night-watch-by-sergei-lukyanenko.html" target="_blank">Review</a>]</i><br />
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<br />
<b>Dash & Lily's Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn</b><br />
A rather sweet and fun book, lent by <a href="http://cuidadocomodalmata.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Jen7waters</a>. I was surprised to like it as much as I did. Great as a fast read for when you need something sweet.<br />
<br />
<b>Rating</b>: 4 out 5<br />
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<br />
<b>The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber</b><br />
I wanted to like this book, I really did. But the writing just didn't agree with me, and I didn't really care about what most of the characters where doing. I did like that it had some mythology in it, but overall, it was a bit disappointing.<br />
<br />
<b>Rating</b>: 3 out of 5<br />
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<br />
<b>Caravana <i>[Caravan]</i> by Rui Manuel Amaral</b><br />
A collection of poetry and short fiction that I don't know where I got it from. Not my kind of read, and it felt too pretentious most of the times. Here and there I could find a turn of the phrase that I like, only to be followed either by a) the end, b) something that made no sense in any way, c) something vulgar, d) all of the above<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Rating: </b>1.5 out of 5<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>The woman in black by Susan Hill</b><br />
Also lent by Jen7waters, because I wanted to read it before going to see the movie. Not bad, but rather predictable. It does leave a eerie feeling.<br />
<br />
<b>Rating:</b> 3.5 out of 5<br />
<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Fullmetal alchemist. 7 by Hiromu Arakawa</b><br />
The manga is still as good as the anime! 'Nuff said.<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Rating: </b>4.5 out of 5<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b>March </b></i><br />
<b>The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells</b><br />
It took so long to read this (I blame it for being an ebook), but I'm glad I kept reading. Very cool worldbuilding, and a nice story. I will go on reading this series and this author!<br />
<b> </b><br />
<b>Rating: </b>4 out 5<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Politically correct bedtime stories by James Finn Garner</b><br />
A collection of retelling of the famous fairy tales, now politically correct. At first it is rather fun, but then it gets repetitive.<br />
<br />
<b>Rating: </b>3.5 out 5<br />
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<br />
<b>Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer</b><br />
Another that I wanted to read before going to see the movie (I have yet to see it). Reminded me a lot of Everything is Illuminated, although maybe not as wacky. At first I was loving it, both the story and the writing style. But as it went on I started to lose a bit of that love. Still, a good book, that really makes you think.<br />
<br />
<b>Rating: </b>4 out of 5<br />
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<br />
<b>TBR change: </b>+5 (From 220 to 225)Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-51364825016769789392012-03-28T00:39:00.000+01:002012-03-28T00:39:11.596+01:00Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328958846l/11224757.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328958846l/11224757.jpg" width="207" /></a><b> </b><br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Title:</b> The Night Watch<br />
<br />
<b>Author:</b> Sergei Lukyanenko <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><b>Date Read:</b> 12-Feb-2012<br />
<br />
<b>On TBR for:</b> Way too long, from before I kept any sort of record<br />
<br />
<b>Format:</b> Paperback<br />
<br />
<b>Source:</b> Gift, I think. Either Bday or Xmas<br />
<br />
<b>Challenges:</b> <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/p/challenges-2012.html#outdo" target="_blank">2012 Outdo Yourself</a>, <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/p/challenges-2012.html#shelf" target="_blank">Off the Shelf 2012</a></span><br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
The Night Watch was sitting on my shelf for so long, despite having people telling me it was good, <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/2011/12/top-10-of-2011-top-10-books-im-looking.html">that I had to challenge myself to read it</a>. And read it I did (finally). <br />
<br />
First, what put me off this book mostly was the fact it had vampires. And this isn't my dislike for teenage vampire drama, but my relationship with this kind of creatures: it's a love-hate thing, where sometimes I really like them, but most of the times I can't see the fascination with them. I probably should have paid better attention to the back cover and the reviews, because the bloodsuckers are not really the focus of the story.<br />
<br />
So, The Night Watch is set in Moscow, which is refreshing as most of the books I have read set in Russia are written by long dead authors, and are pretty depressing (not because they aren't good, it's just the mood of them). But this is a Russia (well, a world) where paranormal creatures and magic exist. Only the general population isn't really aware of them (so it could actually be our world). A world where saying something “Damn you” when someone gets in front of you in a line will actually damn them (even if just a little). <br />
<br />
Meet Anton, our (reluctant) hero. He works for the Night Watch, which are actually the good guys, the guys of Light, that keep watch on the evil ones, the ones of Darkness, who operate mainly during the night. On a side note, the Dark ones have a Day Watch to make sure the good guys don't do too much good, upsetting the balance of things and breaking their long-struck deal. <br />
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Back to Anton, then. He is really just a programmer, he keeps telling that to his boss throughout the book, but he is required to do some field work as well, and so, like the good employee he is, he puts on his headphones (and his minidisk walkman, that was the height of technology when this book was written but now it just sounds really old – so much I was amazed they had cellphones) and goes on patrolling the streets (and the subway lines as well).<br />
<br />
The book starts when he is in a test – he has to identify a threat and solve it. But this guy is good at what he does, and even better at what he normally doesn't do, and identifies two threats, takes care of the one he was supposed to deal with and then goes on to help with the other one.<br />
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And then adventures follow. And twists, and an owl appears! (I am not joking, there is sidekick owl in the first story). And you get thrown in this really rich world, where you, like Anton, doubt if the Night Watch boss is really a good guy and has your (Anton's) best interests in mind. You get to meet his co-workers, some with always a story to tell, some mysterious; and get a glimpse of his problems with relationships and his level of magic, and what it means to be good.<br />
<br />
I am not sure what I was expecting of this book, but certainly it wasn't this. But I liked it, not just because of Anton, but the entire world and the way magic and goodness (or evilness) works. I'll be reading the next book in the series: Day Watch.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 4 out of 5 <br />
<br />
<b>Other Reviews:</b> <a href="http://florestadelivros.blogspot.pt/2010/02/os-guardiaes-da-noite.html">Floresta de Livros</a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWfWquT6pXbTbupmlzJqeyWg9ulsszcqAygyi8EbPtZOOEH9Z3iV-PMDNiNewXi5aP6G7o2sDSB8lmEddCCIPu_NXEZZrR2p7PBlZUMS7feEUhZSkCdZMw3Rh4QJdBsoFMMRJOciM8ec/s1600/pt.gif" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br />
<br />
<b>This Book on:</b> <a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/book/47504010" target="_blank">LibraryThing</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1029770.The_Night_Watch" target="_blank">GoodReads</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Night-Watch-Sergei-Lukyanenko/9780099489924?a_aid=quigui" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">BookDepository UK</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Night-Watch-Sergei-Lukyanenko/9780099489924?a_aid=quigui" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Book Depository US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0099489929/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=spoilandnuts-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0099489929">The Night Watch</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=spoilandnuts-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0099489929" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />| <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1401359795/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=spoilandnuts-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=1401359795">Amazon US</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=spoilandnuts-20&l=as2&o=1&a=1401359795" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />| <a href="http://www.wook.pt/ficha/night-watch/a/id/1120303?a_aid=4e98b01b1c652" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wook</a> | <a href="http://www.wook.pt/ficha/os-guardiaes-da-noite/a/id/191188?a_aid=4e98b01b1c652" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Wook</a> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWfWquT6pXbTbupmlzJqeyWg9ulsszcqAygyi8EbPtZOOEH9Z3iV-PMDNiNewXi5aP6G7o2sDSB8lmEddCCIPu_NXEZZrR2p7PBlZUMS7feEUhZSkCdZMw3Rh4QJdBsoFMMRJOciM8ec/s1600/pt.gif" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" />Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-49276648229733555002012-02-28T23:54:00.000+00:002012-02-28T23:54:49.841+00:00Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I'd Give A Theme Song To<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexqRvAu8cIWO99l4MP1fwFUCCVbkVEoxjNEeD4hPDvAgX4h4OVsCtzcE2pYUGds-zz3dNh-0r6YkwAMlOvGefvjYg3rXCZv0GoOqvKznR361mcC_QNgBOiLBqFpWzciuk5YIy4wJJtXc8/s200/bookcase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexqRvAu8cIWO99l4MP1fwFUCCVbkVEoxjNEeD4hPDvAgX4h4OVsCtzcE2pYUGds-zz3dNh-0r6YkwAMlOvGefvjYg3rXCZv0GoOqvKznR361mcC_QNgBOiLBqFpWzciuk5YIy4wJJtXc8/s200/bookcase.jpg" /></a></div>Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/">The Broke and the Bookish</a>. Every week a theme for a list is suggested. This week's theme is <i>Top Ten Books I'd Give A Theme Song To.</i> Only I'm going to do this a bit different and make it about my relationship with books and music.<br />
<br />
About a year ago I made a <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/2011/02/books-and-music.html">post</a> about this, so this is a theme to which I have given some thought. When making this top I pondered on using the examples used before or not (I also pondered on whether to do it at all, but that was a matter of having the time), but in the end I decided to include them - I just couldn't find many more examples.<br />
<br />
So here it, the soundtrack list:<br />
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<h3>The obvious</h3><b><i>Soundtracks of movies based on the books - self explanatory</i></b><br />
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<b>North and South</b><br />
<a href="http://www.waterstones.com/wat/images/nbd/l/978014/102/9780141028125.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://www.waterstones.com/wat/images/nbd/l/978014/102/9780141028125.jpg" width="100" /></a><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="182" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/OqBXmgHXmg8" width="300"></iframe><br />
<div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"> *Extra: gratuitous scenes of Richard Armitage and Edinburgh*</span></i></div><br />
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<b>Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind</b><br />
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167440233l/23727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167440233l/23727.jpg" width="100" /></a><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="152" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/B51bLBdUt3w" width="299"></iframe><br />
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<br />
I wasn't going to put this song (medley?) but it is so good that I have to. But really, I mostly imagine the part at minute 5:30 till 6:30 while reading the mangas.<br />
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<b>Everything is Illuminated</b><br />
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327882019l/4584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327882019l/4584.jpg" width="100" /></a><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="152" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/5tGPt6X79wQ" width="224"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>Conditioned Response</h3><i><b>I was listening to this while reading</b></i><br />
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<b>Tehanu</b><br />
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166571534l/13661.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1166571534l/13661.jpg" width="100" /></a><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="152" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Ipe-PH6CBa0" width="224"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
It has very little to do with the story, but the all feeling of the song reminds me so much of Tehanu.<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3>They made me think it!</h3><i><b>The connection is suggested by the author or the artist</b></i><br />
<br />
<b>Good Omens</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327875267l/12067.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327875267l/12067.jpg" width="100" /></a></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="152" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/t63_HRwdAgk" width="224"></iframe><br />
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In this case, the authors. Queen plays a major role on this book, or at least in Crowley's Bentley. So, yeah, Queen is always on my mind when I so much as look at this book.<br />
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<b>The Silmarillion</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1276526473l/259055.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1276526473l/259055.jpg" width="100" /></a></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="152" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/eNLlkJctSto" width="224"></iframe><br />
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<br />
Here, the artist is to blame, basing an entire album on the book.<br />
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<h3>It's all in the name (or the words!)</h3><br />
<b>The Trees: A Collection</b><br />
<a href="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51-gvKPsdmL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51-gvKPsdmL.jpg" width="100" /></a><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="152" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/ExVkHi2Bdhk" width="224"></iframe><br />
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<br />
<br />
I was discovering Korpiklaani, and With Trees was (and still is) one my favourite songs. I immediately had higher expectations of this book because I just associated it with the song.<br />
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<b>Daughter of the Forest</b><br />
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1316129537l/13928.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1316129537l/13928.jpg" width="100" /></a><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="152" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/310CAedVPcM" width="224"></iframe><br />
<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq"><i>The day our house collapsed<br />
I went down stream.<br />
I followed the swans<br />
Like I follow my dreams.<br />
<br />
oh! I was living on borrowed time in a</i> <i><br />
borrowed house for a borrowed crime.</i></blockquote>Yeah, I pretty much think of Sorcha at the beginning of this song.<br />
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<b>Book of Imaginary Beings</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309200708l/16568.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309200708l/16568.jpg" width="100" /></a></div><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="152" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/f3Da6v0IlXc" width="224"></iframe><br />
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<br />
This could also be in the <i><b>They made me think</b></i> it category, since IAMX/Sneaker Pimps/Chris Corner [<i>choose the right one</i>] used the book as inspiration. But I didn't know it when I picked the book up, so I associated them because of the similar name.<br />
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<br />
<h3>Later, much Later</h3><b>White Cat</b><br />
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327538953l/7804123.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327538953l/7804123.jpg" width="100" /></a><iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="152" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/kEmumQwRAVA" width="224"></iframe><br />
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Some time after I read White Cat, I started to listen to She Wants Revenge again, and it dawned on me how much their songs fit this book, especially Tear You Apart. Maybe not really in theme, but the whole feel of it just reminds me of this book<br />
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<map id="admap59011" name="admap59011"><area alt="" coords="0,0,468,60" href="http://www.projectwonderful.com/out_nojs.php?r=0&c=0&id=59011&type=1" shape="rect" target="_blank" title=""></area></map><br />
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</tbody></table></center>Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-55989405649762063762012-02-28T01:04:00.000+00:002012-02-28T01:04:13.234+00:00Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309220205l/114166.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1309220205l/114166.jpg" width="198" /></a></div><b>Title:</b> Devil in Winter<br />
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<b>Author:</b> Lisa Kleypas<br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><b>Date Read:</b> January 28<sup>th</sup><br />
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<b>Format:</b> Physical Book - Mass Trade Paperback<br />
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<b>Source:</b> Borrowed from a friend<br />
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<b>Challenges:</b> <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/p/challenges-2012.html#outdo" target="_blank">2012 Outdo Yourself</a></span> <br />
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<i>Easily the shyest Wallflower, Evangeline Jenner stands to become the wealthiest, once her inheritance comes due. Because she must first escape the clutches of her unscrupulous relatives, Evie has approached the rake Viscount St. Vincent with a most outrageous proposition: marriage!<br />
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Sebastian's reputation is so dangerous that thirty seconds alone with him will ruin any maiden's good name. Still, this bewitching chit appeared, unchaperoned, on his doorstep to offer her hand. Certainly an aristocrat with a fine eye for beauty could do far worse.<br />
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But Evie's proposal comes with a condition: no lovemaking after their wedding night. She will never become just another of the dashing libertine's callously discarded broken hearts -- which means Sebastian will simply have to work harder at his seductions...or perhaps surrender his own heart for the very first time in the name of true love.</i><br />
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A disclaimer first: Historical Romances are not my thing. I knew this when I started this book. But <a href="http://cuidadocomodalmata.wordpress.com/2011/11/02/serie-wallflowers-de-lisa-kleypas/" target="_blank">Jen's reviews</a> made me wonder if I was missing on something good by not giving them a chance, and then the book bingo asked for a romance book, and Jen begged to help me choose one. I gave her <i>carte blanche</i> to pick a book for me (actually, it was three, but she only picked one historical romance).<br />
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And now to the review. Devil in Winter is the third in the series of the Wallflowers, and coming mid-way to the party, there were parts of the story that I was missing. But all in all, it stands well on its own. Even if you really don't know why Sebastian St. Vincent is such a bad catch (and such a rascal), in a few pages the author puts you up to speed, while you also get to know Evie, a shy young woman that takes a really bold step to escape the clutches of her family.<br />
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The action doesn't take long to happen, soon enough the not-actually-in-love-couple is eloping to Scotland (and finally I understood why everyone elopes to Scotland), and after the consummation of the marriage, they are back again on the road, to return to London. And why do I mention this? Because this long trip London-Scotland-London was the perfect excuse for these two to get to know each other (and myself to get to know them). And I enjoyed that, the initial dislike of one another (well, that was mostly on Evie's part), the realization that the other party was not as bad as they may seem, and the unlikely friendship between them (among other things).<br />
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Once in London the story gains more of a plot, losing a bit of its character-driven part. There is a father close to death, and a club in need to be run, as well as family to be dealt with. And Lord St. Vincent does come to the rescue, surprising me, on two accounts. First, because I wasn't expecting it of him, and second, because I hadn't realized I had such a thing as expectations where he was concerned.<br />
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But, I'm afraid to say, the plot part was what made me lose a bit of interest on this book – I felt it dragged the drama a bit too long for my liking. It is strange, I usually like ploty books. But I was content with the character-development, with seeing Evie and St. Vincent fall in love, and maybe the whole family trying to get their hands on the naïve girl's money was just too dull for me. To me, the strong points of this book are, without a doubt, Evie and Sebastian, and their growing friendship/love. But that is usually my type of romance, even on non-romance specific books.<br />
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So, did I like? Yes, even if there were things in it that bored me. Will I read the other books in the series? Probably not. But this was a light read, good for long train travels (or maybe not, if you are afraid people will read over your shoulder). <br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 3.5 out of 5 <br />
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<b>Other Reviews: </b> <a href="http://cuidadocomodalmata.wordpress.com/2011/11/02/serie-wallflowers-de-lisa-kleypas/">Cuidado com o Dálmata</a><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWfWquT6pXbTbupmlzJqeyWg9ulsszcqAygyi8EbPtZOOEH9Z3iV-PMDNiNewXi5aP6G7o2sDSB8lmEddCCIPu_NXEZZrR2p7PBlZUMS7feEUhZSkCdZMw3Rh4QJdBsoFMMRJOciM8ec/s1600/pt.gif" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br />
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<b>This Book on:</b> <a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/book/82291988" target="_blank">LibraryThing</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/114166.Devil_in_Winter" target="_blank">GoodReads</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Devil-Winter-Lisa-Kleypas/9780749942908?a_aid=quigui" target="_blank">BookDepository UK</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Devil-Winter-Lisa-Kleypas/9780060562519?a_aid=quigui" target="_blank">Book Depository US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B004FN1QNI/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=spoilandnuts-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=B004FN1QNI">Amazon UK</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=spoilandnuts-21&l=as2&o=2&a=B004FN1QNI" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />| <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/006056251X/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=spoilandnuts-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=006056251X">Amazon US</a><img src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=spoilandnuts-20&l=as2&o=1&a=006056251X" width="1" height="1" border="0" alt="" style="border:none !important; margin:0px !important;" />| <a href="http://www.wook.pt/ficha/the-devil-in-winter/a/id/9733748?a_aid=4e98b01b1c652" target="_blank">Wook</a>Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-46758377504581365592012-02-22T22:30:00.001+00:002012-02-22T22:31:30.381+00:00Picture Puzzle #2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://cuidadocomodalmata.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/picture-puzzle-1/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cuidadocomodalmata.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/picture-puzzle.jpg?w=500" /></a></div>This is a new meme/contest kind of thing, created by Jen @ <a href="http://cuidadocomodalmata.wordpress.com/2012/02/22/picture-puzzle-2/">Cuidado com o Dálmata</a>, which is really fun.<br />
<br />
The rules, are as follows:<br />
<ol><li>Choose a book</li>
<li>Find pictures to symbolize each word of the title (you can ignore the articles, though). The pictures don't need to be the literal sense of the word - homographs and homonyms can be so much fun!</li>
<li>Put it up so people can guess</li>
<li>You can provide hints, especially if your book/choice of pictures is too hard to guess.</li>
</ol><br />
Another week, another Picture Puzzle (I humbly apologize for the lack of reviews - I'll get on with them). Here are my books (rather easy, I'm afraid):<br />
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<b>Book 1: </b> <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://images.all-free-download.com/images/graphiclarge/two_of_hearts_clip_art_24159.jpg" width="133" /><img border="0" height="200" src="http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/01/72/3a/10/torre-dos-clerigos.jpg" width="133" /></div><br />
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<b>Book 2:</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="http://www.banklawyersblog.com/.a/6a00d8341c652b53ef0120a8f56095970b-800wi" height="150" /><img border="0" src="http://www.move.net/images/welcom1.gif" height="150" /><img border="0" src="http://www.monetagardens.org/yahoo_site_admin/assets/images/castle.287161212_std.JPG" height="150" /></div><br />Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-4699855485901066502012-02-15T13:01:00.002+00:002012-02-15T13:04:58.538+00:00Picture Puzzle #1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cuidadocomodalmata.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/picture-puzzle-1/" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cuidadocomodalmata.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/picture-puzzle.jpg?w=500" /></a></div>
This is a new meme/contest kind of thing, created by Jen @ <a href="http://cuidadocomodalmata.wordpress.com/2012/02/15/picture-puzzle-1/">Cuidado com o Dálmata</a>, which is really fun.<br />
<br />
The rules, are as follows:<br />
<ol>
<li>Choose a book</li>
<li>Find pictures to symbolize each word of the title (you can ignore the articles, though). The pictures don't need to be the literal sense of the word - homographs and homonyms can be so much fun!</li>
<li>Put it up so people can guess</li>
<li>You can provide hints, especially if your book/choice of pictures is too hard to guess.</li>
</ol>
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<br />
And here are my books:<br />
<br />
<b>Book 1: </b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHfv_QBpCz9JSkJvrz4GWeDdGjII8ZkpWInOwXx2AZWlemAivW8QIQR7sh7DbIk9_2faCmwgY8OSWGaaTTem-qrbrF9a7B4sJLsToO-B4Gd_QK3Vn2hUsRZISFODcj2PrV5Ro_lfb5bg/s1600/map.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="173" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGHfv_QBpCz9JSkJvrz4GWeDdGjII8ZkpWInOwXx2AZWlemAivW8QIQR7sh7DbIk9_2faCmwgY8OSWGaaTTem-qrbrF9a7B4sJLsToO-B4Gd_QK3Vn2hUsRZISFODcj2PrV5Ro_lfb5bg/s200/map.jpg" width="200" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8a3wKhh7BoLl1CzuuRPNNneWDLZ6myeKA0jSf5qIURtfHns9qV7coTCZfMm4nLn01mSayvlwB6mlK2Zjpp45fR4NRmc8sq0BZ2mBCFgEFaPvHSK9Eol7CTVRvLeyP_Shf5U8HP13d00Y/s1600/time.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8a3wKhh7BoLl1CzuuRPNNneWDLZ6myeKA0jSf5qIURtfHns9qV7coTCZfMm4nLn01mSayvlwB6mlK2Zjpp45fR4NRmc8sq0BZ2mBCFgEFaPvHSK9Eol7CTVRvLeyP_Shf5U8HP13d00Y/s200/time.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<br />
<b>Book 2:</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDM_TTylKPfoJuj9yv3ITP5sTUJwWryCiRabXoo8V51SASamGgNFbd5gdlBxxQhgp2tpqMKSRyeqzzpQ0d4HyW2dxKiXpHVO6Acl6EL62pGM3efTtMHg8EwwjuzvcKfMZcVIDvIR_AhC0/s1600/well.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDM_TTylKPfoJuj9yv3ITP5sTUJwWryCiRabXoo8V51SASamGgNFbd5gdlBxxQhgp2tpqMKSRyeqzzpQ0d4HyW2dxKiXpHVO6Acl6EL62pGM3efTtMHg8EwwjuzvcKfMZcVIDvIR_AhC0/s200/well.png" width="151" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvM1H-WtnkYIFGADe8nsQC9PhWVmRp9vhcOPZ3SkhWDwV9Sz_0ZY5w8cF7Uv6ycW2ATLZfW1vDU9DUaezKftJJ0l-JXom_TqMdb6fwPAixExg0ZVzgcMYwrF6A3vZ_PoIhC32F5y-ejms/s1600/shades.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="188" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvM1H-WtnkYIFGADe8nsQC9PhWVmRp9vhcOPZ3SkhWDwV9Sz_0ZY5w8cF7Uv6ycW2ATLZfW1vDU9DUaezKftJJ0l-JXom_TqMdb6fwPAixExg0ZVzgcMYwrF6A3vZ_PoIhC32F5y-ejms/s200/shades.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
Both titles in English, both are books that I loved.Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-29188871795173142242012-02-14T12:27:00.000+00:002012-02-14T12:27:07.871+00:00Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books that Broke my Heart<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexqRvAu8cIWO99l4MP1fwFUCCVbkVEoxjNEeD4hPDvAgX4h4OVsCtzcE2pYUGds-zz3dNh-0r6YkwAMlOvGefvjYg3rXCZv0GoOqvKznR361mcC_QNgBOiLBqFpWzciuk5YIy4wJJtXc8/s200/bookcase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexqRvAu8cIWO99l4MP1fwFUCCVbkVEoxjNEeD4hPDvAgX4h4OVsCtzcE2pYUGds-zz3dNh-0r6YkwAMlOvGefvjYg3rXCZv0GoOqvKznR361mcC_QNgBOiLBqFpWzciuk5YIy4wJJtXc8/s200/bookcase.jpg" /></a></div>
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/">The Broke and the Bookish</a>. Every week a theme for a list is suggested. This week theme is <i>Books that broke my heart a little.</i><br />
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I'm not going to differentiate between a little, a bit and a lot. These books broke my heart in some way - some of them managed to put it back to together, some left the scars still showing, some left it shattered forever more. <br />
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It was not easy to pick these books, though. Some were obvious to me, recent reads, those that really changed the way I see things. But like with everything else, time is a great healer, so it was hard to look at a title and figure out if that one broke my heart, and how it did so. With that in mind, this top 10 will <b><i>not</i></b> have 10 books. Oh, and it will probably have loads of spoilers. Proceed with care.<br />
<i> </i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfQwKqg9YeEicTjdFbV6cbebitloZOtafiLrCQn1LaTloaioq8L3uJ-5VYn4ow9kEf_4cOncblkc_1wQe87FgEQOW_gZPV6y-0OS0ZyG3CHetJKFBb_LI8c-_3q_q-s6hsLkbXc3QvXI/s1600/51NGNf-tW-L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAfQwKqg9YeEicTjdFbV6cbebitloZOtafiLrCQn1LaTloaioq8L3uJ-5VYn4ow9kEf_4cOncblkc_1wQe87FgEQOW_gZPV6y-0OS0ZyG3CHetJKFBb_LI8c-_3q_q-s6hsLkbXc3QvXI/s200/51NGNf-tW-L.jpg" width="128" /></a><span style="font-size: 120%;"><b>The Book Thief by Markus Zusak</b></span><br />
This is one of the freshest ones in memory, and in heart. It took a while before I had the courage to pick this book up - after all, it's set in Germany during WWII, heartbreak was bound to happen. But the amount of it was just... too much - deaths (<i>oh, Rudy</i>) and tragedy, and the strength of the main character - it all left my heart in pieces, and I'm still nursing it. <br />
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328772028l/7877239.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1328772028l/7877239.jpg" width="131" /></a><b><span style="font-size: 120%;">Plain Kate by Erin Bow</span></b><br />
Plain Kate was another of last year's books that broke my heart. The story was sad, but what broke my heart the most was not what happened to Kate, but the antagonist of this story, whom I loved almost as most as Kate. And then there is Taggle, but at least with him, my heart was able to heal a bit.<br />
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1316131224l/13927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1316131224l/13927.jpg" width="123" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 120%;"><b>Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier</b></span><br />
This is a book that I read for the first time oh, so long ago, but reread it a countless times since. It still shocks me to see a beloved character go, and Sorcha's departure is simply heartbreaking. But this is a case of a book that helped me grow, and be who I am.<br />
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327243924l/5020316.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327243924l/5020316.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 120%;"><b>La hormiga que quiso ser astronauta by Félix J. Palma</b></span><br />
The way this book broke my heart is different from all the others - it didn't kill some beloved character or made love simply unattainable. It shattered my illusions that life can be magical. Surreality was just part of the main character, a Peter Pan complex of not wanting to grow up. And I can relate to that on so many levels...<br />
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327882019l/4584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327882019l/4584.jpg" width="128" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 120%;"><b>Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer</b></span><br />
Another one dealing with WWII, and the hatred and prejudice that lead to it. The story is poignant, with silliness in the mix, which doesn't help soften the blow. It breaks my heart, and tries to mend it with laughter, but never intends to hide the scars it leaves behind.<br />
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<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327944121l/3081438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327944121l/3081438.jpg" width="127" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 120%;"><b>Oath Breaker by Michelle Paver</b></span><br />
Oath Breaker is the last in this list, and more of an afterthought. I read it some time ago, so time has helped me forget, but it's also a book that managed to heal my heart along the way. It starts by killing a character I learned to love - Bale - and that was part of why it hurt, it was not an instant-love kind of character, there was time and suspicion and surprise devoted to him. And of course, this death had its consequences - especially with Torak who felt the loss as I did, and the guilt that I wanted (so much) to pin on him. But it made the character grow, and he never once forgot what lead him in his quest, even if he came to realize that guilt and hatred and revenge were not doing him any good.<br />
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</center>Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-89877711707844290842012-02-14T10:57:00.000+00:002012-02-14T10:57:45.543+00:00Liebster blog<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWfWquT6pXbTbupmlzJqeyWg9ulsszcqAygyi8EbPtZOOEH9Z3iV-PMDNiNewXi5aP6G7o2sDSB8lmEddCCIPu_NXEZZrR2p7PBlZUMS7feEUhZSkCdZMw3Rh4QJdBsoFMMRJOciM8ec/s1600/pt.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWfWquT6pXbTbupmlzJqeyWg9ulsszcqAygyi8EbPtZOOEH9Z3iV-PMDNiNewXi5aP6G7o2sDSB8lmEddCCIPu_NXEZZrR2p7PBlZUMS7feEUhZSkCdZMw3Rh4QJdBsoFMMRJOciM8ec/s1600/pt.gif" /></a><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">This post is in Portuguese. </span></i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://cuidadocomodalmata.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/selinho-liebster.jpg?w=500" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://cuidadocomodalmata.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/selinho-liebster.jpg?w=500" /></a></div>
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Recebi este selo <i>vonito</i> da Carla @ <a href="http://cuidadocomodalmata.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Cuidado com o Dálmata</a> e da Ana @ <a href="http://florestadelivros.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Floresta de Livros</a>. <i>Thanks Girls!</i><br />
<br />
<div>
O que fazer:</div>
<div>
1 – Link de volta com o <em>blogger</em> que lho deu;</div>
<div>
2 – Cole o selinho no seu blogue;</div>
<div>
3 – Escolha 5 blogues para repassá-lo, que tenham menos de 200 seguidores;</div>
<div>
4 – Deixar um comentário avisando que estão recebendo o selinho.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
E agora, escolher 5 blogues a quem passar isto? E tenho de ver quantos seguidores!? Bem, 2 escolhas óbvias seriam as meninas que me fizeram <i>tag </i>neste jogo, mas vamos seleccionar outros 5 blogues, <i>shall we?</i></div>
<div>
<i> </i></div>
<div>
<i>1 - </i><a href="http://p7-books.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Bookeater/Booklover</a></div>
<div>
<i>2</i> - <a href="http://pinkgum.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Livros, Livros e mais Livros</a></div>
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<i>3 - </i><a href="http://cantosquebrados.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Cantos Quebrados</a></div>
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<i>4 - </i><a href="http://estemeucantinho.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Este meu cantinho</a></div>
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<i>5 - </i><a href="http://lerreflectir.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Ler e Reflectir</a></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
E é tudo! Agora façam o obséquio de ir visitar estes blogues :D</div>Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-34193881447615210012012-02-08T17:01:00.000+00:002012-02-08T17:01:11.296+00:00The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180928602l/1094933.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180928602l/1094933.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Title:</b> The Folk Keeper <br />
<br />
<b>Author:</b> Franny Billingsley <br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><b>Date Read: </b> January 20<sup>th</sup><br />
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<b>On TBR for:</b> a few hours<br />
<br />
<b>Format:</b> Physical book - Paperback<br />
<br />
<b>Source:</b> Bought - New<br />
<br />
<b>Challenges:</b> <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/p/challenges-2012.html#outdo" target="_blank">2012 Outdo Yourself</a></span> <br />
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<br />
<br />
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The Folk Keeper is a small book, the story Corinna, a young girl that disguises herself as a boy, Corin, to be able to be a Folk Keeper. Being a Folk Keeper is all she ever wanted to do. But when she is summoned by Lord Merton to be the Folk Keeper of the huge estate in Cliffsend she starts to see that maybe being a Folk Keeper is not all that it's cracked to be. There the Folk are vicious, and her own powers seem to lose strength.<br />
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Of course there are some good things to her new life in Cliffsend, Corinna lives with more comfort, and gains a friend, Finian, who is the reluctant heir to Merton Hall – he would much rather be a fisherman or a sailor. And then there are bad things that happen, of course, otherwise there would be no story.<br />
<br />
I liked Corinna because she is not the sweet little girl one would expect of a children's book. She is angry and vindictive at times, and always makes sure she comes out on top. As I read the book, which is in diary form, I started to realize why she is the way she is. She is an orphan, and a girl, which would mean a life of being a servant. But she decides to pose as a boy, gathering the knowledge of Folk Keepers apprentices in exchange of doing chores, and making sure that wherever she is Folk Keeper, she is essential.<br />
<br />
This may seem cold, and in a way, Corinna is cold. But it left an opening for a great duo, between her and Finian, who is the sweetest and most cheerful of people. He has a deeper intelligence, and see things that others don't – not through any special power, but because he cares enough to look. <br />
<br />
The action, though, has very little to do with their interaction, and more with Corinna discovering herself. And I also liked that part – there was a bit of darkness in it, with stories of crazy maidens and forays into graveyards in the middle of the night and murder attempts! And all in such a tiny book!<br />
<br />
The feeling at the end was of a pleasant book. Not stellar, but it will leave your heart a little bit warmer.<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Rating:</b> 4 out of 5 <br />
<br />
<b>This Book on:</b> <a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/book/81998814">LibraryThing</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1094933.The_Folk_Keeper">GoodReads</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Folk-Keeper-Billingsle/9780689844614?a_aid=quigui" target="_blank">BookDepository UK</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Folk-Keeper-Billingsle/9780689844614?a_aid=quigui" target="_blank">Book Depository US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/140881319X/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=spoilandnuts-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=140881319X">Amazon UK</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=spoilandnuts-21&l=as2&o=2&a=140881319X" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />| <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0689844611/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=spoilandnuts-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0689844611">Amazon US</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=spoilandnuts-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0689844611" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />| <a href="http://www.wook.pt/ficha/the-folk-keeper/a/id/10318028?a_aid=4e98b01b1c652" target="_blank">Wook</a>Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-9834171996065108192012-01-31T15:32:00.000+00:002012-01-31T15:32:00.837+00:00January Ins and OutsThe New Year is in, and so are new books. I know I said I was trying to cut back on buying/acquiring books, so it's understandable that some eyebrows might be raised at the sheer amounts of books on the INS side. But in my defence, this year I have only bought 2 books, and those were at a book fair, because a) they were cheap, b) they were pretty, and c) they were books.<br />
<br />
On the reading side there was not as much movement as in the INS side, but still some reading done, and mostly books that I really liked. I am also participating in 4 different challenges and a book bingo with some friends. You can always check my progress <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/p/challenges-2012.html" target="_blank">here</a> (or somewhere in the sidebar).<br />
<br />
On other news, I am moving (again), but this time not so far away as Barcelona or Edinburgh. I'm going to work in Lisbon, starting tomorrow (in fact, when this post goes live, I'll be in Lisbon, hopefully with a place to live). The working might mean less reading, the coming home on weekends by train means a total of 6 hours that have nothing to do but read (or sleep, or write, or draw, or listen to music, but mostly read).<br />
<br />
And now, for the gigantic list of books:<br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>INS</b></span><br />
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<b><i>Bought - new </i></b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6S9DGFF5vzw7400734Xblnim3BEZ0NPbQ-YkC28Qgt9IHCvuCIY5aDhe2ttaxMEbnyX_xTQCIO2nPO6x-Afar38E439-aSEMLWQRpcKlsHNnJjUufjdAfcRuuG-ywlmon7A7s9xVmtU/s1600/bought.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC6S9DGFF5vzw7400734Xblnim3BEZ0NPbQ-YkC28Qgt9IHCvuCIY5aDhe2ttaxMEbnyX_xTQCIO2nPO6x-Afar38E439-aSEMLWQRpcKlsHNnJjUufjdAfcRuuG-ywlmon7A7s9xVmtU/s320/bought.jpeg" width="301" /></a></div>
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<br />
<b>The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern</b><br />
<b>Night Watch by Terry Pratchett</b><br />
<b>The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett</b><br />
<b>Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett</b><br />
<b>Jingo by Terry Pratchett</b><br />
<b>Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett</b><br />
<b>Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett</b><br />
<b>Thud! by Terry Pratchett</b><br />
<br />
<b>The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley</b><br />
<br />
I know I said I had just bought 2 books. What are these, then? Well, I bought them last year, it just took them a while to get here. the first bunch was a order that I did with a friend at Amazon, just so we could use the Free Delivery. I made a super-secret post to document its arrival <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/p/caixa.html" target="_blank">here</a> (now not so secret).<br />
<br />
The Folk Keeper has been bought in September, but it was returned to Book Depository, and when I complained, they sent it again.<br />
<br />
<b><i>Bought - at a book fair </i></b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqaRG6b_rmTsIdmMwOQQFHN-AaJxChJVniK_-92FH5ud02Cq_lUR_Q5MTgbJ_zRRwuD4DGhpzxhgzR4Nj28sX2kA5WHhIEsjinEZ24zVvBa5wYboWSmjgV6vfYni2ZVIWnf3ND4BR9XQ/s1600/bookfair.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="223" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpqaRG6b_rmTsIdmMwOQQFHN-AaJxChJVniK_-92FH5ud02Cq_lUR_Q5MTgbJ_zRRwuD4DGhpzxhgzR4Nj28sX2kA5WHhIEsjinEZ24zVvBa5wYboWSmjgV6vfYni2ZVIWnf3ND4BR9XQ/s320/bookfair.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<b>The Secret by Charlotte Brontë</b><br />
<b>The Spell by Charlotte Brontë</b><br />
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Look at them! Aren't they pretty? I had to bring them home<br />
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<br />
<b><i>Swap sites</i></b><br />
<i>*WinkingBooks*</i><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cbDzljBPesikY2-fvEiZTxsI4EtrAgckbYSWWKGKkYBcXp5F-XrA3rvAbMkCIzEYMfFcYbOncAggptbcyr1L_SO9ZTXyPjiJCgLAKQhbBGVE4t4aZJv21HaOj9QMjqEJ5NVdt6QjMV8/s1600/wink.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7cbDzljBPesikY2-fvEiZTxsI4EtrAgckbYSWWKGKkYBcXp5F-XrA3rvAbMkCIzEYMfFcYbOncAggptbcyr1L_SO9ZTXyPjiJCgLAKQhbBGVE4t4aZJv21HaOj9QMjqEJ5NVdt6QjMV8/s320/wink.jpeg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266795902l/2405846.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266795902l/2405846.jpg" width="124" /></a></div>
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<br />
<b>The Forest House by Marion Zimmer Bradley</b><br />
<b>Gone by Michael Grant</b><br />
<b>Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières</b><br />
<b>The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain</b><br />
<br />
I had points, so I used them. I think I am finally going to read the Mists of Avalon, book 1 is on its way, and I already have book 2. With Gone, the name rang a bell, of a dystopian book, so I asked for it. Only later did I realize that a friend of mine had already read it (she was not impressed). As for the Louis de Bernières book, after I read Red Dog, I want to read something lengthier of this author. I have never read anything of Mark Twain, and I liked the tittle of this one (besides being available to mooch, of course). <br />
<br />
<b><i>Freebies</i></b><br />
<i>*Won a Giveaway*</i><br />
2012 is proving to be a good year. New job and already 4 books from giveaways.<br />
<br />
<b>I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak</b><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1297309459l/10426601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1297309459l/10426601.jpg" width="129" /></a></div>
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Thanks to Jen @ <a href="http://cuidadocomodalmata.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Cuidado com o Dálmata</a> for this book!<br />
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<b>Age of Giants - awakening by Rob Reaser</b><br />
<b>Songs for the New Depression by Kergan Edwards-Stout</b><br />
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<a href="https://dwtr67e3ikfml.cloudfront.net/bookCovers/ef76d3a5d763d55d3561d683ff9a9eaa001b75c1" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://dwtr67e3ikfml.cloudfront.net/bookCovers/ef76d3a5d763d55d3561d683ff9a9eaa001b75c1" width="128" /></a><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327896213l/12970000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1327896213l/12970000.jpg" width="130" /></a></div>
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<br />
Thanks to Bonnie @ <a href="http://bookishardour.com/" target="_blank">Bookish Ardour</a> and the authors for these books!<br />
<br />
<b>My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody</b><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1311978055l/7880506.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1311978055l/7880506.jpg" width="141" /></a></div>
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<br />
Thanks to Emily @ <a href="http://www.whatbookisthat.com/" target="_blank">What Book is That?</a> for this book!<br />
<br />
<i>*Gifts (Christmas Gifts!)*</i><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMoCHIIdBMJLniSNSP_M0I15NYdrbXAL-jZ8tB26jqAcvDJr6oqgKb7xF2dUqq2ypsB4-66yiok92v4XpjSqD5UuN1kGwy4whgE2E0Kg-b0y_ABIE4IvX67pMWHKLcVrghlwuj-d2u8KY/s1600/xmas.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMoCHIIdBMJLniSNSP_M0I15NYdrbXAL-jZ8tB26jqAcvDJr6oqgKb7xF2dUqq2ypsB4-66yiok92v4XpjSqD5UuN1kGwy4whgE2E0Kg-b0y_ABIE4IvX67pMWHKLcVrghlwuj-d2u8KY/s320/xmas.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 7 by Hiromu Arakawa</b><br />
<b>Geist by Philippa Ballantine</b><br />
<b>The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber</b><br />
<b>The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss</b><br />
<b>Troll: A Love Story by Johanna Sinisalo</b><br />
<b>I Am Mordred: A Tale of Camelot by Nancy Springer</b><br />
<br />
Finally! My Christmas gifts arrived almost a month after Christmas!<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-size: large;">OUTS</span></b><br />
<br />
<i><b>Physical books</b></i><br />
<b>House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones</b> <i>[<a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/2012/01/house-of-many-ways-by-diana-wynne-jones.html" target="_blank">Review</a>]</i><br />
<b>Restoration by Carol Berg</b> <i>[<a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/2012/01/restoration-by-carol-berg.html" target="_blank">Review</a>]</i><br />
<br />
<b>The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley</b><br />
A short, and sweet, book about a little girl that poses as boy to do what she feels is her calling - to be a Folk Keeper, and also to get away from doing hard work. But when she moves to bigger house, she discovers the Folk there are more vicious and a lot more about herself.<br />
<br />
<b>Rating: </b>4 out of 5<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>The Eye of the Heron by Ursula K. Le Guin</b><br />
Science Fiction, and by an author I really like, this book has been on my TBR for ages, and for some reason I never got around to read it until now. It's more philosophical than science fiction, about non-violence in the face of violence, tyranny and slavery. I did like most of it, but towards the end I started to feel that the story had stretched a little too much (strange, since it's such a tiny book).<br />
<br />
<b>Rating:</b> 3.5 out of 5<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas</b><br />
Borrowed from a friend who asked me if she could chose the book I would read for the Romance category in the book bingo. I said yes, and she chose this Historical Romance. Not my normal genre, and not one that I really like. It was an amusing read for most part (and maybe not the best one to read on train). There were parts of it that bored me, but I liked the interactions between Evie and Sebastian (yes, those other kind of interactions as well). I might have understood the world of the Wallflowers a little better had I read the previous 2 books.<b> </b><br />
<br />
<b>Rating:</b> 3.5 out of 5<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>Brave New Worlds: Dystopian Stories edited by John Joseph Adams</b><br />
A very good anthology of dystopian short stories and novellas. It's a really big book, and the theme is mostly dark, so it took a while to get through it. But most of the stories are good, some really good, and some not so much. Overall, I liked it and found that it was very well edited.<br />
<br />
<b>Rating: </b>4 out of 5<br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b>Ebooks</b></i><br />
<b>Entwined by Heather Dixon</b> <i>[<a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/2012/01/entwined-by-heather-dixon.html" target="_blank">Review</a>]</i><br />
<br />
<br />
<i><b>Audiobooks</b></i><br />
<b>The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle</b><br />
<br />
The book bingo I am doing called for an audiobook, and since I had some stuff to do that required my hands and eyes, but not my ears or attention, I decided it would be the perfect occasion to listen to one. I choose The Sign of the Four, to continue with the Shelock Holmes series, and because it is short. I sort of liked it. It's gripping, and you keep guessing the how and the why, until you know. The last (really long) chapter that serves as an explanation to everything, seemed unnecessary or at least unnecessarily long.<br />
<br />
<b>Rating: </b>3 out 4<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>TBR Variation:</b> +19 (From 201 to 220) Shame!<br />
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<center><br />
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<table bgcolor="#ffffff" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width: 468px;"><tbody>
<tr><td><img alt="" border="0" height="60" src="http://www.projectwonderful.com/nojs.php?id=59011&type=1" usemap="#admap59011" width="468" /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</center>Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-85590364542629748432012-01-28T15:29:00.000+00:002012-01-28T15:29:38.974+00:00Restoration by Carol Berg<a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266599691l/618198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1266599691l/618198.jpg" /></a><b>Title:</b> Restoration <br />
<br />
<b>Author:</b> Carol Berg<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 85%;"><b>Series: </b> <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/search/label/Series%3A%20Rai-Kirah" target="_blank">Rai-Kirah</a><br />
<br />
<b>Date Read:</b> January 15<sup>th</sup><br />
<br />
<b>On TBR for:</b> 57 days <br />
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<b>Format:</b> Physical book - Mass-trade paperback <br />
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<b>Source:</b> Bought - New<br />
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<b>Challenges:</b> <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/p/challenges-2012.html#outdo" target="_blank">2012 Outdo Yourself</a>, <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/p/challenges-2012.html#shelf" target="_blank">Off the Shelf 2012</a></span><br />
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Restoration is the book that closes the Rai-Kirah trilogy, and reveals much of the secrets of its world, specially when it comes to Ezzarian mythology. Things do not start easy for Seyonne, who is living with Blaise's rebels, but trying to keep his demon in check. Only he sometimes loses his mind and gets this urge to kill all humans. He has been postponing crossing the portal that leads to Kir'Navarrin in part because he wants to spend as much time as he can with his son, and in part because he is afraid of what will happen when he does.<br />
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Things aren't going easy for Aleksander either. His father is dead, murdered, and the hegeds blame him, in order to get a more malleable emperor in his place. He finds himself empire-less, army-less, and mostly friendless because all his loved ones are being targeted by assassins, so he had no choice but to drive them away.<br />
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At first I was really excited with this book – Aleksander was once again one of the main characters, and even if things were going horribly wrong with him and Seyonne, I was having so much fun with their dynamics. This series strongest point is, undoubtedly, Seyonne and Aleksander's unlikely friendship. And for about half of the book that was what I got. For once, I was glad that Seyonne is one of the most high-functioning procrastinators ever, doing so much in order to not having to do what he must. <br />
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But as he accompanied Aleksander in his quest to find supporters and an army to get his empire back, he went through various changes, that at first were slight and understandable, but as they progressed something started to not feel right with Seyonne. Fortunately (I guess), this is the point where he decides he can't put off going to Kir'Navarrin any more. <br />
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At the end of <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/2011/09/revelation-by-carol-berg.html" target="_blank">Revelation</a>, I thought that in Restoration I would have a nice banter between Seyonne and Denas, much in the fashion of the relationship of Seyonne and Aleksander in <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/2011/05/transformation-by-carol-berg.html" target="_blank">Transformation</a>. I didn't get that, but I didn't complain because there was Aleksander, which made all so much better. But once in Kir'Navarrin there was no Aleksander, and I felt the injustice that had been done to Denas. It also didn't help that the pacing came to a complete stop in this part, with Seyonne mulling on his thoughts more and more, and being morose the way only he can be. <br />
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Even worse, his changes in personality didn't stop, in fact, they intensified. And even if he was helping his friends, I was not liking the direction the story was taking, and was starting to dread the ending it would have: I simply couldn't see it end well, or not badly. There were some twists to the plot, some thinking that occurred behind the scenes that I hadn't factored in, which meant that I got to be positively surprised on how the situation resolved itself. <br />
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I ended up liking this last book, even with the complete changes of pace and the transformation of the main character. Maybe not as much as the first one, but I think it brings a nice close to the series, the mythos of the Ezzarians explained, Seyonne with a somewhat happy ending, and Aleksander fulfilling his potential.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 4 out of 5 <br />
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<b>Other Reviews:</b> <a href="http://dragonsheroesandwizards.blogspot.com/2008/11/restoration-rai-kirah-trilogy-book-3.html" target="_blank">Dragons, Heroes and Wizards</a> | <a href="http://ubiquitous-absence.blogspot.com/2009/08/rai-kirah-finale.html" target="_blank">Ubiquitous Absence </a><br />
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<b>This Book on:</b> <a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/54470" target="_blank">LibraryThing</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/618198.Restoration" target="_blank">GoodReads</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Restoration-Carol-Berg/9780451458902?a_aid=quigui" target="_blank">BookDepository UK</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/Restoration-Carol-Berg/9780451458902?a_aid=quigui" target="_blank">Book Depository US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0451458907/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=spoilandnuts-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0451458907">Amazon UK</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=spoilandnuts-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0451458907" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />| <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0451458907/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=spoilandnuts-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0451458907">Amazon US</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=spoilandnuts-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0451458907" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-29725544911653194042012-01-24T13:01:00.000+00:002012-01-24T13:04:53.620+00:00Top Ten Tuesday - Freebie: Top Ten Good Books with Good Movie/Series Adaptations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexqRvAu8cIWO99l4MP1fwFUCCVbkVEoxjNEeD4hPDvAgX4h4OVsCtzcE2pYUGds-zz3dNh-0r6YkwAMlOvGefvjYg3rXCZv0GoOqvKznR361mcC_QNgBOiLBqFpWzciuk5YIy4wJJtXc8/s200/bookcase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgexqRvAu8cIWO99l4MP1fwFUCCVbkVEoxjNEeD4hPDvAgX4h4OVsCtzcE2pYUGds-zz3dNh-0r6YkwAMlOvGefvjYg3rXCZv0GoOqvKznR361mcC_QNgBOiLBqFpWzciuk5YIy4wJJtXc8/s200/bookcase.jpg" /></a></div>
Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/">The Broke and the Bookish</a>. Every week a theme for a list is suggested. This week is a freebie, so I get to choose the top I want to do. So, this week's theme is <i>Top Ten Good Books with Good Movie/Series Adaptations</i>. Why this theme? Because it's easy to come across good books, and it's easy to come across good movies, but most of the times, if the movie is based on a book, it disappoints. It's a given that it's impossible to fit 300+ pages into two or three hours of film, but sometimes it's better to not even attempt it! (Earthsea please fans don't EVER watch Sci-Fi channel's TV movie Earthsea - you'll want to claw your eyes out and wish for memory bleach so you could forget it was ever made)<br />
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<span style="font-size: 120%;"><b>Howl's Moving Castle</b></span><br />
<b>Book:</b> Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones · <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/2010/04/howls-moving-castle-by-diana-wynne.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">My Review</span></a><br />
<b>Movie:</b> Howl's Moving Castle directed by Hayao Miyazaki · <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0347149/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">IMDB</span></a><br />
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It's no secret that I love this series, and having recently finished it, it means it is closer to memory. But here is an example of a good movie adaptation that doesn't think that it has to stick with the story point by point, simply takes the important, and retells everything else. It helps that Miyazaki is a superb storyteller, of course. It doesn't matter in which order you see/read it, you'll love both versions.<br />
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<b><span style="font-size: 120%;">Everything is Illuminated</span></b><br />
<b>Book:</b> Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer · <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/840/" target="_blank">LT</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4584.Everything_is_Illuminated" target="_blank">GR</a></span><br />
<b>Movie:</b> Everything is Illuminated directed by Liev Schreiber · <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0404030/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">IMDB</span></a><br />
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I watched the movie first, and was completely in love with it. A mixture of stunning colours, humour and a poignant story, it's one of my favourite films of all time. I, of course, then wanted to read the book. It's wackier than the movie, and darker as well, but so, so good. <br />
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<span style="font-size: 120%;"><b>North and South</b></span><br />
<b>Book:</b> North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell · <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/2011/11/north-and-south-by-elizabeth-gaskell.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">My Review</span></a><br />
<b>Mini-Series:</b> North and South produced by the BBC and directed by Brian Percival · <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0417349/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">IMDB</span></a><br />
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Again, no secret how much I love this series. If most people prefer Pride and Prejudice, I'm wholeheartedly on the North and South team - it has more than just romance, and the social commentary is not just of the individuals, but of the society in general. I found it deeper in meaning than other books of the genre, and I loved the writing. The mini-series, 4 episodes long, manages to convey the feelings of the book really well.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 120%;"><b>The Lord of the Rings series</b></span><br />
<b>Books: </b>The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien · <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.librarything.com/series/The+Lord+of+the+Rings" target="_blank">LT</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/series/66175-the-lord-of-the-rings" target="_blank">GR</a></span><br />
<b>Movies:</b> The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers and The Return of the King directed by Peter Jackson · <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120737/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">IMDB</span></a> · <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167261/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">IMDB</span></a> · <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0167260/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">IMDB</span></a><br />
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Many call it the masterpiece of Fantasy, and they are not very far from the truth. These are great books, that have been inspiration for many others. I lost myself while reading these books, everything else becoming unimportant, and it made me believe that there were hobbits and elves and dwarfs - that Middle Earth was real. Making a movie out of these books wasn't going to be easy, fantasy never is, from clothing to set decorations, it's expensive to make it look good, and if it's anything but good, it looks downright shabby. But Peter Jackson was a fan and he did a tremendous job of it. It goes close to 12 hours of film with the extended versions of all three movies, but it means that most of the books are there, and told right.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 120%;"><b>Stardust</b></span><br />
<b>Book:</b> Stardust by Neil Gaiman ·<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/3574878/" target="_blank">LT</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/818478.Stardust" target="_blank">GR</a></span><br />
<b>Movie:</b> Stardust directed by Matthew Vaughn · <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0486655/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">IMDB</span></a><br />
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Stardust is a fairytale like story, which brings always a smile to my face, and then it's Gaiman, which means it is told right like I liked it. There is a hint of strangeness, a bit of humour, adventures and danger, but it leaves a warm fuzzy feeling in the end. What is there not to like? The movie captured all that, added a bit here and there, threw in a happier ever after ending and wrapped it all nicely in nice cinematography.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 120%;"><b>A Game of Thrones</b></span><br />
<b>Book: </b>A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin · <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/2011/07/game-of-thrones-by-george-rr-martin.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">My Review</span></a><br />
<b>Series: </b>A Game of Thrones created by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss · <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0944947/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">IMDB</span></a><br />
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I admit to only giving these books a chance because of the series, I knew about them but were mentally put on the category of maybe-to-read-if-a-copy-falls-on-my-lap. But since there was a series coming, and it was looking good, I got myself a copy and read it. Totally worth it! It's ploty and complex, and even if it's not very high on the fantasy-side of elves and stuff (there are dragons, though), it's good fantasy. And the series not only looks good, it follows the books pretty well. <br />
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<span style="font-size: 120%;"><b>Persepolis</b></span><br />
<b>Books:</b> The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi · <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/6392056/book/60631739" target="_blank">LT</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/991197.The_Complete_Persepolis" target="_blank">GR</a></span><br />
<b>Movie:</b> Persepolis directed by Vincent Paronnaud abd Marjane Satrapi · <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808417/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">IMDB</span></a><br />
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Another that I saw before reading, but enjoyed both versions. True, there isn't much difference, the book is a graphic novel and the animation is also done by Marjane. But what the movie brings in is the voice of the main character. Not Marjane herself, but the sarcasm in the book is very well delivered in the movie.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 120%;"><b>The Colour of Magic</b></span><br />
<b>B</b><b>ook: </b>The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett · <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/1044440" target="_blank">LT</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/601238.The_Colour_of_Magic" target="_blank">GR</a></span><br />
<b>Movie:</b> The Colour of Magic directed by Vadim Jean · <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1079959/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">IMDB</span></a><br />
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Pratchett's Discworld is an amazing universe, and sometimes not really easy to picture. But I enjoyed the adaptation, it's a good look into that world. And I loved the character's portrayals. Rincewind was very good, but no-one can play an annoying side kick quite like Sean Astin, so he was wonderful as Twoflower.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 120%;"><b>The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy</b></span><br />
<b>Book:</b> The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams · <span style="font-size: x-small;"><a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/2010/09/hitchhikers-guide-to-galaxy-by-douglas.html" target="_blank">My Review</a></span><br />
<b>Movie:</b> The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy directed by Garth Jennings · <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371724/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">IMDB</span></a><br />
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Douglas Adams's book is great as far as humour and sci-fi goes. It has all there, but it definitely on the wacky side, and this is not always well portrayed in the movies. The 2004 version of it was made to fans - not that anyone else can't enjoy it, but there needs be a predisposition to wackyness and absurd. That aside, a great adaptation of a great book.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 120%;"><b>Jane Eyre</b></span><br />
<b>Book:</b> Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë · <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/2011/03/jane-eyre-by-charlotte-bronte.html" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">My Review</span></a><br />
<b>Mini-Series: </b>Jane Eyre produced by the BBC, directed by Susanna White · <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0780362/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">IMDB</span></a><br />
<b>Movie: </b>Jane Eyre directed by Cary Fukunaga · <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1229822/" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: x-small;">IMDB</span></a><br />
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Jane Eyre has had a lot of adaptations throughout the years. I have only seen two, the BBC mini-series, before I read the book, and the 2011 movie, that I saw after reading the book. Both are excellent adaptations of this work, the first lengthier, the second making a twist in the storytelling by beginning at the middle of the book.<br />
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<b>***Extra***</b><br />
I have to include in this list the series <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1475582/" target="_blank">Sherlock</a>, even if the books don't really blow my mind. This retelling of the adventures of Sherlock Holmes in modern times is simply stunning. Great writing and great acting (Martin Freeman won a BAFTA, <a href="http://fuckyoumartinfreemanwonabafta.tumblr.com/" target="_blank">as all the internet sherlockians are aware</a>). It doesn't require prior knowledge of the books to enjoy, because it's like Sherlock was completely reinvented, while maintaining the quirks that make his character so famous.<br />
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</center>Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-19355520463425080262012-01-23T16:34:00.001+00:002012-01-23T17:29:17.963+00:00House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1293848674l/2173611.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1293848674l/2173611.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><br />
<b>Title:</b> House of Many Ways<br />
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<b>Author:</b> Diana Wynne Jones<br />
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<span style="font-size: 85%;"><b>Series:</b> <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/search/label/Series%3A%20Howl%27s%20Castle" target="_blank">Howl's Castle</a><br />
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<b>Date Read:</b> January 12<sup>th</sup><br />
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<b>On TBR for:</b> 83 days<br />
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<b>Format:</b> Physical book<br />
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<b>Source:</b> Bought<br />
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<b>Challenges:</b> <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/p/challenges-2012.html#outdo" target="_blank">2012 Outdo Yourself</a>, <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/p/challenges-2012.html#shelf" target="_blank">Off the Shelf 2012</a>, <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/p/challenges-2012.html#name" target="_blank">What's in a Name 5</a></span> <br />
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In the last of the Howl's Castle series of books, we start with Charmain, a bookish 14 year old, who gets volunteered by her great-aunt to take care of her distant great-uncle William's house. Well, magical house. Charmain is a respectable young lady (read: sheltered and spoiled) and, as such, she doesn't know how to do much besides reading a lot, and eating a lot of pasties. That includes washing clothes and dishes, and goes as far as making tea.<br />
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Luckily for her, the house is indeed magical, and does provide for her meals, and she has always her Uncle's recorded instructions, that help her navigate around the house and help solve some mishaps. Did I mention it is a magical house? Well, it is. From the outside it looks small, but turn left instead of right at a doorway, and you'll find yourself in a completely different room, or building. <br />
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To add to the joy, in comes Peter, great-uncle William's new apprentice that he didn't know about, and who doesn't know his master isn't home. Peter, unlike Charmain, does know how to do things around the house, which should have come as a relief, if he didn't botch every magic attempt. And there were a lot of attempts.<br />
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And, as one job isn't good enough for bookwork Charmain, she writes to the King to tell him she would like to help him and his daughter organize the Royal Library. I do understand the girl, of course, a library is such a wonderful place to work when you love books.<br />
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But there is something missing here, isn't it? Of course, it would fit the series if Howl and Co. weren't there. And they are. Sophie is helping the King with his financial and magical problems, and Morgan and Calcifer come along, of course. And Howl, because he couldn't bear to be left behind. So he appears in his most adorable form ever (I'm not telling what it is, though it's easy to see when reading the book). <br />
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And so, Charmain has some adventures with magic, kobolds and lubbocks, manages not to destroy a house or kill her housemate, while getting herself a puppy.<br />
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Did I like this book? Hell, yeah! It was a rollercoaster of fun, but that was to be expected. It's Diana Wynne Jones, after all. But I did like it more than Castle in the Air, probably because of Howl. But Charmain was also a reason – incompetent as she was in household tasks, she is a bookworm, so I can find no fault in her (well, I am able to overlook most faults). I loved reading her adventures and misadventures, and if there was a lot of fun on the Castle scenes with the regular cast, her interactions with Peter were really great. <br />
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Had there been more books to this series, I would have read them. As it is, I will treasure these three forever.<br />
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<b>Rating:</b> 4.5 out of 5 <br />
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<b>Other Reviews:</b> <a href="http://cuidadocomodalmata.wordpress.com/2012/01/16/house-of-many-ways/" target="_blank">Cuidado com o Dálmata</a> <img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWWfWquT6pXbTbupmlzJqeyWg9ulsszcqAygyi8EbPtZOOEH9Z3iV-PMDNiNewXi5aP6G7o2sDSB8lmEddCCIPu_NXEZZrR2p7PBlZUMS7feEUhZSkCdZMw3Rh4QJdBsoFMMRJOciM8ec/s1600/pt.gif" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px;" /><br />
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<b>This Book on:</b> <a href="http://www.librarything.com/work/book/79153873" target="_blank">LibraryThing</a> | <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2173611.House_of_Many_Ways" target="_blank">GoodReads</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/House-Many-Ways-Diana-Wynne-Jones/9780061477973?a_aid=quigui" target="_blank">BookDepository UK</a> | <a href="http://www.bookdepository.com/House-Many-Ways-Diana-Wynne-Jones/9780061477973?a_aid=quigui" target="_blank">Book Depository US</a> | <a href="http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/0007275684/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=spoilandnuts-21&linkCode=as2&camp=1634&creative=6738&creativeASIN=0007275684">Amazon UK</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.co.uk/e/ir?t=spoilandnuts-21&l=as2&o=2&a=0007275684" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />| <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0061477974/ref=as_li_qf_sp_asin_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=spoilandnuts-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=0061477974">Amazon US</a><img alt="" border="0" height="1" src="http://www.assoc-amazon.com/e/ir?t=spoilandnuts-20&l=as2&o=1&a=0061477974" style="border: none !important; margin: 0px !important;" width="1" />| <a href="http://www.wook.pt/ficha/house-of-many-ways/a/id/1449151?a_aid=4e98b01b1c652" target="_blank">Wook</a>Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-703407003551541113.post-67893771001400949752012-01-18T12:40:00.000+00:002012-01-18T12:40:36.541+00:00Challenges, Challenges, Part 3Yes, one more challenge, but this one seemed too good to pass.<br />
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<b>Fairy Tales Retold Challenge</b><br />
Hosted by <a href="http://debzbookshelf.blogspot.com/" target="_new">Debz Bookshelf</a><br />
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<img src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-V66w4C2gnEI/Tu-Js80Uh3I/AAAAAAAAAgY/FbjnZ8nGSEs/s400/fairy+tale+button.png" width="190" /><br />
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<b>Basics</b><br />
It goes from January 1st 2012 to December 31st 2012<br />
To sign up, go <a href="http://debzbookshelf.blogspot.com/2011/12/fairy-tales-retold-challenge.html" target="_blank">here</a> <br />
You can sign up any time from now until June-ish<br />
I would love you forever if you would follow me, and if you're interested in fairy tales, then you'd probably find my blog interesting anyway!<br />
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<b>What Counts</b><br />
Any retelling at all, or original fairy tales. When I say original fairy tales, I mean books that include many elements of many fairy tales, but aren't actually based on any fairy tales. Some examples are The Princess Bride by William Goldman or Princess Academy by Shannon Hale (BEST BOOK EVER!) Basically a book that should have a fairy tale based on it, but it's too late for it to be the other way around. <br />
here<br />
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<b>I'm going for level:</b> <i><b>Witch:</b></i> 9 books<br />
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On a related note, I'm also doing a book bingo with some friends, you can see my progress <a href="http://spoilersandnuts.blogspot.com/p/challenges-2012.html#bingo" target="_blank">here</a>.Quiguihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05602742240626521732noreply@blogger.com0