June Ins and Outs

June has come and gone, and I have bought a LOT of books this month. Most were on Porto's Book Fair, but I still bought others on the side. On the plus side, I also read quite a bit.


INS
Bookmooch

Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett (LT|GR)
I already read this one in Portuguese, a long time ago. I am now re-starting my collection in English, because there is only so much a translator can do with a book (and a series) full of puns. There were quite a lot of translator's notes trying to explain the jokes lost in translation, but I think that by book 5 or 6 he started to get tired of it and let some of them pass. (So much that only years later I understood the pun of Bad Ass in Mort.)




Bought
A game of thrones by George R. R. Martin (LT|GR)
I've been meaning to read this one for ages! Ages! Since I first started on Fantasy. But it was so big and daunting and I never bought the books. Now with the series and everyone singing its praises, I figured I would have to do it.






The Queen of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (LT|GR)
Second book on the Thief series, because I loved The Thief so much. Enough said.








Bought on the book fair (just the list, for comments on the books here is the post about it):

• The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore
• Escritos dos Ancestrais by Rodrigo McSilva
• Minotauro: A Batalha do Labirinto by Gabriel García de Oro
• Twilight of Avalon by Anna Elliott
• Temeraire by Naomi Novik
• Bibbi Bokkens Magic Library by Jostein Gaarder
• Brasyl by Ian McDonald
• The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay
• A verdadeira invasão dos marcianos by João Barreiros
• The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
• The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
• The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano
• Darwinia by Robert Charles Wilson
• Os Ossos do Arco-Íris by David Soares
• O Décimo Terceiro Poder by Madalena Santos
• The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven
• The Cat Who Walks Through Walls by Robert A. Heinlein

OUTS
La hormiga que quiso ser astronauta by Félix J. Palma
Review

The thief bt Megan Whalen Turner
Review

Three men in a boat by Jerome K. Jerome (LT|GR)
This one I read in ebook, and it took quite a while.

It was ok, a very episodic recounting of the a adventures of three very silly and idiotic and lazy men, and their dog, as they go upriver for holiday.

It was amusing at first, but just nothing that would overwhelm me in any way.

(3 out of 5)

Os Ossos do Arco-Íris by David Soares (LT|GR)
I have another book by this author on my wishlist, but after this first encounter I am not in a rush to get it.

It was a strange book, horrific and gory, dark and disturbing. But that was not what bothered me more. It was actually the writing that I didn't exactly like, the use of certain words that completely broke the flow of my reading.

As I said, I am not writing this author off (yet), but it might be sometime before I buy that other book.

(3 out of 5)

Snow white, blood red by Ellen Datlow
Review to come. A collection of retellings of fairtales, with a bit of horror added in.


Plain Kate by Erin Bow
Review


TBR Variation: +14 (From 191 to 205)

Plain Kate by Erin Bow

Plain Kate 
(Also published as Wood Angel)
Plain Kate lives in a time afraid of magic. She has a gift for carving 'lucky' wooden-charms. Known as Witch-Blade, her unusual gift attracts dangerous attention in a place where witches are burned. When her village falls on bad times, suspicion falls on Kate. Scared for her life, she seeks the help of a mysterious stranger. In exchange for her shadow, the stranger will assist her, but Kate becomes part of a terrifying plan, darker than she ever dreamed.



I read this book in the right time, and it doesn’t always happen like that. This was exactly the story I wanted to read. I wanted something fairy tale-ish, something dark, something new and fresh, something that would sweep me away, and that was what I got.

Plain Kate is like a fairy tale, it has all the right ingredients, and it draws a lot from folklore (both Russian and Gipsy). But it keeps the darkness of original fairy tales, it doesn’t sugarcoat things, it doesn’t try to make it all about rainbows and sunshine. It did surprise me a bit, as it is for young adults, and lately all the YA I’ve read is quite upbeat (even the darker ones).

I loved the story. The story of Kate and how she was looking for her shadow, and of how she tried to fit in. She is a marvellous character, strong enough to go by herself, smart enough to know when she needs help, yet still needing to learn a lot, still making mistakes.

It was not only Kate that was an amazing character. All of them were so real, even the most fantastical ones. Besides Kate, I loved Taggle and Linay, and my heart jumped at every mishap, at every twist. And speaking of twists, there are some of those, some I could see coming, some I didn’t want to see coming, some surprised me. Exactly in that order.

Another thing that really pushed my buttons were the dubious characters. Dubious in the sense that you are not quite sure if they are the good guys. It’s not even that, is more like what Kate was going through, not knowing whether to help them or fight them, I was torn between rooting for and against them.

The writing was really good, it sucked me in from the first chapter. It Sucked me in all throughout the book, until the bitter end. And bitter end is not just an expression. I was not expecting the way it ended. It has been ages since a book has made me cry as much as this one did.

I really loved this book, bittersweet (and more bitter than sweet for me) ending and all. A marvellous story.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Other Reviews: Eating YA Books | Pure Imagination

This book reminds me of: Child of the Prophecy by Juliet Marillier (LT | GR)

Book Trailer

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The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner

The Thief

Gen, a thief that likes to brag about being able to steal everything, is stuck in prison, and it isn't a pleasant experience. But his luck changes when the king's magus comes to him with a task that will make all his troubles go away. The ultimate theft, the hardest of all, one that no one has been able to do. So of course Gen accepts the challenge.

This book incited some curiosity from me a long time ago. It was fantasy and with a thief, it seemed nice. But it wasn't until a friend pointed me to literary showdown of characters that I wanted to really read this one. Because, you see, Gen was the winner, and the final battle was against Howl! Who was this Gen that could be more awesome than Howl? So I set out to read this book to find out.

And I have to agree with all the voters. Gen is more awesome than Howl.

But let's get back to the book. It is fantasy, but there is a Greek influence, which was really nice. There are no clear references, but something about the plethora of gods and their stories, of mountains and hot weather, of old stones and temples, and the sheer amount of olive trees just screamed Greece to me.

The story kept me on my toes, reading page after page, chuckling a lot, and always wanting to know what would happen next. And I say chuckling because this book is also extremely funny. Gen is an amazing character, as I said before. Just because he was getting a ticket to walk out of jail, he didn't make the life of his rescuers/jailers any easier. He was obnoxious and impertinent and insufferable and an wise ass all the time. But it was an act, with him always thinking what else he could do to further annoy his companions.

His voice throughout the book (he tells the story) is amazing, and gives little away of what will happen next, or what the conclusion of the story will be. And concerning that, although the ending did not exactly surprising me, I didn't see it coming either. It made so much sense that it happened like that, that the only surprise was that I didn't notice it or figured it was going that way.

This is the beginning of a series, one that I'll keep on reading, for sure, but is a book of his own as well, not just an introduction. It ends with hints for the next book, but the thief's story is (more or less) finished (at least this first adventure is, I hope there are a lot more).

It's safe to say that I loved it.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Other Reviews: Books from Bleh to Basically Amazing | Fyrefly's Book Blog

Book recs for this book: Graceling, Poison Study, Crown Duel, Howl's Moving Castle

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La hormiga que quiso ser astronauta by Félix J. Palma

La hormiga que quiso ser astronauta [The ant that wanted to be astronaut]
(Only available in Spanish)

The countdown begins. Put aside for a moment the heavy burden of that attachment to the reality that has been so hard to reach and remember when your first love was a siren, your best friend a Jedi Knight and it was snowing in Seville in the summer. When concerns were removed by chemistry-modified eels, and your lovers included a painter who was, literally, your soul mate, and an angel (well, a seraph) exiled from Heaven. When the pizza delivery boy conspired to write your unauthorized biography, and an old rigged recorder could be used to retrieve and make sense of the words spoken during a split. When Death walked the city with a list of victims that, if you were fast enough, you could alter. When ants aspired to reach the stars. Remember? Yes? Now, wake up!

La Hormiga que quiso ser Astronauta was Felix J. Palma's first novel (although not his first book), and I couldn't help but compare it to The Map of Time, which I loved. In a way, much of the things I loved on that book can be found on this one, even if in an earlier version. There is good writing, and twists and turns to the plot. Which means this will be an hard review to write without giving it all away.

And since it is not easy let's start with the basics: I liked this book. Did I love it? I'm still not sure.

What the synopsis promises, the book delivers. Yes, it is as surreal as it seems, to tell the truth, it is waaay more surreal than that at times. There are sirens and Jedi Knights, soul mates and angels (well, a seraph, to be exact). Death walks the streets and even rides the bus.

At first, this book didn't surprise me, and that is to say, it didn't overwhelm me like I was expecting. The writing was good, but I knew that it could be better (I should have reminded myself that this book was written 15 years ago, and that is enough time for an author to perfect the art). I was lost on what was happening, on the episodic fashion of this story. Because, more than a love story, this is a series of love stories.

But I got invested on the main character, on the things that happened to him, on his conquests and lovers. And I started to care about what was happening. Which brings me to the ending. Well, a bit before the ending.

This was the part that I least liked about this book, and the one that I'll probably remember the most. This is when I was almost screaming at the pages, saying "No, no, no, no, please don't go that way, please don't do that.", and this words weren't aimed at the character but at the author. This happened because what I wanted, what I expected to happen, was not what is right, what should happen. And what the author chose was the right thing and that broke my heart.

And that's when the ending came. It's not perfect, it was not what I wanted, but thinking about it, I wouldn't have it any other way. It fits the story just fine, with enough hope and possibilities for the reader to think that everything will be all right, not in the happily-ever-after way, but in the real life all-right-with-its-ups-and-downs way.

And to end this review, I'll leave you with one of my favourite quotes of this book, that is the best way to define it (without spoilers):

"And the thing is that there are women and women and men and men, and it is not enough to just shuffle and pick one card from each deck and believe that the result is a couple."

Rating: 4.5 out of 5

The All Mighty Pile - Book Fair Ins and Outs

This is a special edition of The Ins and Outs. These are the books I bought on Porto's Book Fair. Meet the pile:

Whoa!

But lets start by the beginning. Being away from home means being away from the events happening at home. Which means there was not much chance of me going to this year's book fair in my city. That is, unless I could find a good reason to go home.

Let me check: Easter? Too late. Birthday? Too Late. Off days from work? Yeah, right (actually I managed to get some of those. On Easter and my birthday). Fall of the national government and elections? Oh yeah!

So, I went home last weekend to vote. I could have done it by post, but now I had an excuse to be home and use that time to go to the book fair. I had less than 1 day and a half to do all I wanted to do.

Saturday afternoon and night were devoted to the Book Fair, to buy books and look at books and buy some more books. Also, be with friends and meet fellow bloggers. But, mostly buy books. Because, you see, I had only one day. I had to make all my purchases on one day (not really, I have a friend on duty that goes check the books on discount and buys me stuff I want). And so I did a lot of book buying.

Here is the all mighty list of books:

1. The Stupidest Angel by Christopher Moore
   The review by Ana@Floresta de Livros made me want to read this one.
2. Escritos dos Ancestrais by Rodrigo McSilva
3. Minotauro: A Batalha do Labirinto by Gabriel García de Oro
4. Twilight of Avalon by Anna Elliott
   I have the second on the series, and I'm not reading it until I read the first. But I didn't have the first. Now I do.
5. Temeraire by Naomi Novik
6. Bibbi Bokkens Magic Library by Jostein Gaarder
   I used to read a lot of books by Jostein Gaarder and then stopped altogether. This is a children's book.
7. Brasyl by Ian McDonald
   This is what you get when you don't read the synopsis properly. The name in Portuguese is Brasil. It says it's science fiction. I took the giant leap of believing it was related to the movie Brazil. It's not.
8. The Summer Tree by Guy Gavriel Kay
9. A verdadeira invasão dos marcianos by João Barreiros
   Another result of a review by Ana@Floresta de Livros
10. The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
11. The Last Wish by Andrzej Sapkowski
12. The Solitude of Prime Numbers by Paolo Giordano
13. Darwinia by Robert Charles Wilson
14. Os Ossos do Arco-Íris by David Soares
15. O Décimo Terceiro Poder by Madalena Santos
    This is a different kind of rec by Ana. I needed a 4th book for the promotion of buy 3 and take 4. I didn't know which book to choose, so she gave me this one.
16. The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven
    Jen@Cuidado com o Dalmata saw this one, and since there was a tattoed man on the cover she showed it to me. I decided to take the book, even though it talk about martial arts. For some reason it gave me a The Crow vibe.
17. The Cat Who Walks Through Walls by Robert A. Heinlein

Yep, 17 books. And number 17 is divided in 2 volumes (2 very small volumes). So, 18 books. 18 books I had to carry around, and drag home. My hands are still a bit sore. And my hands hurt. And my TBR list has gone over the 200 mark. Should the Zombie Apocalypse come, I can always get myself and my books into a bunker and I have reading material for the following 2 or 3 years.

May Ins And Outs

INs

Bookmooch
Buffalo Gals and Other Animal Presences by Ursula K. Le Guin
I really like Ursula K. Le Guin's books, and didn't have this one. Now I do :D

Fables: Legends in Exile by Bill Willingham
This one I'm not sure how it came to be on my bookmooch wishlist, but it became available so I snagged it.

Bought
Contos Carnívoros by Bernard Quiriny [Carnivore Short Stories]
I found this one on a bookstore. I picked it up because of its title and the pretty cover. It promised surreal short stories, so I had to have it



The Year of the Hare by Arto Paasilinna
While looking for books for SantaThing on Librarything last Christmas, I came across this one. It is supposed to be the most famous Finnish book, and quite good so I'll give it a try.





La hormiga que quiso ser astronauta by Felix J. Palma
By now I am a fan of Felix J. Palma, so I'm buying anything of his I can get my hands on.






North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
I've meaning to read this one for ages (ever since I saw the mini-series). Now I have no excuse






Plain Kate by Erin Bow
I saw the book trailer for this one aeons ago. It has been on my wishlist ever since, and now I finally bought it






The Hundred Thousand Kingdoms by N. K. Jemisin
Good reviews, pretty cover, cool sounding name, a lot of nominations to all kinds of awards. I had to have this one (and I still don't know what it's about.)





For Review
El derecho ambiental como instrumento de gestión del riesgo tecnológico by Paula Cerski Lavratti

Won this one in Librarything EarlyReviewers program. Something that interests me, but it's a technical book.

OUTS
El menor espectáculo del mundo by Félix J. Palma
This a collection of short stories, a bit like snapshots into everyday life, where the surreal, strange and fantastical seems to enter. A lot of the stories deal with problems of marriage, of disgruntled couples, and betrayals. Most are about problems of the heart, whether in married couples or not. A few give an outlook into the life of elders, and their solitude.

[Full Review]



Life, the Universe and Everything by Douglas Adams
This is the third on the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series. I loved the first one and liked the second, but this was just kind of meh...

It's still funny, but it's just more of the same. Also there was a lot of cricket-related stuff that I'm sure went over my head. So, meh...





Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

This one was an insistence from a friend. I'm glad that I paid some heed to my friend's constant nagging, because it was an excellent book.

[Full Review]








TBR Variation: +6 (From 185 to 191)

Crown Duel by Sherwood Smith

Crown Duel

This one was an insistence from a friend. She loved it and wouldn't shut up about it kept telling me about it. Well, forcing me to get this book, and then reading (and now reviewing it). It was with some doubt that I approached it (my friend's review notwithstanding) - too many expectations can be bad.

This book is actually an omnibus of Crown Duel and Court Duel, plus an extra short story at the end, and so, I will divide the review in these 3 parts.

Crown Duel, the first part, presents us to Meliara, a countess from a troubled kingdom, where a tyrant king rules, and all the counties are heavily taxed to pay for his pleasures and his court. This kingdom is also inhabited by the Hill People, a kind of otherworld beings (a bit of a mix of elves and fairies), with whom everyone accepted a Covenant. Basically no wood is to be taken from trees, only the fallen branches can be collected. The Hill People gift families every year with Firesticks, that allow them to warm their houses and cook their food. And the tyranny of the king wouldn't be complete if he didn't mean to break this Covenant.

But back to Meliara, the heroine of our story. She is a countess but knows nothing of niceties and curtsies. She runs barefoot with all the other kids, mingles with servants and peasants, and, in fact, thinks nothing of difference of status. Nor does her brother.

When both of them find out that the king intends to break the Covenant they decide it's time for him to be gone, and they start to plan their revolt, trying to harness supporters among the other counties to go to war. Only, war comes to them and they are alone on this strife.

This was quite a nice start. Intrigue, plots for revolution and war, overthrowing tyrants, a hint of fantasy here and there. I liked to discover the customs of this new world, the dances and songs, the festivities, the fact that everyone worked for the same goal (at least at Meliara's house).

This is the story of Meliara, and as so, we follow all of her exploits. And also, keep her company for almost 500 pages. She is quite a spunky kid, not used to lying, actually, very bad at it, but that is no matter because she would much rather be honest. And blunt. But she was also rather oblivious and obstinate. Not a good combination, and as this book progressed (and well into the second part), I started to get the urge to slap some sense into this girl.

Storywise, it was a good first part. Not very surprising, beyond a few twists here and there, but nicely written. And most authors would have made of this first part a standalone book (save from a less open ending, and a few other minor changes).

Which brings us to the second part, Court Duel. This is what made the Crown Duel (as a whole) an amazing read. The first part was about war, and overthrowing a king. This second part, however, dealt with the court and all its intricacies.

I kept imagining the court of Remalna has something out of 18th century France, with parties and balls, and secret silent languages. Discovering all the intrigues, who's friend and who's foe, who to trust, that was all part of the fun. Meliara's ignorance (and also extreme dislike) of the Court life was the perfect excuse for me, the reader, to learn all about it, and I loved every part of it.

Of course the desire to slap Mel until she saw reason persisted, but at least in this part she was aware she needed some slapping.

Another thing that I liked, well, loved, were the letters. Secret admirers can be so fun in a book. There is something about it that takes you back to being 12, but there is also so much that can be done with it. People are more sincere with letters, especially if the other person doesn't know who are. And then there is the mystery of the entire thing. Of course I knew who the writer was, part because of comments from my friend, and part because it was rather obvious. But this is one of the cases that is not so much who the culprit is, but how you find out. Also, you are about 99% sure you have the right answer to the mystery, but just want to be proven right in the off 1% chance you are wrong.

This second part was what made me surrender to this book. If the first part was read languidly, alternating with other books, this second one was a rush to read more and more about the Court, wondering when Mel would see some sense, and see an ending to the kingdom's troubles.

The ending was quite good, I liked how it was done, and where the story stopped. And that leads to the final short story.

I understand that it was a gift for the fans of the book (and of Meliara's love story), but it was completely unnecessary. Especially because it was not as well written as the rest of the book. It was a bit of silliness I could have done without.

But, despite this short story, I liked this book. There a few things that surprised me, and that I loved, for example that there you were as likely to find women in the army as you were to find men. And that some of the ladies of court were very keen on competing in horse racing and on sword fighting. It was refreshing.

I'm glad that I paid some heed to my friend's constant nagging, because it was an excellent book.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Other Reviews: Cuidado com o Dalmata |

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El menor espectáculo del mundo by Félix J. Palma

El menor espectáculo del mundo [The smallest show in the world]
This book is only available in Spanish

This a collection of short stories, a bit like snapshots into everyday life, where the surreal, strange and fantastical seems to enter. A lot of the stories deal with problems of marriage, of disgruntled couples, and betrayals. Most are about problems of the heart, whether in married couples or not. A few give an outlook into the life of elders, and their solitude.

I liked a lot of this stories, some I even loved. The first one El País de las Muñecas [The Country of the Dolls] opens us to a world not of not exactly magic, but magical nonetheless, exploring the father-daughter relationship. It's ending surprised me for its brutality and, even if part of me thinks it's a bit out of place, I don't think I could have it any other way.

Margabarismos starts off with a brilliant description of Veronica, the neighbourhood bar, and it's toilet. It's a strange story at first, and I wasn't much impressed, but as surreal things started to happen, I became more and more invested on the story. In a way, I'll say it makes sense. As far as a story where a dead uncle communicates with his nephew through messages written on a bathroom door of a shabby bar can make sense.

Una palabra tuya [One word from you] is quite dramatic, but an excellent story. It draws on the idea that sometimes kids think their parents are superheroes and that parents will try to prove them that they can indeed be heroes. This is a story that gets better and better as you go along, each shenanigan making you more in love with the main character. The ending on this one was perfect.

Maullidos [Meows] is, in itself, a love story. Only you just discover it in the end. It could have been longer, I'm sure, maybe then it would be more memorable, but it was pretty good this way as well.

Un ascenso a los infiernos [An ascent to hell]. This is a sad story, but also one of extreme courage. We are faced with 3 elders, who like to spend their days sitting by the Ambulance's entrance of an hospital, taking bets on what ails the people who come in. Among this we learn that there is no age limitation on failing in love, that disillusion can be fatal, and that anyone can be a hero, if they so wish to.

El síndome de Karenina [Karenina's syndrome] is a great story. There is a certain mystery to it, and you can't help but have your head whirling, trying to find the solution. The answer to this mystery is not surprising, but not obvious either. But what makes this story even better is its conclusion, a way to show that not all love stories end like we think, without it being a bad thing. 

El valiente anestesista [The valiant anesthetist] shocked me profundly and I have to say I didn't like it. It was a bit confusing, but more than that I didn't like the idea of a mother telling her daughter what kind of bastard her father was, in the guise of a fairytale. I understand completely the way of this story, and I do agree that life is not a fairytale but, damn, I still want to be told it is.

Las siete vidas (o así) de Sebastián Mingorance [The seven lives (or so) of Sebastián Mingorance] adds quantum physics to fantasy, a combination that is always sure to please me. The idea of this story and, in part, its execution, was extremely good. The main character, however, I didn't quite like, none of his incarnations.

And the best way to end a book of short stories, is to end with the best one, and the most bittersweet one. At least it was in this book's case. Biblelot [Trinket] gives us a peek into the solitude of old age, and what people do, sometimes in the spur of the moment, to lighten that weight and give some joy where there seems to be none.

In general, I loved this book. But it was not so much for the stories (although there are some really good ones), but for the writing style. In The Map of Time I realized that Félix Palma has a gift with language, and this book was no different. It didn't matter what it was about, the way it was told made want to keep reading. I kept thinking, it's just words, the same words every other author uses, but Palma is like a magician and these same words are transformed into a text that you can't help but marvel at. Even if this text is describing a pretty gross bathroom.


Rating: 4.5 out of 5


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Varjak Paw by SF Said

Varjak Paw
Varjak is a Mesoptamian Blue, the most noble of cat races. But he is not a true one, as his brother likes to remind him. His eyes are the wrong colour, the colour of danger, instead of green like the rest of his family.

They all live in the countess house, but things have been different for a while, they never see the countess, she is always in her room. When a strange gentleman with 2 black cats appears only Varjak and his grandfather sense the danger. Varjak's grandfather gives him the mission of finding help. It means going outside the wall that surrounds the house, and finding a dog. Varjak has never left home, and the only help from his gradfather is the Way, and even that is an incomplete knowledge. Varjak has to face the city, while learning the Way by himself.

Varjak Paw is a kid's book - it is a good story, with nice messages, fun parts and a lot of action. Yet, it's a kid's book, so it's a simple story, a kind of Karate Kid, with cats. You read it fast, you are amused, but you are not amazed and it's easy to get on with your next read.

For the little ones, it's a very nice book. But it loses its charm with older people. But this is just the story.

Now let's talk illustrations. Because the illustrations alone are the reason I'll keep this book. Unsurprisingly, they are of cats. But they are really good, and give a new dimension to the story. Dave McKean is a great illustrator, I knew that from other books, and this one is no exception.


Rating: 3.5 out of 5

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