Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko

 


Title: The Night Watch

Author: Sergei Lukyanenko

Date Read: 12-Feb-2012

On TBR for: Way too long, from before I kept any sort of record

Format: Paperback

Source: Gift, I think. Either Bday or Xmas

Challenges: 2012 Outdo Yourself, Off the Shelf 2012




The Night Watch was sitting on my shelf for so long, despite having people telling me it was good, that I had to challenge myself to read it. And read it I did (finally).

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.

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).

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.


Rating: 4 out of 5

Other Reviews: Floresta de Livros

This Book on: LibraryThing | GoodReads | BookDepository UK | Book Depository US | The Night Watch| Amazon US| Wook | Wook

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books I'd Give A Theme Song To

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week a theme for a list is suggested. This week's theme is Top Ten Books I'd Give A Theme Song To. Only I'm going to do this a bit different and make it about my relationship with books and music.

About a year ago I made a post 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.

So here it, the soundtrack list:

The obvious

Soundtracks of movies based on the books - self explanatory

North and South

 *Extra: gratuitous scenes of Richard Armitage and Edinburgh*

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind



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.


Everything is Illuminated

Conditioned Response

I was listening to this while reading

Tehanu



It has very little to do with the story, but the all feeling of the song reminds me so much of Tehanu.

They made me think it!

The connection is suggested by the author or the artist

Good Omens

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.

The Silmarillion

Here, the artist is to blame, basing an entire album on the book.

It's all in the name (or the words!)

The Trees: A Collection




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.


Daughter of the Forest

The day our house collapsed
I went down stream.
I followed the swans
Like I follow my dreams.

oh! I was living on borrowed time in a
borrowed house for a borrowed crime.

Yeah, I pretty much think of Sorcha at the beginning of this song.


Book of Imaginary Beings

This could also be in the They made me think it category, since IAMX/Sneaker Pimps/Chris Corner [choose the right one] 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.

Later, much Later

White Cat



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

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas

Title: Devil in Winter

Author: Lisa Kleypas

Date Read: January 28^th

Format: Physical Book - Mass Trade Paperback

Source: Borrowed from a friend

Challenges: 2012 Outdo Yourself


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!

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.

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.


A disclaimer first: Historical Romances are not my thing. I knew this when I started this book. But Jen's reviews 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 carte blanche to pick a book for me (actually, it was three, but she only picked one historical romance).

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.

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).

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.

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.

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).

Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Other Reviews:  Cuidado com o Dálmata

This Book on: LibraryThing | GoodReads | BookDepository UK | Book Depository US | Amazon UK| Amazon US| Wook

Picture Puzzle #2

This is a new meme/contest kind of thing, created by Jen @ Cuidado com o Dálmata, which is really fun.

The rules, are as follows:

1. Choose a book
2. 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!
3. Put it up so people can guess
4. You can provide hints, especially if your book/choice of pictures is too hard to guess.

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):

Book 1:

Book 2:

Picture Puzzle #1

This is a new meme/contest kind of thing, created by Jen @ Cuidado com o Dálmata, which is really fun.

The rules, are as follows:

1. Choose a book
2. 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!
3. Put it up so people can guess
4. You can provide hints, especially if your book/choice of pictures is too hard to guess.

And here are my books:

Book 1:

Book 2:

Both titles in English, both are books that I loved.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten Books that Broke my Heart

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme created by The Broke and the Bookish. Every week a theme for a list is suggested. This week theme is Books that broke my heart a little.

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.

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 not have 10 books. Oh, and it will probably have loads of spoilers. Proceed with care.



The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
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 (oh, Rudy) and tragedy, and the strength of the main character - it all left my heart in pieces, and I'm still nursing it.






Plain Kate by Erin Bow
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.

Son of the Shadows by Juliet Marillier
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.

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

Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
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.

Oath Breaker by Michelle Paver
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.

Liebster blog

This post is in Portuguese.

Recebi este selo vonito da Carla @ Cuidado com o Dálmata e da Ana @ Floresta de Livros. Thanks Girls!

O que fazer:

1 – Link de volta com o blogger que lho deu;

2 – Cole o selinho no seu blogue;

3 – Escolha 5 blogues para repassá-lo, que tenham menos de 200 seguidores;

4 – Deixar um comentário avisando que estão recebendo o selinho.

 

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 tag neste jogo, mas vamos seleccionar outros 5 blogues, shall we?

 

1 - Bookeater/Booklover

2 - Livros, Livros e mais Livros

3 - Cantos Quebrados

4 - Este meu cantinho

5 - Ler e Reflectir

E é tudo! Agora façam o obséquio de ir visitar estes blogues :D

The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley

Title: The Folk Keeper

Author: Franny Billingsley

Date Read: January 20^th

On TBR for: a few hours

Format: Physical book - Paperback

Source: Bought - New

Challenges: 2012 Outdo Yourself




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.

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.

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.

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.

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!

The feeling at the end was of a pleasant book. Not stellar, but it will leave your heart a little bit warmer.


Rating: 4 out of 5

This Book on: LibraryThing | GoodReads | BookDepository UK | Book Depository US | Amazon UK| Amazon US| Wook

January Ins and Outs

The 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.

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 here (or somewhere in the sidebar).

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).

And now, for the gigantic list of books:

INS

Bought - new 

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Night Watch by Terry Pratchett
The Fifth Elephant by Terry Pratchett
Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett
Jingo by Terry Pratchett
Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett
Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett
Thud! by Terry Pratchett

The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley

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 here (now not so secret).

The Folk Keeper has been bought in September, but it was returned to Book Depository, and when I complained, they sent it again.

Bought - at a book fair 

The Secret by Charlotte Brontë
The Spell by Charlotte Brontë

Look at them! Aren't they pretty? I had to bring them home


Swap sites
*WinkingBooks*

The Forest House by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Gone by Michael Grant
Captain Corelli's Mandolin by Louis de Bernières
The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain

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).

Freebies
*Won a Giveaway*
2012 is proving to be a good year. New job and already 4 books from giveaways.

I Am the Messenger by Markus Zusak

Thanks to Jen @ Cuidado com o Dálmata for this book!

Age of Giants - awakening by Rob Reaser
Songs for the New Depression by Kergan Edwards-Stout

Thanks to Bonnie @ Bookish Ardour and the authors for these books!

My Life Undecided by Jessica Brody

Thanks to Emily @ What Book is That? for this book!

*Gifts (Christmas Gifts!)*

Fullmetal Alchemist, Volume 7 by Hiromu Arakawa
Geist by Philippa Ballantine
The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker by Leanna Renee Hieber
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Troll: A Love Story by Johanna Sinisalo
I Am Mordred: A Tale of Camelot by Nancy Springer

Finally! My Christmas gifts arrived almost a month after Christmas!

OUTS

Physical books
House of Many Ways by Diana Wynne Jones [Review]
Restoration by Carol Berg [Review]

The Folk Keeper by Franny Billingsley
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.

Rating: 4 out of 5


The Eye of the Heron by Ursula K. Le Guin
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).

Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas
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. 

Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Brave New Worlds: Dystopian Stories edited by John Joseph Adams
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.

Rating: 4 out of 5


Ebooks
Entwined by Heather Dixon [Review]


Audiobooks
The Sign of Four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

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.

Rating: 3 out 4



TBR Variation: +19 (From 201 to 220) Shame!