Look What Just Arrived! (#8)

Carrie Pictures 2012It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these posts, but I’m still getting new books, so here are my latest books:

  • Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
  • 11/22/63 by Stephen King
  • I Never Walked Alone by Shirley Verrett
  • There Comes a Prophet by David Litwack
  • Genome by Gary Alan Henson
  • Arlo and Jake Enlist by Gary Alan Henson

I loved Cinder by Marissa Meyer so much that obviously I had to get Scarlet as soon as I could.  I haven’t started it yet because of previous commitments (read: getting through my In Progress page), but it’s one I’m eager to start.  11/22/63 by Stephen King is a book I got ripped off at the airport for, but I suppose it was worth it.  I’m nearly on page 300 and so far, so good.

I Never Walked Alone by Shirley Verrett is sentimentally and financially the most valuable book I own.  Shirley Verrett was an incredibly talented woman in the opera scene who faced ridiculous amounts of discrimination in the 70s and 80s.  She also is the best Tosca I’ve ever seen, which is saying a lot because Tosca is my second favourite opera.  But the incredible thing about the copy I own is that it is signed with a personalized message to a man named Hal.  I bought her autobiography used because it was $40 new, so I never, ever expected to get an autograph from my hero.  Yet there it is, clear as day: signed and dated.  There’s something incredible about holding something your hero once held that I just can’t explain.

There Comes a Prophet by David Litwack is a book I received from the author himself and so far, so good.  It actually looks like a different take on fantasy, so there’s lots of promise.  Both Genome and Arlo and Jake Enlist by Gary Henson are short, but look promising and I can’t wait to read them.  I also received these from the author himself.

Do you guys have any books you’re really excited about?  Discover any new authors?  What do you consider to be your most valuable book (in terms of financial or sentimental value)?

Starlet’s Web by Carla J. Hanna

Starlet's Web by Carla J. Hanna(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

A-list actress, 17-year-old Liana Marie Michael struggles to find herself when Hollywood’s obsession with youth and power threatens to destroy her future.

Liana is dating Hollywood’s hottest heartthrob while filming her seventh motion picture with sexy co-star Byron. Surrounded by a culture of casual sex and adult responsibilities, Lia feels lost and confused. With her film soon to wrap, her acting contracts up for renewal, her high school graduation looming and growing tension between her and smart, religious jock, Manuel, life feels overwhelming. Will Lia find the courage to share her love for Manuel, a guy unimpressed with Hollywood? In the eternal quest for youth, what life-shattering secrets has Lia’s mom been keeping from her? Can Manuel accept Lia’s role in Hollywood’s web of lies?

STARLET’S WEB is not only a love story. With fast-paced narrative that reflects Hollywood’s hyper-drive lifestyle, Ms. Hanna transports the reader into an actor’s daily life and demonstrates how difficult it is for young adults to break free from a path created by someone else – even when it is a successful one.

[Full disclosure: Carla J. Hanna’s agent contacted me and gave me a free ebook in exchange for an honest review.]

This is not the sort of book I’d normally read, but I’m glad I did, even if it was a little rough around the edges.  What I mean by that is Starlet’s Web had great characters, a decent plot and a good message, but fell flat when it came to dialogue and having a believable ending.

Marie is a child actress who got her start at age 14 and is now 17 going on 18.  And although it looks like she has everything she could ever want, Marie is far from happy.  She’s in love with her best friend and thoroughly disgusted with the Hollywood lifestyle that promotes drinking, drugs and sex, even to minors.  In addition to her hectic filming and publicity schedule, she also attends high school, which just adds to the stress.  Some people might criticize Carla Hanna for making Marie drop dead gorgeous and being fully aware of it, but that’s not the most important part of her characterization.  I don’t want to give too much away, but let’s just say that Marie, quite understandably, is not ‘whole’ in the beginning because of what she has gone through in Hollywood.

For a book with ‘spiritual elements’, Starlet’s Web never really degenerated into Preachy Mode.  Marie’s journey of self-actualization and recovery feels real and the conclusions she comes to make sense in the context of the story.  The only thing I really had a problem with was that this self-actualization was realized in the form of long speeches to other characters.  I don’t know about you, but most people aren’t Greek orators and don’t give page long speeches without using a single contraction or any slang at all.  There were times the dialogue was painful, but considering the rest of the story is very good, I suppose I can forgive Carla Hanna for that.

Near the end there’s a huge plot twist that actually explains a lot of Marie’s problems throughout the novel.  It’s terrifying and definitely adds a lot of drama, but you’ll enjoy it if you’re the sort of person that likes generally happy endings.  I felt that things were wrapped up a little too well considering the relatively dark tone of the novel, but that’s more of a personal preference than anything.  Overall, Starlet’s Web was a great book that had me cheering for Marie the whole way.

I give this book 4/5 stars.

Amazon     Barnes and Noble

Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

Rot & Ruin by Jonathon Maberry(Cover picture courtesy of Fic Talk.)

Benny Imura couldn’t hold a job, so he took to killing.

In the zombie-infested world Benny has grown up in, teenagers must work once they turn fifteen—or they’ll lose their food rations.  Benny isn’t interested in taking on the family business, but he reluctantly agrees to train as a zombie killer with his boring big brother, Tom.  He expects a dull job, whacking zombies for cash.  What he discovers is a vocation that will teach him what it really means to be human.

As his worldview is challenged again and again by the lessons he learns from Tom, Benny is forced to confront another horrifying reality: Sometimes the most terrible monsters are human.

Critically acclaimed author Jonathon Maberry crafts a terrifying future vision of a zombie apocalypse, brought to life through the rich emotional struggles of a teenager trying to find his place in a tumultuous new world.

At first, it seemed like Rot & Ruin was going to be a lot like The Return Man.  It was in some ways, but Jonathan Maberry focused more on the human aspect and how people would deal with the dead suddenly rising rather than a huge conspiracy for a cure.  I smell conspiracy in the future books, but Rot & Ruin was a surprisingly human take on a zombie apocalypse.

For the first half of the book I wanted to punch Benny for calling his brother Tom a coward and hating him.  It was such a relief when Tom took on Benny as a reluctant apprentice and brought him out into the Rot & Ruin beyond the safe fence of the community.  The wastelands beyond the community are an interesting take on what would happen to humanity in the event of a zombie apocalypse.  Benny meets people who believe zombies are divine and people who treat them sadistically and has to reconcile his burning hatred for zombies.  It’s an interesting character arc that I really can’t complain about.

The plot took a couple of interesting twists, but one thing I didn’t like was the Deus ex Machina at the end.  Yes, it was nice because the character in question was the best character of the novel, but I would have liked something a little less cliché.  Either way, it was still great to see Benny’s relationship with Tom improve and for him to realize his growing feelings for Nix, his best friend.

Overall, Rot & Ruin was a great book that had a fresh perspective on how people would deal with a zombie apocalypse.  I can’t wait to read the sequel: Dust & Decay.

I give this book 4.5/5 stars.

Amazon     Barnes and Noble

The Beautiful Blogger Award

The Beautiful Blogger Award

Thanks so much to Megan of Thoughts of a Future Author for nominating me!

Okay, so the rules for this award are as follows:

1.  Display the award on your blog.  (I’m counting this post as ‘displaying’ since I don’t have an awards page.)

2.  Announce your win in a post and link back to the blogger who nominated you with it.

3.  Present 15 other bloggers with the award.

4.  Drop a comment on their blog to let them know they’ve been nominated.

5.  Post 7 interesting facts about yourself.

Seven Possibly Interesting Facts About Me

1.  I am going to run out of interesting facts about myself if you people keep being generous and nominating me for awards!

2.  My skin is so fair that I sunburn even through SPF 50 sunscreen.

3.  According to family legend, I am a descendent of Æthelred the Unready on my mother’s side.

4.  No one ever pronounces my last name right on the first try.

5.  When I was invited to teach two classes on ancient Egypt at the local school, the best part of it was the expressions on the kids’ faces when I described the mummification process.  That made all the hard work I put into the presentation worth it.

6.  Ever since I picked it out of a bargain bin, I’ve been addicted to the PC version of Luxor.

7.  One of the best Christmas presents I’ve had in a while is the little notebook I got from a friend in which I keep track of the books I read for my reading challenge.

My Nominees

1.  Manno of Dilettante Artiste

2.  Angela of For The Love of Books

3.  Marissa, Allison and Mallory of bibliophilesisters

4.  Savindi of The Streetlight Reader

5.  Kelley of Another Novel Read

6.  Melissa of Swamp of Boredom

7.  Anna of MissJersey

8.  Lillian of Lillian Wheeler

9.  Daire of Doing it the Open Way

10.  Paul (I’m assuming) of Paul’s 2013 Catch Up Reading Challenge

11.  Lost in a Great Book

12.  Valerie of Valerie R. Lawson

13.  Tammy of TR’s Writing Nook

14.  Rebecca of Apocalypse Reads

15.  Devina of Hot Chocolate and Books

Spotlight: The Path of the Fallen by Dan O’Brien

Spotlight is my weekly Saturday feature in which I highlight a book I really enjoyed or am eagerly awaiting.  This week I want to draw attention to a book that was excellent despite being slightly outside my comfort zone: The Path of the Fallen by Dan O’Brien.

The Path of the Fallen by Dan O'Brien

Set against the backdrop of the tundra and a world desperate for hope, the journey of a young man, E’Malkai, will come to define a realm that has been broken by an evil that does not sleep.  A bitter betrayal, and the inception of a war that will consume the world, forces E’Malkai to confront the past and undertake a pilgrimage that is his by birthright.  Follow him on his journey and be transformed.

As you’ve probably noticed, while I read a lot of fantasy, not much of it would be considered epic fantasy.  And certainly none of it would be classified as epic fantasy/science fiction crossover.  That’s why I considered The Path of the Fallen out of my comfort zone.  It took me a while to get used to the unusual names like E’Malkai and the background of Dan O’Brien’s strange world, but once I did I really enjoyed his book.

Dan O’Brien’s world was well thought out and was a compelling mixture of typical epic fantasy tropes like swords and huge battles but also of science fiction elements like spaceships and lasers.  Truly, it’s the best of both genres.  The best part?  The reason for the mixture actually makes sense when you look at the history of the world.  However, the best part of The Path of the Fallen is the characters.  E’Malkai isn’t your typical angsty coming-of-age protagonist and *gasp* behaves maturely most of the time because this is more of an adult novel.  Fe’rein (the villain) isn’t as fleshed-out as I would have liked him to be, but he does make for a great antagonist.

I’d definitely recommend The Path of the Fallen to anyone who enjoys fantasy or science fiction.