The Best and Worst of February

Whoa, is it March already?  February is a pretty short month, but things went by very quickly for me.  Maybe it had something to do with my vacation.

Anyway, me being on vacation also means that site stats are down.  Although I scheduled posts to fill up all of the days I would be on holiday, I had to resort to reviewing some unpopular, obscure books.  As you’ve probably guessed, not many people are interested in these books, therefore my stats are down drastically.  If I had reviewed popular new YA books, ranted or done reviews on old classics like 1984, I would have had far more than 3,416 views and 1,843 unique views.

I digress.  Let’s look at the top 5 best articles/reviews of February, shall we?

1.  The Hunger Games and Ancient Rome

2.  How to Alienate Book Reviewers

3.  The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton

4.  What I Hate About YA

5.  Matilda by Roald Dahl

The Hunger Games and Ancient Rome has been on the 5 Best list since I started doing this series in May 2012.  It’s back at the top, which is not all that surprising.  What is surprising, however, is the two newbies to the 5 Best list: How to Alienate Book Reviewers and What I Hate About YA.  These are the kinds of clicky articles I was talking about a while back, meaning that not only are the titles something people would click on, but they’re the kinds of articles that people like to comment on.  As for Matilda and The Outsiders, it’s not that surprising; they’re incredibly popular books.  But now let’s take a look at the 5 worst articles of February.

1.  Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson

2.  The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer

3.  Patience, Princess Catherine by Carolyn Meyer

4.  My Status Update Journey by Marcus Matherne

5.  Earth Abides by George R. Stewart

When you think about it, none of the 5 worst posts are all that surprising.  I can vouch that they’re all excellent books that I thoroughly enjoyed, but for some reason no one is searching for them online.  Which is a shame, really, because it’s nice to expand your horizons and discover new books.

So that was how my February went.  How was yours?

Spotlight: Wilde’s Fire by Krystal Wade

Spotlight is my new regular Saturday feature in which I highlight a book I really enjoyed or am eagerly waiting for.  This time around, it’s the incredible debut novel of Krystal Wade, called Wilde’s Fire.

Wilde's Fire by Krystal WadeKatriona Wilde has never wondered what it would feel like to have everything she’s ever known and loved ripped away, but she is about to find out. When she inadvertently leads her sister and best friend through a portal into a world she’s dreamed of for six years, she finds herself faced with more than just the frightening creatures in front of her. She’s forced to accept a new truth: her entire life has been a lie, and those closest to her have betrayed her. What’s worse, she has no control over her new future, and it’s full of magic and horrors from which nightmares are made. Will she discover and learn to control who she really is in time to save the ones she loves, or will all be lost?

Now here is some good fantasy!  It has an unique premise, amazing characters and is well written.  You can’t ask for more.

However, what really stood out for me in Wilde’s Fire was the narrator, Kate (Katriona).  She doesn’t spend an inordinate amount of time agonizing over her situation and actually adapts quite well to the world of Encardia.  Not only that, she doesn’t want to be a helpless maiden and makes an effort to learn how to use a sword so she can survive.  Kate’s a pretty independent, well developed character, so her love for Arland doesn’t feel contrived at all.  What I mean is that when characters aren’t developed properly, reading about them falling in love is not nearly as interesting as when they are as fleshed out as Kate.

The other thing that really stood out for me in Wilde’s Fire was the world-building.  Krystal Wade developed a history for Encardia, religion and a sophisticated political system.  You would be surprised at how many authors have a fundamental misunderstanding of politics, so this was a pleasant change.

If you’re looking for a great fantasy book to read, you need to pick up Wilde’s Fire right now.  You won’t be able to put it down!

No, Nothing Surprises me Anymore

I was reading Cracked the other day when I stumbled across the hilarious, depressing and informative article 5 Despicable Things People Do for Good Online Reviews.  Seriously, you guys should check it out if you haven’t already.  Just be aware that Cracked is an adult humour site and the language reflects it.

My Thoughts

Meh, nothing really that shocking when you think about it.  Companies and authors alike can be highly unscrupulous when it comes to reviews and their online images.  Honestly, I’ve encountered a lot of the things on the list already, other than the threat of being sued.  I’m sure that will come too.  (Knock on wood.)

Taking quotes out of context, creating fake reviews and paying for positive reviews, though?  Even just a year as an admittedly minor book blogger has exposed me in some way to all three.  I suppose you could say I’m a rather cynical human being, but really, nothing about reviews and the publishing industry surprises me anymore.

But what do you think about the article?  Were you shocked/surprised?

The Very Inspiring Blogger Award

Thanks to James for the award!

award-inspiring-blogger

1.  Link back to the blogger who nominated you.
2.  Post the award image to your page.
3.  Share 7 facts about yourself.
4.  Nominate other blogs for the award and inform them about it.

7 (Very Random) Facts About Me

1.  I am currently addicted to AMC’s The Walking Dead.

2.  I’m a night owl.  I’ve never been able to fall asleep early and get up early very easily, which makes living in a morning bird world difficult.

3.  Gum chewing is one of my pet peeves, especially when people smack their lips, pop it or chew with their mouths open.  I don’t know why, but it just rubs me the wrong way.

4.  The first time I read the Harry Potter series I also read it backwards from #6-1.  Why?  Because I’m stubborn and can be a complete idiot, that’s why.

5.  I generally rank politicians low on my Respectable/Trustworthy People Scale, somewhere between tabloid journalists and used car salesmen.

6.  When it comes to spending, I have two weaknesses: Books (obviously) and jewelry.

7.  I may live in Canada, but I really, really hate the snow and the cold.

The People I’m Nominating:

Thomas of the quiet voice

Caleb of 20four12

Robert of A Life Among The Pages

Raya of Midnight Coffee Monster

Margaret of Steam Trains and Ghosts

Savindi of The Streetlight Reader

Weetamoo: Heart of the Pocassets by Patricia Clark Smith

223167_Sch_RD_Weetamoo_0.tif(Cover picture courtesy of Goodreads.)

Neepunna Keeswosh

Moon When Corn is Ripe

[Late August, 1653]

Mettapoiset

He [Father] laid his hand gently on my shoulder and told me that if I, Weetamoo, am to become sachem of us Pocassets after him, and prove a good leader, I must learn to walk more carefully through the world.

I shook my hair out of my eyes and stared up at him in surprise.  I said he surely could not mean that I was poor at tracking game or at passing unseen through the woods.  He knows I can follow almost any trail, and he has seen for himself how I can edge my way near enough to a doe and her pair of speckled fawns to hear their three separate breaths.  Did he not teach me these skills himself, I spluttered, and was I not better at it than any boy or girl in our village?

Meh.  That’s all I really have to say about Weetamoo: Heart of the Pocassets.  This should have been a really interesting book because so far it’s the only one I’ve read where the narrator in reality would not actually have been able to read or write.  Okay, fair enough; Native Americans have a great oral storytelling tradition and I’d never heard of Weetamoo before.

But there wasn’t anything really great about this book.  I learned a lot about Native Americans in early-contact days with settlers, especially their daily life, and I certainly learned a lot about Weetamoo herself, but the book never really made the leap from decent to great.  Weetamoo was a great narrator, the book was informative and it was reasonably well paced, but nothing really stood out.  Maybe it was Patricia Clark Smith’s simplistic writing style or the fact that I’ve been reading way too many Royal Diaries lately, but it was only meh.

If you or your tween/teen like uplifting endings, this book is also not for you.  Weetamoo fought against the settlers later in life, so you can imagine what a depressing Historical Note that makes.  But if you want to learn more about American history, Native American culture and Weetamoo, an important but largely forgotten historical figure, you’ll love this book.

I give this book 3/5 stars.

Amazon*     Barnes and Noble*

*Available as used only.