A Discovery of Witches, Deborah Harkness

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Overall I did enjoy reading A Discovery of Witches. Did I think the love story was a little lame, and that a large portion of the middle was kind of boring and dragged on? Well, yes. But I think what I liked most about this story was the magic and the infusion of history and literature, not to mention that a large portion of the story took place in a terrific setting. Very cool. The magic in this book did remind me of Harry Potter magic, which is very near and dear to my heart, and I look forward to finding out more about Diana's power. I am so excited that they are going back to Elizabethan England in the next book, which earns it mega bonus points in my book. I liked most of the characters and their interactions with one another, I just felt that the Matthew-Diana relationship was not all that it could have been, and I am not as enthralled with Matthew as I have been with other literary male love interests, but oh well. I will definitely be moving on to Shadow of Night.


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Books read in 2011

My 2011 reading was filled mostly with Fantasy series... the most notable, of course, being A Dance With Dragons (finally!) It's funny how a thousand-page book can end and still leave you wanting more, but such is the case. GRRM can not write fast enough, but I suppose when you're writing such an incredibly complex story one can expect nothing more. I was also stoked to finally read Patrick Rothfuss' The Name of the Wind, one of the most touted new fantasy series out right now. It took me literally four months to finish it since I read it throughout the Fall semester at school, but it was really good. I look forward to the second book, which I hear is even better.

For lighter reading, I have also been enjoying the Mercy Thompson series, a series I would recommend for anyone who likes the whole Sookie Stackhouse/Anita Blake Urban Fantasy genre (werewolves, vampires, etc).

The end of the year was consumed by reading literature for my British lit class, my favorite of which was definitely Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. For some reason I never seem to pick up any classics to read on my own, even though I literally have pretty much all of them on my NOOK, so it's always nice to read that kind of stuff in school because I always become enthralled by them when I do. 

I have about a million other books sitting on my shelves, patiently waiting to be read... but that will have to be another year...

Books read in 2011

1. Blameless (Parasol Protectorate #3), Gail Carriger
2. The Constant Princess, Philippa Gregory
3. Moon Called (Mercy Thompson #1), Patricia Briggs 
4. Blood Bound (Mercy Thompson #2), Patricia Briggs
5. Iron Kissed (Mercy Thompson #3), Patricia Briggs 
6. Dead Reckoning (Sookie Stackhouse #11), Charlaine Harris
7. Bone Crossed (Mercy Thompson #5), Patricia Briggs 
8. Heartless (Parasol Protectorate #4), Gail Carriger
9. A Dance With Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire #5), George R.R. Martin 
10. The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicles #1), Patrick Rothfuss
11. Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, J.R.R Tolkien translation
12. The Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer
13. Twelfth Night, William Shakespeare
14. Paradise Lost, John Milton

Honorable mentions/Books I started in 2011 but didn't finish yet...

• Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne, David Starkey 
• The Lady in the Tower: The Fall of Anne Boleyn, Alison Weir 
• Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Harriett Beecher Stowe 

Amy

Prince Albert and the Doomsday Device, Clive London

I felt so honored to be asked by my friends at Zova Books to read and review one of their new releases for July, Prince Albert and the Doomsday Device, by Clive London. It's a YA Steampunk novel about a poor little urchin named Jack who leaves his small, rotten village in England for the hustle and bustle of London, on a mission to find his parents and the rest of the adults from his village, who have disappeared quite mysteriously, under the apparent order of Queen Victoria. 

I'm about seven chapters in and have definitely been enjoying it. It has that great whimsical feel to it that a lot of YA novels have, and naturally I am quite fond of its setting and Steampunk nature! So, I will read on with pleasure, hoping that it continues to be as entertaining as it has thus far. 

** UPDATE: I've finished it, and I must say it was really fun. The pacing was great, and the cast of characters were both endearing and memorable. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, steampunk, or good old adventure stories... young adults and adults alike. And it looks like there will be a Book Two... which is very exciting. Much success to Mr. Clive London in all of his future ventures. 

http://www.zovabooks.com/

Dead Reckoning, Charlaine Harris

Dead Reckoning by Charlaine Harris
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Hmm... well this latest installment of the Sookie Stackhouse series sort of left me feeling a little unfulfilled. It seemed to be lacking that charm, and sense of fun and familiarity that the other books have had. I didn't like the interactions between Sookie and Eric (which are usually great), and the entire plot felt too random and not cohesive at all. It seems like I'm not the only one who was a little less than thrilled by Dead Reckoning, so I truly hope that Mrs. Harris delivers something a little bit better next time, because these books have been such a pleasure to read.


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Musings about the Royal Wedding

I think it's nearly every little girls dream to be a princess. For me, the images of Charles & Diana's wedding have been embedded in my mind: the epic dress, the carriages, the jewels... Such a fairy tale wedding, such pomp and regalia! Diana was so gorgeous. And now we get to do it all over again, only this time I am an adult and get the privilege of watching history being made live. After the tragic death of Princess Diana, I think so many people are just thrilled to see her children happy, and this wedding will be such a gorgeous testament and reminder of her. Kate Middleton will make a beautiful bride, and I honestly can't wait for the big day.

The Dragons are coming

I am so so so SO excited for A Dance With Dragons to finally come out! This fifth book in George R.R. Martin's epic series is one of the most eagerly anticipated releases in Fantasy this year (release date July 12, 2011). And, of course, HBO has produced the television version of Game of Thrones, which starts in the US on April 17. This series deserves all of the success that I know it will have with the new show. The depth of the characters and their complex relations and struggles for power is brilliant. I just hope HBO does it right (but if anyone can do it they can!)

For your viewing pleasure I will include the media tie-in cover for the first book, which includes the amazingly kick-ass Iron Throne.