Thursday, November 16, 2006

October Books- Some of them

This is LATE- When we switched over to my Mom's computer I lost all of my files... So Jake's in the process of trying to help me find them. I'd kept a record of all my October books there, and now I can't get to them... Wuh-lah! So, here's the stuff I read AFTER the big switch-a-roo. I'm missing some dang good books. I'm hoping to find 'em, but who knows. I finally decided to just put up what I had rather than keep waiting and waiting...
***

Soul Survivor: How my Faith survived the Church by Philip Yancey A+
I love Yancey’s stuff. I’ve read what I can hold of, and have come to the conclusion that I should just buy it when I can- I always end up wanting to re-read them. This one profiles 13 people whose faith & life choices helped Yancey in his faith quest. This one includes more of Yancey’s life, struggles and doubts than the other books I’ve read by him- I discovered an echo of my own doubts, struggles and questions... He profiles Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Paul Brand (Nobel Peace Prize Leprosy doctor), Mahatma Ghandi (not a Christian, but one who studied Jesus’ teaching), Dostoevsky, Tolstoy… and many others. Excellent book. The kind of book I'd recommend to anybody.
Paths Not Taken by Simon R. Green B+
I enjoy the Nightside stories quite a bit… PI stories with a mystery holding the entire world together, strange twilight-zoney world, supernatural creatures, urban fantasy, mythology, sci-fi plus a wonderful macabre dry humor. Since our library doesn’t own all of them I haven’t been able to read every single one but they work as individual adventures. However, I know I’m missing part of the story arc… And that they’re going to culminate in something and I’m going to wish I got it all… They’re a quick read, but a lot of fun. Definitely worth the time.
The Dark Sleep by P.N. Elrod B-
The fifth in the Vampire Files, detective stories in post-prohibition Chicago- surprise plot twists, macabre humor, and supernatural action. I liked this- out of my normal reading style. I picked it up at the library and ended up checking it out even though I’ve never read any of them before. It worked on it's own, 'cuz he's good at slipping in explanations of what has happened before. I'll probably read more of these... I was looking for a good supernatural story and I found one.
No Easy Answers
A short story compilation of “Coming of Age” stories- Each story is about a teenager handling a difficult moral situation. Some of them are excellent and some are just so-so. I like good YA fiction, and these were all written by known authors- Myers, etc…
Bitten by Kelley Armstrong C+
A werewolf tale from the point of view of “the only female werewolf”. Good. Interesting to see how much she lies to herself- the reader is aware of undercurrents in her choices that she is completely blind to through most of the book- She does seem to get it at the end, though...

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I agree about Yancey. His stuff is always good.
I've read all the "Nightside" books. The story arc ended in the latest book. Hope you get to read them soon.
I just read a book about a female werecoyote (sort of) who hangs out with a bunch of werewolves. The title is "Moon Called." I'll be posting a review soon.
Thanks for posting your reads. I get ideas from you.