22. The Red Pyramid

Author: Rick Riordan

Series: The Kane Chronicles #1

 Sadie and Carter Kane have always envied each other.  Carter would give anything to have a stable life with a real home and school like Sadie.  For her part, Sadie wishes she could be Carter, living an adventure every day as he travels around the world with their Egyptologist father.  At the bottom of it all, the siblings just really don't know or understand each other.  When Professor Julius Kane accidentally blows up the Rosetta Stone and disappears, he leaves his children to cope with the aftermath, and Carter and Sadie are going to get a crash course in Sibling Relationships 101.  Which is really the least of their worries, as they soon learn that Daddy's accident released a quintet of Egyptian gods into the world, and the most powerful of these, Set, is working hard to crown himself the Evil Lord of the earth.  Pursued by magicians and creatures of mythology, Sadie and Carter will need to rely on each other as they seek allies and try to stop Set's plan.

Teenage hero(es) with powers they are only beginning to realize?  Check.  Cheeky mythological sidekick?  You bet.  Gods and legendary creatures?  Natch.  Ok, you could argue that Riordan is sticking pretty tightly to the formula that made the Percy Jackson series a success. You'd be right.  But here's the thing about formulas: they work.  If you liked Percy Jackson, you can head into the Kane Chronicles feeling fairly certain you're going to be a happy reader.

In this case, we get two spunky teenage heroes for the price of one. (ok, Sadie's just twelve, but she's old for her age =o))  The story is told in alternating, first-person POV, with Carter taking a couple of chapters, then Sadie taking a couple.  Not always my favorite literary device, but I thought it really worked here for a couple of reasons.  First, Riordan has done a great job of giving each narrator a distinct voice, eliminating all that "wait a second who's talking now?" awkwardness.  The alternating POV also allows for some very entertaining interactions between the characters as narrators, outside of the story itself.   As always, Riordan's protags have a fresh, funny, easy-to-read voice and a realism that creates instant sympathy with the reader.  LOVE Sadie and Carter.  I command it.

Of course, the story wouldn't be complete without a full cast of mythological beings, both good and evil.  I definitely got the sense that Riordan invested a lot of time in the research for this book, and it shows in the detail.  Legends spring to life; by the end of this book I felt like I grew up on Egyptian mythology.  I can't believe I'm saying this, but it was almost a little heavy on the detail.  At over 500 pages, The Red Pyramid is a bit of a chunkster, and I felt that a bit of that could have been cut without the world-building feeling skimpy.  Overall, the humor and action were enough to keep pages madly flipping long into the night.

As a final note, one of my favorite things to do when I pick up one of Rick Riordan's books is to read the chapter titles.  A couple of my favorites this time around: "I Have a Date with the God of Toilet Paper," "We Win an All-Expenses-Paid Trip to Death," and "Muffin Plays with Knives."

Book Two, The Throne of Fire, will be on sale May 5th.

Happy Birthday, Monster!

It amazes me how quickly a year flies by when you're busy turning this:

(A crying, non-sleeping, mostly sweet-smelling ball of adorable milk vampire)

into this:

(A funny, messy, affectionate, still non-sleeping action hero).

I confess that I'm feeling a little sad today as my baby turns one. 

This coming stage is a lot of fun,

and I know I'll love every day of it.

But he's never going to be a baby again.  Sigh.

Happy Birthday, Monster!

Of course I had to get Monster a few books for his birthday.

He's getting:

He's very excited.  What?  You claim one of those is not really appropriate for a one year old?  Oh.  My bad.  Well, I guess I could read it instead.  Mothers make sacrifices like that.

Teaser Tuesday: The Red Pyramid

Today's teaser is from The Red Pyramid (Kane Chronicles Book #1) by Rick Riordan:

The sphinxes advanced.  The nearest one launched itself toward me, and with sheer luck I managed to slice it in half.  The monster evaporated into smoke, but it let out a blast of heat so intense I thought my face was going to melt right off.

Yowza!  I feel the same way when I try to cook on a campfire...

Teaser Tuesday is a bookish meme hosted at Should Be Reading.

21. On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft

Author: Stephen King (2000)

On Writing is often the first book recommended to anyone looking to improve their writing skills.  It makes sense.  After all, Stephen King is one of the most successful fiction writers of all time.  So I was pretty excited when I found a copy at my local library and had a chance to dig in.

The first half of the book is mostly memoir, a series of snapshots of King's life from his early childhood through to his drug- and alcohol-related crisis in the mid-80's.  It was enlightening.  The guy started writing (more or less) when he was old enough to hold a pencil, and he hasn't stopped since.  I especially loved the descriptions of his first rejection letters from publishers (in his early teens) and the stories about the early days of his marriage.  The anecdotes are well-chosen, interesting and often humorous. 

The second half of the book talks about various aspects of the writing process.  All the advice here is great, absolutely solid.  And yet I have to admit I felt slightly underwhelmed.  I have a theory on why that is.  On Writing has been around for over a decade, and as I mentioned above is lauded as the handbook for budding writers.  So while the advice is good, if you've spent any time at all trying to improve as a writer, you've likely heard it all before.

Read, read, read.

Write, write, write.

Eschew the overuse of adverbs.

Expand your vocabulary.

Et cetera.  I don't mean to put it down, because it really is a great book; it just wasn't the earth-shattering work of revelation I was expecting.  Or, it is, just a few years too late for me.  That said, I did appreciate the motivational bits.  This is a great book for when you need a kick in the butt!  The no-nonsense style appealed to me, anyway.  The glimpse into King's philosophy of writing and his life as a writer gave me a lot to think about and was probably my favorite portion of the book overall.  His concept of a story as a fossil that the writer works to uncover gave me beautiful mind-pictures. 

In summary, this is a great read for writers, but don't expect that it will necessarily rock your world.  If you're not a writer, but you are a Stephen King fan, you might want to check it out as well.  

Etsy Friday: Red Umbrella

April showers
might bring May flowers.
But March's rain
is just a pain.

Ok, so we definitely know that I'm not a poet.

I am tired of rain. It has rained here so much this week that I have a lake in my backyard. The one good thing about rain, in my opinion, is that you get to bring out the umbrellas.  I love the way an umbrella gives you your own personal shelter to carry around with you, like a turtle.  It's a little bit magical.

That's why, when I was browsing Etsy for this week's post, I had umbrellas on my mind.  Here's what I found for you:

"Rainy Day" Card by Letterpress Delicacies

All proceeds from the sale of this item will be matched by the seller

and donated to support disaster relief in Japan. 

Umbrella "Angelique" by Umbrella Heaven

Photo "Blurry" by Karen Clarke Photography

*all images have been used with permission.

Teaser Tuesday: On Writing

Today's teaser is from On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King.

"I wrote stories in my teenage years where all these styles merged, creating a kind of hilarious stew.  This sort of stylistic blending is a necessary part of developing one's own style, but it doesn't occur in a vacuum.  You have to read widely, constantly refining (and redefining) your own work as you do so."

This book came to me highly recommended by several sources.  So far it hasn't been all it's cracked up to be, but it looks like the book gets better further in.

20. The Body Finder

Author: Kimberly Derting

Summary:  Violet Ambrose is a generally lucky girl with a couple of big problems: her growing romantic feelings for her best friend, Jay, and the way dead bodies call to her.  Excuse me? No, you heard me right.  She senses dead bodies. Particularly those who died violently.  Most of the time it's not a big deal because, contrary to what you see on television, murder is not that common.  But now Violet's small town is being terrorized by a vicious killer, and Violet's special talent might be the only way to stop him.

My thoughts: A murder mystery with lots of kissing?  Sign me up! 

The Body Finder is a fresh and fun read. I mean, if you find murder fun.  I do, but all of a sudden I feel weird admitting that.  (I only like fictional murder, ok?  Stop looking at me like that.)  Anyway, KD has put forth a strong debut novel with a novel and intriguing premise.  I absolutely loved the way Violet's gift worked, it was so interesting and unique.  I won't spoil it for you, but  I haven't read anything quite like it before. 

Another point worth mentioning is that while this book is a murder mystery featuring a serial killer, it's very non-gory.  The mystery is intense, the menace is palpable, but it's like someone went through with a big black marker and crossed out the detailed descriptions of carnage so common to the genre.  This is a good thing, to my mind. Even squeamish readers can feel safe picking up this book. 

Perhaps my favorite thing about this book is the exquisite way KD has portrayed the relationship between Jay and Violet.  She has that best friend/first love conflict nailed perfectly.  I give it five fluttering stomach butterflies out of five for emotional intensity. 

I gobbled this book up in great big bites.  Highly recommended for mystery lovers, as well as paranormal fans who are looking for something beyond the typical. The great thing is that I waited so long to finally read this book (I am ashamed) that the sequel, Desires of the Dead, is already available! 

Cover:  Love it.  Absolutely beautiful.  I'm not entirely sure how it relates to the story, though.

Content: Not too bad.  Some violence and frightening scenes.  Sexually speaking, things don't go beyond some heavy making out.  I would feel totally safe recommending for ages 15+.

19. Outside In

Author: Maria V. Snyder

This review contains spoilers for Inside Out.

Summary: After the revolt to oust the oppressive Trava family from their control of Inside, you might think Trella's life would be perfect. She should be able to just sit back with her boyfriend, Riley, and watch the delightful process of Uppers and Lowers mixing together and living their happily ever after.  Unfortunately, the reality isn't quite that delightful.  Not everyone is happy with the new regime, the Uppers and Lowers aren't really mixing, and at least one person is unhappy enough to resort to sabotage.  Will the Insiders unite against a common enemy in time, or will they end up even more oppressed than before?

My thoughts: Giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles!  Oh wait, that's the Princess Bride.  But most of it applies here, too.

Outside In reads like a ride down one of Inside's pipes: fast, dangerous and full of unexpected twists.  Trella is facing several big problems, from determining her own role in the government of Inside to discovering the idenity of the traitors who are trying to sabotage it from within.  And all she really wants is to be left alone to explore the newly discovered expanse and maybe see Riley once in a while.  It's tough being the hero. 

I loved seeing a bit more of Trella's character, and her struggles felt very realistic to me.  The deepening of her connection with Riley unfolded naturally, with some bumps and snags, rather than just being there. 

Overall, I loved this book.  If you liked Inside Out, you definitely want to check out the sequel!

Duly Quoted (4)

"And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt."  -Sylvia Plath

"There is no way that writers can be tamed and rendered civilized or even cured. The only solution known to science is to provide the patient with an isolation room, where he can endure the acute stages in private and where food can be poked in to him with a stick."  -Robert A. Heinlein

"True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, as those who move easiest have learned to dance."  -Alexander Pope

I've been thinking a lot lately about the process of writing, specifically the process of writing a book. I have so much respect for anyone who writes a book, even a book I don't particularly enjoy. It's hard work! Keeping plot points, setting, characters and dialogue in your head is hard enough, but getting them down on paper in a coherent way borders on being a ridiculous endeavor. As a reader, it's easy enough for me to criticize, but it's sort of like my three-year old daughter criticizing my cooking. She's never done it, she has only the slightest idea how to do it, and, when she does learn how to do it, the process will be long and most likely painful.  Even if she does learn, there's good chance she'll never be great at putting a meal together. 

Writers, I salute you.

18. Treachery in Death

Author: J. D. Robb

Summary:  When an overheard conversation alerts Detective Peabody of a drug ring in Cop Central, the first thing she does is alert her partner, Lieutenant Eve Dallas.  Further investigation reveals that not only are there cops on the take, but the corruptions is even more far-spreading than they imagined.  And if there's one thing Dallas hates more than criminals loose on the streets, it's criminals in uniform.

My thoughts:  You would think that after thirty-two books in a series, there couldn't possibly be anywhere new to take the characters.  I guess you would be wrong.  I really enjoyed the new spin on Eve's adventures in this book.

Instead of investigating a murder (or rather, in addition to investigating a murder), Eve is trying to gather evidence on a ring of dirty cops.  You know very early on in the story who the bad guys are, and that takes a little of the edge out of the experience, but watching Eve figure out how to round everybody up is still good fun.  I also enjoyed seeing IAB Lieutenant Webster back in the story, and getting some more insight on a few other minor characters in the series.  Fans of Eve's exploits are sure to enjoy this new installment.

17. River Marked

Author: Patricia Briggs

Series: Mercy Thompson #6

This review contains no more spoilers than the cover copy.

Summary: Car mechanic Mercy Thompson has always known there was something different about her, and not just the way she can make a VW engine sit up and beg. Mercy is a shapeshifter, a talent she inherited from her long-gone father. She’s never known any others of her kind. Until now.  An evil is stirring in the depths of the Columbia River—one that her father’s people may know something about. And to have any hope of surviving, Mercy and her mate, the Alpha werewolf Adam, will need their help.  (summary from Goodreads)

My thoughts: Mercy and Adam are getting married.  Let's all take a moment for a big ol' "awwwwww."  I'm so happy for them.  It's been a long haul, and they deserve the perfect wedding, whatever that means for a coyote shapeshifter and a werewolf Alpha.  Now with the wedding behind them, let's just hope they can handle the honeymoon.

Um, I didn't mean that quite how it sounded. 

I loved this book, and I love this series. The monster is scary enough to give you nightmares, and it was very interesting to learn a little more about Mercy's heritage.  The question of whether Mercy is the only "walker" still living is answered, and we learn a lot about her father.

I do have to say, though, that while this book scored strongly with me on emotional satisfaction, I thought that plot-wise it's the weakest of the series so far.  Mercy and Adam spend a lot of time having beautiful moments together (it is their honeymoon!) and not nearly enough time kicking butt.  I also missed Warren, Jesse, Zee and the rest of the gang, who for some reason were not invited on the honeymoon. 

Cover Comments:  Every time I look at this cover, the first thing that pops in my head is: "Well, hi there, Mercy's boobies.  Yes, you're very nice.  Now settle down."  I do love this cover, and all the covers in the series, but holy gravity-defying boobage, Batman!

Waiting on Wednesday: City of Fallen Angels

I don't know if you realize this, but Cassandra Clare's City of Fallen Angels will be releasing in just a little over a month.  Cue the hysterical screeching!  I am so so so excited to find out what happens to all my favorite characters, especially my beloved Simon.  When April 5th arrives, you can be sure I will be sitting down with my copy of CoFA and reading it cover to cover as quickly as possible.

I haven't read any of the teaser chapters yet, so if you have, please don't spoil me, but I would love to hear all your speculations about what could happen in the book.