Tshania Sedai

This is the week I've been waiting for for months - the release of Amazon's series based on The Man in the High Castle! My obsession with this as-yet unreleased series started several months ago...

I've been listening to the Sword & Laser Podcast for about two and a half years, and it long been apparent that The Man in the High Castle was the favorite novel of Tom Merritt, one of the podcast hosts. I quickly came to respect the tastes of Tom and Veronica, and added The Man in the High Castle to my ever growing “to read” list. It was probably doomed to remain on that limbotic list indefinitely, but then Amazon posted the pilot for their upcoming series as part of a test program to see if they wanted to finance the rest of the series. I'd been curious about the book, so I figured I'd watch the first episode. By the halfway point I knew it was going to be good, but by the end I knew it was going to be phenomenal. So Phillip K. Dick's classic alternate history jumped to the top of my stack because I just couldn't wait until November to see how the story was going to end.

The Man in the High Castle is an alternate history about the United States if Japan and Germany had won WWII. The plot centers around a woman named Julia who finds a book about an alternative history of the United States and goes on a journey to find the author. The novel also has several subplots involving the political officials representing Japan and Germany, as well as Americans who are trying to find their place in society several years after the war.

What I've come to find about the works of Phillip K. Dick is that he tends to have amazing concepts and world-building, but less interesting characters and plot. The concept for The Man in the High Castle is brilliant, and presents an incredibly well thought-out alternate history. The characters are strategically placed in occupations that perfectly show the workings of this alternate society, and the characters themselves have very interesting and distinct desires. The ending of the novel, however, feels a bit anticlimactic after the buildup and suspenseful plot that leads towards the end of the book.

Which is perhaps why I'm so excited for the Amazon series. I was able to go to the High Castle Panel at San Diego Comic-Con this year, which has only made me more excited for the show. Based on the two episodes I've seen so far, the series is attempting to be faithfully painful to the world created by Philip K. Dick, while creating the sorts of story lines and drama that are more successful for a visual media. The sets, costumes, and acting are all amazing, and they have perfectly created the world that PKD envisioned in his original novel.

The novel is a classic example of alternate history, and although I wasn't overly excited by the ending, I still think it is well worth reading. While I believe the adaptation will create a more exciting plot and explore the characters more deeply than in the original book, I still think it was an enjoyable and intellectually stimulating read. It isn't my favorite novel of all time (sorry Tom!), but I'm very glad I read it. I think this is the sort of novel that anyone can read and enjoy, and I'm excited that it may find a larger audience with the Amazon Prime series release.

The Goblin Emperor can perhaps be described as the most interesting book I've ever read in which nothing really happens. I mean, things happen, but not in the epic way that I think many fantasy readers have come to expect. The Goblin Emperor is the story of Maia, a half-elf, half-goblin who falls into the position of Emperor of Elfland when his father and half brothers are killed in an airship crash. Maia is whisked to the capital where he has to learn how to navigate tricky political waters and govern his kingdom. The entire novel resolves around the policies Maia must learn and the rules he must abide by, as he tries to fit in to the world of the Elven elite, while trying to maintain his own individual identity.

I have to say that I really enjoyed this book. Maia is the sort of character who will win over a reader with his utter goodness. He has a sort of wide-eyed innocence that isn't uncommon to people thrust into a new situation, but he somehow manages to maintain it even as he learns to deal with the less glamorous side of politics. Some people have complained that this makes him too good, or uninteresting, but I think the writing of Maia is so good I don't really care. I don't think this book would have worked any other way, really. It would have caused to book to completely loose its charm. And it's Maia - once you've read the story it is very difficult to imagine him any way other than how he is written.

Throughout his journey through the realm of Elven politics, Maia is lucky to have a (mostly) great team of advisors and staff to help him (Especially Csevet. Love me some Csevet.), but he must learn to deal with the history of his family (and the loss of them) on his own. The characters are fun and interesting, though it is not an uncommon complaint about the internets that the names did not have to be quite so difficult to pronounce. I don't know if I agree with this - the names really are quite beautiful once you grasp the sounds of them - and honestly many of the longer, more complex names have stuck with me over the shorter or more common ones precisely because of their interesting collection of sounds. In a book with so little action (we barely leave the palace), the naming conventions really did help me feel like I was in another world. I think the world building is really fantastic - you get a very real sense of what life (well, court life at least) is like in Elfland, and how the cultures are different elsewhere. Some of the themes of the book a bit obvious (he's building a bridge!), but none are out of place or bring the story to a stop.

All in all I have to say that this was a great book. It is a quiet story - not a typical epic hero's journey at all - but that is what I like about it. Maia is the sort of heartwarmingly good character you need in your life every once in a while. Especially if you've just read Game of Thrones. He's like chicken soup for the fantasy reader's soul. The writing is good, the world is interesting, and the story is full of interesting and subtle court driven politics. Definitely a fun read for anyone who likes historical fiction or fantasy, though I think any reader would fall in love with Maia and enjoy his story. Highly recommended.

The Sparrow can pretty much be summed up as “Jesuits in SPAAAACE!”

(space-space-space-space)

(We get an echo in here now. What?)

Anyway, the premise of this story is that the human race detects a signal from a distant planet that clearly shows signs of intelligent life, and, being humans, decide they have to go stick their noses into the affairs of others. Specifically, the Jesuits decide to make it their next great missionary project, and agree to foot the bill. The story is set in the-not-so-distant-future of 2019-2060 (space flight, relativity, etc. accounts for the time lapse), when non-governmental space flight is possible, though still uncommon. A bit more inventive is the type of spacecraft they use - a hollowed out asteroid. The events in the book are not told chronologically - the story jumps between the present (2060) and the past (2019) to build up suspense as to what happened on the alien planet. Although this is clearly a work of science fiction, the story is much more focused on the relationships of the characters rather than the technicalities of space travel. This is most clearly evident when, upon arrival to an alien planet, it becomes incredibly apparent that none of our astronauts had ever read the works of H. G. Wells. It's not much of a spoiler to say that things to do not end well, and the journey leaves the survivor(s) in pretty bad shape, both physically and emotionally.

The major element of this story is the characters and their relationships. Much of the first half of the book consists of bringing the crew together and setting the stage for the sort of interpersonal drama that can only happen when you are trapped for several months inside of an asteroid traveling at light speed. The crew consists of several Jesuit priests - Emilio Sandoz (a younger, attractive Puerto Rican who has an incredible talent and long training in learning new languages), his mentor D. W. Yarborough (compete with Texas twang), and two redshirts, errr...other priests. It also has several non-Jesuit specialists - Anne and George (an older married couple, George was head of the program that located the original signal), Jimmy (George's employee, who actually found the signal originally), and Sofia Mendes, the requisite MPDG (an AI specialist). One thing I appreciated about this story was that the relationships between the characters felt rather believable, and, well, adult. I'm a big fan of many of the YA series available, but, I have to admit it was sort of refreshing to read a story where the world didn't have to be saved by a fifteen year old. Granted, with this many characters the standard love triangle was bound to take shape, but at least it wasn't the central theme of the story. On the other hand, while I found the relationships to be believable, the characters themselves seemed a bit over-powered. They were all super intelligent, highly skilled, and extremely pretty. Or they at least had enough of a personality to compensate if they fell short on that last bit. Now, granted, if you were going to send a mission to a new planet, you would want to hire the smartest and most-skilled people you could find. But it seemed a bit odd that these hyper-intelligent, über-humans could foul things up so incredibly poorly when they reached the alien civilization. All of their mishaps were just believable enough that you could perhaps understand how they made their mistakes, but, honestly, they were all built up a bit too much to completely believe in their epic fall.

Overall I have to say I thought this book was ok. The story does its best to tug at your heartstrings, repeatedly, and I have to admit that I was sort of over the tugging by the time I got to the end of the book. Not that I'm so callus as to not have felt anything, but, well, when so many bad things happen it is a bit easy to get dulled to the pain of it all. Suffice it to say, if you are looking for a pick-me-up sort of a book, this isn't it. It also wasn't the sort of a book that I felt compelled to pick up while I was reading it - I sort of had to force myself to finish it in a timely manner for the book club. The writing itself wasn't bad - it was actually quite good - I just wasn't motivated by the characters or their story. Which is a bit funny, because several months later I can still remember many of the characters quite vividly. I don't think my estimation of the book has grown over that time - no, I haven't come to the sudden realized that this is the best book ever - but I do remember much of the story in more detail than I had expected I would several months down the road. So, there is that. In summary I would have to say that if SyFy and Oxygen got together to make a TV-miniseries special, it would probably come out something like The Sparrow. I can't really give a positive or negative recommendation - this book has things I enjoyed, and things I didn't. It is the sort of book that I think a certain audience would really enjoy, I just don't think I'm part of that certain audience.

Mitosis is a fun (very) short story in Sanderson's young adult Reckoners series. The premise of this world is that Calamity has happened and a few people of the Earth have been granted super-powers. Which in theory sounds great, but in actuality is not so fun when you consider that only evil people get to use their powers. An underground resistance, known as the Reckoners, have started to fight back in Newcago (the city formerly known as Chicago).

Mitosis is set between the events of the first and second books in the series, and provides a small glimpse of how life has changed for our team of evil-fighting Reckoners. There isn't much to say about the story that won't spoil the plot, but, basically, a Reckoner's work is never done, and there is always another Epic to fight. It is fun to see more of the Epic superpowers and weaknesses that exist - the characters haven't quite figured out the rules to the Epics' powers yet, so any extra tidbits are fun clues for both the characters in the story and the reader.

This story is very short - I was able to read it in less than an hour - but it is fun. It was great to read it as a refresher for this world just before the second installment of the main series (Firefight) is about to be released in a few weeks. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone who hasn't read the first book in the series; firstly, because it will spoil the ending of the first book, and, secondly, because this story would probably feel a bit dry if you didn't already have a more detailed picture of the characters built up in your head. I can't know, but I highly suspect, that this events of this story won't be required to appreciate the upcoming second book, but it was a fun quick read nonetheless, so if you are a fan of the Reckoners series you will probably enjoy this brief adventure in Newcago.

A few months ago I reviewed the BurdaStyle Modern Sewing: Wardrobe Essentials book, and came to the conclusion that I probably didn't really need the dress book, since I am a magazine subscriber, but I somehow ended up getting a copy of BurdaStyle Modern Sewing: Dresses for Every Occasion anyway.

The layout of this book is essentially the same as the Wardrobe Essentials volume, with a few of the technique discussions changed to be more appropriate for the included patterns (no discussion of fly front zippers, as there are no trousers in this volume, but they do discuss working with jersey fabrics in detail). In general my assessment of this book is pretty much the same as the previous volume: that this book is aimed at an intermediate home sewer who is new to Burda patterns. My complaints are also similar: NO NEW PATTERNS and I think they could have made a more varied and interesting collection. Long-time Burda users know the ubiquity of the infamous “Burda sack dress,” so I wasn't surprised that they picked a few for the book, but I sort of felt it was a bit too much. I think they tended towards easier designs and simpler silhouettes, and I wish they had chosen a few more complex designs, and at least one ball gown - Burda has so many good ones in their catalog! I will say I did appreciate, however, that for their vintage re-print patterns, they included both the modern and original dress drawings/photographs, which was very cool. For regular Burda users I will caution that this book DOES include seam allowances, unlike the pattern magazine. Here is a conversion of book patterns to the magazine numbers:

Vintage
Vintage Chic Sheath = 09-2012-109
'70s Simple Luxe Lace Dress = 09-2012-108 (Cover Dress)
'50s Summer Sundress = 07-2012-133 (Vintage Reprint)
A Little Bit Audrey Sheath = 11-2012-138 (Vintage Reprint)
Beguiling in Blue Jacket and Skirt = 12-2012-101 (Jacket), 12-2012-108 (skirt)
Très Tweed Mock Two Piece = 12-2012-141 (Vintage Reprint)

Trendy
Red Hot Mini = 06-2012-134
Blue Angles Asymmetrical Dress = 02-2013-110
Purple Party Tunic and Cowl Top = 01-2013-123B, A
Summer Origami Sheath = 07-2012-131

Casual
Hand-Stamped Tunic = 06-2013-133
Summer Tie-Dye Lace-Up Dress = 07-2013-122
Sunshine Bangle Wrap Dress = 07-2013-125
Urban Ikat Sleeveless Dress = 02-2013-114
The Jersey Plunge V-Neck Dress and Top = 09-2013-101B, A
Blooming Bouclé Cap-Sleeved Dress = 03-2013-110

Formal
Delicately Scalloped Skirt = 12-2012-105
The Artful Jacket = 12-2012-115
Princess Taffeta Dress = 11-2012-121
Sophisticated Silk V-Neck Dress and Pleated Lace V-Neck Dress = 08-2013-116A, B
Fit and Flare Frock = 10-2012-128
Little Black Dress = 12-2012-110

My conclusion is essentially the same as for Wardrobe Essentials - this is a great book for someone who is an intermediate seamstress wanting an introduction for Burda patterns, but it isn't really necessary for anyone who is a long-time subscriber to the magazine. While seam allowances and extra instructions are nice, they aren't strictly necessary for a more advanced Burda user. It also doesn't have patterns covering the higher size ranges. I think the book serves its intended purpose well, but I don't think it will be of much interest to those who already have the patterns, or don't like Burda's general style. I do think this book would be a great gift for someone who is still newer to the hobby, as it has a good variety of styles, the patterns are a nice range from very easy to mildly challenging, and the book is quite a good value considering the number of patterns included.

I read Brandon Sanderson's first Legion novella when it first came out a few years ago, and totally fell in love with Stephen Leeds and his amusing assortment of “aspects.” So to say I was ecstatic when a sequel was announced is a bit of an understatement. I preordered Legion: Skin Deep as soon as I was able, and was recently excited by its arrival - both in ebook and hardcover forms.

Like its predecessor, Legion: Skin Deep, is a bit of a departure for Brandon Sanderson, who is more well-known for his lengthy epic fantasy sagas. The main character is Stephen Leeds, a detective who is brilliant, but a bit eccentric. He has a mental condition in which he creates personalities to house his vast collections of knowledge. The only problem - he has to pretend that his imaginary friends are real, which means providing them with food and shelter, which can be a rather costly enterprise. Hence his desire to use his special consulting skills to bring in an income. In this story, Stephen is hired by one of his friends to investigate a missing corpse that has company secrets stored in its DNA, which leads to a fun detective story full of the usual hijinks one would expect when dealing with spies, assassins, and imaginary bodyguards.

While I really enjoyed this installment of the Legion story, I have to say I didn't like it quite as much as the first novella. The novelty of Stephen's unique condition has worn off somewhat - the reader already knows how it works, so we don't need to spend any time trying to figure that out. There are additional tidbits about his condition that pop up in this story, which are quite interesting, but aren't really critical to the story as a whole. Although Stephen has dozens of aspects, many of the same personalities are heavily featured in both stories, and I really wish we had been able to meet more of his wacky personalities in this book. I also wish we had found out more about the quasi-mysterious woman from his past. These, however, are only minor complaints - this was still a fun story that was quite enjoyable to read. And, while the amount of information revealed about Stephen's past is annoyingly small, the lack of it does seem to indicate that there will be further installments of Legion in the future, which makes me a happy fan. All in all it was a quick, fun read full of a bunch of crazy characters I have grown to love, and, although I didn't find this story to be quite as riveting as the first installment, I very much look forward to the further adventures of Stephen Leeds and his imaginary band of of crime-fighting counterparts.

I often order used copies of books. Usually the physical aspects of the slightly musty books with mildly bent bindings aren't worth noting, but when my “good” copy of The Night Circus arrived in the mail, it was clear that this book had been through it. And by “it” I mean something resembling a car wash. Coffee stains evident on the pages, the covers full of what one can only assume to be acid-induced pot marks, the binding worn through, a warp so bad that the hard-cover book has no hope of ever lying flat on a table again. And, for some reason, the battered exterior of this text only added to the charm of the story within.

The Night Circus is the story of two young magicians trapped in a mysterious battle of unknown rules, who work to create a mystical circus that can only be visited at night. Although the plot and characters are fairly interesting (despite being rather predictable at times), what makes this book truly special is the atmosphere it creates. The sights, the sounds, the smells - it really does make you feel as though you are a spectator at a classy and mysterious circus. The stories of the characters are woven together to create a wonderful sense of the peculiar life of the performers, and of the fans who become obsessed with tracking the circus's every move.

I wouldn't say that the plot or characters of this story are highly original - indeed, the star-crossed lovers scenario is nothing new to the works of fiction, and the outcome of the story could have been guessed from close to the start of the book. Indeed, the romantic interactions would have been nauseatingly trite if the rest of the story wasn't so superbly constructed around it. Happily, the book was about so much more than one romance. I was never really surprised by any of the “plot twists,” but, then, everything that happened in the story seemed to flow together quite nicely. Well, perhaps not one or two of the events leading to the conclusion, but I think the story had earned my suspension of disbelief by that point, so, I'm willing to go with it.

This book is definitely one that epitomizes the idea that “it's not about the destination, it's about the journey.” I wouldn't say that this book lacks plot - there is definitely enough of a story going on to keep the reader interested - but the real fun of this book is exploring the circus and all of the fantastic people who inhabit it. The prose has a lovely lilting quality to it; I think I fell in love with this book after only a few pages because of it. Even the style of the printed text adds extra flourishes that contribute to the feel of the story. It was the sort of book I didn't want to put down, and itched to pick back up as quickly as possible. I suppose I could understand how someone might not be excited be the easy-going plot or the subtle characters, but I fell under the spell of this book quickly and completely. It really was a magical book and one I highly recommend.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is a story about bounty hunter Rick Deckard as he works to eliminate several illegal androids who have escaped to Earth. Throughout the story one of Deckard's main motivations is gaining the bounty so he can afford to buy a real animal, which are rare and expensive status symbols after the radioactive fallout has destroyed or mutated much of the life remaining on Earth. Throughout the story there Deckard questions the distinction between androids and humans, with much of the emphasis placed on empathy as a singularly human emotion.

This novel served as the inspiration for the 80s classic Blade Runner. While the premise and many of the characters are similar, there are quite a few distinctions between the film and the novel. The movie is a bit more action packed, and sets Deckard up as more of a traditional hero. In the novel, his morals are a bit more ambiguous. The novel also explores more themes, such as faith, hope, and depression, in greater depth. The film provides more closure at its conclusion, whereas the novel leaves things more open for the reader's interpretation. Although similar, I think the differences make each version well adapted to its format - the film left out details that would have been confusing to the viewer and slowed down the story, whereas they provide cultural context and interest in the book.

Overall I liked this book quite a bit. I very much enjoyed the character of Isidore - a “chickenhead” who is too affected by the radiation to leave Earth. Supposedly mentally damaged, he often provides the most clear and reasonable perspective of anyone in the story. Although some of the details were a bit odd to read at times (especially some of the details of Mercerism - Earth's new dominant religion), overall the details gave a very reasonable picture of what a possible post-apocalyptic Earth could be like. The idea of Empathy Boxes is quite fascinating, and something that I could easily picture happening in the very near future, even without nuclear fallout. Social media for emotions... really isn't that far fetched. The story was interesting and fast-paced, and contained some cool ideas about how futuristic societies will share human experiences. The ending was perhaps a bit less straightforward than I had hoped it would be, and it certainly isn't a very uplifting book, but the writing is quite good and the ideas are interesting to consider. Although it would probably be appreciated more by a fan of the science fiction genre, it isn't overly complex, technical, or lengthy. An interesting and enjoyable read, and one that I would recommend to almost anyone looking for something interesting in the sci-fi genre.

The Slow Regard of Silent Things is a bit of an odd story. It follows Auri, one of the characters from The Kingkiller Chronicles, as she goes about her week. Auri is probably one of the more interesting characters in the series - a clearly broken slip of a girl who lives in The Underthing, the forgotten passages and chambers below the University attended by Kvothe and many of the other characters in the main series. Auri personifies all of the objects around her, and has an obsessive need to have everything in its proper place. She spends the majority of this story trying to find an appropriate gift for Kvothe while trying to find the proper places for some of her new acquisitions.

By many of the ways people tend to judge successful writing, this should not be a good book. To be totally honest, it is not the most exciting story - it's a bit like reading about someone going grocery shopping. As Rothfuss himself points out, he spends 8 pages detailing the process of a girl making a candle. On the other hand, this is a beautiful bit of writing. Seeing the world through the eyes of a girl who isn't quite all there makes everything strange, and wonderful, and fascinating. Seeing the world through Auri's eyes is wonderful and heartbreaking all at once. As the story goes on, it is increasingly easy to empathize with this poor girl, and a lot of her seemingly crazy observations hit a bit close to home.

My only quibble with the book has been echoed my many a Rothfuss fan - the Forward and Afterwards are unnecessary. He starts off telling you not to like the book, and sort of concludes by making you feel awkward if you didn't. These bits would have been fantastic blog posts for his fans, but they didn't need to be bookends for this piece of writing. It is strong enough to stand on its own.

For fans of the Kingkiller Chronicles, no, this is not the book we have been waiting for. It does not answer all of our burning questions or conclude the tale of Kvothe. It gives us tidbits, and hints, and glimmers, but it doesn't really tell us anything we didn't already know, or at least strongly suspect. And while that is probably wildly frustrating for some, I'm perfectly ok with it. I love this awkwardly rambling story about this tiny broken girl and her need to put things right in the world. It is the subtleties and hints and unspoken things that make it such a great piece of writing. It is a completely opposite tone from Kvothe's bombastic telling of his own story, and that makes it absolutely perfect for a look at Auri's world. This probably isn't the sort of story for people who see themselves as the hero in their own life, and want to read about sweeping tales of adventure on a grand scale. But for those of us who see ourselves as the broken sidekicks in the stories of others, well, this is a story for us. It isn't exciting or adventurous, but it is sad, and sweet, and beautiful. And that is enough.

It should be preemptively acknowledged that I am pretty much a Burda fangirl. So when I heard about the release of the latest book in the BurdaStyle collection, BurdaStyle Modern Sewing: Wardrobe Essentials, I was rather excited and pre-ordered it right away. This was, unfortunately, before there were any preview images of the book (not even a cover image). Once the preview images were released it became rather apparent that this book would not contain any new patterns, and is instead a rehashing of patterns that have been released in the BurdaStyle magazines (mainly in the international versions, though some were used in the US versions as well I believe).

Having had a chance to read through the book I have to say that my list of praises far outdistances my list of complaints, though my complaints may have more weight than my praises, at least for other long-time Burda sewists. This book is definitely aimed for someone who is not a beginner to sewing, but may be new to using Burda patterns. The introduction includes information about measurements, sizes, difficulty ratings, pattern symbols, instructions for common techniques (ease pleats, front fly zip insertion, interfacing, invisible zippers, marking patterns, seam finishing, understitching, and a list of common notions and tools). There is also information about grading sizes and notes about seam allowances (which ARE included for many of the patterns included with the book). The end of the book contains a glossary and a few pages of instruction about how to use a serger. The rest of the book gives detailed sewing instructions for the patterns that are included.

The most common complaints about Burda sewing patterns are (1) poorly translated/confusing instructions, (2) the difficulty of tracing, and (3) the lack of seam allowances. While I would argue that the last can be more of a benefit than a detriment, I have to concede that this book address all three of these issues. The instructions, while not much different from the original in terms of construction order, are much more readable than than what typically come in the magazine. Additionally, many of the more complex steps have accompanying illustrations to help clarify the directions. The pattern sheets are also much improved over the international versions - they are more reminiscent of the previous pattern sheets where everything was much more spaced out and easier to read (circa 2006). You will still have to trace, but it won't be quite as migraine-inducing as the regular sheets. As for the seam allowances - the introduction indicates that most patterns are given a 5/8” seam allowance and a 1.5” hem allowance, though some are given more or less as indicated on the pattern. As with the magazines, you may have to draft your own pieces when making something simple, such as the rectangles needed for welt pockets. A few other positive aspects of the book - it has a nice spiral binding, which makes it very easy to leave open to the instruction as you are working on construction, the text is quite legible, and the storage pocket in the back makes it very easy to store the pattern sheets as well.

My only complaints about the book are (1) NO NEW PATTERNS and (2) I don't know if I would consider all of the patterns Burda chose to be “wardrobe essentials.” While I think they did a good job of selecting patterns that would work well for many women's wardrobes, I also think they missed a few key pieces that would have been great to include, such as a trench coat, jeans, a moto-jacket, or a really classic sheath dress. For those interested, the patterns chosen correspond to the following patterns from the international version of BurdaStyle Magazine:

Tweed Remix Dress = 10-2012-118A (Top Variation = 10-2012-118B)
Shirred Appeal Top = 10-2012-114A/B
Make Mine Mod Skirt = 08-2012-135
Class Act Trouser Suit = 04-2013-101 (jacket), 04-2013-103 (pants)
Simple Elegance Blouse = 07-2012-116
Pleats Please! Blouse = 09-2013-118B/A
In The Swing Dress = 08-2012-133 (cover dress)
Mohair is Better Coat = 12-2012-117
It's A Wrap Top = 11-2011-114A/B
Sheer Pleasure Blouse = 06-2013-119
Twice as Nice Jacket/Skirt = 09-2012-101 (jacket), 09-2012-116A (skirt)
Mad for Plaid Top/Skirt = 04-2012-112B/A, 04-2013-118 (skirt)
In Black and White Top/Skirt = 10-2012-122 (top), 10-2012-121B (skirt)
Free and Easy Blouse = 01-2013-117
Red All Over Jacket/Pants = 08-2013-106A/B (jacket), 08-2013-118C/B (pants)

Concluding thoughts: If you are an established Burda user who no longer has the time to raise a brow at the often perplexing instructions and ponder why anyone would complain about the pattern tracing, this probably isn' the book for you. You most likely already have all of these patterns in your stash, and the additions of seam allowances and extra instructions will probably feel like unnecessary fluff and hand-holding. If you are somewhat newer to sewing with Burda, then this book might be useful - especially the section explaining what the various pattern symbols mean, as they are different from what the Big4 use. If you have been scared off of Burda because of the complaints listed above, yet still long for that swanky German styling - good news! This book is totally going to be your jam. I highly recommend it as a way to ease into using Burda patterns - it is a great way to get used to the Burda system without having to remember details like adding seam allowances and trying to decipher the magazine instructions.

As for me, well, I'm thinking I might like having these extra detailed instructions around, especially for the “All Over Red” jacket and pants, which have been on my to-sew list for quite some time. I very much appreciate the quality of the publication, and it might be nice to have an easier time with the tracing. Strictly speaking, no, I really didn't need this book, though I don't mind having it in my Burda collection. The question, unfortunately, now becomes: what to do about the upcoming BurdaStyle Modern Sewing: Dresses for Every Occassion? Do I skip it, knowing that I already have all of the patterns and that the information pages will be nearly identical to those in Wardrobe Essentials? Or do I add it to my current collection just to fulfill my needs of completion satisfaction? Well, I suppose I have another two months to decide...

Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson is a modern day fantasy/quasi-techno-“thriller” that is aimed for a young adult audience. One of the brilliant things about the book is the complexity of the overlapping layers - social, political, religious, modern day technology, and the fantasy elements of the jinn all overlap to create an interesting and unique setting that is simultaneously somewhat fantastical and completely believable.

While I found myself really enjoying the setting and the plot, the one thing that really let me down in this novel were the characters. The secondary characters in this story were great - they had fun personalities and often had surprising characteristics that made the story very enjoyable to read. They completely sold me on the world and the adventure. The main characters in the story, however, felt a little generic to me. I didn't completely dislike them, but they really didn't have any personality traits that made them feel unique or special. Their journey, behaviors, and reactions could be inserted into many different situations without having any affect on their personalities or outcomes.

Overall I have to say I liked this story, and I appreciate the way that it merged so many different elements to create a believable setting. I'm glad I read it, but I don't know that I found the plot and main characters compelling enough to really consider it one of my favorites. I would highly recommend it to someone in the young adult age category, or to anyone who really enjoys reading young adult novels, but if you are looking for a bit more complexity in your characters and plot, it might not be complex enough to hold your interest. Definitely worth the read for the setting and secondary characters though.

The Magicians is the story of Quentin Coldwater, a Brooklyn native who, instead of going to a prestigious Ivy League, finds himself able to attend Brakebills, a college for magicians. There he meets other young magicians, learns how to use his abilities, and searches for a purpose in life. After finishing school he and his classmates look for a purpose in the wider world, and end up going on a fantastical adventure.

I'd often heard The Magicians described as “Harry Potter for adults.” Well, maybe if Harry Potter were emo. And if Harry Potter wasn't quite so focused on what he was learning at school. And if Harry Potter didn't have really awesome friends. Then sure, maybe. Except not really. Because Harry Potter had a purpose in life - to defeat Voldemort. Quentin doesn't really have a purpose. He wants one, but he can't quite figure out what it is. And, as with many talented people who have skills but no way to use them, he looks for distractions. So, no, it's really not at all like Harry Potter. More like a story about a random Slytherin extra who isn't cool enough to hang out with Draco.

It's funny because the book tends to generate very polarizing reviews, but I somehow seem to fall squarely into a middle ground. There are moments when I completely identify with the characters:

The room filled with the collective rustling of paper, like a flock of birds taking off. Heads bowed in unison. Quentin recognized this motion. It was the motion of a bunch of high-powered type-A test killers getting down to their bloody work. That was alright. He was one of them. p.22

This is an interesting little book. It is very short - only 64 pages - and paperback, which is highly unusual for a sewing book of any era. There is a short introduction by Amy Vanderbilt, before Margolis takes over with the sewing instruction. At first I was a bit taken aback by the organization of this book - we jump from discussing “A Certain Style” to bound buttonholes. What? But then I realized, oh, this is the “ABC's” of sewing. A-B-C. Topics are covered alphabetically. Duh. Wow I feel dumb for taking so long to figure that out.

Because of the structure and size of this book, I feel as though it covers fewer topics than her other, more massive tomes. Despite the fact that I think it still has a good amount of information, and, actually, a few better illustrations than many of her other books (though others have been re-used from other volumes). Topics covered include: bound buttonholes, cutting fabric, gussets, hand stitches, zippers, and more. Some of the letters cover specific skills in depth, while others feel like a bit of fluff. However, for what it is, I feel that this book does an nice job of dispersing the maximum amount of information in the minimum amount of pages, even if it is a bit odd structurally. Though, now that I've read through it, it should be terribly easy to look something up, so perhaps that structure really isn't too horrible after all? I don't know that I would recommend this book to the more advanced home sewer - you can get more detailed information about construction from one of Margolis' other works - but it is an interesting little book to have as part of the collection.

The tales in Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang cover an interesting range of ideas, but the topics of math, genetics, language, and religion are fairly strong throughout. I had a wide range of reactions to each of the stories in this collection, so I think it would be most fair for me to review each one individually.
Tower of BabylonThe Tower of Babylon follows the journey of two miners as they ascend the Tower of Babylon in the hopes of finding their way into the vault of heaven. Much of the story is concerned with the practical issues of having a tower that is so tall, which I found mildly interesting. The ending of the story is perhaps what ruins it for me - the realization of the main character and how he comes to his conclusion feel a bit forced, especially from a character that has felt a little flat the whole time. Overall the story felt a bit long and drawn out, without an entirely satisfying conclusion. Probably my least favorite in the entire collection.UnderstandUnderstand follows the story of a brain-damaged man who, upon receiving experimental medication, becomes a super genius. I rather liked seeing how his mental state changed throughout the story; his progression felt like a natural path and didn't seem awkward or forced. The story felt like it built to a natural conclusion, albeit an interesting one. I did feel that there was a bit too much explanation in this story, but then it was dealing with the academic thoughts of a hyper-intelligent being, so I'm not sure there would have been an easy way around that. I liked this story quite a bit when I read it, but I am wondering if that is only because I found it much more enjoyable than the first story in the collection. After some time away from it, I have to admit I wasn't blown away by it. I think the execution of the writing wasn't quite up to the ideas contained within the story. Because so much of this story takes place in one man's head, I don't know how you could get away from the fact that much of this story feels like you are being given an inadequate description of a mathematical process. Also, although the tone of the writing changes slightly as the main character gains intelligence, I don't know if the tone of the writing changes enough to really emphasize how drastic it is. Although many of his behaviors are different, the character at the end still feels very much like the same person that existed on the first page, and I think someone experiencing the sorts of changes he is would have a more drastic change in personality. I liked this story, but I think more could have been done with it. It was interesting, but it hasn't really stuck with me in the way that some of the other stories have.Division by ZeroDivision by Zero is the story of a woman who is driven to depression by her proof of the inconsistency of mathematics, and her husband, who is trying to understand her changing demeanor. First of all, I have to say I really enjoyed this story. It was one of the shorter stories in the collection, and it felt very concise, tight, and focused. I enjoyed how the elements of the story were revealed, and how the segments added up to a complete view of the situation. I always find it interesting to see what breaks people in a story, and I really enjoyed seeing the process from two perspectives. Of course, it probably helped that I am something of a math person - the main character's surly behavior during her research and extreme reaction to her changing world view wasn't as incomprehensible to me as it was to the other characters in the story. I sort of felt as though the reader was supposed to identify with the husband, but I found myself identifying more with the mathematician. Perhaps not unexpected from spending too much time in higher education. Anyway, I really liked this story, and I think it is one of the more enjoyable and accessible in the collection. Story of Your LifeStory of Your Life is the story of a linguist who has recently lost her daughter, and is recalling moments from her daughter's childhood, how she met her husband, and her work translating the language of a visiting alien species. This was definitely one of the more successful stories in the collection. Like Division by Zero, it focuses more on the people in the story, and allows the mathematical and scientific concepts to be interesting without taking precedence over the story itself. I actually rather liked the way this story was structured and composed as well. It had an appropriately somber tone, without being melodramatic or dull. It felt like someone was wistfully remembering happier times from their past in the context of a recent tragedy. For me this story was a highlight of the collection.Seventy-Two LettersSeventy-Two Letters is the story of a man who is working to create a dexterous automaton, and then gets involved in a project to create a way to propagate human life when it is discovered that the fertility of the human race is coming to an end. In my opinion, this was one of the less successful stories in the book. It wasn't so much that the ideas of the story were bad (actually, I found the premise rather interesting), but I wasn't very excited by the way the story progressed. Too much time was spent discussing, explaining, or hypothesizing about the fictitious nomenclature system that would bring the automata to life. The characters were rather dull, and the social and political implications of the research that were discussed in the story have been more successfully examined in other works of fiction. It was a bit of a slog for me to get through this short story, and just when I was starting to get excited by the action, the main character "figured it out" and the story was over. I thought the solution was sort of obvious, so the conclusion in itself wasn't really enough to win me over, and the journey to the ending wasn't all that enjoyable. This story felt rushed in parts, and sluggish in others. It either needed to be a much longer story (to give us more insight to the characters and make their journey as individuals more interesting), or it needed to be a much shorter one that didn't spend so much time redundantly discussing ideas of the nomenclature system. This is close to Tower of Babylon for me; I was only slightly more excited by this one because of the action sequence at the end.The Evolution of Human ScienceThis story was originally published as a short piece in Nature under a different title ("Catching Crumbs from the Table"). [Side note: Dear Nature editors, um, what?] It is told as a futuristic journal article, discussing how regular humans need not worry about lacking the capabilities of the new metahumans, who can digitally download and share information. Although short, I actually rather liked this piece - it felt like a futuristic op-ed column. It was also sort of interesting putting it into perspective with today's world, where the technology gap can be rather wide in some places. I didn't think this story was as strong as some of the others, but, for what it was, I did enjoy it.Hell is the Absence of GodThis is the story of how Neil Fisk lost his wife and found God. It takes place in a world where angelic visitations are regular events, and hell is occasionally on display. I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this story. I found it compelling to read, and got through it quite quickly, but I still feel conflicted now that I've finished. The funny thing is, I actually liked the ending. It seemed fitting, and appropriate if you accepted the world that Chiang created. Problem is, I don't know if I fully accepted it. I mean, I found the idea that angelic visitations would be something akin to natural disasters rather interesting, and the idea that they would bring a balance of creative and destructive forces made sense to me. I also liked how Chiang sort of implied that these things could happen because heaven, mortality, and hell were intersecting planes of existence. So I suppose I enjoyed the more scientific side of things. The religious descriptions... made me oddly uncomfortable. Which, I suppose, is good in a way. I do think it is important to push yourself out of a comfort zone, at least occasionally. I just don't know if I like the direction this pushed me. I don't know. I think if it was making me question my own beliefs or examine how I treat the beliefs of others I would feel differently about it, but I really just left the story thinking that I'd been preached at a bit too much, and that everyone got their just desserts at the end. I think this story was successful in what it was trying to accomplish, I'm just not sure if I liked it.Liking What You See: A DocumentaryThis was a documentary-style story about "lookisim" - judging people based on their looks - and finding ways to remove it from society. Although I think Story of Your Life was probably the best executed story in this collection, Liking What You See was definitely my favorite. It was the one story in the collection where I just sat, read, and enjoyed. The concept was interesting (if we could turn off a portion of our brain that makes us consider people differently, would we? Should we?), and the format was equally so. Apparently this story was nominated for a Hugo, but Chiang refused the nomination because he felt the story was rushed by his publishers and not quite what he had envisioned. Which is too bad, because I thought it was great. The conversation within the story is exactly the sort of conversation people would be having if this were a possibility, and the emotions and actions of the characters are exactly how people would feel and behave. As with so many scientific discoveries, the debate would soon turn to one that was much more political. It felt very plausible to me, and the format of the story only elevated that believability. Of all the stories, this one was probably the lightest in terms of scientific technicalities, but had the most depth when it came to how the characters were dealing with them.
Conclusions

I liked this story collection, but I did feel that some of the stories were not as enjoyable as others. I feel that Chiang's most successful stories focus on the people dealing with science/technology/math/religion, as opposed to the ones where the ideas take center stage. Which is a bit funny, because I think his strong suit as a writer is examining interesting topics. I suppose it comes down to one's opinion on what constitutes good writing. I've read enough science fiction and fantasy to be able to say that for me, a cool idea isn't enough. The way that idea is explored and presented matter a great in how receptive I am to the story as a whole. Here, I thought the stories that allowed me to connect with the characters while discovering the concepts worked very well, and were actually quite enjoyable. In other stories I felt that the information would have almost been more interesting if I were sitting in a lecture hall, rather than reading about characters that served little purpose other than as a means of expressing the idea behind the story.

I also had issues with the lengths of some (ok, many) of the stories. Some felt too long, like they were dragged out to fulfill some arbitrary word count, or so he could reiterate the main scientific idea behind the story a few too many times. Other stories felt too short, and I wish that either the characters or the idea had been developed into something longer and more substantial. Perhaps because of this, the endings of many of these stories felt a bit rushed, as though the character made a huge discovery just so the story could end. I found that I wasn't entirely satisfied with many of the endings, not because of what happened, but because of the abruptness of how and when it happened.

Also, I realize that the stories were printed in chronological order, but I don't know if that best-served the book as a whole. I wasn't very motivated by the first story; perhaps I would have been a bit more receptive to the work as a whole if it had been one of the others (actually, switching the first two would have probably made me much more excited for the rest of the book). Similarly, it was rather disappointing to have one of what I consider the weaker stories (Seventy-Two Letters) following one of the strongest (Story of Your Life). Perhaps using The Evolution of Human Science as a breather between those two stories might have helped it not feel like so much of a let down. The placement of the other stories felt appropriate, and I suppose it would have been silly to rearrange only a few out of chronological order, but I can't help but think that it might have given me a more favorable overall impression of the book. I know one shouldn't judge a book by its cover (though this cover is actually really cool), or in this case a collection by its first story, but humans are sort of hard-wired to do that. I don't think the order necessarily ruined my enjoyment of the following stories, but I do think it set me up to look for issues of story construction that I otherwise might have ignored.

In the end, I'm glad I read this story collection. Being something of a math and science geek, I found a lot of the topics in the stories really interesting, and despite my complaints, I actually really enjoyed a few of these stories. I don't know if I would recommend this collection of stories to everyone - I think you have to be able to nerd-out on some of the concepts when the storytelling gets a bit weak. I would definitely recommend this book to fans of hard-core science fiction though, as it does examine topics of math and science in interesting ways.

Redshirts is a science fiction spoof that pokes fun at the high death count in the original Star Trek television show - at least among the less important crew members. In his novel, Scalzi introduces five new members to the crew of the Intrepid - the flagship United Union's fleet. They are a bit like the Breakfast Club - five people you wouldn't expect to get along somehow become friends. As they spend more time on the ship, they begin to realize that everyone who goes on an away mission seems to die a tragic, horrible, and really bizarre death. They compare notes, search for clues, and try to understand what is happening to them. In the end, they come up with a plan that is so crazy it just might work...

I have to say this book was... Interesting. It won the 2013 Hugo and Locus Awards, so I expected it to be good, and it is by John Scalzi, so I expected it to be funny. I guess what I wasn't expecting was for it to be so meta. It came at me sort of unexpectedly, especially the second half of the book. Which wasn't to say I didn't like it, because I did. It was just a much different reading experience than I thought I was getting when I picked it up. I thought it worked well in the context of this story, and, honestly, really made for a satisfying conclusion to the book. It was just odd having a book that I thought was going to be something to share with my mother (the other sci-fi reader in the family) turn into a book that would be perfect for me to share with my sister (the girl who is proof-reading too many new scripts by “emerging artists”).

As someone who has been indoctrinated to the world of Trekkies since birth, the winks, nudges, and not-so-subtle digs at the source material were much appreciated. On the other hand, I think this book could be fantastically funny to anyone, even people who don't have a lot of love for the science fiction genre (actually, especially those people), because the book points out a lot of the ridiculousness and hand-wavery that happens in the television episodes. The concept of the book is easy to grasp, the humor is on point, and due to the nature of the material, readers get to bypass a lot of technical jargon that can bog down a lot of stories in this genre. All in all, this book was a fun, quick read that was just perfect for the end of summer before school/work starts up again, and I recommend it for anyone looking for a bit of fun.

Ready Player One is set in a rather bleak future-Earth. We've depleted our resources and never quite managed to bounce back from the most recent economic crisis. Rather than deal with the problems outside, people take to the OASIS - an online virtual reality that has become the center of most people's lives. The obsession only grows when Halliday, the OASIS inventor, dies and leaves his vast fortune to anyone who can use the clues to complete his epic quest of 70s and 80s pop culture puzzles. Ready Player One follows the journey of Wade Watts as he works to solve the riddles and claim Halliday's ultimate prize.

Looking at this story objectively, I really shouldn't like it as much as I did. It is the same old, over-used hero's journey (read some Joseph Campbell if you don't know what I mean) set in a virtual reality. We get the same sort of plot and tropes and life lessons we always get. The only difference is that most of the time spent in this world is used to geek out over pop culture references that the characters would never have experienced or cared about in their normal lives, but that the readers (most likely) will have a great deal of nostalgia for. I'll be honest - most of the references outdate even me, and not being a hard-core gamer growing up, there were a lot of references I didn't necessarily know about before reading the story. However, I had enough of a frame of reference that I still got more than a little excited when PAC-MAN, R2-D2, and Firefly class space ships showed up. And the writing was so good for the rest of it that it really didn't even matter that I'd never experienced it for myself; the character's experiences and the descriptions were enough to keep me immersed in the story.

What this book does so brilliantly is give us everything we've ever love about science fiction and fantasy (and I mean everything - if you liked it, it probably exists on OASIS), while still making the story feel new and exciting. A large part of that is due to the writing, which was absolutely fantastic. This was the sort of book I wouldn't have put down if I hadn't had other obligations. Like, you know, skating and eating and stuff. Sleep... may have been compromised in the finishing of this story. But it was worth it because it was good! So good. The worst part about this book is that it is over. And while I could re-read it, it won't have that same sense of exploration and discovery and danger and excitement that the reader has the first time through.

So anyway, this book is my new obsession. I loved it so much I may have even used the Ready Player One Fan Soundtrack Page to create my own iTunes playlist. Which I've listened to several times already. I'm wanting to go back and re-watch old films I haven't seen in years. I'm trying to figure out ways to play vintage video games. Heck, I might even want to search out Ladyhawke.

In conclusion, Ready Player One - READ IT!

Dawn is the first book in the Xenogenesis Trilogy. Humanity has nearly destroyed itself and the Earth, with the remaining survivors placed in suspended animation by the Oankali. The main character in this story is Lilith, a woman who is awaked by the alien race and chosen to be the leader who will help humanity re-colonize the Earth. Except that in exchange for saving human-kind, the Oankali want to change it forever.

Butler excels at using the possibilities of science fiction to create a poignant commentary on issues of race, gender, and power in both modern and historical societies. This book provides a fascinating look at how humans exist, interact, and develop societies, as well as how behaviors can change when one is faced with challenges as an individual versus when the challenge is presented to a larger group.

I have to say that I really enjoyed reading this book. There isn't much to discuss in terms of plot (one can only go so far when being held captive on a spaceship), so much of the book was Lilith thinking about things and assessing her situation. Although I found Lilith to be a compelling character, my one complaint is that the rest of the human cast felt much more stereotypical and not as as well-rounded. Granted, we didn't get any points of view from their perspective, so we can't know everything they were thinking, but for the most part everyone did the things that the reader could have predicted that they would do. Which does make them consistent, but it also makes them boring.

I feel as though this book gives the reader enough closure that they don't need to read the other books in the trilogy, however, I also think this book is good enough that the other stories should be given a chance and I plan to read them sometime in the future. Actually, this book was good enough that I want to find even more of Butler's works. She is a fantastic writer and I really need to read more of her stories.

The premise of Year Zero is a bit hilarious - aliens discover how amazingly awesome Earth's pop music is, and hold it to be the greatest art form in the universe. Thus it is wildly shared, downloaded, and distributed throughout all of outer space. Unfortunately, because the people of Earth are not yet advanced enough to belong to the greater galactic society, the aliens must abide by Earth's laws when handling their artistic content. Which means they owe the people of Earth a lot of money. Which, of course, is a good reason to try to get rid of them. The story follows the adventures of Nick Carter (a human lawyer, not the boy band musician), as he, along with his neighbor and his cousin, must work with Carly and Frampton (of alien reality tv fame) to save the Earth from other aliens who want to destroy it.

One thing I will say about this book - it's funny. Especially for people who grew up during the days of Windows XP and Napster. One of the great things about science fiction is that it can point out the insanities of modern society without becoming a boring essay or a long-winded political rant. I feel like this book does a lot to point out many of the absurdities we have to deal with in today's society, especially as we adapt to the changes and challenges that new technology presents. The story itself isn't anything new, and while the characters are funny, they aren't particularly original. The humor of this book is spot on though.

The only problem in writing a book that mocks modern technology, is that it becomes outdated almost as soon as that technology does. I had a moment while reading this when I realized, if I gave this book to any of my students they would be totally lost as to why it is so brilliantly funny because they never had to deal with many of the technological issues this book harps on. Which is rather sad, actually. The book is good, but it isn't going to have that lasting, timeless quality that really brilliant science fiction is capable of achieving.

So I would say I highly recommend this book, because it is good for a laugh, but I would read it sooner, rather than later. The story was good, but the material is already starting to feel slightly dated, and I expect it will only continue to be less relevant as time goes on. So I'm glad I pulled it off the shelf when I did, because it proved to be a fun and worthwhile summer read. Oh, and my apologies to the person who sat next to me on the plane - I didn't mean to interrupt your nap-taking with my incessant giggling.

Promise of Blood is a fantasy story about a French-Revolution-esque uprising in a world where powder mages use gunpowder to fuel their abilities. The revolt is led by Tamas, a soldier who is willing to do whatever he feels is best for the people of Adro. He employs Adamat, a detective, to find out secrets from the previous regime, and to discover who may be trying to bring down his new republic from the inside. He is also willing to exploit the powder mage talents of his son Taniel to keep both him and his new government safe.

When I was starting the book it seemed that we were jumping perspectives quite quickly, and I was worried that that it might fall into the trap of too many people with too little personality like a certain other book I'd just read may have done. Happily, while the character introductions are a bit overwhelming up front, the remainder of the story is told from the perspectives of the five or six main characters you meet in the beginning. Which was nice because it gave time to understand their quirks and personality traits, while still having enough points of view to explore the world and see how all the various plot points needed to come together.

I enjoyed many of the themes explored in this book - especially toying with the idea that leadership is a divine right. It takes a lot of religious and political tenets that have been displaced throughout history and makes them central plot points in the story. Historical fantasy seems to be increasing in popularity of late, and I have to say the idea of introducing magic and gods into settings like the French Revolution is actually rather enjoyable, and somewhat thought provoking reading.

I do have to say that, while I did enjoy this book, I don't think I was quite as impressed with the writing as I wanted to be. It was good, but it wasn't brilliant. The problem, I think, is that I've read other stories that have attempted similar things, but done them better. The idea for the magic system is cool, but it feels a little unfinished. Like maybe all the rules weren't quite in place when he wrote it. Of course, it could be that we just haven't been given all the information yet, but still some things (like the special abilities of the individual powder mages) felt a bit inconsistent. The fight for political power was similarly interesting, but not quite as subtle or complex as I've seen in other books. (I mean, if I want a good revolution story I'll just re-read Les Miserables. Now that is some fantastic writing right there.) Similarly, while I like a lot of the characters (especially Taniel and Ka-poel), I don't really love them in a way that I've loved characters in other fantasy series. Overall McClellan has produced a good story with interesting concepts, but I don't think this book will go down as being one of my all time favorites.

Promise of Blood is only the first book of the Powder Mage Trilogy, and the ending definitely acts more like a set-up for the start of book 2 than as a conclusion for book 1. I think there was enough of interest in this story that I'm willing to spend the time to read the second book and see where things go. The first story leaves a lot of questions about the world and the state of our characters unanswered, so I don't really feel as though I've gotten a satisfying conclusion, and I'm invested enough with these characters to care about finding out what happens to them. So I expect I will read the other books in the trilogy at some point, though I don't feel the need to rush out and power through them right away. Definitely on my long-term list of to-read books though.

In the end I would say that I give this book a “maybe” recommendation. If you love fantasy then I think this story deals with some common tropes in an interesting way, and it is probably worth the read just to keep up with the modern authors and stories in the genre. Otherwise... I might say that you can give this book a pass. I think there are better fantasy series out there at the moment, with more compelling characters, more complex worlds, and more sophisticated writing. This book was good, and worth the read if you decide to pick it up, but I also think you can skip it without missing out on too much.

Brandon Sanderson has become one of my favorite authors over the past few years. Although I enjoy all of his works, I really look forward to his long epic fantasies. He is fantastic at creating fascinating worlds and unique magic systems. So I had very much been looking forward to returning to Roshar in the second installment of The Stormlight Archive, and I am happy to report that The Words of Radiance did not disappoint.

I actually finished reading this book several months ago, but I never quite got around to reviewing it. I don't want to reveal too much of the plot, because the book was released earlier this year and I want to avoid spoilers for those who still want to read it, but I have to say that I thought this book was a fantastic read. I feel that Sanderson has really hit is stride in terms of voice and tone, as well as developed in his ability to show rather than tell. There will always be humor in his books, but the use of it felt more restrained, appropriate, and clever in this book than it has in his past works. I also feel that he has created more nuanced characters in the Stormlight series than he has in past works. This book progressed the plot of the series quite well, while still giving us time to delve deeper into the histories of the characters, and learn a bit more (though certainly not enough) about the magic systems at work in the world. I was quite satisfied with the (crazy epic) ending, but I still want to know what happens next in the story. All in all it was a great installment in the series. Sanderson has always been great at creating fun and fantastic worlds, and at giving us an epic ending, but this book also demonstrates his mastery of plot, pacing, and tone. Aside from the fact that this book may have made me unreasonably depressed for a number of days (yeah, there is some sad stuff happening in this book), this book was a completely enjoyable read and a fantastic addition to the Stormlight series. This is definitely the best book that Sanderson has written to date, and I expect he will only get better from here. Although I know he has some smaller projects coming out in the meantime, I am already impatient for the release of book three.

The Martian tells the tale of Mark Watney, a NASA astronaut who accidentally gets stranded on Mars when a dust storm cuts his mission short. Using his wits as a mechanical engineer/botanist, Mark is forced to come up with a survival plan using only his team's leftover supplies and any other piece of NASA debris he can find near his campsite.

Now, in the interest of full disclosure, (1) I am a science nerd, (2) Apollo 13 is one of my favorite movies, and (3) I loves me a character full of some snark. So, basically, I am this book's target audience. So when I go on to say I obsessively loved it, you might have to take that with a grain of salt.

This book definitely had a feeling of MacGuyver/Cast Away/Apollo 13 all mixed together, but that only made it more fun for me. If you aren't excited by a character doing math to figure out exactly when, why, and how they are going to die you might not be super excited by this story. On the other hand, the main character's sense of humor might be enough to pull anyone through, even during the mathematical bits. Also, despite the fact that there was a lot of discussions of “technical” things the story moved at a quick pace and never felt bogged down. The author definitely has a skill with comedic timing that lent the book a perfect balance of excitement, danger, and humor.

My only minor quibble with the book is that I wasn't sure if the ending provided quite enough closure for me. However, in light of the title of the book, the chosen end point does make quite a bit of sense. And I think the ending is appropriate for the characters of the story - just not sure if it is quite emotional enough for me as the reader. I don't know that the story needed to continue, but perhaps something like a brief Afterword would have been appropriate in this situation. Overall I was quite satisfied with the book though, so, like I said, minor quibble.

This review is a bit short as the book has only been out a few months and I want to avoid spoilers as much as possible. And this book is really hard to talk about without giving away spoilers. But it is good. So, so good. I will say that if you find curse words incredibly offensive you may not like this book (they aren't used overly much, but often enough when the main character finds himself in dire straights, which is, well, often enough), or you may not want to let younger children read it, but otherwise it really is fantastic. The book remains quick, light, and fun despite dealing with a somewhat fantastical life and death situation, and avoids get bogged down in its own technical jargon and seriousness. It is a fantastic read and I highly recommend it.

One Thousand Paper Cranes is the non-fiction story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who was two years old at the time of the atomic bombing in Hiroshima, Japan during World War II. This book tells the story of how Sadako grew to be a young girl, but eventually developed lymphoma from the radiation and died. During her sickness, she believed that if she folded a thousand origami paper cranes, she would be able to make a wish and survive her illness. Although she managed to complete her goal, she was unable to survive. She had been such an inspiring and happy young girl that her family and former schoolmates worked to raise funds to create the Hiroshima Peace Memorial that was sculpted in her likeness, and inspired the creation of a Children's Peace Statue in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

This book was a very quick read (it took me less than an hour), but still delivered a lasting impression. The simplistic, almost childlike, writing only lends itself to conveying the tragedy put forth in the story. You don't get bogged down in the history - the few vivid details you get about Sadako's progressing illness are enough to put the horror of historic events into sharp perspective. The story manages to convey the struggles that come in the aftermath of war, without invoking a lecturing or condemning tone. Simply relaying facts in a story-like format is enough to involve the reader in the realities of post-WWII Japan. Moving, haunting, and inspiring, One Thousand Paper Cranes is a book everyone should read.

Despite the fairly high page count (around 450 pages, depending on the version), it was actually a very quick read. And that, unfortunately, is about all I can say in favor of this book. I mean, it seems like the sort of book I would love - waring thief guilds, characters trying to outwit each other, a lot of action sequences. And yet this book fell completely flat for me. All of the characters just sort of felt like tropes, without anything personal or endearing to recommend them. I'm all in favor of character-heavy stories, but I think too many important characters were introduced too soon - you didn't have enough time to get to know them before you had to meet (though in this book it might be more appropriate to say “meat”) someone else. You sort of had to assign the characters to tropes to keep it all straight. The sad thing was that they never really broke away from those classifications.

Another issue I had with this story is that the ploty-ness of the characters didn't really feel organic. Too many characters just flat out telling you too much about their plots. The reader sort of knew what was going to happen at all times, and sort of knew if the plan was going to work of fail right away. There was no time to really have that “oncoming train-wreck” feeling that sort of forces you to have an empathetic connection to a character. Although things didn't always go according to plan, I don't think there was any point in the book where I felt truly surprised.

I also wasn't a fan of all of the violence in the book. I mean, let's be honest - there tends to be a lot of violence in fantasy and science fiction. Death lends itself well to epic-ness. And most of the time it doesn't really bother me, but for some reason in this book it did. I think, perhaps, because I didn't feel anything while reading about it? Normally when reading about tragic events happening to a beloved character it creates some sort of emotional response, but I had none of that in this book. It made reading about their terrible situations feel rather awkward and uncomfortable. The fighting and resulting body count seemed to be just a bit over the top - everything was just a bit too obviously a pissing match to see which character was the most badass. Everyone being so incredibly skilled and having a near-infinite supply of daggers didn't lend much credence to the fight scenes either.

Even the resolution of the story was dissatisfying. I understand that this is part of a trilogy, but the end of the first book didn't have much of an ending, with a lot of plot points unresolved, and a lot of characters lacking a follow-up after the climax of the story. Granted, the lack of point of view can be a very effective way to achieve a cliff hanger, but I don't think it was used to full effect here. I wasn't really concerned about any of the characters, the story just seemed to end because the night was over and everyone was heading back to their hidey-holes.

So, yeah, I wasn't a fan of this book. Which is too bad because it came highly recommended and I was excited to read it at first. It had the makings of a good fantasy story, but nothing really felt fully flushed out. Fantasy books tend to be long for a reason - you need a lot of details to create a believable world with believable characters and interesting plot. This book lacked lacked the details, and thus lacked the interest for me. The one thing I will say is that in reading this book and being readily able to pick out its flaws, it made it much more evident what is required to make a good fantasy novel actually work. Obviously, I am not going to give this novel a high recommendation, as I really don't think got enough enjoyment to justify the time spent on it. However, I do think it could be useful for aspiring writers to read it - juxtaposing it with something like A Song of Ice and Fire can be extremely informative as to why and how long epic stories work. Hint: having a complicated plot, badass characters, and shiny weapons isn't it.

Altered Carbon is a futuristic science fiction noir-ish detective novel. It follows Takeshi Kovacs, an off-world criminal/detective with militaristic Envoy training, as he attempts to solve the "murder" of one of Earth's oldest and wealthiest citizens. Kovacs lives in a future where a person's identity can be downloaded, backed up, and re-sleeved in different bodies to allow them a perpetual existence, if they can afford the cost. The wealthiest have multiple cloned sleeves, and automatic mental back-ups at regular intervals. The poorest can sometimes afford a new synthetic sleeve, but more often spend time on stack - a virtual holding ground for those without physical bodies. In a world where one can live forever, "real death" is hard to come by, though some choose it for religious reasons. Murder is more of an inconvenience than a finality - memory between the last backup and time of death is lost, but as long as the virtual memory center is intact, revival is a straightforward option.There are a lot of fascinating ideas and themes presented in this book. The concept of re-sleeving allows one to ponder what it would be like to adjust to and live in another person's body. How much does the physical body have to do with relationships, and how much of it is based on the personality? The idea that we choose our friends and partners based on personality is nice notion, but biochemistry plays a large part as well, and this book looks at that in an interesting roundabout way. Also, having recently read [b:Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom 29587 Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom Cory Doctorow https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1406608958s/29587.jpg 1413] by Cory Doctorow, it was interesting to see several of the same themes and ideas presented in slightly different ways. I feel like Altered Carbon has the more realistic presentation - with economics playing a larger factor - and that the presentation of the themes were a bit more subtle and woven into the story. The themes were a bit more obvious in Down and Out, but I also feel that in some instances they were a bit more flushed out as well.The story itself was entertaining, though the “detective” parts of the story did seem to take large logical leaps at times. I was never board, and at times fully engrossed while reading this book. There was perhaps a bit more sex and violence than I would normally read, though I do admit they were important plot points in the story, so it wasn't entirely gratuitous. I liked it more than I expected I would, and thought the writing itself was pretty good. It isn't the typical type of story I tend to read (I usually go more for epic fantasy and space operas), but I found myself really enjoying the world this book creates nonetheless. I also like that the author has set up his world so that his main character can easily go anywhere (through digital mental transfers) and become anybody (with re-sleeving). It gives a Quantum Leap type ability to tell the story from different perspectives that I find very fun. It also means that, although this is a series, it would be very easy to set up each of the sequels to be entirely different from the story presented in the first novel. The book felt very self-contained. I could see myself reading the sequel novels in the future, but I don't feel like I need to read them immediately, because I feel like I have already read a complete story. It is a nice change of pace from a lot of the other books I have been reading lately. I mean, I love a good series, but sometimes it is nice to not have to read several thousand pages to get a sense of completion satisfaction.Overall I have to say I really enjoyed this book. It was a fun story with some interesting ideas. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but definitely worth the read for fans of science fiction or detective stories.