In Pursuit of My Own Library

Nobody is smarter than Artemis Fowl.  And that might just be a good thing for Holly Short this time.  She is going to need the boy genius to save all of fairy civilization from the ultimate arch nemesis. Another fantastic addition to the Artemis Fowl series.  Quick paced and fun to read, these novels are an excellent selection when I'm looking for lighthearted reads before bed. While I was once leery to continue this series, I will now see them out to the end.  Even when they have their slow moments, they still fill a purpose in my reading schedule.

There are just times when a middle grade novel is what I need to read.  That is usually after a heavy dose of academic reading.  While Appalachian Reckoning  was fascinating and had the ability to spark some very interesting conversation in the house, it was extremely exhausting to read. Artemis Fowl: The Eternity Code  was a great way to wind down and relax my brain.  It was entertaining as any other heist story you may come across.  Artemis senior is home and ready to get on the straight and narrow.  This does not sit well with Artemis junior, however.  How are they supposed to keep their vast hordes of gold incoming with legitimate business? In his final scheme, Artemis plans to make enough gold to keep the status quo.  Our favorite boy genius uses stolen fairy tech to entice the head of the competing big shot to set up the Fowls for life.   Unfortunately, Artemis bites off more than he can chew by trying to swindle  one  of the most pompous, greedy villains and almost reveals a

I had never heard of Hillbilly Elegy .  (I must have been living under a rock or something.)  When Appalachian Reckoning  showed up on my Netgalley list, I was instantly interested.  The subject matter is incredibly close to my heart.  I looked up Hillbilly Elegy  and read some synopses.  I was aggravated.  My family made the same diaspora from Appalachia to the Rust Belt during the Great Depression.  They moved into the very town Vance worked his way out of.  They lead incredibly similar lives, but we came to very different conclusions on how to handle our situations. I was very interested to read responses from others who live in the same region.  Were others as offended with Vance's representation as I was, or did I stand alone?  Well, honestly, I got a little more than I bargained for in Appalachian Reckoning .  The first half of the book is a collection of response essays of an academic nature.  The second half is more personal responses in all kinds of literary formats. T

What another wonderful segment in the world of Lady Mechanika.  I have absolutely loved this series.  The steampunk ascetic, the myths, the atmosphere, the great characters.  I could absolutely go on to list a hundred things I enjoy about this series.  It makes me understand why people buy serial comics when the subject is something they enjoy so thoroughly. Volume 4 was becoming a little gruesome and dark as Mr. Lewis confronted his past.  I actually put off reading La Belle Dame sans Merci until it was published as Volume 5 actually. Mr. Lewis's only solace was at the bottom of a bottle until he meets a beautiful and mysterious widow.  Love is certainly in the air.  But what happens when that love turns deadly?  It's old, reliable friend pitted against an irresistible spark of light.  The emotions are running high and deep in Volume 5.  The level of fantasy in La Belle Dame sans Merci is over 9,000.  We are talking fairies, people.  The steampunk was very low key this a

Rincewind saves my Discworld every time.  He is just priceless.  Our satire this time--the Art of War.  The gods are bored and decide to play a game.  Fate is playing Imperial China on the verge of the communist revolution.  The Lady decides to counter with the one pawn Fate will never be able to anticipate, the Great Wizzard Rincewind.  The other pawns on the board are Genghiz Cohen, the barbarian invader from the north; Hex, the super conglomeration made by the Unseen wizards; Lord Hong, the dreamer of empires; the Luggage, and little luggage babies (cute!); and the return of the amazing Twoflower, tourist extraordinaire.  Worlds collide as Cohen tries to civilize up in order to steal the empire, Lord Hong attempts a coup, and Rincewind is magically transported with Unseen University's version of physics.  The amount of fumbling in this novel absolutely restored the humor I had been missing in the last couple novels.  What excited me the most, however, was the ending.  Inst

We pick up immediately after the face-walloping cliffhanger from  Smoke & Summons .  The emotion is high intensity right from the get go and never lets go of your heartstrings.  The raw emotion of Sandis as she puts together the pieces of her life is very intense and a little overwhelming at times.  There is a lot of angst and sense of betrayal.  While being incredibly vivid and real, I actually felt it was a little too much for enjoyable reading at moments. The action is just as fast-paced and visceral as Smoke & Summons .  Sandis and Rone are on another mad dash around Kolingrad in their ever present struggle against Kazen.  But the game is turned up a notch in Myths & Mortals  as Sandis decides to turn her flight into a pursuit.  She is not going to let Kazen make her decisions any more.  She wants to put an end to the non-stop anxiety and restlessness that is dogging her heels. There are many highs and many lows to be had on the path to her freedom and the world'