Current reads.

I haven't updated in a while -- not because I haven't read, but mostly because I haven't had a chance (or the energy) to log the books I've finished on here. I keep track of everything I've read in a physical booklog as well, as eventually what I've read will make its way (usually in a more detailed form) onto this blog. I've been dealing with a lot of health issues lately though and I've barely had the energy to work nevermind read or update this blog, but I'm hoping that getting back into the things that I enjoy might help me start to feel better.

I thought I might start off again just with a brief rundown of what I currently have on my reading plate. I usually read a LOT (A LOT) of books at once, so even though this list might seem lengthy, it's actually pretty small compared to what I normally have going on at the same time.



I picked up Hannah Arendt's Eichmann in Jerusalem because we had read an excerpt from it in my Philosophy in Literature course a couple of years ago and I found it very compelling. It was available when I made my fancy, shiny new library card at the Carnegie Library here in Pittsburgh (we moved to PBGH about a month ago) and I thought now was as good a time as any to read the whole thing. So far it's been dry, but I'm at the beginning still and I'm still optimistic about it. In any case, it is not as dry as the little book on relativism that I bought a few years back and never got around to -- I'm actually not sure if I can make myself finish it, that's how yawnful it is. Clive Barker's Coldheart Canyon is similarly boring -- this is actually much more shocking to me because I am a secret Barker fanboy and have liked basically everything I've ever read by him, even the really creepy, icky stuff, so to not be immediately absorbed by his writing is kind of disturbing. I suppose I'll finish it though, because I want to be familiar with all of his writing.



I picked up The Monstrumologist because some friends of mine had given it such great reviews, and the book of short gothic stories for young adults was a spur-of-the-moment library checkout because I spied it on the shelf and short horror stories are my thing. Darren Shan's Lord Loss was obligatory at the library because I loved his vampire series and wanted to give more of his writing a shot. So far the short stories have been actually REALLY decent, good-quality stuff. I'm pleasantly surprised. I have to say I wasn't expecting it. I haven't started the other two yet.



Finally, Cinda Williams Chima's The Warrior Heir I picked up a couple of summers ago at a yard sale and didn't get around to reading and I'm trying to polish it off in my attempt to start downsizing my personal library and pruning books I don't need or want. After I finish it I plan on giving it away, unless I really wind up enjoying it -- so far it's kind of just okay.

So that's what's going on right now with my personal reading. I'm actually just about finished with a few other books that are part of the pile that I read aloud to my boyfriend at night while he paints or works or what have you, and I want to have reviews for those available too. Most of them are re-reads that I thought he might enjoy, but most of them do not already have a review on this blog and I'm trying to be comprehensive in my logging!

The Blood Books: Vol. 1 by Tanya Huff

Date Published: 2006, DAW Books.
ISBN: 075 - 640 - 387 - 1
# of Pages: 554

I didn't think I liked mysteries or crime/detective novels, but this may have converted me (though, then again, maybe it's the supernatural fantasy stuff I like so much). This book is actually two books -- the first in a series by Huff that follows a policewoman-turned-private-detective due to a degenerative eye condition who finds herself involved in supernatural cases after unwittingly teaming up with 400+ year-old vampire Henry Fitzroy, a historical romance novelist and the bastard son of Henry VIII. The first book follows the investigation of the conjuring of a demon. The second follows some trouble with a local (friendly) werewolf pack that is being systematically hunted down.

The writing is fast-paced and engaging and the characters are all very likeable (even the un-like-able ones) which is a sign of decent quality writing to me. After reading this I acquired (hrrm-umph) the Canadian TV series that was based on these books and found a lot of very interesting differences and similarities. I enjoyed that Henry was a romance novelist while reading this book. I thought that it added some dimension and seemed to be a pretty understandable profession for an immortal vampire to take up when he finds that he isn't really able to do things like "be outside during the day" or "associate with other people", and really it was just very cute. In the TV series they change this profession to graphic novelist which just made me kind of nauseous. I got the impression that romance novelist just wasn't masculine enough. They also very explicitly played down on Henry's very transparent bisexuality in the novels which I ALSO thought was very interesting and enjoyed very much.

I liked that the focus shifts to multiple supernatural creatures and that there seems to be a lot of different directions these stories can take. I think that this is fairly standard procedure for novels (supernatural crime solving novels seem to be a genre in and of themselves these days...) like this but I imagine for its time (1991) it was quite progressive. It has the usual trappings of poor plot development and predictable sequences of events that I would expect, but for what it is I think it is pretty decent.

Dingo by Charles de Lint

Date Published: 2008, Firebird.
ISBN: 014 - 240 - 816 - 6
# of Pages: 224

I acquired this book at a bookstore in the mall that has since closed down when I was roughly 17. I read it immediately then and put it aside for a few years until last summer when I read through it again to my boyfriend. We both enjoyed it for its magical qualities but took some issues with it that, while they didn't completely detract from the enjoyability of the writing, made me a bit hesitant to read more work by this author (though I read and enjoyed Wolf Moon some years back and have been considering revisiting it for some time...)

The story is fairly simple. A young teen in a coastal town meets a girl who has moved there from Australia. Together, he and his rival (and a town bully) learn that this girl has a twin sister and that both girls are *actually* dingoes that have the ability to turn into humans. They very quickly rely on them to get them out of trouble with another dingo named Warrigal who has threatened to marry them against their will in order to obtain power that they hold.

I thought that the first-person narrative sounded a little forced and I was really disappointed about the excess romance, but I guess that is actually fairly typical for YA fantasy. I loved the world that de Lint created and thought that was fairly redeeming but I was very back and forth about the characters. I ended up liking Johnny the most (the main character Miguel's rival). The entire time I couldn't decide if my issue was that I was at the point where I already had trouble relating to teenagers and teenage-concerns or if the author was actually just very bad at relating those concerns in a believable way. I often felt pulled out of the story because I simply didn't read the narrator's voice as a teenage-voice.

In any case, my other major issue was the very uncomfortable way that de Lint warped and used Aboriginal mythology in his story which did not even attempt to be accurate and seemed a lot like cultural misappropriation. I would have enjoyed the mythology he created a lot more if he had just made it from scratch rather than very obviously try to draw on already extant mythology and customs. It just struck me as rather disrespectful.

All-in-all it was an interesting read for several reasons but certainly wasn't anything spectacular and had some major issues that I think needed some double-checking and polishing prior to being published. I haven't heard very much about it since it was published and so I don't think it really sustained any long-term interest and I can't say I'm very surprised.

Penpal by Dathan Auerbach

Date Published: 2012, 1000Vultures.
ISBN: 098 - 554 - 550 - X
# of Pages: 238

I read this story originally on reddit's section for "creepypasta", or scary stories written (usually anonymously) by internet users and posted publicly to read. It had first been published in parts corresponding to the chapters laid out in this book. When the author announced that he would be selling a hard copy of the story with additional material, I was ecstatic. In its original form, Penpal was one of the most unique and exciting horror stories I had read to date, accounting for both "amateur" and "professional" work. I was really impressed honestly and was thrilled to have a chance to keep the story in my permanent collection.

However, Auerbach's expanded edition may succeed in building upon the original work in word count, but his often rambling and incidental additions to the text actually diminishes the story overall. I found myself dragging through the work during sections that had originally captivated my attention online, and while I appreciated the honesty of the narrator's voice, Auerbach's writing skills are simply not strong enough to hold up under the pressure of sustaining the reader's attention during prolonged periods of relative inactivity for the main character.

The underlying plot is incredibly strong, the tension building and suspense is strong (but, I hate to say it again, much stronger in the original text) but the writing is actually fairly average. I actually found that the additions to the text showcased Auerbach's iffy writing ability and drew the reader's attention away from his strong points -- the aforementioned plotting ability and ability to shock and sustain the reader's interest. A sparser writing style really helped him and made him seem like a much stronger writer than he may actually be. I can see an incredible career for him in short story writing (a skill that very few people have), but perhaps prolonged narrative text is something to work on for the time being before seriously attempting to market it again.

The end result is still a better horror tale than most people seem to be producing these days, and his originality should be celebrated, really. The story itself is strong, intriguing and horrifying. As the pieces come together bit by bit, and the reader begins to put the story together, the story elicits genuine terror and surprise. I have not been affected by a story like that in a long time, and I'd love to see where time and some practice leaves this writer.

Blood Groove by Alex Bledsoe

Date Published: 2009, Tor Books.
ISBN: 076-5-323-087
# of Pages: 302

I found this book when I was browsing a small bookshop in the local mall not too long ago. I'd never heard of it before, but was itching for some funny obscure vampire book, and figured I'd found one. It was actually placed in the YA section, which surprises me a bit. After reading it, I'm not sure how many parents would be comfortable with their child -- even their teen child -- owning it.

The plot mainly involves a vampire, who was staked and paralyzed in the early 1900s, reviving in the 1970s in Memphis, and dealing with the social situation of the time. It's as much a book about race and discrimination as it is about vampires, and in many ways it deals with these themes more effectively. However, that's not to say that it's simply a metaphor or a simple parable, it's got some seriously dark, gory and violent stuff in there. It worked for me, but it may not work for everyone. Also included are some pretty graphic sex scenes. I was surprised to find it, but not put off. It worked somehow.

The main characters were very likable and intriguing, but not overly so. I was, at times, legitimately appalled by their behavior and yet attracted to them nonetheless. After a certain point, you've gotten to know them so well and are so attached to their viewpoint that they can apparently do anything, no matter how heinous, and still carry your favor. I think this is evidence of good writing and character development.

The plot itself is not contrived or cliche, and is actually quite refreshing. The vampire cliches used in the novel actually serve to accentuate just how far Bledsoe was willing to go to differentiate his tale from the other vampire books being published recently. They stood at a stark opposition to the originality, and even then they were often traditional elements that were re-imagined in some grim, non-traditional ways. There is some vampire-induced hypnotism in this book that is seriously disturbing.

Anyway, I'd recommend it to folks that are looking for something new in the genre and don't mind sex and violence, and especially those that like seeing characters that are allowed to show their dark side and yet still fill the role of the "hero".

The Walking Dead Volume 1: Days Gone Bye by Robert Kirkman & Tony Moore

Date Published: 2006, Image.
ISBN: 978-1-58240-672-5
# of Pages: 144

I picked this up yesterday because I've totally been sucked into the AMC TV series adaptation and have never even touched the graphic novels before. I felt really bad, and tomorrow is the season finale and I thought... well, this will certainly help to ward off the inevitable zombie withdrawal, even if I don't wind up liking it as much as the show.

Though honestly, I DO like it. The story is very, very similar to the beginning of the show for... about the first half of this book, I would say, though it runs at a much quicker place. The differences that were present were actually quite large (so far), which is great actually because it makes me want to continue reading because I'm not confident that I can predict what will happen next just based on having seen the show.

What I liked least about this, unfortunately, is the art style. The zombies are actually great, but the human characters are a bit choppy to me, and the male characters specifically are a bit difficult to tell apart. I like Dale a lot less in the book so far than I liked him in the show (he was my favorite character), and all of the others I can kind of give or take in both instances, so I'm hoping that it continues to zero in on the characters some more so I become more attached to them. The one major death in this book I cared very little about, though it was treated like it was significant.

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Date Published: 2008, HarperCollins Children.
ISBN: 978-0-06-0530945
# of Pages: 312

I had never read anything by Neil Gaiman before I picked up this book. I know, I know. Sue me. I have this tendency to want to read things people tell me to read and then shirk those suggestions as though fighting some evil demon that is seeking to influence my mind. I have my OWN wants and desires, I say. Well, I got around it this time by picking this book up in a small, well-decorated and horrendously under-stocked and over-priced bookstore in Miami when I was visiting my family last year. I then proceeded to put it off AGAIN for nearly a year before finally reading it, and I feel like an enormous asshat for doing so.

This book is amazing. Seriously, there are almost no words. It is an achievement in children's literature -- and despite the themes of death, some violence, and a lot of scary, scary stuff I do think this belongs in the hands of middle-schoolers, at least. Though that's really just the start. Everyone should be reading this book.

The story follows Nobody Owens, a baby whose family is murdered before the opening chapter of the book. He manages to crawl his way into a cemetery before his would-be murderer manages to realize he's missing. From there, he is raised within the safe walls of the graveyard by the ghosts that reside there, and his mysterious caretaker, Silas, who alone has the power to enter and leave the graveyard at will and so can provide Nobody with clothing, food, etc. His adoptive ghost family -- the Owenses, of course -- provide him with the affection and support he needs to grow up to be an intelligent, inquisitive and empathetic young man.

Yet his murderer is still out there, and as the reader learns more about the group that this killer is apart of, he or she becomes more wrapped up in Nobody's world -- which is, at times, incredibly, surprisingly frightening, but is more often new and exciting and beautifully macabre.

The character development was wonderful. I loved Nobody, his family, the witch he meets (don't want to spoil!) and most of all, his caretaker, Silas, whose self-conscious, uncomfortable concern for Nobody is painfully sweet.

""'We can put the food here,' said Silas. 'It's cool, and the food will keep longer.' He reached into a box, pulled out a banana.
'And what would that be when it was at home?' asked Mrs. Owens, eyeing the yellow and brown object suspiciously.
'It's a banana. A fruit, from the tropics. I believe you peel off the outer covering,' said Silas, 'like so.'
The child -- Nobody -- wriggled in Mrs. Owens's arms, and she let it down to the flagstones. It toddled rapidly to Silas, grasped his trouser-leg and held on.
Silas passed it the banana.
Mrs. Owens watched the body eat. 'Ba-na-na,' she said, dubiously. 'Never heard of them. Never. What's it taste like?'
'I've absolutely no idea,' said Silas, who consumed only one food, and it was not bananas."

Honestly, purchase this book now and read it immediately (do as I say, not as I do!) I was left feeling emotions I haven't felt in a long time from a book, and I am honestly still really upset that it's over. Superb writing, excellent story-telling, great characters and original and imaginative world and plot. There's nothing missing here.