Off The Shelf : Nice Dragons Finish Last

It's been a while since I posted a fresh book review. You've been getting a number of posts from the old blog, and while I should feel slightly sorry for that, I don't. I'm trying to keep things rolling, and it's not easy. But today we have a freshly finished read to share. So I'm tickled about that.

Nice Dragons Finish Last

by Rachel Aaron

287 Pages

(I read the digital edition)

I read this book after having it recommended to me by a friend. I've been having trouble being able to stay focused on a book long enough to finish one. Yes I've read a few short stories, but novel of any kind have been a struggle. Partially due to stress, but that's not what we're supposed to be looking at today.

This is a light read with a recommended age range of 13-18. While there are some references to adult activities, I don't feel they are so out of place to require a warning about them.

Off the Shelf: Monsters and Villains

Time for something a little lighter to read, though it sounds a little heavy with it's stated goal being "a guide to some of the greatest villains and monsters throughout history." (pg. 7)

Monsters and Villains of the Movies and Literature
Gerrie McCall
96 pgs


Okay, this one was not originally my pick, but a book Sang grabbed at the used bookstore some months back that he then forgot he had.  I found it one night when bored and spent an entertaining hour or two reading through the pages and the facts they had, and now I'm going to share with you!

As far as organization, this book is a solid 10.  The contents are exactly what the titles says it will be, and is even split up under subject headings, start with Monsters from the Movies, then Terror in the Library, which moves to Fairy Tales and Fantasy before winding up with Creatures from Myth.  About every two pages, there is a new monster, leading to about 44 in all (leaving some pages for an intro and an index).  Most of the monsters and villains featured will be at least passingly familiar to anyone who does a lot of reading or movie watching, such as Nosferatu, Mr. Hyde, and Medusa, but the selection also varies to ones that almost everyone has heard of, but has probably put little thought into, such as the flying monkeys from The Wizard of Oz and Rumpelstiltskin, and then to ones that people may have heard of, by may not know the name of, like Imhotep (The Mummy and many movies since) and Grendel (Beowulf).  The book even features the whale, Moby Dick!

Honestly, the book is definitely not a heavy read for an adult, but is still fun.  Each heading features a picture of the villain or monster, with at least four points of interest pointed out and described.  The second page features a short, one-to-two paragraph summary, a map of where in the world the monster or villain will be found, and a short collection of facts.  For an example, on Jason (yes, the Jason of Friday the 13th), one of the points of interest is the machete in his hand, describing it's significance (while I assume most people know, I won't spoil it for those who do not), the paragraph describes some of the various things Jason has gone through in the various movies, as well as his "creation."  Of the facts, I found this one particularly interesting: "Even though Jason is a fictional character, he was awarded MTV's Lifetime Achievement Award in 1992." (pg 29)

Overall, this book is definitely a simple read, but still enjoyable.  I would say fans of monsters of all ages would get some pleasure from it, though I think it's mainly marketed toward the elementary-crowd; older readers might find it better to check it out from the library for a quick read rather than dropping cash on it (though I got it for $2, and I definitely it worth that, and collectors of movie monster memorabilia might find it an interesting addition).  Definitely anyone, male or female, can enjoy this, if nothing else than for the facts, like I did.  Sang picked up a second, related book that I may review later, if it's as good as the first, but it just screamed more Halloween to me, so I'm holding off, for now.

Off the Shelf: Star of the Morning

A return to the genre of fantasy with Star of the Morning, one of the Nine Kingdoms books.

Star of the Morning
Lynn Kurland
315 pages 


I want to start out by saying that I have not, yet, read any of the other Nine Kingdoms books, but as Lynn Kurland's site lists this as the first of the series, I'm off to a good start.  So far, the series looks to have 10 books, set in groups of three as to the featured protagonist; while more than half of Star of the Morning is done from a second main character's point of view, the book very much centers around Morgan, the woman seen standing on the cover above.  The following two books also seem to feature her, but I don't want to put up the spoilers that the titles give; if you're curious, you can always look them up!

You cannot get much more medieval fantasy than Star of the Morning.  It centers around a dark evil trying to overtake a Kingdom, a king beset by a sudden plague (of sorts), his mage brother looking for an answer, and a young woman who may be the shining light to save the kingdom... maybe.  There are a lot of complications, little and big, and the ending to the book is not what you would expect.  You can think of it a little in terms of King Arthur and the Sword in the Stone, but instead of pulling the sword out and ruling all of England, Arthur finds out exactly what the sword does and decides to throw it back into the weaponsmith's furnace.  It's hard to describe this book without giving too much away, but there is the epic quest formula, a very strong heroine (I do not know why the book cover shows her in a dress - she doesn't wear a dress throughout the entire book), and quite a few twists and turns that fit well with the story, but can still manage to surprise an avid reader from time to time.

All in all, I did enjoy the book quite a bit, and the ending has me hooked to see how the story could possibly go on from here, as it seems the entire quest has proved fruitless and does not appear to be fixable.  There is also a nice little teaser from book five of the series, Spellweaver, this one having a male protagonist, that seems equally as well written.  There is a tiny touch of romance to the book that might turn some off, but it is less in the way of a romantic relationship and more an added burden of the characters having to face the difficulty in duty versus desire.

That said, I think Star of Morning is a very good, very well-written book that has a lot of appeal, though definitely is only for those who enjoy medieval-fantasy.  Not in-your-face unicorns and stuff, but mostly mages and the age-old good-versus-evil battles.  There really is no gender bias to this book, as the main character is a female, but the other half of the story is told through the eyes of the archmage, who is a male, so there is a very nice balance.  I could also see a wide range of ages enjoying this story.  It may be a bit too advanced for most middle-schoolers, depending on their individual reading level, but I can see myself having read this book as part of my free-reading selections in seventh grade, if I had had it at that point, and I enjoyed it just as much nearly two decades later.

Off the Shelf: Darkness of the Light

Oh, no, she's doing another fantasy novel...!!!  Well, not really.  Read on to learn more!

Darkness of the Light
Peter David
528 pages


Okay, before anyone gets made at me, yes, I picked this book up at the used bookstore thinking it was a fantasy novel.  Twelve races that sound a lot like dragons/dragonmen, cyclops, a form of vampires, and two aquatic-type races I found hard to pinpoint (one is kind of like sentient whales, the others ma be more like a merfolk race, but they can live out of water?  I don't really know...), and even a satyr that takes a prominent roll, to mix with what seems to be a human and a lizardman on the cover.  However, as I read the book, I started to realize this is actually more like science fiction disguised as fantasy, with other worlds, time travel, and even something that I am fairly convinced was a nuclear weapon.  So, please do not pillory me, I put it up here as an offering to science fiction fans, though it is not so far removed from fantasy that I think lovers there would enjoy it.

So, the novel actually crosses all of the races, which can be a little confusing to read, hoping from one race to the next from chapter to chapter, though most of the story pieces do seem to line up or cross at some section, and the few that do not, I am assuming will in the later books, as this one says book one of The Hidden Earth on it.  The main character, if you can narrow it down to just one, is actually that fiesty female on the cover, called Jepp, who happens to be a Pleasure Slave.  For those who are Star Trek: The Next Generation fans, there is an episode in season five called "The Perfect Mate," featuring an empath who can read men's desires and conform to them; think of Jepp as being along those lines, but with a little bit of extra oomph, like in the fact she can go into berserker rages if the person she has bonded with is in danger and slaughter people with her bare hands, a la the book cover.  However, there is a lot more going on in this world than you initially would think, and the tale is a lot bigger than just Jepp and her new guardian; in fact, there are some pieces that lead me to believe that the "damned world" (excuse the language, that's a direct quote used to refer to the planet) is actually Earth at some stage in the future, now used as a prison for troublesome other races.  This is not openly confirmed in the book, but the summary posted on amazon states that it is "formerly Earth," so I'm going to assume my extrapolation was correct.

When getting down to the nitty-gritty, this book is not a very simple read.  It's not really a language or subject-matter issue, per se, but more the fact that any book leaping around amongst members of at least eight of the twelve races, some feature more than one character's point of view at different areas, can be very hard to follow.  Yes, I get that they are all intersected, or will be intersected, but it can make the reading very disjointed, and there are times I honestly wondered to myself if I really wanted to finish the book that badly... and yet I did keep reading until the end, and even with the complicated interweaving stories, I do find myself contemplating getting the next book to see what happens, especially as the earlier-mentioned supposed nuclear weapon and it's fall-out is going to make things interesting.

Overall, while something featuring a "pleasure slave" seems like it should be X-rated, I think any adult could read this book, and maybe some young adults, though go into it with your eyes open that you will want to keep mental notes about who's who (though this does start to simplify toward the end of the book).  I can see those of any gender reading this book equally, but I do think those into alternate-Earth sci-fi would enjoy Darkness of the Light more than most others, with probably fantasy readers as a runner up.  While not a huge sci-fi fan, myself, I am still considering looking into getting the next book, Heights of the Depths, and seeing where that takes me... I'll let you all know if I do.

Off the Shelf: The Shack

The first thing I want to lay out there is that The Shack will not be for everyone.  It's a work of religious fiction that deals with some very heavy themes, and the page total is not an extremely high one for me (my average fun-reading book runs 300-500 pages), but this book is not an easy read. 

The Shack or The Shack: Where Tragedy Confronts Eternity
William P. Young
256 pages

The story being told is a tear-jerker of dealing with a horrible personal tragedy mixed with themes of Christianity and forgiveness (I think the book's religious basis could potentially cross religions, but the base values used in the book are Christian).  The themes being dealt with are not light or cheerful, and wrapping your head around some of the concepts, even as simple as they sound in hindsight and written in novel form, makes this book a relatively difficult read.

That being said, even while I cried through a lot of this novel, I found this book to be an extremely fantastic read.  Even if you view religion from a more schoolastic approach of study, I think you could find this book a really interesting read, and anyone going through a loss that is at all religious could really find this book helpful, as it tackles dealing with drastic loss and balancing that with the view that God is a loving, caring, forgiving power.

For those that find the book to be a little too hard to wrap your head around (I consider myself smarter than the average dodo, and there were parts I had to read and re-read to really come to grasp what was being said), The Shack was made into a film in 2017 that I have watched since reading the book.  It is extremely well done and parallels the book nicely, but I will say the book is the far more detailed and better of the two, but there is only so much that can be done in the length of time a movie allows.  But the movie does make the heavy themes easier to understand, and it is always nice that is stars some big names in it (Avatar's Sam Worth plays the lead, and Octavia Spencer from The Help and Hidden Figures plays another important role, while Tim McGraw plays a minor role and also functions as a narrator).

All that being said, I loved this book.  I picked it up blindly at Walmart in July, never having heard of it, as the only thing to remotely attract my attention.  After reading it, then re-reading it, I hunted down the movie, then re-read the book again.  I will admit that I cried, a lot, both reading and watching The Shack, and I know this book will be polarizing and have a list of people with zero interest in it after finding out that it's religious fiction, but I honestly loved the book, have it featured prominently on my bookshelf, and know I'll read it again.

Target-audience wise, while some teens may like the book, with the difficult themes, I really think this book is more for adults.  While I think that anyone could enjoy this book, even as just an interesting way to look at dealing with loss and forgiveness, I think those who are at least open to religion will accept this book's central themes more, but gender-wise, both men and women can definitely find worth in this book.

~*~

Off the Shelf: Dicey's Song

This one is an award-winning classic I originally remembered from my school days, but was actually excited to see again.

Dicey's Song
Cynthia Voigt
211 pages

Originally published in 1982 (before I was born), this cover I've shown is the copy I have, printed in 1987.  The most recent publication is from 2012, and is available on amazon in hardcover, paperback, and kindle, though it puts the pages at 256 versus the 211 of my copy.

This book is easy to read, but the subject matter can be a difficult.  Four children are adjusting to life under the new guardianship of their grandmother after their extremely ill mother ends up in a psychiatric hospital.  The book mainly centers around the new family dynamic and adjusting to life while dealing with the differences between what most would consider "normal" family and their own, as well as the struggle of dealing with their mother's health issues.  While mental illness is addressed more freely now days, it still carries a heavy stigma, and at the time of this book's original publishing, that stigma was even more heavily felt.

The book center's mainly on Dicey, settling in to her new life, dealing with her family, her school, and growing up a bit in this alternative family dynamic.  The writing flows smoothly, carrying the reader through home life, school, after school jobs, but also tackling some pretty heavy subject matter, especially towards the end of the book, as the family really has to focus on what is going on with Mama.

Honestly, I loved Dicey's Song since childhood, though I think it is because I found many parts of the book relatable, which is why I still read this book today.  It's a book that sticks with you.  You'll most likely find this book in the Young Adult's section, and I think that is where it belongs.  While some advanced readers or those with an interest in more serious, real-life-like subject matter will like it at a younger age, as I did, I honestly think those in the mid-teens and up will get the most of of this book.  When most people thing "young adult, teen book," they think happy endings, romance, or Twilight, and this is none of these things. I won't spoil the ending, but while things start to come together, this is not a book for those looking for a rosey happy ever after ending.

So, my conclusion?  This book, while featured on a female protagonist, is good for any gender to read, but this is not light, feel-good material, but thoughtful.  I think those with a more serious mein will get more out of the book, but that young adults to adults are the best to pick up and read this aware-winning classic.

Off the Shelf: The Jolly Postman

I was super-excited to be unpacking after moving and find this children's classic amongst my things, with all of the parts miraculously intact, considering this book is from the '80s and has been in my family since... at least early 1990s, through at least a dozen moves to different houses in three different states.

The Jolly Postman or Other People's Letters
Janet & Allan Ahlberg
32 pages

This book is a little different spin on fairy tales, with the postman delivering letters to such fairy tale classics as the three bears, the big bad wolf, Goldilocks, Cinderella, and the wicked witch.  At each step, there is something within each letter that can be pulled out and read, letting the audience actually see what kind of mail each is being sent.  The main book is done in rhyme, with illustrations, and each of the pieces of mail are unique to each recipient.

While definitely a children's book, I would say this is aimed mainly at elementary students, though I even enjoyed a nostalgic read-through as an adult, and some of the pieces of mail would need explaining.  The original tags on the book say for kindergarten and up, but I think that depends on the child involved... many won't have the attention span for some of the "mail" at that young of an age, and if you don't keep a close watch, the mail is sure to end up disappearing, as the envelopes are attached to the pages, but the contents are removable.

That being said, this book is good for any gender child.  The main story is easily read to the younger crowd, and the older ones will enjoy the mail, which includes advertisements and even legal documents.  I personally could see my 5-10 year old nephews getting excited about the story and some of the mail, but the aforementioned legal ones would probably bore them to tears or confuse them, but elementary kids probably make the best audience with child-at-heart adults behind those.  I will admit that I totally am keeping this book, and got excited to find out there are at least two more books, one a Christmas one that I am committed to buying.

Off the Shelf: Winter Wishes

I love me an anthology.  I think you really do get more bang for the buck, getting a selection of reading material grouped together on a central theme.  If one story isn't quite up your alley, other may well be.

This is a newer addition to my bookshelf - in fact, I just got it last week as a present while grocery shopping.  I love romance anthologies, as I feel they offer more, and they are normally more romance-oriented over adult themes than other members of the genre.

Winter Wishes
Christmas Kisses by Fern Michaels, 101 pages
Blue Moon Harbor by Susan Fox, 104 pages
Second Chance Christmas by Jules Bennett, 81 pages
Finding Colin by Leah Marie Brown, 98 pages

Book total: 399 pages (there are some blank pages and after words in there)

Each of these novellas is an easy read.  They are all relatively short, and each is different in it's own way.  The first has a quirky, creative heroine starting over fresh, the second are old lovers reunited, the third are people who originally met in hard circumstances being reintroduced in a different light, and the last is a woman fixated on the unattainable setting out to find it, but finding something new that may be a better fit.

Nice taglines, huh?  I'm proud to say those little summaries are my own.

While each of these shorts are similar in that they involve Christmas, they are all different, too.  Personally, I got the least enjoyment from Blue Moon Harbor, but that is, conversely, because it seems the most realistic to me.  In the heroine's shoes, I'd want to punch the male lead, which makes the fictional lead a better woman than I am... maybe a little too unrealistically so?  My favorite is a toss-up between lead author Fern Michael's addition and then Jules Bennett's Second Chance Christmas.  Of the two, Michael's is the more light-hearted read, and a little more traditional for a quick, neatly-tied romance offer, while Jules adds in a bit more weighty subject matter, dealing with loss and, of course, second chances.  I found Finding Colin enjoyable and different, both in that it is the only of the four stories to use first-person perspective, and that the heroine is relatably realistic in her quirks, if a bit, um, fan-girl-extreme for my tastes.

I was open about the fact I like sappy romances, and this is in that category.  I honestly love books like this, especially around Christmas time.  I can't explain why, I just do.  I've been looking for these at my local used book store, but haven't had much luck, so I was overjoyed to find one at the grocery store that I was allowed to splurge on for $5.99.  I won't completely gender-lock this one, as I know some men who read romances, but I do think it's geared more toward female audiences.  Anyone who wants romance without in-your-face adult themes and likes the holidays will get something from this book, with probably young-adults and up that are interested in the genre being the best audience for the collective work.

Hijacking the Blog for Off the Shelf!

Hi, my names is Amanda, and I'm hijacking Katie's blog.  Wait!  Wait!  Don't rebel yet - it's with permission.  She asked me to do some book reviews, as she knows I'm a hard-core reader, and I have a backlog to share with you.

My name is Amanda, Katie and I have been friends for more years than either of us wants to own to, but I feel like she is my sister.  I'm glad to do this for her, but I'm a bit of an easily-distracted scatterbrain, so I'm way behind.  I'm hoping to make it all up to her, though.

About me:

1) I like books.  A lot.  As a change from Katie, I prefer solid book form to an e-book, as I tend to multi-task on a computer a lot, and I also lose my place a lot easier when I'm reading from an Adobe-like file.  I love the feel of a book in my hands, new or used, and the ambience and smell of a library or a good used book store is amazing to me.

2) I own a menagerie.  Four cats, a moose disguised as a dog, about a dozen fish in two aquariums, a hamster, and now an axolotl.  It keeps me busy.

3) Since agreeing to do these reviews, I've bought a house, renovated, moved, and supported my fiance through the trials of getting his NREMT (he just completed this within the last month).  So I slacked off horribly, which left your book reviews in limbo, me being a bad friend to Katie, and more on her shoulders.  But I'm gonna try to change all that now.

4)  Back to books... I like to think my favorite genre is fantasy, but honestly, it's romance.  Now that I'm older, I can admit this, though I promise not to deluge with a bunch of torrid x-rated items.  Not really my thing, and I do have more varied tastes.  Just do not be surprised if some of the fantasy or other items have at least a tiny bit of romance somewhere in there... but I also have Katie's list, and a treasure trove of books from before I became Prince Charming obsessed to fall back on, so you're in for a variety.

Enough with excuses and introductions... It's nice to meet you all, I'll hopefully see you fairly regularly, and she hopefully won't kick me off her blog when she sees my taste in books.

Ciao, book lovers!

Off The Shelf : Nothing Everything Nothing

Today I'm going to tell you about a book I've read called Nothing Everything Nothing by Casia Schreyer. It's a work of young adult fiction that explores a few topics that are important lately. Including bullying and suicide awareness. You can find it for purchase on Smashwords. If you prefer a hard copy though, they are available through Amazon.com.

Nothing Everything Nothing
Casia Schreyer
220 Pages

This book, in many way hit home for me. The characters are very relatable and believable. In some ways scarily so, because a few of the characters sound like people in my daily life. Which makes everything that much more heart wrenching as the story goes on.

The story revolves around a girl named Molly, who's trying her hardest to fit in with a group of popular girls. But unbeknownst to her, she's only part of the group to make the rest of the group feel better about herself. But this saddening angle isn't the only one that's explored in the book, where many levels of depth make things more complicated and emotional.

A few different ideas about love are explored. Unconditional love is shown in varying degrees. Yet darker points about teenage love is explored, how it can be used as a prize. You give me what I want and I'll love you. Be what I want you to be and I'll love you. You can be popular if you're like us. You can be like us if you just lose a little weight. It makes the reader reflect on what's enough. How much should anyone change to try and fit in, how much should anyone have to give up to be popular?

The author also deals with the reality of cyberbullying in a way that clearly illustrates how harmful this can be. While teenagers, and even adults may think what they say and do online can have no repercussions they're not necessarily correct. It's wrong to think words online can't hurt people emotionally. When hurtful words are coupled with negative experiences, there's no telling the havoc they can cause.

Suicide is also a touchy subject. Many people like to brush it under the carpet, often believing that no one they know would ever succumb to the temptation. This book not only looks at the situations and occurrences that lead up to someone feeling  that suicide is the only answer they have, but it also illustrates clearly how the actions change the lives of more than just one person. A factor that I appreciate.

If you've read some posts in the past that look at suicide on this blog you may understand why I found that to be something to appreciate. Too often there's a lack of clarity in situations surrounding suicide. People often think things like that don't happen to people they know. But by expressing things in the book as they are, it becomes clear that things are not always so cut and dry.

A good read, with some trigger topics. But as long as you're aware of them you can enjoy the piece. Sales of the book also help support a help hotline. A noble gesture. If you read this book, please let me know what you think of it also, it's always nice to compare interpretations.

Off the Shelf : The Death of Yorik Mortwell

Am sure that by now you're used to me posting about things that I've read in digital format. This is a change of pace we're looking at a book that I brought home in hard copy format. Nothing is ever going to replace the way turning the  pages in a book feels. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't enjoy digital books. They all have their own types of appeal.

Image from Amazon

The Death of Yorik Mortwell

Stephen Messer

173 pages

Illustrated by Gris Grimly

To be fair, it was the art combined with the first two lines of the book that hooked me. Gris Grimly is a name that I recognize, and I enjoy his art style. So you could say that in truth, this was sort of a guilty pleasure read. It's a young adult, or maybe a juvenile book. So it's aimed at younger readers. But I know that I'm not the only one that has a soft spot for a light enjoyable read.

"Twelve-year-old Yorik Mortwell lay on the hard, cold ground, dead.

            His day had started off rather better than that."

                        Chapter 1, Stephen Messer

Am sure you can see why the first couple of lines hooked me. There's a level of understanding without even getting any further. We all have days like that, where things start out good and just go downhill from there. So I really enjoyed the way the story moved. It had a wonderful pace, and it kept it without really slowing down.

I would classify this almost a steampunk piece. Just because of some of the referencing in the book. There's a dirigible, and a few other elements, such as an almost fairy like creature or three. So it definitely touches on the general imagery you would see in the genre without being so complex as to distract from the plot. Also, if you have a younger reader interested in the supernatural this would be a good book for them. It's not scary, and there are no gory descriptions.

I really enjoyed this book, although I'm sue you've figured that out by now. I would recommend it for all age groups, it's a good read for a male or female audience. If you do read it, I hope you enjoy it. 

Off The Shelf : A Lycan's Mate

Short reads are interesting. They often give you a taste of the writers style. By getting that initial idea about how someone writes, it can give a reader a nice jumping point when it comes to deciding what they want to read when it comes to longer pieces. I found this short read randomly as I was browsing the books on amazon.

A Lycan's Mate
by Chandler Dee

Why was this story interesting enough for me to mention it? Well for one thing, the stories title implies that it would be a romance. But it's more of a political piece. It offers the reader a glimpse into the way the authors lycan world works. You're treated to a gathering where a pack is selecting a new Alpha.

The main character is a strong female alpha named Jurisa. I liked this fact. Strong female characters often hit a soft spot in me, appealing to my own imagination. But what I liked most about Jurisa is that she's making choices, not for herself, but for the good of her pack. In this story Jurisa is running to select a new male alpha for the pack. But I don't want to spoil it for you, so I won't go any further.

In my opinion this short story is appropriate for older readers. It's not intended for children. It's not sexual, and it is not offensive either. It's very well written, clear, and flows well. A very good taste of this writers style, and enjoyable too.