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lauriereadslohf's reviews
1518 reviews
The Faery Reel: Tales from the Twilight Realm by Terri Windling, Ellen Datlow
4.0
I skimmed the preface, intro. and the poem by Charles De Lint. Sorry, poetry just isn't for and because my reading time is so sparse and this book is such a tome I wanted to get straight to the stories.
Catnyp by Delia Sherman: I loved this one about a human child kidnapped by the faery, renamed Neef and raised as a changeling. On a whim, she makes a bet with a broken hearted swan maiden that humans know more about love than faeries do. Unfortunately, she knows nothing about love and ventures into the library to do some research and learns a heck of a lot more than she intended to. This story was light-hearted and so much fun, the world really came alive for me.
Elvenbrood by Tanith Lee was an okay read for me but just didn't grab me the way Catnyp did. Something about Lee's writing almost always manages to keep me from connecting to the stories she writes.
Your Garnet Eyes was a very enjoyable story of love, loss and the inability to move on.
Tengu Mountain, like the others before me have said, is a beautifully atmospheric and extremely creepy story. It would make a fantastic horror movie.
The Faery Handbag by Kelly Link This was an interesting story but it almost felt like I was reading an intro. to a much longer book and it didn't feel complete all by itself.
The Price of Glamour by Steve Burman: I couldn't get into this one at all.
The Night Market by Holly Black: I always enjoy Holly Black's writing and dark edged characters and this one didn't disappoint.
Never Never by Bruce Glassco: In all honesty, when I realized this was a story about Peter Pan I started to skim but just when I thought I'd dismiss it mostly unread something in the story hooked me and I went back and read it thoroughly. Nice to see a familiar cast of characters in a different light.
Screaming for Faires by Ellen Steiber: Is another one I enjoyed quite a bit. The fairies here are the cute little pixies you see in statuettes but they may have a sinister side. A young teen is unsure once they enter her life. Along with dealing with typical teen angst and a cute boyfriend who wants more than she's willing to give she's unsure whether to trust the fairies or fear them. There's a lot of sexual tension and frustration in this one and I think the author did a great job of recreating some issues teens struggle with on a daily basis.
Immersed in Matter by Nina Kiriki Hoffman: This story hooked me and started off well but came to a screeching halt at the end and felt irritatingly unfinished. The fact that the author, in her afterward, has to clean up two dangling items really annoyed me.
Undine by Patricia McKillip: This one was pretty good about mermaids, their quest for human men and the ruin of the environment.
Oakthing by Gregory Maguire: I wasn't a huge fan of Maguire's Wicked. It was too political and too all over the map for me as well as being way too hard to follow at times so I wasn't expecting to like Oakthing much. But I was surprised. I was very engrossed in this story of a strong willed old woman left behind when her family flees the German occupation, and the odd friend she acquires.
The Foxwife by Hiromi Goto: This was definitely one of my favorites. It had the whole J horror film feel that I enjoy so much and wasn't expecting in this book. It was creepy with disturbing imagery, haunted characters and an oddness I loved.
The Dream Eaters by A.M. Dellamonica: This one just didn't grab me. The fact that I was sitting in an emergency room stressed out and hungry may have been a factor as well but I skimmed and then quit it.
The Shooter at Heartrock Waterhole by Bill Congreve: There was a good use of landscape in this story but I didn't like the premise or the lead character and thus didn't enjoy the story much.
The Annals of Eelin Oak by Jeffrey Ford:
Meh, another I just couldn't get into. Read it in the ER as well and skimmed.
De La Teirra by Emma Bull: I enjoyed this one more than the previous few. The story was original and thought provoking.
This was a well balanced collection with only a few duds. I'll be looking for more from some of these authors.
Catnyp by Delia Sherman: I loved this one about a human child kidnapped by the faery, renamed Neef and raised as a changeling. On a whim, she makes a bet with a broken hearted swan maiden that humans know more about love than faeries do. Unfortunately, she knows nothing about love and ventures into the library to do some research and learns a heck of a lot more than she intended to. This story was light-hearted and so much fun, the world really came alive for me.
Elvenbrood by Tanith Lee was an okay read for me but just didn't grab me the way Catnyp did. Something about Lee's writing almost always manages to keep me from connecting to the stories she writes.
Your Garnet Eyes was a very enjoyable story of love, loss and the inability to move on.
Tengu Mountain, like the others before me have said, is a beautifully atmospheric and extremely creepy story. It would make a fantastic horror movie.
The Faery Handbag by Kelly Link This was an interesting story but it almost felt like I was reading an intro. to a much longer book and it didn't feel complete all by itself.
The Price of Glamour by Steve Burman: I couldn't get into this one at all.
The Night Market by Holly Black: I always enjoy Holly Black's writing and dark edged characters and this one didn't disappoint.
Never Never by Bruce Glassco: In all honesty, when I realized this was a story about Peter Pan I started to skim but just when I thought I'd dismiss it mostly unread something in the story hooked me and I went back and read it thoroughly. Nice to see a familiar cast of characters in a different light.
Screaming for Faires by Ellen Steiber: Is another one I enjoyed quite a bit. The fairies here are the cute little pixies you see in statuettes but they may have a sinister side. A young teen is unsure once they enter her life. Along with dealing with typical teen angst and a cute boyfriend who wants more than she's willing to give she's unsure whether to trust the fairies or fear them. There's a lot of sexual tension and frustration in this one and I think the author did a great job of recreating some issues teens struggle with on a daily basis.
Immersed in Matter by Nina Kiriki Hoffman: This story hooked me and started off well but came to a screeching halt at the end and felt irritatingly unfinished. The fact that the author, in her afterward, has to clean up two dangling items really annoyed me.
Undine by Patricia McKillip: This one was pretty good about mermaids, their quest for human men and the ruin of the environment.
Oakthing by Gregory Maguire: I wasn't a huge fan of Maguire's Wicked. It was too political and too all over the map for me as well as being way too hard to follow at times so I wasn't expecting to like Oakthing much. But I was surprised. I was very engrossed in this story of a strong willed old woman left behind when her family flees the German occupation, and the odd friend she acquires.
The Foxwife by Hiromi Goto: This was definitely one of my favorites. It had the whole J horror film feel that I enjoy so much and wasn't expecting in this book. It was creepy with disturbing imagery, haunted characters and an oddness I loved.
The Dream Eaters by A.M. Dellamonica: This one just didn't grab me. The fact that I was sitting in an emergency room stressed out and hungry may have been a factor as well but I skimmed and then quit it.
The Shooter at Heartrock Waterhole by Bill Congreve: There was a good use of landscape in this story but I didn't like the premise or the lead character and thus didn't enjoy the story much.
The Annals of Eelin Oak by Jeffrey Ford:
Meh, another I just couldn't get into. Read it in the ER as well and skimmed.
De La Teirra by Emma Bull: I enjoyed this one more than the previous few. The story was original and thought provoking.
This was a well balanced collection with only a few duds. I'll be looking for more from some of these authors.
Back to Wando Passo by David Payne
3.0
I borrowed this audiobook from the library. I am not enjoying it at all but continue to torture myself by refusing to shut the darn thing off until the last word is read. It's about a selfish, self-absorbed, washed-up, bigoted man who returns home to Wando Passo (his estranged wife's family estate) after he has the epiphany that he still loves his wife. In reality, I think he just didn't know what else to do and had run out of willing women to bed. For some bizarre reason she takes him back even though she doesn't appear to like him very much because he cheated, drank and never provided for them. Maybe she did it for the little kids they share? If it were me I would've let the door hit him square in a*s on the way out but I'm mean like that. Anyway, here he comes all expecting to be greeted with open arms but things don't work out quite that way. They fight, he embarrasses himself with his racial slurs against his wife's best male friend, and they fight some more. The book then flashes back to the wife's ancestors (sorry, I'm horrid with names) who were living at Wando Passo during racial tensions and civil unrest. Here we meet Abigail (or Addi?), a naive new bride who realizes the man she married (without knowing) is quite a beastly man and not in the "cool, he's a werewolf" kind of plot twist either. He's a bigot, jealous of his half black brother and thoroughly unlikable. She's struggling with her mistake and submits to him out of propriety but is filled with dread. The book then alternates back and forth between these two depressing storylines. There is no reprieve and still I continue on . . .
Later: Well, I'm almost glad I plodded on because the characters are rounded out quite a bit more and aren't as one dimensional as they seemed at the beginning of the book. Ran (the washed up loser dad) suffers from bipolar and is off his meds which explains much of his behavior. It is Claire, his wife, who actually becomes a bit more of an unlikable character. Well, it's a toss up really because both of these people do things that annoyed me. A murder mystery and some voodoo/hoodoo/witchcraft is thrown in to liven things up which works for me because all of the daily drama was becoming a bore. Back in the past Addie struggles with life as a plantation owner and faces many ethical dilemmas, including her growing feelings for her husband's half brother. It's pretty engrossing but she too makes choices that annoy me.
I should also note that there is too large section of this book written in another language (Spanish, I think) without a translation. It was difficult to make heads or tails of the scenes because it's been over 20 years since I took Spanish.
Later still: Am finally finished and thoroughly exhausted. The mystery ended as I thought it might and the modern day triangle wasn't as prettied up in the end as I thought it might. Overall a sometimes engrossing, sometimes infuriating read. It's not a book I'd read again by choice.
Later: Well, I'm almost glad I plodded on because the characters are rounded out quite a bit more and aren't as one dimensional as they seemed at the beginning of the book. Ran (the washed up loser dad) suffers from bipolar and is off his meds which explains much of his behavior. It is Claire, his wife, who actually becomes a bit more of an unlikable character. Well, it's a toss up really because both of these people do things that annoyed me. A murder mystery and some voodoo/hoodoo/witchcraft is thrown in to liven things up which works for me because all of the daily drama was becoming a bore. Back in the past Addie struggles with life as a plantation owner and faces many ethical dilemmas, including her growing feelings for her husband's half brother. It's pretty engrossing but she too makes choices that annoy me.
I should also note that there is too large section of this book written in another language (Spanish, I think) without a translation. It was difficult to make heads or tails of the scenes because it's been over 20 years since I took Spanish.
Later still: Am finally finished and thoroughly exhausted. The mystery ended as I thought it might and the modern day triangle wasn't as prettied up in the end as I thought it might. Overall a sometimes engrossing, sometimes infuriating read. It's not a book I'd read again by choice.
Desperation by Stephen King
3.0
Cleaning out some old gems of mine. I tried reading this one many years ago and remember giving up midway. I have it on audio from the library and hope to get through it this time but I don't know . . . the thing is 18 discs long!
Later: Well, I managed to get through all 18 discs but I think I'm a glutton for punishment. If I had been reading this the traditional way I would've given up early on. Some of the characters were okay but mostly they seemed all too familiar. There was the religious boy, the faithless aged writer, the earnest dad, the annoying young woman thrown in for a little sexual tension, etc. and so on. These people come together to fight off an evil from long ago whilst their spiritual beliefs are tested. Or something like that. The climax and big reveal was all a bit convoluted and I think I was dozing off while this bit was explained because it didn't seem to make a whole lot of sense. All in all, it went on for way too long and as a horror novel was just "eh". The best parts were about the young boy and his injured friend. Though David, the young hero, does tend to sound way too wise for his years on several occasions it's okay because he is much better developed than most of the other characters (of which there are far too many who don't add much of anything to the plot). It wasn't a bad book by any means, it had some genuine creep you out moments and some emotional scenes but overall it was just too long-winded for my liking.
Later: Well, I managed to get through all 18 discs but I think I'm a glutton for punishment. If I had been reading this the traditional way I would've given up early on. Some of the characters were okay but mostly they seemed all too familiar. There was the religious boy, the faithless aged writer, the earnest dad, the annoying young woman thrown in for a little sexual tension, etc. and so on. These people come together to fight off an evil from long ago whilst their spiritual beliefs are tested. Or something like that. The climax and big reveal was all a bit convoluted and I think I was dozing off while this bit was explained because it didn't seem to make a whole lot of sense. All in all, it went on for way too long and as a horror novel was just "eh". The best parts were about the young boy and his injured friend. Though David, the young hero, does tend to sound way too wise for his years on several occasions it's okay because he is much better developed than most of the other characters (of which there are far too many who don't add much of anything to the plot). It wasn't a bad book by any means, it had some genuine creep you out moments and some emotional scenes but overall it was just too long-winded for my liking.
Lightning by Dean Koontz
4.0
I originally read this way back when it was released and I was still a teen but have held on to it ever since. I'm going to finally set it free but will reread it first to see what I think now that I'm a wee bit older ;)
Comments on the reread:
As is typical of many of Koontz novels, this one starts out with mysterious men conducting experiments of a nefarious nature. A baby named Laura is born, her mother dies in childbirth and she's raised by her loving dad and watched over by a mysterious "guardian angel", a big blond man who saves her life on more than one occasion. Also, making an appearance is a man who wants both the guardian angel and Laura dead.
The first part of the book is spent getting to know Laura and grieving with her when her world falls apart. The thing that struck me most about this book was the length of time Koontz was allowed to develop his main characters. This is something I find incredibly lacking with many of the horror novels by newer authors I've attempted to read lately (Bryan Smith comes to mind). Koontz completely immerses you in Laura's world and allows you to care deeply for her and to care about the people she loves. As much as character study as it is a fast paced time-travel, suspense filled read, Lightning managed to capture my attention throughout most of it (and it was long!). My attention only began to wane near the end of the book when the adventure bit and war talk took center stage. I'm glad I reread this before setting it free and hope someone else finds it as interesting as I did.
Comments on the reread:
As is typical of many of Koontz novels, this one starts out with mysterious men conducting experiments of a nefarious nature. A baby named Laura is born, her mother dies in childbirth and she's raised by her loving dad and watched over by a mysterious "guardian angel", a big blond man who saves her life on more than one occasion. Also, making an appearance is a man who wants both the guardian angel and Laura dead.
The first part of the book is spent getting to know Laura and grieving with her when her world falls apart. The thing that struck me most about this book was the length of time Koontz was allowed to develop his main characters. This is something I find incredibly lacking with many of the horror novels by newer authors I've attempted to read lately (Bryan Smith comes to mind). Koontz completely immerses you in Laura's world and allows you to care deeply for her and to care about the people she loves. As much as character study as it is a fast paced time-travel, suspense filled read, Lightning managed to capture my attention throughout most of it (and it was long!). My attention only began to wane near the end of the book when the adventure bit and war talk took center stage. I'm glad I reread this before setting it free and hope someone else finds it as interesting as I did.
Blood Sinister by Celia Rees
2.0
This is a teen novel about a young modern day girl named Ellen suffering from a rare, undiagnosed blood disease. She discovers several diaries and delves into them with enthusiasm. The writer is an ancestor and very much like Ellen herself only living in historical times. They even share the name Ellen. Confused yet?
The book then goes back and forth between the past Ellen and the present Ellen's life which are similar in many ways. The past Ellen, at the request of her father, is pretty much forced to spend time with an ailing visiting Count. As time goes on it's pretty clear that the Count is a vampire. The more the present Ellen reads the more deeply enmeshed in the past Ellen's life she becomes. So much so that oftentimes it is unclear exactly which Ellen we are reading about. Either way both of them are in danger from the evil, old fashioned style vampires. While I found it refreshing that the vampires were sinister and weren't the glammed up sexy versions we so often find these days the story just didn't work for me.
This book had a good start and was very interesting but lost me about 2/3's of the way in because I was hopelessly confused about events. Which Ellen was which? Why was present Ellen experiencing things that the past Ellen did? Was I just confused? I have no idea. I continued to the end in somewhat of a reading fog and didn't comprehend many of the plot twists. Ah well, can't win 'em all.
The book then goes back and forth between the past Ellen and the present Ellen's life which are similar in many ways. The past Ellen, at the request of her father, is pretty much forced to spend time with an ailing visiting Count. As time goes on it's pretty clear that the Count is a vampire. The more the present Ellen reads the more deeply enmeshed in the past Ellen's life she becomes. So much so that oftentimes it is unclear exactly which Ellen we are reading about. Either way both of them are in danger from the evil, old fashioned style vampires. While I found it refreshing that the vampires were sinister and weren't the glammed up sexy versions we so often find these days the story just didn't work for me.
This book had a good start and was very interesting but lost me about 2/3's of the way in because I was hopelessly confused about events. Which Ellen was which? Why was present Ellen experiencing things that the past Ellen did? Was I just confused? I have no idea. I continued to the end in somewhat of a reading fog and didn't comprehend many of the plot twists. Ah well, can't win 'em all.
Dirty Laundry by Tori Carrington
3.0
I grabbed this book from the tbr pile this morning and started it this afternoon because I wanted something light and fun.
After reading about 1/3 it appears this book is a ripoff of the Stephanie Plum books. The tone is tongue in cheek, the heroine is a Greek girl who, after catching her husband-to-be with the maid of honor on her wedding day, is now a PI wanna-be and she has a huge crush on a sexy Australian bounty hunter. If you've read the Stephanie Plum books this will all sound painfully familiar. In comparison (and how could one not make the comparison?) this one lacks. There is a lot of talk about Greek food and a few somewhat quirky characters but there is no Grandma Mazer here, just an old bat who wants to cook a dog and gives people the "evil eye" and it's all a bit bland. Man, now I'm feeling even grouchier.
Later: I finished and won't say it was a chore. The writing is light and breezy and it's truly a mindless read which is what I needed to distract me from thinking on a few things. Come tomorrow I doubt I'll remember any details about it however . . .
After reading about 1/3 it appears this book is a ripoff of the Stephanie Plum books. The tone is tongue in cheek, the heroine is a Greek girl who, after catching her husband-to-be with the maid of honor on her wedding day, is now a PI wanna-be and she has a huge crush on a sexy Australian bounty hunter. If you've read the Stephanie Plum books this will all sound painfully familiar. In comparison (and how could one not make the comparison?) this one lacks. There is a lot of talk about Greek food and a few somewhat quirky characters but there is no Grandma Mazer here, just an old bat who wants to cook a dog and gives people the "evil eye" and it's all a bit bland. Man, now I'm feeling even grouchier.
Later: I finished and won't say it was a chore. The writing is light and breezy and it's truly a mindless read which is what I needed to distract me from thinking on a few things. Come tomorrow I doubt I'll remember any details about it however . . .
Avalon High by Meg Cabot
4.0
This is a fun teen romantic fantasy mixing likable modern day characters with Arthurian lore. Sounds weird but it works.
Valiant by Holly Black
4.0
Set in the same urban landscape as Tithe but with only minor links to that book, Valiant easily stands on its own. This is a good thing for me because my memory is horrible and I read Tithe a ways back.
Valiant is about a teen named Val whose world is pretty much wrecked when she walks in on her boyfriend smooching up her mom. She runs away, meets some drug addled teens and quickly adapts to the lifestyle. But the drug they plunge into their arms isn't the typical stuff you'd expect to find on the streets but far more addicting and dangerous a attraction, fairy dust. When Val tags along with one of her new friends she ends up doing the bidding of a troll for a month and encountering a new world filled with temptation, magic and a strange unexpected attraction.
This was a great book about a darker edged way of life than normally found in a young adult fantasy. There is no judgment here, just realistically drawn characters who make mistakes and have to face the consequences. I really enjoyed that about this book and am looking forward to the next one.
Valiant is about a teen named Val whose world is pretty much wrecked when she walks in on her boyfriend smooching up her mom. She runs away, meets some drug addled teens and quickly adapts to the lifestyle. But the drug they plunge into their arms isn't the typical stuff you'd expect to find on the streets but far more addicting and dangerous a attraction, fairy dust. When Val tags along with one of her new friends she ends up doing the bidding of a troll for a month and encountering a new world filled with temptation, magic and a strange unexpected attraction.
This was a great book about a darker edged way of life than normally found in a young adult fantasy. There is no judgment here, just realistically drawn characters who make mistakes and have to face the consequences. I really enjoyed that about this book and am looking forward to the next one.
Cursed in New England: Stories of Damned Yankees by Jeff White, Joseph A. Citro
4.0
Mainly the stories concern odd goings-on stemming from curses on some very bad folks. There is one about a man being pressed alive by huge stones during the infamous witch trials in the Salem, MA area and the aftermath that has haunted the town since, several accounts of chilling native american revenge curses and tales of woe upon those who've always done wrong to others. It seems to be a well researched and unbiased account and the fact that author has visited these places and notes his feelings is a huge bonus. He even debunked a few!
Reading this gave me an uneasy feeling about New England. I know we have our haunted spots such as Blood Cemetary and the like but I never realized many of the places so near to me had such horrifying histories. I never knew that North Pepperell, MA use to be a thriving community and has been plagued by a long ago curse. Nor did I know that Dudleytown, CT is one of the most haunted locations on the planet. And the bit about the Kennedy clan was surprising to me as well. I'm ashamed to admit but I've never delved into the Kennedy history and was quite surprised by some of things the author revealed here though I'm sure that to others it is all old news. That Joe Kennedy was one evil fella if everything in this account is true. I got the shivers just reading about him and thinking on all of the tragedy surrounding his clan to this day which may or may not go way back to a curse placed upon the arrogant, thoughtless Joe Kennedy many moons ago. Chilling stuff, to be sure.
I don't know if I'm brave enough to visit some of these places but it sure was fascinating to read about them.
Reading this gave me an uneasy feeling about New England. I know we have our haunted spots such as Blood Cemetary and the like but I never realized many of the places so near to me had such horrifying histories. I never knew that North Pepperell, MA use to be a thriving community and has been plagued by a long ago curse. Nor did I know that Dudleytown, CT is one of the most haunted locations on the planet. And the bit about the Kennedy clan was surprising to me as well. I'm ashamed to admit but I've never delved into the Kennedy history and was quite surprised by some of things the author revealed here though I'm sure that to others it is all old news. That Joe Kennedy was one evil fella if everything in this account is true. I got the shivers just reading about him and thinking on all of the tragedy surrounding his clan to this day which may or may not go way back to a curse placed upon the arrogant, thoughtless Joe Kennedy many moons ago. Chilling stuff, to be sure.
I don't know if I'm brave enough to visit some of these places but it sure was fascinating to read about them.
Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
4.0
The first case featured in this book focuses on a young mother who is extremely disappointed with the way her life has turned out, can't stand her standoffish husband and only truly loves Olivia, the happiest and prettiest of her many daughters. When Olivia goes missing the book turns to the next case about a young woman who is murdered midday in front of witnesses but the killer gets away. The third case involves an ax-wielding murdereress. These cases are pretty cold but Jackson Brodie (a private detective, I think) takes them on. He's thankful for the work and for the opportunity to dwell on something other than his still painful divorce.
I enjoyed this book but now that it's a week or so later and I am attempting to write a review I am very fuzzy on the details. What stuck with me though was the way these stories intersected and the attention to the characterization of the survivors of these horrific cold cases. I went into this book expecting it to be dry and, quite honestly, rather dull but there is a wry sense of humor weaved throughout and so many dark secrets to discover that I never found it boring or hard going.
I enjoyed this book but now that it's a week or so later and I am attempting to write a review I am very fuzzy on the details. What stuck with me though was the way these stories intersected and the attention to the characterization of the survivors of these horrific cold cases. I went into this book expecting it to be dry and, quite honestly, rather dull but there is a wry sense of humor weaved throughout and so many dark secrets to discover that I never found it boring or hard going.