tapestry100's (David's) reading for 2014, Part 2

Welcome to my new (new) thread! Pull a chair up, pour a cuppa, and let's talk books!

If you're interested in what I was doing in the first thread, you can check that out here.

My reading plan has fallen a little by the wayside due to some unexpected personal and health issues that have crept up this year so far, but I'm only a handful of books off of my reading goal, so I think I can get myself back on track within the next couple of months or so. I've read some really great books lately, and it's really kept my reading momentum up!

I know I've been quiet around here lately, and for that I'm sorry. I'd like to say that I'll be back on a more permanent basis, but I know I've said that before. I'll keep posting up my reviews and what not as I write them, and I'll try to pop in to say hi to friends as I can.

In the meantime, happy reading, everybody!!

You can check out my Reading Bingo! post here.

January 2014 (I've totally lost track of what I've been buying this year, so I'm not keeping track of that anymore.)
1. No Place Like Oz by Danielle Paige
2. Doctor Who: Prisoners of Time, Vol 1 by Scott Tipton & David Tipton, illustrated by Simon Fraser (One), Lee Sullivan (Two), Mike Collins (Three), Gary Erskine (Four)
3. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney
4. Encounter in April by May Sarton
5. Doctor Who and the Invisible Enemy by Terrance Dicks
6. Wolverton Station by Joe Hill
7. Uncanny X-Men, Vol 1: Revolution by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Chris Bachalo & Frazer Irving
8. Uncanny X-Men, Vol 2: Broken by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Chris Bachalo & Frazer Irving
9. The Single Hound by May Sarton
10. X-Men, Vol 1: Primer by Brian Wood, art by Oliver Coipel & David Lopez
11. Inner Landscape by May Sarton
12. All-New X-Men, Vol 1: Yesterday's X-Men by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Stuart Immonen
13. The Bridge of Years by May Sarton
14. Ophelia and the Marvelous Boy by Karen Foxlee
15. FBP: Federal Bureau of Physics, Vol 1: The Paradigm Shift by Simon Oliver, art by Robbi Rodriguez
16. The Ape Man's Brother by Joe Lansdale

February 2014
17. All-New X-Men, Vol 2: Here to Stay by Brian Michael Bendis, art by David Marquez & Stuart Immonen
18. The Lion and the Rose by May Sarton
19. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
20. All-New X-Men, Vol 3: Out of Their Depth by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Stuart Immonen & David LaFuente
21. A Shower of Summer Days by May Sarton
22. X-Men: Battle of the Atom by Brian Michael Bendis, Brian Wood, & Jason Aaron, art by Frank Cho, Stuart Immonen, David López, Chris Bachalo, Esad Ribic, Giuseppe Camuncoli, & Arthur Adams
23. The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Dark of Deep Below by Patrick Rothfuss, illustrated by Nate Taylor
24. Bluffton by Matt Phelan
25. Tin Star by Cecil Castellucci

March 2014
26. Infinity by Jonathan Hickman, art by Jim Cheung, Jerome Opeña, & Dustin Weaver
27. X-Men: Days of Future Past by by Chris Claremont, Walter Simonson, Louise Simonson, Alan Davis, & John Francis Moore, art by John Byrne, Jackson Guice, Terry Shoemaker, Chris Wozniak, & Joe Bennet
28. Mind of Winter by Laura Kasischke
29. Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland adapted by Rod Espinosa
30. The Thickety: A Path Begins by J.A. White

April 2014
31. Such Good Cloth by Heather Trefethen
32. Uncanny Avengers, Vol 1: The Red Shadow by Rick Remender, art by John Cassaday & Olivier Coipel
33. Doctor Who: Revenge of the Judoon by Terrance Dicks
34. Spider-Man: Spirits of the Earth by Charles Vess
35. Instructions by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Charles Vess
36. The Raven Banner: A Tale of Asgard by Alan Zelenetz, illustrated by Charles Vess
37. The Martian by Andy Weir

May 2014
38. East of West, Vol 1: The Promise by Jonathan Hickman, illustrated by Nick Dragotta
39. Hemlock Grove by Brian McGreevy
40. Jack in the Green by Charles de Lint, illustrated by Charles Ves
41. X-Men: No More Humans by Mike Carey, art by Salvador Larroca
42. The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey
43. X-Men, Vol 2: Muertas by Brian Wood, art by Terry Dodson & Kris Anka

June 2014
44.

The Girl With All the Gifts by M. R. Carey
5/5 stars

This is one of those situations where the more I've enjoyed a book, the less I want to talk about it on here, lest I give something away. The Girl with All the Gifts is one of those books that you really need to just go into blind, and let it reveal itself to you, chapter by chapter. There's honestly a part of me that is already wishing that I could go back and read this again, for the first time.

When Orbit started promoting this book on Facebook by releasing it one chapter at a time, I was hooked from the first chapter. Seriously, I couldn't wait for each chapter to be unlocked to see what was going to happen next. When I was presented with an opportunity to read an ARC of the book, I jumped at it. I'm hoping each of you jumps at a chance to read it as well.

M. R. Carey has created a terrifying world in which Melanie lives. There is something special about Melanie, but even she doesn't understand how special she is. As events begin to unravel quickly in Melanie's life shortly into the book, we embark on a journey with her as she grows and begins to understand herself and her place in the world. This is a true coming-of-age story, but one that you have probably never imagined.

The Girl With All the Gifts is so much more than this, though. It definitely is not for the faint of heart, as this book sits firmly between the science fiction and horror genres. You may be horrified by some of the events that happen to and around Melanie, but the story and Melanie's journey are worth it, all the way to an ending I did not see coming but in retrospect seemed inevitable. And I'm fearing that I'm already giving to much away.

Carey has taken a current trope and turned it on its head, in so many ways. I seriously wish I could tell you ALL THE THINGS about this book, but I simply can't. You just have to trust me. Trust me that this is a horror story filled with heart and hope. Trust me that I'd love to sit down with you when you finished it, to talk about it more. Trust me that this book is entirely worth picking up. Finally, trust me that you probably haven't read anything like it before. This will be a book that I know I will be returning to time and again.

Hmmm. Sounds like I need to add this one to the ol' TBR pile!

Jim, I actually think you might enjoy this one.

Horror's really not my thing but your obvious love for the book had me considering it very briefly. So kudos. :)

Still residing firmly in the anti-SF/Horror group, but kudos on the great review. If anything would have made me read it, that review would have done it!

Congrats on the shiny new thread.

Yep, adding that one to the wishlist!

And Happy New Thread!

Happy new thread!

LOL at your header graphic! Good to have you back with us. I'm also in the non-horror camp but your review almost makes me sorry for it.

Happy new thread!

The Lady Astronaut of Mars by Mary Robinette Kowal
5/5 stars

A quiet but moving and powerful novelette, The Lady Astronaut of Mars is the story of 63-year-old Elma, who was among the first to explore Mars, and now that she is older, she's not sure if she will ever be able to fulfill her dream of being among the stars again. When the opportunity is again presented to her, she must decide between the love for her husband, or her passion for the stars. This is a beautiful short story that has a surprisingly emotional impact. Highly recommended!

Night of the Gargoyles by Eve Bunting, illustrated by David Wiesner
4/5 stars

My sister recently moved, and I went over to help her get her new place set up. She had left me one of the best jobs, setting up her library for her. While I was organizing her books, I discovered this slim little volume and decided that I needed to sit down to read it on the spot. The story is just a short little tale about gargoyles and their goings-on at night when the rest of the world is asleep. I thought the story cute, but what is really astounding about this book are the charcoal sketches by David Wiesner. They are just fantastic! I've included a couple of shots of my some of my favorite pages below. I'm hoping that I'll be able to find a copy of my own someday to add to my library.

>13 tapestry100: What fabulous illustrations! Thank you for sharing!

Horrorstör: A Novel by Grady Hendrix
4/5 stars

This is a damned clever book. Taking place in an Ikea knockoff store called Orsk, Horrorstör is presented in a format that resembles a catalog that someone would get in the mail from one of these flat-box furniture stores, complete with order forms, product descriptions and drawings of furniture sold in the store (that slowly morph in appearance and description into products that have a more sinister feel to them). Everything about the actual look and feel on the book is spot on in creating the feel of one of these catalogs. Kudos to the design team at Quirk!

Possible Spoilers!

The story opens like any other day at a retail location, with employees plodding along to their job. Amy is a disillusioned Orsk employee, and she's trying to stay out of her manager, Basil's, way, as she's sure he is out to get her and she's trying to keep from being fired before her transfer to another location comes in. Hendrix really gets the feel of the various retail employees. Amy, the disillusioned clerk who feels she's suited for better; Ruth Anne, the overly energetic and bubbly employee that everybody likes; Basil, the over optimistic manager who tries to turn everything into a learning opportunity for his employees; and so forth. On this particular day at Orsk, tho, something has happened that has Basil worried. Someone has vandalized a couch on the sales floor overnight.

The story falls back on several familiar horror tropes, yet doesn't feel familiar when you read it. The Orsk store is built on top of an old prison (the Beehive) that was demolished over a century ago, and since it's construction, there has been more and more unusual activity happening in the store. Thinking it's no more than vandals that sneak into the store at night, Basil decides to bring in two employees to stay overnight (Amy and Ruth Anne), to try to catch the culprits before Orsk corporate managers arrive at the store in the morning to evaluate what exactly is going on. What follows is a slow decent into madness for the Orsk employees as their world and that of the Beehive begin to blur and collide inside Orsk.

Really, this is one of the most unique horror novels, in both presentation and story, that I've read in a while. I'm hoping that there will be more to this story, as the ending leaves a little, tiny gap for more to happen. Recommended!

Horrorstör: A Novel by Grady Hendrix will be released on September 23, 2014, from Quirk Books.

Hoots and Toots and Hairy Brutes: the Continuing Adventures of Squib by Larry Shles
3/5 stars

A "self-help" book of sorts, Hoots and Toots and Hairy Brutes is the story of Squib, a small owl who is unable to hoot, only toot. The story is fairly straightforward, how Squib is looked down on as inferior because of his inability to hoot, but in the end, he proves that even his shortcoming can prove to be useful. This book was part of my grandmother's library, and while I don't know for sure, I would assume that this was a gift to her from a friend since my grandmother loved all things owl. It was recently passed on to my sister, and I found it on her bookshelf when I went out to visit her. A very quick read, and honestly nothing all that special in the story, but the illustrations are rather good.

>15 tapestry100: Oh, that one sounds fun - wishlisted!

Oh my glob, David... one visit to your thread with only 17 posts and I've already been hit by four book bullets. Gaaaahhhh!!! *facepalm*

>17 scaifea: - It's absolutely worth checking out, Amber!

>18 dk_phoenix: - **BANG!** I'm evil like that. Bwahahahahahahaha! ;-)

The Adventures of the Princess and Mr. Whiffle: The Dark of Deep Below by Patrick Rothfuss, illustrated by Nate Taylor
3/5 stars

Continuing the adventures of the Princess and her stuffed bear, Mr. Whiffle, The Dark of Deep Below delves a little more into her life and family dynamic (such as discovering that the Princess does in fact have parents, a trifling fact that seemed to be missing from the first volume). This time around, the Princesses little brother is kidnapped by goblins, and the Princess must decide whether she goes to rescue him or not, because she's really not that sure that she likes having a little brother in the first place. As with the first volume, there are 3 different endings that you can choose from and decide for yourself how you would want the story to end. And yes, these look like children's books, but they ARE NOT FOR CHILDREN. Nope, not at all.

Rothfuss and Taylor have taken their precocious character and her stuffed teddy and given them a longer, more involved story this time around, but somehow it didn't seem to live up to the first story for me. I more or less knew that there was going to be a twist at the end, and while I didn't foresee what exactly it was, knowing it was coming slightly downplayed it for me. Still, this is one of the more unique picture books you'll find out there for adults (seriously, don't read this to your kids!), so it's still worth reading, especially if you enjoyed the first one.

Trying to get caught up on reviews for my blog.

Bluffton by Matt Phelan
3/5 stars

Matt Phelan's love letter to Buster Keaton and the summers he spent in Muskegon, MI, as a youngster in the early 1900s, Bluffton is a cute little book, the pictures are charming, but really, for me, this is a one trick pony. There is nothing here that is going to bring me back to this story. Will it be good for kids? Not sure. I don't have kids of my own, so I don't know if this would work for them, but I don't know that the kids around me that I do know what really get to much out of this book. I think this is definitely made more for adults who lived during these times in Muskegon and would like a walk down memory lane. This is definitely not a bad story, just ultimately not for me.

Lost Children of the Far Islands by Emily Raabe
4/5 stars

I was approached recently to be a part of Emily Raabe's blog tour for her debut middle grade fantasy novel, Lost Children of the Far Islands, I thought I'd like to be a part of the tour, especially after learning what Emily and her husband are doing. From Boulder, CO to Burlington, VT, they are going on a road trip to visit local, independent bookstores and blogging about their adventures. Isn't that a cool idea? I hadn't heard of her book before, so I'm also always looking for new authors to discover as well, so for me, this was a win-win situation; I get to read a new author, and support her in an amazing adventure!

It turns out that Lost Children of the Far Islands is actually a charming book! It follows the adventures of twins Gus & Leo and their younger sister, Ila, who are whisked off to a remote island off the coast of Maine when their mother falls mysteriously ill. On the island, under the guidance of their grandmother, the Morai, the discover that they are actually descendents of the Folk, magical creatures who can change from human form to that of an animal. It also comes to light that their mother is ill because she's been trying to protect them from the Dobhar-chu, the King of the Black Lakes, who will do anything to break free of his prison (where the Morai has been keeping him in check), and return to power.

Steeped in actual mythological lore, Raabe's book is plenty full of magic and adventure, but it's also full of well-polished characters. We get to see the first hand impressions of the children as they begin to become acquainted with their animal forms, and it's clear that Raabe put a lot of research into the marine life that she presents in her story. The kids themselves also act their various ages, and I liked the quirky tightness of their family. Personally, I think this is a great book for kids and highly recommend it for young readers!

I'm giving away my copy of the book over on my blog if you'd like to enter. Just click here.

Loving the cover artwork on all your recent reads - especially Hoots and Toots!

Tin Star by Cecil Castellucci
4/5 stars

Tula Bane and her family are on their way to settle a new human colony, until she begins to question Brother Blue, the leader of their colonizing cult, who then beats her supposedly to death and leaves her stranded on the Yertina Feray space station, which is basically the ghetto of the galaxy. The only human on the space station, Tula needs to learn very quickly how to navigate the social & political workings of the numerous alien species on the space station, where Tula is considered the lowest of the low, being a human. Eventually she befriends Heckleck and learns how to work the criminal element of the space station to her advantage. As Tula continues to research what happened to the rest of the colonists under Brother Blue, she begins to uncover an intergalactic conspiracy and finds herself soon embroiled right in the middle of it.

Cecil Castellucci has described Tin Star as a retelling of Casablanca, which I completely missed until she pointed it out at a signing that I attended at my local Indie. Regardless, I really enjoyed Tin Star. The writing is solid and the characters are varied and solidly fleshed out. It's very clear that Castellucci has done her research, and the science behind the science fiction is firmly grounded in reality. With the way the book ended, I know that there's got to be at least a second book released eventually, and I'm certain that I'll be picking it up when it is.

Morning David, very nice reviews. I might have to check out Lost Children of the Far Islands when my reading list calms down.

Hi kids.

Sorry I've been MIA for a while now, but I've had a lot going on lately. After numerous months of testing, last Wednesday I was diagnosed with Lymphoplasmacytic Lymphoma, stage 4. It sounds scary, but it the grand scheme of cancers, it's not considered a Big C, just a little c (according to my oncologist). I'm starting chemo this Wednesday or Thursday, which should go on for about 4 1/2 months, and then my oncologist is convinced that I'll be just fine and it will be totally manageable and I'll probably not have to worry about it anymore. Fingers crossed, right?

I've been reading, but it's been sporadic, and I've slept most weekends away, so there hasn't been a lot of online time right now, so I hope everyone is doing well and reading lots of fabulous books! I'll stop in when I can and leave some updates.

Happy reading, everybody!

David

Fingers all crossed for you, David!

Big C or little c, I'm sorry to hear it. Cancer is a bitch I'd like to shiv in a dark alley. I'm sending you all the healthy vibes I can muster and hoping to be celebrating your clean bill of health soon!

Ditto.

Thanks for the update, David. I've missed you around here. Read a little or a lot, it's no matter as long as you are on the path to better health. Sending you very positive thoughts.

I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but it's good to know that your doctor is confident that you'll beat it. Keeping you in my thoughts.

Sorry to hear about the diagnosis, David. Sending you all the best wishes possible. :)

Thanks, everybody! Just a quick update: I'll be starting my third round of chemo tomorrow and so far, my numbers are improving so things are looking positive. I'm not having an easy time of it with the chemo, but I don't think it's really supposed to be easy. So long as it's doing what it is supposed to be doing, I'm good with it, though.

I've been read sporadically but I just had to share this book with you all, because I absolutely loved it!



The Supernatural Enhancements by Edgar Cantero

I'm having a difficult time describing how much I enjoyed this book. When I'd read The Girl with All the Gifts, I didn't really think I was going to be reading another book this year that I enjoyed as much. The Supernatural Enhancements has a little bit of everything I love in a great book: slightly paranormal/supernatural premise, a mystery, Gothic in feeling & tone, intriguing characters, perfect pacing, even an eccentric aunt!

I honestly can't go into detail in saying anything about the book without giving much away. The story follows A. (the only name he goes by), who has inherited an estate from an unknown, wealthy relative, he and his mute friend, Niamh, travel to the States to take up residence and try to figure out why he was bequeathed the estate. Told through a series of diary entries, letters, transcripts of video and audio footage, and various other sources (which put me in mind of Marisha Pessl's Night Film, we follow A. and Niamh as they discover more and more clues as to mysterious history of both his unknown relative, Ambrose Wells, and the estate of Axton House.

I absolutely can't recommend this book enough. This will be the perfect book to curl up on the couch with a hot cuppa and read during the windy, chilled months leading up to winter. Happy reading!

David, so glad you checked in to give us an update! And with a book bullet too!

Sorry to hear that chemo's been hard but thrilled to hear that it's doing it's job! Stay positive and it'll be over before you know it.

Happy to see you!

Got a bit caught up in Real Life, myself, David, but wanted to stop around and let you know I've been thinking of you.

Thanks again for stopping by, everyone. I'm heading into chemo session number 4 tomorrow (only 3 more to go!). The last session was particularly hard on me, so I've really be laying low of late. I did get a reassuring report from my oncologist last week that my numbers are still improving, so that's encouraging to hear!

I also wanted to report that I've finished 75 books for the year! I'm actually at 79 right now, and most of them have been graphic novels as I haven't had much energy for reading anything too involved, but I've made it! Woohoo!!

I hope everyone's been doing well! Hugs to all!

I'm glad your numbers are improving and will pray that things continue to get better. Congrats on 75!

>39 tapestry100: Glad you have things to celebrate! 75!! Woo Hoo!

Marshal your strength, read for pleasure and check in when you can.

I'm thinking of you dear one! I'm so so sorry you are dealing with the rather serious health issue.

*waving* at David

Glad to hear that your chemo is halfway done. Here's hoping that all the way done gets here quickly!




for completing your 75!

Congratulations on ALL your numbers going up, David!

David, I am thinking of you a lot since I saw your posts regarding your medical condition. I simply want to reach out and give you a hug! Much Love!

Hi everyone. David is still doing okay, but he hit a bit of a rough patch in recent weeks -- his white cell counts dropped and his chemo had to be halted while he recovered. He's hoping that things will resume as normal this week, but all this does mean that he'll still be doing treatments through Christmas.

So, that sucks.

I keep telling him that it's only one season, better this sacrifice than something worse, but he is -- understandably -- a little down about the whole business. He's had to miss out on a lot already, including being isolated the last couple of weeks while his cell counts bounced back (we hope -- he's still waiting on confirmation), and he was really counting on being done with all this by Christmas. That change has really been hard for him to take.

In short, I'm just posting this update so that you all don't worry about his silence, but also because, hey, if you happen to stop by here and see this, he could use a few good thoughts right now. If you've got the time.

I hope you are all well and that the holiday season is starting happily for you. Hugs to you all.

-- Sarah

Sarah, thank you so much for the update! You've been very quiet yourself (unless I've lost your thread) so it's good to know you are hanging in there as well.

Best wishes for the both of you, and David, hang in there! It will be worth it in the long run.

Please let David know I am thinking of him. I have an address, but I'm not sure it is the most recent one. Can you please send it to me via pm on my thread? Many thanks.

Linda

Yes, thanks for the update! I continue to keep David in my thoughts.

David, we're all thinking of you and sending you healing thoughts during this rocky stretch. The holidays are especially hard when facing issues, especially if it means you're isolated from your support network and the things that bring you joy. I have lots of faith that this is just a stumble on the way to a clean bill of health and hope it's a very short stumble at that. Wishing you positivity and rest and white cells galore!

Thanks, folks. Good news: the chemo treatment has resumed (in fact, I'm sitting across from our David in his hospital room right now and he is as feisty as ever) so at least things are back on track.

Roni, thank you for thinking of me. It's been a hard year in my family -- we've lost some loved ones this year and some other challenges -- so I've had to let go of a lot of things that I used to do. But I'm hoping to be back as we move toward the new year.

Linda, David said he thinks you have the right address, but I'll PM you.

Thanks again, everyone. David sends his love and appreciation for your kind thoughts.

Please let David know that I care. I am so sorry he is going through all this. And, I am so glad he has a wonderful friend like you!!!!

Hi everybody! Thanks for stopping by and the words of encouragement!

Have yourself a Merry little Christmas, David, and get that chemo done and over with!

It's Chrismas Eve's eve, and so I am starting the rounds of wishing my 75er friends the merriest of Christmases or whatever the solstice celebration of their choice is.

Here wishes and prayers for your health, David!

Happy Christmas, David! Thinking of you...

Merry Christmas

Thinking of you, David.

Have a safe New YEar with lots of good reading on tap for 2015!

Thanks for stopping by everybody! Happy new year to one and all!

The big update: CHEMO IS DONE! My final session started the day after Christmas, and I had my final shot to keep my white blood cell count from crashing on New Year's Eve. This has been a wickedly long year, but I can honestly say that I'm already feeling better. My last blood work came back really good, so my oncologist is confident that the next round is going to come back even better.

I'm looking forward to the coming year. Having felt like I've seriously slept 2014 away, the fact that I should have any increase in energy is promising for me. There's so much I want to do now! It's a relief knowing that this is all coming to an end, and ending on a good note at that! Here's a fantastic 2015!! =)

Congratulations, David! You've weathered a lot! 2015 is going to be better.

Delurking to say congratulations, well done, and hope you'll have a great new year! I hope we'll continue to see you around the threads however often it works for you.

Congrats! I'm glad you're already feeling better.

Congratulations, David. I wish you nothing but fabulousness for 2015!

Congrats on the end of the chemo!!!

Come visit me at my new thread!