Book 3 of 20: The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

Coraline and Stardust are two of my favourite films, I watch them over and over, but I realised that I hadn't read them, or any of Neil Gaiman's books and it was about time I did. So I popped down to my local bookstore and found a small selection of his books on a shelf.

One in particular stood out to me, and that one is the reason for this post. So let's jump into The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman and Illustrated by Dave McKean.

Image taken from Wikipedia

Straight from the off I was enchanted by the story, a little boy who grows up in a grave yard, and taught by ghosts is one of the most amazing sounding things I've ever heard. This is one of those wonderfully dark children's stories, that adults seem to really love. 

It's innocent enough for children, but with darker themes and adult can appreciate.

The story spans years of Bod's, short for Nobody Owens, life in the graveyard, discovering it's magic, adventures he has there and ultimately the reason that he's there.

I was so engrossed in this book that I stayed up until 3am reading it before I noticed the time. This is a book that is certainly worth your time.

And, if we're very lucky, Disney will soon be releasing a film adaptation of it.

Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine

I haven't changed my format, I just wanted to tell you how super excited I am about this book; Prince of Shadows by Rachel Caine, which is out February 4th. It will more than likely end up in my  Book # of 20 reviews this year.

Here's what it's about;

In the Houses of Montague and Capulet, there is only one goal: power. The boys are born to fight and die for honor and—if they survive—marry for influence and money, not love. The girls are assets, to be spent wisely. Their wishes are of no import. Their fates are written on the day they are born.

Benvolio Montague, cousin to Romeo, knows all this. He expects to die for his cousin, for his house, but a spark of rebellion still lives inside him. At night, he is the Prince of Shadows, the greatest thief in Verona—and he risks all as he steals from House Capulet. In doing so, he sets eyes on convent-bound Rosaline, and a terrible curse begins that will claim the lives of many in Verona…

…And will rewrite all their fates, forever.

Romeo and Juliet has been done a thousand times, my favourite film incarnation has to be Warm Bodies, so it's interesting to have a perspective shift to another character and have it be about them instead. I'm seriously looking forward to see how this story will fit in the R&J storyline.

Rachel Caine is one of my favourite authors and I've had the good pleasure of meeting her, she's so lovely and warm. I remember the Q&A she did at Waterstones in Walsall, I asked her if there were any plans of her books becoming graphic novels, I was so excited and nervous, I'd gone there alone and my only regret is not asking someone to take a picture for me!

I've read all of her Morganville books, including short stories and her Weather Warden Books, plus the "Manny" books, so I am looking forward to having a new series to look forward to!

Book 2 of 20: In an Iron Cage

In an Iron Cage: The Magic of Steampunk edited by Danielle Ackley-McPhail, Elektra Hammond, and Neal Levin

Image taken from Amazon.

IaIC is a collection of 14 short stories, and to fairly give each one it's due I've written the review after reading each story.
Before reading this, I will admit that, I had no real clue what steampunk was or how it came about. I've seen the cosplayers who wear lavish Victorian costumes but amped up to eleven with the addition of, what seems to be a staple, goggles.

Given that they are short stories, I won't go into too much detail as I wouldn't like to spoil it and, well, there are fourteen to get through, so we don't want to be here all day.

The Winter Court by Bernie Mojzes
A nice little story, with a good level of humour and plenty of wonder to sate my imagination. Whoever thought trying to find an island would be so enjoyable? It was a nice way to ease me into a new genre, there were markers of steampunk that I recognised, but I never thought it would go the way it did.

House of Automatons by James Chambers
This is a tale that I rather enjoyed reading, and will most likely reread. It has everything I need; a love story, a rogue of a main character, a witch, magic, automatons (steam powered robots), intrigue, puzzles, revenge....

Drinking Down Death by Jeff Young
This one had me from the start due to mysteriously missing Mediums, forgive my use of alliteration but I so rarely get to use it, and suspicious Sisters. Quite a fun little ride of a story.

Speaker for the Mayans by Brenda Cooper
A tale of exploration and bringing hope. I would have loved this one to be a full length novel. Everything was described so brightly that my mind was ablaze with colour and wonder whilst reading it. The characters worked well together and I love a woman in Victorian man trousers.

To Love and Hope by C.J. Henderson
This story has a more modern setting and features dimension travel. I'd thought steampunk was in a predominantly Victorian setting, so it was interesting to have a different setting. The heroes travel from a world just like ours, just with the addition of interdimensional travel where science reigns, to a world just like theirs only in that world magic reigns.

Little Girl with Pink Ribbons by Stuart Jaffe
Set around the Depression era, a man is entrusted with a little girl to look after, as a way to pay off his brother's debts to a mobster, during a boxing match between a wizard and a steam powered robot. I found this story to be a very quick read, nice and simple, good for a short journey and very likeable.

Scoundrel's Magic by James Daniel Ross
Who doesn't love a scoundrel's tale? The only thing better is a scoundrel's redemption story. See the horrors they inflict and how they remedy it. A good little story made even better, for me, with magical creatures.

On the Wings of an Angel by Danielle Ackley-McPhail
Seen through the eyes of a bar singer, she reflects on her job and the mechanical wings she wears. It was a nicely written story, in an accent no less!

The Trans-Siberian by A.C. Wise
What does the fox say? Quite a lot actually. Pop culture references aside, this is a very interesting story, a murder mystery, a Royal in danger, on a train, with were-foxes. I really don't think it gets better than that. I'd like to think that this is just the tip of the iceberg, and that'll I'll find more stories like this one in the future.

The First Flight of Valhalla by Darren W. Pearce
Follow Valhalla, the Dark Elves first warship, in it's maiden voyage. The elves are not of the Tolkien variety, they remind me of the elves found in Skyrim, this observation applies to all of these steampunk tales not just this one if anyone needed a frame of reference. Though in this story, they are feuding with Dwarves, that I recognise. The story is written with a lot of detail, which fed my imagination and allowed me to really see the world and it contains a very interesting plot point with fairies.

The Case of the Duchess's Dog by Elektra Hammond
A sweet little whodunit story. When the Duchess finds her dog dead, forensics use a combination of magic and science to find out what happened. The main character is smart and caring, using her gadgets, including a clockwork ferret, which I never knew how much I wanted one until now, effectively she discovers what has happened and takes the time and care to do her job properly, as the case could be considered somewhat frivolous and a waste of time to her peers, which is what I like about the main character.

That Voodoo that You Do by Patrick Thomas
Big Brother: Steampunk Edition, with Witch Trials and gangs. The main character is extremely likeable, and he likes to talk, a lot, which is all part of his charm. It's well written, with a clear narrative and interesting concept. As with the other stories, I'd love it to be expanded on.

Iron and Brass, Blood and Bone by Alma Alexander
What an amazing story, somewhat of a cautionary tale mixed with Jekyll & Hyde. Thought provoking and wonderful. That's all I can say without spoiling it.

Greater Crater Gremlins by David Sherman
A fun story to wrap up with, the main character has all the charm of Indiana Jones. It's honestly funny too, it had me laughing out loud as I read the climax.  We all know that gremlins are mischievous little buggers. A twinkly eyes kind of story and definitely worth reading.

I have enjoyed this book far more than I thought I would, and I'm now rather interested in Steampunk now I have a gist of of it. I think I'll go do a bit of research on the subject.

I borrowed this book from my brother, so I'm recommending it to you on my enjoyment of it. You can find it on amazon.

Book 1 of 20: Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Linsay

Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay

I've seen a couple episodes of the television series, Dexter, and I was rather charmed by it, but I didn't see it from the start so I couldn't follow it properly. So when I came across one of the books the show is based on, in Morrisons for £2*, well, how could I object?
I was quite taken with the tagline; "A serial killer with a heart.. be grateful it's not yours."
The whole idea of a serial killer who only goes after serial killers, like a bloody Robin Hood; stealing the lives of the guilty to give chance to the innocent, appeals to my morbid sense of humour.

I'll try to make this as spoiler free as possible, whilst giving you a gist of the story.

The book is written in first person view, so you get to experience the inner workings and thoughts of Dexter's mind.
The opening pulls no punches, throwing you into one of Dexter's 'kill nights', how he carefully targets those who deserve his attention. This completely sucks you into the story. You want to know what makes him do this and why. I mean, we've seen shows like CSI, where they catch serial killers, whilst unravelling their pasts, and those characters are always over the top, bigger than big, but Dexter works for the police, he helps catch killers, it's his job as blood splatter analyst.
And honestly, despite his statements saying he isn't human, I think he has completely human feelings, even if he doesn't realise them, or rationalise them.
Dexter is completely charming and funny. I let out more than one chuckle. He even calls someone a "scamp", which I loved, as I'm not sure of the last time I heard anyone use the word scamp!
The main plot of the book is trying to catch a serial killer known as the Tamiami Butcher, who targets Miami's prostitutes and how much Dexter admires their work and isn't sure if he wants it to come to a stop.

In brief, this story is dark, engaging and amusing, with a charming protagonist and relatable side characters who all work well together. The ending is wonderful and leaves you wanting more. I know that I'll be on the look out for the rest of the titles in the series.

*As of New Years Eve 2013

Introductions

I, like many people, buy books with good intentions to read them, but never seem to make time to do so, I make a vow here, to the books on my shelves, to read them.

I am making a goal, that in 2014, I will read at least 20 books. 20 books that are new to me, re-reads will not be included in the score, but will get a mention if I read them.

The plan is not to stick to one genre, as that could get boring. The books I'll be reading are probably not going to be the newest releases, but that's part of the adventure of books, isn't it? You can find a new favourite anywhere.

I'm currently three quarters of the way through book 1/20, so you'll be hearing from me soon.

Until then,

Laura
xo