Stacking the Shelves: 5/12-5/18

For possible review (here and on Bookloons):

Warpworld by Kristene Perron & Joshua Simpson

The Beautiful and the Cursed by Page Morgan

Lexicon by Max Barry

Won:

The Black Stiletto by Raymond Benson

Black & White by Raymond Benson

Stars & Stripes by Raymond Benson

24 Bones

24 Bones

by Michael F. Stewart

published by author

2013

No ISBN

Why Read?: Review

Challenges: 100 Books in a Year

Michael F. Stewart bring ancient Egyptian religion to the present in 24 Bones, creating a wild and thrilling ride of secret cults and powerful magic.

It has been years since David was sent from Egypt as a small child, leaving behind his father’s religious sect, the Shemsu Hor, and the Sisters of Isis who raised him.  Now he is back to translate a prophecy about the spine of Osiris, which consist of twenty-four vertebrae guarded by the Shemsu Hor, the Shemsu Seth, and the Sisters of Isis.  However, the Shemsu Seth have been killing the Shemsu Hor in order to obtain their pieces of the spine.  One of these Shemsu Seth members is Sam, who had a brief encounter with David as a young girl.  Little do David or Sam know how important they are to the struggle between light and dark.

Stewart presents a lot of intrigue and action in 24 Bones, which is what keeps the story moving.  Unfortunately, there are some parts that are rather confusing, which can slow the pace.  The twist in the story, though, is excellent and definitely worth the read.

Fans of ancient Egypt and modern intrigue will enjoy 24 Bones.  Michael F. Stewart has talent for this sort of story which will develop over time.

Rating 3/5

The Glass Castle

Title: The Glass Castle
Author:  Jeannette Walls

Publisher: Scribner
ISBN: 978-0-7432-4754-2

Why Read?: Book Club
Challenges: 100 Books in a Year

Thoughts: Walls's childhood is quite frankly unbelievable .  Hers is a story that will tug at your heart-strings and make you cheer for her every step of the way.  The whole time I was reading it, I kept wondering if her life would have been different is she grew up now instead of when she did.

Rating: 5 stars

Stacking the Shelves: 5/5-5/11

For review (on Bookloons):

The Secret of Adbu El Yazdi by Mark Hodder

Selection for Astraea Press Book Club:

The Super Spies and the Cat Lady Killer by Lisa Orchard

Stacking the Shelves: 4/21-5/4

For possible review (here and on Bookloons):

Yellowcake by Margo Lanagan

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness

Ghostly Summons by John A. Karr

The House at the End of Hope Street by Menna van Praag

Angel City by Jon Steele

Rapture Practice by Aaron Hartzler

Won:

A Spoonful of Sugar by Brenda Ashford

LibraryThing Early Review:

How Possession Can Help You Lose Weight by Brick Crapper, M.D.

Reading Challenge Update: April 2013

Here is where I stand with the challenges I have joined after the month of April (only challenges that I read books for this month are featured here):

Audio Book (4/12)
4. Eve & Adam by Katherine Applegate & Michael Grant

100 Books in a Year (44/100)
39. Ill Met by Moonlight by Sarah A. Hoyt
40. Many Bloody Returns by Charlaine Harris & Toni L. P. Kelner, eds.
41. Eve & Adam by Katherine Applegate & Michael Grant
42. Spontaneous Performance by Marsh Cassady
43. The Grace Painter by Mark Romang
44. Olivia's Journey by B. G. Lashbrooks
45. Deep Betrayal by Anne Greenwood Brown
46. Revenge of a Not-So-Pretty Girl by Carolita Blythe
47. The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma
48. The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough

Historical Fiction (9/10)
7. Ill Met by Moonlight by Sarah A. Hoyt
8. Olivia's Journey by B. G. Lashbrooks
9. The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma

Aussie Authors (1/3)
1.  The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough

Chunkster (2/6)
1. The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma
2. The Darwin Elevator by Jason M. Hough

Sophomore (2/10)
1. Deep Betrayal by Anne Greenwood Brown
2. Revenge of a Not-So-Pretty Girl by Carolita Blythe

YA Mythology (2/10)
2. Deep Betrayal by Anne Greenwood Brown

Standalone (3/15)
3. Revenge of a Not-So-Pretty Girl by Carolita Blythe

YA/MG Fantasy (7/10)
7. Deep Betrayal by Anne Greenwood Brown

Immortal (5/12)
4. Ill Met by Moonlight by Sarah A. Hoyt
5. Many Bloody Returns by Charlaine Harris & Toni L. P. Kelner, eds.

British Books (4/12)
3. Ill Met by Moonlight by Sarah A. Hoyt
4. The Map of Time by Felix J. Palma

Free Reads (11/12)
9. Eve & Adam by Katherine Applegate & Michael Grant
10. Spontaneous Performance by Marsh Cassady
11. Olivia's Journey by B. G. Lashbrooks

A to Z (21/26)
20. Many Bloody Returns by Charlaine Harris & Toni L. P. Kelner, eds.
21. The Darwin Elevator by Jason H. Hough

Self-Published (4/10)
4. The Grace Painter by Mark Romang

The Darwin Elevator

The Darwin Elevator

by Jason M. Hough

published by Del Rey

July 2013

ISBN 978-0-345-53712-6

Why Read?: Net Galley, Book Club

Challenges: Aussie Authors, Chunkster, A to Z, 100 Books in a Year

Jason M. Hough takes an interesting spin on the sci-fi genre in The Darwin Elevator.  While firmly a dystopian novel, it also contains elements of space opera and zombie fiction, making it more accessible across genres and a truly entertaining read.

Skyler Luiken makes a decent living as a scavenger since he is immune to the animalistic disease that has affected everyone living outside of the aura of the space elevator that landed in Darwin, Australia.  No one really knows why the elevator is there or where the disease came from, but they know the Builders will be back…although only one man has an idea as to when.  Neil Platz is the richest man in Darwin, and his company leads all research into the Builders’ works.  Working for him is Tania Sharma, a brilliant researcher and daughter of his former partner.  When the elevator begins failing and the disease gets stronger, Platz hires Skyler’s crew to retriever some data cubes to aid in Tania’s research into the return of the Builders.  What they all discover is something that not even Platz could have predicted.

Hough presents some really great ideas in The Darwin Elevator.  The dystopian world he has created is raw and gritty, and the disease that turns humans into animalistic zombies is truly terrifying.  The characters are all very well-formed as we meet quite a few of the major players in Darwin – both on the ground and in space.  The one flaw was that a future date was actually given.  What made this harmful was that while research technology seemed to be realistically advanced for 250 years in the future, weaponry seems to have not aged a day, and this often would throw me out of the story.

Even though I am not the biggest fan of some of the subgenres that Jason M. Hough drew from, I really enjoyed The Darwin Elevator.  It is a fast-paced read that really pulls the reader in.  And the ending definitely left me eagerly anticipating the next installment.

Rating 4/5