Sunsets, Stars, West, Wind
Yesterday, on the last day of 2013, I posted my uncle’s best reads of last year. Today, on New Year’s Day 2014, I’m looking back at my reading for the past twelve months.
After Amazon acquired GoodReads in the Spring of 2013, I resolved to not rate or review books on that site going forward. I spent many hours relocating my existing reviews (and ratings) to this blog, where I can maintain my voice, my thoughts and my opinions as I see fit, without fear of censorship, tampering or deletions.
Read in December 2013
Synopsis:
The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories.
But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love.
My Thoughts:
Roth redeemed herself, at least in my mind, with Allegiant. While not perfect, I felt more at home with the direction the plot took than what happened in the middle weak-link book Insurgient (which I didn’t bother to review because it disappointed me so much). For my review of Divergent, follow this link.
A Princes of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Read in September 2008
I read this as an ebook from the Project Gutenberg edition of this novel.
I found this a very enjoyable read via my BlackBerry on my morning commute and before bed.
I was amazed at how well this novel appealed to me. For a science fiction novel published in 1912 (actually as a six-part serial in a magazine that year), it has stood the test of time quite well. Granted what we know of Mars makes much of the story ludicrous if you look at it strictly from a factual point of view. But if you suspend belief and imagine that Mars is actually not the Mars we know, but an imaginary world or planet of Burroughs devising, then it’s a fine story in an interesting setting.
Continue reading “eBook Review: A Princes of Mars by Burroughs (3.5 Stars)”
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
Read in December 2008
Washington Irving painted beautifully detailed scenes of rural New England. He also had a healthy sense of humor and wit. This story read like it was being narrated by the fireside in a tavern or pub on a blustery autumn evening.
I read the edition available from Project Gutenberg (click on the book cover at left for more information).
Reflections in light of the new Fox series “Sleepy Hollow” …
Continue reading “eBook Review: The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Irving (3 Stars)”
http://www.wired.com/opinion/2013/10/how-ebook-pricing-hurts-us-in-more-ways-than-you-think
I haven’t read an article recently on ebook pricing, especially as it pertains to libraries. This is an opinion article but a good one.
Publishers Weekly (@PublishersWkly) tweeted at 5:18 AM on Thu, Jul 11, 2013:
E-Book Ruling Gives Amazon an Advantage | NYT http://t.co/tYtahTn0gg
(https://twitter.com/PublishersWkly/status/355269788815212545)
Get the official Twitter app at https://twitter.com/download
Great quote from this Article: “The Justice Department guns appear to be pointed in the wrong direction.”
Judge says Apple conspired to raise prices on e-books
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/07/10/us-apple-ebooks-idUSBRE9690GE20130710
Not completely unexpected. My hope is that Amazon is next on the chopping block.
Did Apple conspire to fix ebook prices? The DOJ takes Cupertino to court on Monday
Somewhat old news in the sense that there’s nothing really new to report. I just wish this case had its sights set on Amazon.
Hachette Makes Full E-book Catalogue Available to Libraries
Great news on the library ebook lending front.
Backscatter by Gregory Beneford
Read in April 2013
Every Wednesday I look forward to the latest short fiction published at Tor’s website. For the last several weeks I’ve been somewhat disappointed in the offerings. But this past week, I thoroughly enjoyed my first ever reading experience of Gregory Beneford’s writing. And I liked it a lot, which spurred me to write a short review and spread the good news about this story in particular, and tangentially Tor’s short story web site.
Science fiction shines in this abbreviated format. So much impact in such a small space. And Beneford did not disappoint in character development (both human and non-human).
To read the story for yourself, click on the image above or follow this link: Backscatter by Beneford
