Review: Changing the World: All-New Tales of Valdemar edited by Mercedes Lackey

Changing the World: All-New Tales of Valdemar

Edited by Mercedes Lackey

Publisher: DAW Fantasy (Dec. 1, 2009)

Product Description: In March 1987, a young author from Oklahoma published her first novel, Arrows of the Queen. This modest book about a magical land called Vademar was the beginning of a fantasy masterpiece that would span decades and include more than two dozen titles. Now sixteen of today's hottest fantasy authors-including Tanya Huff, Mickey Zucker Reichert, Fiona Patton, and Judith Tarr-visit the world of Valdemar, adding their own special touches.


My Thoughts: I have probably been a fan of Valdemar since the publication of Arrows of the Queen (which is still my favorite book of the series). It is always good to revisit a fantasy world as rich and interesting as Valdemar. All of the stories were interesting and readable. I especially liked the stories by Mercedes Lackey, Mickey Zucker Reichert, and Tanya Huff. I also enjoyed the two stories that featured Ree by Kate Paulk and Sarah A. Hoyt. Overall I found this to be a very satisfying trip to the world of Valdemar.

In My Mailbox (Dec. 27, 2009)

In My Mailbox is hosted by The Story Siren.

Here is my haul for the week. First I completed my Unshelved collection. I really like these library-related comic strips.

I also added these YA print books this week.

I have heard good things on the blogs I read about all of them and decided I needed to have them too.

1. Hearts at Stake by Alyxandra Harvey

2. Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols

3. The Maze Runner by James Dashner

4. Napoleon's Pyramids by William Dietrich

And I added these to my Kindle.

1. Soulless by Gail Carriger

2. Suite Scarlett by Maureen Johnson

3. Black at Heart by Leslie Parrish

4. Blood Vice by Keith Melton

5. Serengeti Heat by Vivi Andrews

6. Kiss and Kin by Kinsey Holley

7. Got Wolf (Volume 1) by Helen Hardt

8. Run, Wolf by Keith Melton

You can see especially in numbers 5 - 8 that I was in a shapeshifters rut when it came to new books this week. I have already read and enjoyed Serengeti Heat and Kiss and Kin. I have also finished First Lord's Fury by Jim Butcher, Let It Snow by John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle and Immortal: Love Stories With Bite edited by P. C. Cast. Now I'm reading Changing the World: All-New Tales of Valdemar.

Here is why I'm having lots of reading time:

I'm staying warm and cozy inside and working away at the TBR. So, what was in your mailbox?

I'd Like To Give A Shout Out To...

Holiday Break Reading Challenge #10

Time to give a shout out to blogs that I like to read.

This challenge was a hard one. The task was to pick three or four blogs to mention. I have 133 blogs that I follow in my Bloglines account and 20 that I follow through my Blogger dashboard. There is some overlap between the two lists -- but it is still a lot of reading and lots of really informative blogs.

Here are blogs that I follow because I love their content. Because I follow them in my RSS readers, I am not very concerned with the fancy stuff that fills up the sidebars. Good design is kind of lost on me but content is very apparent. They usually make me add something to my TBR pile because of their reviews.

Charlotte's Library

The Shelf Elf

The Page Flipper

The Story Siren

I especially like the In My Mailbox weekly post done on Sundays by The Story Siren. It has led me to bunches of new blogs about books as I visit the blogs that others add to Mr. Linky each week.

YA Review: Immortal: Love Stories With Bite edited by P. C. Cast

Immortal: Love Stories With Bite
Editor: P. C. Cast
Publisher: BenBella Books (August 2008)
Pages: 264

Product Description from Amazon:



In Immortal: Love Stories With Bite, edited by New York Times bestselling author of the House of Night series P.C. Cast, seven of today's most popular YA vampire and contemporary fantasy authors offer new short stories that prove that when you're immortal, true love really is forever.

Rachel Caine (the Morganville Vampires series) revisits the setting of her popular series, where the vampires are in charge and love is risky

Cynthia Leitich Smith (Tantalize) gives us a love triangle between a vampire, a ghost and a human girl, in which none of them are who or what they seem

Claudia Gray (Evernight) takes us into the world of her Evernight series, in which a pre-Civil War courtesan-to-be is courted by a pale, fair-haired man whose attentions are too dangerous to spurn.

Richelle Mead (the Vampire Academy series) brings us the tale of a young vampire on the run from the rest of her kind, and the human boy who provides the getaway car

Nancy Holder (the Wicked series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) immerses us in a post-apocalyptic New York where two best friends are forced to make a choice that may kill them both

Kristin Cast (the House of Night series) introduces us to a new kind of vampire: one with roots in Greek mythology, and the power to alter space and time

And Tanith Lee (Black Unicorn) shows us what happens when a bright young woman with some supernatural savvy encounters a misguided (but gorgeous) young vampire.


My Thoughts: I liked all of the stories in this collection which is rather unusual for me. The subtitle says love stories but I don't know why. I don't recall that any of them were about a typical romantic love. They were all interesting takes on immortality though. It was my first introduction to Tanith Lee, Claudia Gray, and Cynthia Leitich Smith. I have other books by Lee and Gray and will be moving them up the TBR pile. I don't have any other Smith but know I have Tantalize in my HS Media Center. I'll add that to my TBR too. The one bad thing about anthologies is that, if they are good, they add more must read authors to my massive TBR pile. 

Review: Unshelved by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum

Librarians, there is a comic strip out there designed for you. You need to check out Unshelved by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum. They do a daily strip on the web which can be subscribed to in your RSS reader of choice. You can also receive the strips by email. Check out their website.

One really nice feature of the strip is that they do weekly book review strips. Here is the URL to see what books they have included. It is allowed to print and display those strips in your Media Center. You can also put the daily feed on your non-commercial website. Check out "Reprint Unshelved" on the home page for details.

Check the comic strip archive for my absolute favorite of the strips. It was shown on April 7, 2009. I printed a copy and it sits on my dining room table so that I can see it every morning with my breakfast.

Bill and Gene's genius has been collected in a number of books. Here are cover shots from my LibraryThing collection of the ones that I own.

If you don't know these guys and their work, you must check them out immediately. Don't let another day go by without their daily dose of library humor.

Flashback Challenge

A truly great book should be read in youth,

again in maturity and once more in old age,

as a fine building should be seen by morning light,

at noon and by moonlight.

~ Robertson Davies ~

Aarti at Booklust is hosting a challenge for 2010 that I plan to participate in. Check out her blog for the details. I love to reread old favorite books. I am going to participate at the "Literati - Over six books" level.

Some I plan to reread this year are the Liaden books by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller in anticipation of their new book in that world.

I also plan to reread some of the Miles Vorkosigan series by Lois McMaster Bujold because I love them and also because she has a new book in that world coming out in 2010 too.

I will undoubtedly re-read others too. I don't think I can get through a year without re-reading Sunshine and Shadow by Sharon and Paul Curtis, That Man Cartwright by Ann Fairbairn. and Tell Me No Lies by Elizabeth Lowell.

I don't remember too many books from my childhood but one children's book that I want to read again is The Chestry Oak by Kate Seredy.

I can hardly wait until 2010.

************************

Here is what I have read:

1. The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Feb. 6)
2. Local Custom by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (March 16)
3. Scout's Progress by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (March 21, 2010)
4. Mouse and Dragon by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (March 23, 2010)
5. The Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (May 6, 2010)
6. A Matter of Magic by Patricia C. Wrede (June 21, 2010)

7. Cryoburn by Lois McMaster Bujold (August 4, 2010)

8. Shards of Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold (August 5, 2010)

9. Barrayar by Lois McMaster Bujold (August 6, 2010)

10. The Warrior's Apprentice by Lois McMaster Bujold (August 8, 2010)

11. The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold (August 8, 2010)

12. Cetaganda by Lois McMaster Bujold (August 9, 2010)

13. Brothers in Arms by Lois McMaster Bujold (August 10, 2010)

14. Mirror Dance by Lois McMaster Bujold (August 11, 2010)

15. Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold (August 12, 2010)

16. Komarr by Lois McMaster Bujold (August 13, 2010)

17. A Civil Campaign by Lois McMaster Bujold (August 14, 2010)

18. Diplomatic Immunity by Lois McMaster Bujold (August 15, 2010)

YA Review: Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances

Let It Snow: Three Holiday Romances

Authors: John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle

Publisher: Speak, Reprint Edition

Date: October 2009

Pages: 368

Product Description from Amazon: In this charming trio of interconnected novellas, a massive snowstorm on Christmas Eve acts as a catalyst for romance in the lives of three teens. In Maureen Johnson’s tale, Jubilee Express, after Jubilee’s train becomes snowbound, she seeks shelter at a nearby Waffle House, along with a squad of hyper cheerleaders. In John Green’s story, A Cheertastic Christmas Miracle, a guy summons three friends to the Waffle House, where the combination of cheerleaders and cheesy waffles prompts big realizations. Finally, in Lauren Myracle’s entry, Patron Saint of Pigs, self-absorbed Addie atones for cheating on her boyfriend (who was stuck on Jubilee’s train) by proving she can be an angel for someone else, even if that someone is only a pet pig. Johnson’s playfulness, Green’s banter, and Myracle’s sincerity mesh well here, resulting in a collection that is imbued with optimism and warmth. The plotting is tight, and each end loosed by one author is tied up by another like a bright Christmas bow. A delightful read any time of the year.

My Thoughts: These three intertwined romances by 3 YA authors were touching and heartwarming and a perfect read for Christmas Eve. They all take place on a snowy Christmas Eve. Jubilee meets Stuart, Tobin realizes that Angie is a girl, and Addie reconnects with Jeb. They were all interesting stories and my first introduction to all of the authors. I want to try out other works by each of them.