Book Review #15: "...and then what happened?"

Book 15: Stories: All-New Tales, edited by Neil Gaiman and Al Sarrantonio

It took me a long time to finish this book. I've read it bit by bit between other books, when I had nothing else I was reading. By no means was it bad--it was excellent, masterpiece after masterpiece. Some stories were creepy, some were heartwarming, some were strange, and some were all of the above. Even the introduction was amazing, which I quoted in my recent blog post about why I like to read.

I find it difficult to read short stories. Every one of them took me on that same emotional roller-coaster that a novel does. The initial tenativeness with which you'd approach a story you know nothing about. Then the ramping up of action, and the climax. Finally the end, that leaves you wanting to linger in the world of the story, you're not quite ready to leave. There's another story waiting to be read on the next page, but you can't bring yourself to start it. There's no way it could be as intriguing as the story you just finished, the one that left you thinking. And then, when you're ready, maybe minutes, hours, or days later, you start the next one, and the cycle repeats.

I have a feeling one day I'll come back and reread these stories. Short stories seem to be the type that you read over and over. You don't need as much patience to read them a second, third, fourth time like you do a novel. And I've left so much time between reading the stories in this book that I can't remember a lot of them. Just the feelings they left me with.

Of course, anything related to Neil Gaiman I'm more likely to reread. His story in this book, The Truth Is a Cave in the Black Mountains, is fantastic, in which the narrator--a small dangerous man--and a man named Calum MacInnes go in search of treasure in the Black Mountains. Other stories touch on themes as diverse as murder, the death of a loved one, a mysterious lake that's home to a race of humanoids, and a twist on the typical vampire story. There are well-known authors like Jodi Picoult, Diana Wynne Jones, Joyce Carol Oates, and Chuck Palahniuk, and many others I haven't heard of. They're not all fantasy, and some of them leave you wondering whether they could be real or not.

Short stories always leave me feeling slightly unsatisfied, as if I couldn't stay long enough in their different worlds, which is the main reason I couldn't give the book five stars. Some of the stories set my nerves on edge as well, and I'm not the type to enjoy that sort of thing. The fact that they did, however, that they affected my emotions, is a sign of a great story.

Book Review #14: The Doors to Elsewhere

Book 14: Daughter of Smoke and Bone, by Laini Taylor

I picked this book up recently at Waterstone's along with The Hundred-Year-Old Man on a whim. I was not disappointed by either choice. The cover of this book grabbed my interest immediately, and I remembered seeing a review of it on a blog that I follow, which made it look promising. Not to mention a favorite author of mine, Patrick Rothfuss, gave the review, "Wow. I wish I had written this book."

Karou has two lives. In one, she is an art student in Prague. In the other, she runs errands for a creature named Brimstone, who is the closest thing she has to a father. He is from a world he calls Elsewhere, and he will not divulge its secrets to Karou. All she has seen of this world is the shop beyond the doorways, which seems to exist everywhere and nowhere, where Brimstone and his helpers live and work. Hunters and murderers sell him teeth in exchange for wishes, and occasionally when he needs help with a delivery, he asks for help from Karou. All she has ever received in return are the smallest of wishes, which she's used--wrongly, perhaps--for superficial things like turning her hair blue and giving herself tattoos.

When the doors to Elsewhere start closing and Karou tries to find out why, with the help of a mysterious stranger she discovers truths about Elsewhere and Brimstone's work that she never would have dreamed of. She must decide where she belongs before the doors close forever.

I didn't know much more about the plot of this book than the above before I read it, which I'm grateful for. Part of the fun experience of this book was discovering things about Elsewhere along with Karou. She's very easy to relate to, and a very three-dimensional character. The fantastical world is as well, clearly well-thought-out and very well-written. Easy to read, and easy to get sucked in. It's an incredibly original story, something hard to find these days in the fantasy genre. As with all good books, I was hooked right away, and once I got past the halfway point I couldn't put it down. I've given it five stars on Goodreads.

I'm eagerly awaiting the sequel, which is set to be released in about a month.

Homeward Bound

Earlier today I got a response from the last job in the UK I've been waiting to hear from, which was a "no." I didn't have enough specific knowledge/experience for the position. My student visa expires on the 1st of October, so this means that I have to leave Scotland. I've already started to make plans to, since they've taken so long to get back to me. I would have barely had time to apply for a work visa if they'd offered me a job.

Truthfully, I'm glad I don't have to make the choice between Aberdeen and the US. Lately I've been realizing how much I miss Seattle, and how the choice between staying near my friends in Scotland and going back home would be difficult. I probably would have chosen to go home, and then felt like I was giving up a good opportunity to stay. Now, I don't have a choice, and I can be content getting excited about going back to Seattle.

I will miss Scotland dearly. It's been an amazing experience. I've changed a lot (for the better), and met so many great people, including friends I know I'll have for life. I'm sure I'll be putting aside money to come back as soon as I can.

But it seems it's time for me to leave the people and the land behind. For now.

Book Review #13: A Swedish Forrest Gump

Book 13: The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared, by Jonas Jonasson

Allan Karlsson is about to turn one-hundred. His birthday party at the old folks home is all planned out for him, and the mayor and the press will be there. But he has had enough, and instead escapes through his window. This begins a crazy, Forrest Gump-esque adventure filled with both lighthearted and dark humor. The story switches between the present day and Allan's past, which is equally as unbelievable.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up at a local bookstore. It seemed fun, and there were quite a few raving reviews from all over Europe; when I bought it, it hadn't been released in the US yet (and now it has). I don't often read comedy, but the fact that it was a Swedish author made me think I might like it, since I enjoyed the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series so much (perhaps not a fair comparison since it's crime and not comedy, but in a way this book is crime as well...).

I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the humor and the lighthearted quality of the whole story, despite the few horrible things that happen. It had me laughing out loud at least every few pages. The plot is also cleverly put together. Allan is a very unique, clever character himself, but if I tell you too much I'll ruin the story. This book certainly deserves all the praise it's received.

Book Review #12: Libriomancer

Book 12: Libriomancer, by Jim Hines

If there is one place I take book recommendations seriously from, it is my favorite authors. When I saw this was recommended by Patrick Rothfuss (The Kingkiller Chronicle, which I've written a review for), and then discovered it was considered "urban fantasy", a genre I haven't explored but have wanted to try, I figured it was worth a read.

Isaac Vainio is a libriomancer working in a bookshop. One day a group of vampires attacks the shop, and with the help of his friend Lena--a dryad--they barely escape alive. Until now, the vampires have been peaceful enough, so the two of them set out to discover why the Porters, the organization of libriomancers, are being targeted. On top of it all, Isaac has been in trouble for using his magic too recklessly, and is not allowed to use it anymore. That doesn't last very long...

The magic in this story is very original. A libriomancer is someone who can literally pull things out of books--but the things must fit through the pages. For example, you couldn't pull a full-sized person out of a book unless the book itself was wide enough (and this large book was widely distributed and read; there are many rules). You could say it's a bit like Inkheart, where things from books will appear in this world if the person reading it has the required magical ability, but it's not quite the same, and it leads to some unique, interesting problems.

It's also refreshing to have a book that contains vampires where that is not the central part of the story. It is not a "vampire book" in any way, there are plenty of other interesting creatures. And there is literary reference after literary reference, most of which I understood, since Isaac's favorite genres of books to use are Fantasy and Sci-Fi! The stories of Doctor Who and Sherlock Holmes even make an appearance.

This book was fun, different, and engaging. I'll likely be reading the sequel.

Book Reviews #10 & #11: A Steampunk "Doctor Who"

Book 10: The Chronological Man: The Monster In The Mist, by Andrew Mayne

This is a series of novellas set in the late 19th century about a man, Smith, who investigates strange phenomena where the police have failed. This is the first book in the series, where he meets a new assistant, April Malone. April takes a job as a secretary/assistant, and reads newspapers and magazines and books for research, and makes coffee and sets out pastries every day, for a man she never sees. Then one day, Smith appears, and the adventure begins. People keep going missing in Boston, and it's up to Smith and April to find out why. Smith felt very much to me like a steampunk Doctor, which made me enjoy the story even more.

Book 11: The Chronological Man: the Martian Emperor, by Andrew Mayne

In the second installment, a Martian makes an appearance in New York, and Smith and April must find out whether it's a hoax. I enjoyed the first book more than the second, perhaps because Smith was more of a mystery then or because I wanted more of a subplot between Smith and April, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. I've always been intrigued by steampunk but have never tried reading any books in the genre, and I was not disappointed. Both of these short books are $0.99 on Amazon as e-books, so I would recommend giving them a try!

Twentysomething

In a few weeks, things are going to change yet again for me. When this has happened in the past, it has always been because of a move, or a change of school, or both. At those times, I could count on frequently being around certain people: classmates, family, and in university, flatmates. I was either at home with people or at school with people. Especially at university, you're very likely to get along with your classmates or your flatmates (though you could be unlucky), since you have something in common and are around each other so frequently. Being young contributes to that as well, as you are in an unfamiliar place and are still figuring your life out, and so is everyone around you.

You don't realize how important this is when you're at university. How protected and supported you are. You ride the wave of new ideas, people, and places and let it shape you. Then you graduate, hoping for the best of all those worlds, as you now know what you want (hopefully). But this needs so much more perseverance and patience than you first think.

This transition is far different from anything I've been through. It's not quite as scary as it was first coming to Scotland, as I have friends here now. But they all have different lives from me since I've graduated, and we have to make an effort to see each other. The difficult thing is that I can't seem to count on anything. People I work with aren't at the same stage of life as me. It's a different dynamic--you don't seem to become as close as you were to university friends. I've also gained a liking to living without flatmates. All of this adds up to needing to depend on myself so much more than I ever have before. And with a new job on the horizon it means starting all over again meeting new people.

I'm doing my best to remember it will get better with time. Many times in the past, I've picked myself up and moved on to a new life. But things now seem the most uncertain that they've ever been, and I feel more on my own than ever. It's part of life, I know.

Perhaps this just means things will be that much better when I find my way. To quote The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, "Everything will be all right in the end. If it's not all right, then it's not the end."