Fire Juggler

Is it just me or is there a ton of Jane Austen and Charles Dickens on this list?

Instructions: Copy and paste this. Bold those books you've read in their entirety, underline the ones you started but didn't finish or read an excerpt.

"Apparently the BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here."

( BBC Book List )

This entry was originally posted at http://fire-juggler.dreamwidth.org/13610.html.

Overall Impression: I'm a bit conflicted about Brethren. On the one hand, I couldn't put it down, on the other, there were aspects that rubbed me the wrong way. There were times when I was blown away (highly recommended) and times when I was not-so-pleased (recommended with reservations), but overall Recommended.



( More In-Depth Review Here )

This entry was originally posted at http://fire-juggler.dreamwidth.org/9672.html.

I had occasion to re-read Wicked Gentlemen this last weekend and I thought I should record my thoughts while they were fresh in my mind.

Overall Impression: A helluva adventure packed into a nice slim volume. Highly Recommended.



( More In-Depth Review Here )

This entry was originally posted at http://fire-juggler.dreamwidth.org/8877.html.

Overall Impression: A nicely paced, lovely read. Good for an afternoon or evening when you don’t want to think too hard. Recommended for those looking for a nice romance.




( More In-Depth Review Here )

I'm willing to give LGBT books the benefit of the doubt. I have slightly lower standards because I'm just so excited to see my community represented. I'll overlook the big, gaping plot holes you could drive a bus through, poorly imagined worlds, bad characterization, and horrific prose just to get my fix. (I do try to be rational while reviewing, though)

Therefore, in my head, as I read, I always keep in mind my mom, who is also an avid reader of fiction of the lighthearted, not-too-serious variety. However, unlike me, she doesn't read queer fiction solely for the presence of queerness. She has nothing against queer fiction, and has read many an m/m or f/f book with delight, but it has to pass the test of being a good, solid story. Understand, it's not that she "overlooks" the queerness. She doesn't care one way or the other. She just wants a good read. So as I read, I think of my mom. "Will this book pass the Mom Test?"

What follows are two lists of books. The first are books that have officially passed the Mom Test. She read them, and then she excitedly talked with me about them for over an hour on the phone (wow, that was a lot of prepositions). The second list includes books that I haven't gotten around to recommending to her or she hasn't gotten around to reading, but I think will pass the Mom Test.

( The Mom Index )

This entry was originally posted at http://fire-juggler.dreamwidth.org/7825.html.

Today is the beginning of Banned Books Week!

"Banned Books Week is the only national celebration of the freedom to read. It was launched in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in the number of challenges to books in schools, bookstores and libraries. More than a thousand books have been challenged since 1982. The challenges have occurred in every state and in hundreds of communities.

People challenge books that they say are too sexual or too violent. They object to profanity and slang, and they protest against offensive portrayals of racial or religious groups--or positive portrayals of homosexuals. Their targets range from books that explore contemporary issues and controversies to classic and beloved works of American literature.

According to the American Library Association, [there were] 460 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2009."

So go out today, get a book that's been challenged and read it! Celebrate the Freedom to Read!!!

( Top 10 Challenged books of 2009 )

Overall Impression: This series is a collection of rather sweet m/m romances. I didn't find them to be saccharine, instead, I thought that they were solid books in the romance genre, which is to say that those people who like romances, will probably like them, but those who want a bit more plot external to the relationship, will likely find them boring. I, however, like a good romance, so I am rounding up. Recommended




( More In-Depth Review Here )

Overall Impression: An interesting and fun-to-read look at vampirism. I know that Vampirisim-as-Disease is not really a new thing, but this was well done. Recommended



( More In-Depth Review Here )

Overall Impression: A solid, m/m, post-apocalyptic romance. For me, an enjoyable read, but one that I am not obsessing over afterward. It's not that I didn't like it, because I did. But I finished it, put it away, and probably won't think much about it in the future. That said, I really did enjoy it. I can see myself picking it up again some lazy, winter night, and wrapping it around me like a warm blanket. It is a comfort book. Recommended



( More In-Depth Review Here )

I should preface this by saying that I struggle with short stories. They're just so....short. I liked Tangle XY better, and I think that this is because Tangle XY was anchored by two novellas, one of which was by Ginn Hale. Those two novellas helped me navigate the shorter stories with a bit more tolerance.

Overall Impression: Conflicted, as I am with many anthologies.



( More In-Depth Review Here )

Just finished Strange Fortune, by Josh Lanyon.

Overall Impression: Loved, loved, loved it). In fact, I think that it is my favorite Josh Lanyon book to date.



( More In-Depth Review Here )

Just finished the second volume of Lord of the White Hell by Ginn Hale.

Overall Impression: Highly Enjoyable (but I still like Wicked Gentlemen best).



( More In-Depth Review Here )

Our trusty post office delivered me a plethora of new gay-themed books in the last week. I can't wait to get started!

Ginn Hale's Lord of the White Hell (both volumes! Vol. 2 arrived more that 2 weeks early!!!). I love Ginn Hale. Wicked Gentlemen was just wonderful. I can't wait to sink my teeth into these!

Josh Lanyon's Strange Fortune (his first foray into spec fiction).

The Tangle Girls anthology. I loved Tangle XY and was thrilled to see a lesbian version. Good lesbian fiction is hard to come by, it seems, and I have high hopes for this one.

Nicole Kimberling's Turnskin.

As of now, I have bought nearly every publication by Blind Eye Books. It's a great little publisher and I can't wait to see what they come up with next.

Here's to some happy reading in the near future!