September 27, 2014

Lock In by John Scalzi

Absolutely loved Lock In by John Scalzi!!  We listened to the Audible audio version and it was great.  This is science fiction at its best.  The character and plot development was totally realistic and terribly thrilling.  Current world events have made the near-future fiction seem even more possible.  The audio version also included Unlocked: An Oral History of Hayden’s Syndrome: A Tor.com Original (Kindle single).  It really explained a lot and would probably be a good prequel, if you haven’t already read the book.  I’m sure the read would be as good as the listen.  Definitely a GREAT audio book!!!

The Paper Magician by Charlie N. Holmberg

The Paper Magician appears to be the first in a series of magician stories by Charlie N. Holmberg.  It was one of my Amazon Prime Kindle First Read choices and it was a good one.  The story is a modern fairytale involving an apprentice’s quest to save her mentor, meeting both good and bad magicians along the way.  As with all fairytales, it was at times sweet and at other times quite gruesome.  I enjoyed it as an adult and am sure that young adults would also like it.  Some of the gruesome parts are quite graphic and might be too much for younger children, so I’d exercise caution and preview it first.  The Paper Magician was definitely a good read.  I’m looking forward to the next book in the series, The Glass Magician, which will be released on November 4, 2014.

Iceland: A Second Visit by P. J. Hammond

Iceland: A Second Visit by P. J. Hammond is a lovely book, filled with beautiful paintings and lively adventures.  I was lucky enough to meet Mrs. Hammond this past summer while vacationing in northern Vermont.  We had an engaging conversation in which she shared some of the background for the paintings and stories.  I thought of our meeting while reading the book and enjoying the illustrations.  The book and the author are both true gems.  Definitely a wonderful read.

Traveling With Wildflowers by P. J. Hammond

After reading P. J. Hammond’s book, Iceland: A Second Visit, I was lucky enough to find a signed copy of her first book, Traveling With Wildflowers.  Once again, Mrs. Hammond’s book included both her adventures and her beautiful paintings.  This time, she wrote about her journeys across the northern United States and Canada to Alaska.  While on her travels, she painted many of the wildflowers that she saw along the way.  The book is invaluable, because she also researched and identified the flowers that she had painted.  This makes it a good reference book, in addition to being a lovely memoir.  I was finally able to identify some of the wildflowers that I’ve seen in the north country of New England and Michigan.  I loved reading Traveling With Wildflowers!  It’s definitely a great read, one that I’m sure I will revisit again many times.