On My Bookshelf: The Secret Commonwealth by Philip Pullman

Title: The Secret Commonwealth Author: Philip Pullman Genre: Fantasy My Rating: 4/5
Lyra Silvertongue, once a traveler between worlds, has grown up. Seven years after she left the love of her life in a different universe, she still bears a wounded heart. Worse, she and her daemon, Pantalaimon, no longer get along. Their relationship is one of disagreement and discomfort until the day Pantalaimon disappears. Lyra must embark on a cross-continental journey to find him even as religious and governmental institutions are tracking her down to destroy her.
I adored the original His Dark Materials trilogy and, two books in, I’m enjoying this one as well. Lyra is no longer a child. She is still the same person, yet vastly different. Starting this book was like coming back to an old friend you haven’t seen in a while, one who has changed with the years–and you’ve changed too. At first, you’re not sure if you still fit together, if you still have that easy conversation you were used to. After a reintroduction, a brief catch up, you find that you do still fit together and your friend is as beloved as she’s always been. My heart ached for Lyra, who is now less sure of herself and her place in the world. She doesn’t seem to fit anywhere and it’s a feeling to which I can acutely relate. Her relationship with Pan was so strained in the first part of the book and I just wanted them to hug each other and go back to their easy love again.
The plot of The Secret Commonwealth is as thrilling as any of the original trilogy. Lyra travels from England to the Middle East in the course of the book and meets friends and foes along the way. Meanwhile, the POVs of supporting characters offer glimpses into the various agencies hunting Lyra, lending even more urgency to the book. I could barely put it down. As with all the Lyra books, each character, no matter how small, has been deeply developed and comes with their own histories, hurts, and complicated motivations. Normally, I am annoyed by head-jumping points of view because I always want to get back to the last person I was reading about. I didn’t feel that way during this story.
My biggest, non-spoilery complaint is that Malcolm has developed romantic feelings for Lyra. While not a huge focal point of the story, they didn’t seem natural. It felt more like the author wanted his main male and female protagonists to end up together, which I assume happens in the third book. Rather than leaving me with a sense of inevitability of the relationship, Malcolm’s feelings left me with some uncomfortable questions. When did he fall in love with her? She was a baby when Malcolm saved her in the last book and The Secret Commonwealth mentions that she was briefly his student a few years ago–still a child. Did he fall in love with her when she was a teenager? They haven’t seen too much of each other in the intervening years. It sounds like they’ve barely had a conversation! Is he infatuated with her based on what little he knows? I don’t know and the text doesn’t really provide an answer. Lyra is an adult in this book and I usually don’t scorn a romance with age differences (provided the parties are on an equal footing in terms of power), but the romantic plotline didn’t make a whole lot of sense to me. Maybe I’ll feel differently in the third book. I do want to root for them after all. I just need an actual reason to.
Overall, I really liked The Secret Commonwealth and I think anyone who’s read His Dark Materials will also like it. It’s both familiar and new–and very exciting–and I can’t want to read the next book.

On My Bookshelf: Uprooted by Naomi Novik

Title: Uprooted
Author: Naomi Novik
Genre: Adult Fantasy
My Rating: 4/5

Agnieszka grew up with the knowledge that, in exchange for protecting her village from The Wood, The Dragon would steal away her best friend for ten years. However, when the day of the choosing comes, the wizard picks Agnieszka out of the lineup of maidens. He takes her back to his tower and tells her that she has the gift of magic and, as such, he is obligated to teach her. The problem is, Agnieszka doesn’t want to be taught and she can’t seem to manage even the simplest spell.

Her attitude changes as The Wood grows more powerful and a brewing war threatens to leave the entire country vulnerable to The Wood’s malevolent influence.

I got Uprooted from my library after reading and loving Spinning Silver. I loved Uprooted as well; the concept was amazing (evil that seeps out of a forest, corrupting those it touches) and the protagonist is a unique, determined character.

I thought the story started pretty quickly; there’s a little bit of explanation of Agnieszka’s past and her deep bond with her friend Kasia and then it gets right into the action when The Dragon (who is actually human–no shapeshifters here) comes to choose his next “sacrifice.” Agnieszka’s reaction to becoming his sort-of-servant / pupil is pretty realistic, considering I would have been totally freaked out as well. She starts to learn magic in a way that doesn’t conform to the “rules” of the world, which I found very satisfying. In a world with magic and magical beings, I don’t think everything should always make sense.

I enjoyed the romance element (which I won’t spoil) mostly because the sexual tension between the characters was palpable. So much so, in fact, that I would have been seriously let down if Novik didn’t see it through to the end. It’s not an easy, rainbows and sunshine relationship, though. The way the characters talk to each other could be considered verbal abuse at times. That made me a little uncomfortable, considering I like my romances to start as friendship with a side of longing, but I overlooked it, for the most part.

The victory of this story is Novik’s characterization of The Wood. It’s a forest that’s not a forest–it seethes with malevolence, is overrun with horrific creatures, and corrupts all it touches. Simply breathing the air will kill a person–but not before they go mad and kill or infect everyone else they touch. The creatures were terrifying and the “heart trees” were grotesque perversions of what trees should be. The descriptions of the forest and its influence sent chills through me in the best way. It was delightfully horrifying.

All in all, Novik remains a must-read author for me and I’d recommend giving her a try.

…truth didn’t mean anything without someone to share it with; you could shout truth into the air forever, and spend your life doing it, if someone didn’t come and listen.

Naomi Novik, Uprooted

On My Bookshelf: On Writing by Stephen King

Title: On Writing
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Non-Fiction, Writing, Memoir
My Rating: 5/5

I have a confession to make: I have never read a Stephen King novel. If I’ve seen a movie of his, it was accidental. Stephen King was fixed in my mind as a horror writer, the one genre that is an instant NOPE! (Close the eyes! Cover the ears!) for me. (What can I say? As a writer, my imagination is WAY too active).

This is a slim book that is part memoir, part instruction manual about the craft of writing, and it was an utter delight to read. I knew pretty much nothing about Stephen King, besides that he is a master of the craft, and yet I was drawn in immediately by his short biographical snippets. It speaks to his talent as a writer that I, someone who had no interest in his works or his life, was captivated from page one. The voice is friendly, colorful, no nonsense, and it made reading this book a pleasure.

After the biographical section, King spends some time covering broad topics on writing, grammar, and crafting a story. I had heard that On Writing was a must-read for aspiring (or published) writers, which nearly led me to avoid this book entirely as I tend to steer clear of mainstream, hugely popular media in any form. I’m not sure that anything should be considered “required reading,” but it’s certainly worthwhile. Some of the major takeaways were that writers, above all, need to read, that they need to have a dedicated writing time during the day, and a door to close while they’re working, and that anyone who promises a “magic bullet” for writing success is full of shit.

I don’t have a lot to say on this book because I’d end up repeating King’s words here. I’ve already returned this book to the library, but I think I’ll be taking it out again in the future for a reread and some note taking. If you’re a writer, I’d recommend On Writing as the most worthwhile “how to” book I’ve read to date.

Bonus: I love the fact that Stephen King absolutely adores his wife, Tammy. She is painted as the hero in his sometimes difficult life and his love for her is steeped in every page of the book.

Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy okay? Getting happy.

Stephen King, On Writing

Damn, if that ain’t the truth.

If any of you have read Stephen King novels, could you recommend one that isn’t too scary?

On My Bookshelf: Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

Title: Gods of Jade and Shadow
Author: Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Genre: Fantasy, Maya Mythology, Death
My Rating: 5/5

Casiopea Tun dreams of dancing fast, swimming in the Pacific Ocean, and driving an automobile. Instead, she is trapped in a rural Mexican town serving her hateful grandfather and the rest of his family. One day, she opens the forbidden chest in her grandfather’s bedroom and releases the god of death, Hun-Kame, supreme leader of Xibalba. Together they must journey across Mexico and complete three trials to restore Hun-Kame to his throne. If they are successful, Hun-Kame will grant Casiopea’s heart’s desire. If they fail… Casiopea will die.

This story started off slowly, with exposition about the town, the family, and Casiopea’s hopes and personality, starkly in opposition to the show, don’t tell “rule” of writing. Based on the first chapter, I was prepared to be a little disappointed; I had my eye on this book for many months and was very excited to finally be able to read it. However, once Casiopea opened the chest, accidentally releasing Hun-Kame, the story took off and took me with it. I was completely caught up in the narrative, which does feature a lot of exposition, but it works. This is part historical fantasy, part love story, but the tone solidifies it as a beautifully-told brand-new myth.

Casiopea is as real as anyone, full of dreams, bitterness, curiosity, and love. She was inspiring in her strength, but it wasn’t a self-sacrificial strength a la Cinderella. She was always determined to save herself, and did, in the end.

As the story unfolded, I knew it was going to be a bittersweet ending and Garcia-Moreno delivered. I finished reading with a knot in my throat and stars in my eyes, hoping that Casiopea and Hun Kame could find a measure of peace in their futures. I love reading about Maya history, religion, and myth and this book was exactly what I was craving. I’ll be rereading Gods of Jade and Shadow regularly.

The things you name do grow in power, but others that are not ever whispered claw at one’s heart anyway, rip it to shreds even if a syllable does not escape the lips.

Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Gods of Jade and Shadow

On My Bookshelf: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

Title: The Hating Game
Author: Sally Thorne
Genre: Romance
My Rating: 5/5

Lucy Hutton adores her job as assistant to the co-CEO of a publishing company. The only problem is that she works opposite the worst person in the world: Joshua Templeman. Everything is a competition between the two of them, including the newly announced job opening for Chief of Operations. One of them will win the position. The other will resign.

As the interview approaches, the tension between them rises and their relationship starts to change. Lucy isn’t sure whether this is another game, but she realizes that whether she gets the job or not, she’s going to lose something important.

I borrowed The Hating Game from the library last year, read it in about a day, and then immediately reread it. I finally bought a copy for myself this month, read it in about two days (I savored it this time!) and then… immediately reread it. It will be a go-to comfort read forever, at this point.

The story has the perfect balance of plot and character development. Lucy is a quirky, likable character whose insecurities don’t hold her back from standing up to people in power. Josh is a snarky, yet shy and gentle, antagonist turned love interest. The enemies to friends to lovers trope is a tough one to get right because it has to be believable that the two people hate each other enough, yet not so much that they couldn’t form a connection (and then fall in love). Sally Thorne executes this trope well, in my opinion. Yes, Josh is Lucy’s adversary, but anyone who reads between the lines will quickly realize that Lucy is obsessed (not in a super creepy, weird way) with Josh and wants his attention and the same goes for him. The sexual tension between Lucy and Josh practically sizzles off the page and comes to a very satisfying (hah) conclusion.

The Hating Game is a really delightful romcom. I read Sally Thorne’s second book, 99 Percent Mine, and reviewed it a while back, because I liked The Hating Game so much. This is a stronger story than that one, but both are solid romcoms and earned Sally Thorne a spot on my “will read anything by this author” list.

Have you read The Hating Game? Do you love or hate the enemies to lovers trope?

I have a theory. Hating someone feels disturbingly similar to being in love with them. I’ve had a lot of time to compare love and hate, and these are my observations.

The Hating Game, Sally Thorne

On My Bookshelf: The Denial of Death by Ernest Becker

Title: The Denial of Death
Author: Ernest Becker
Genre: Psychology, Philosophy
My Rating: 2/5

Becker posits that humans have a deep, innate fear of death and that all human action stems from attempts to mitigate this fear in various ways. I read this book ten years ago for a college class and thought I’d pick it up again to see what I could glean. I liked the premise because it seemed logical to me. The execution of the argument, however, left a lot to be desired. 

The introduction outlines Becker’s arguments and got me interested in reading further. After that, however, he spends an inordinate amount of time describing the theories of philosophers/psychologists like Freud, Kierkegaard, and Otto Rank (with whom he seems to have an unhealthy obsession). I didn’t choose this book to go through all Freud’s nonsense again. I slogged through the middle section in hopes that it would end soon and we’d get to the good stuff.

Towards the end of the book, Becker discusses how different “mental illnesses” are a result of the fear of death. If he hadn’t lost me before that point, he would have when he describes how being gay or trans is a mental illness. On top of that, throughout the book women are treated almost as a separate species, barely worth mentioning except to describe their penis envy and the fact that their place is in the home, pushing out children. Needless to say, the book aged very poorly.

Becker never really developed an “answer” to the problem of the fear of death. A close contender was religion, with its belief systems, rituals, and afterlife, but since it’s a mythology, humans would always have the knowledge that it is fake. Becker’s solution is to suggest that psychology itself should become a religion. I’m still not clear on how that would work, but I found it a dissatisfying answer.

I pretty much finished this book out of spite. Despite the numerous shortcomings of Becker’s arguments, there are a few gems hidden in the text.

I really liked the idea that humans are creatures of opposites. They are animals in possessions of “creaturely” bodies that defecate and that crave food, sleep, and sex. However, they are also symbolic creatures, “gods” within their own minds and it is this dichotomy they constantly try to reconcile. 

I also found interesting the idea that culture is an illusory creation of humanity, a way in which to make sense of both power over their surroundings and impotence in the face of death. Similarly, routines are a means of avoiding living in the world and not dealing with the awesomeness of it.

I gave this book 2 out of 5 stars because I hate-read it about 90% of the time (when it wasn’t putting me to sleep). Becker’s intriguing thoughts on the fear of death could have been consolidated to a few pages or maybe a chapter. The premise was fascinating, but his analysis was soporific, at best, and his “answer” to the fear of death was basically nonexistent.

“Man is literally split in two: he has an awareness of his own splendid uniqueness in that he sticks out of nature with a towering majesty, and yet he goes back into the ground a few feet in order to blindly and dumbly rot and disappear forever.”

The Denial of Death, Ernest Becker

On My Bookshelf: Abhorsen by Garth Nix

Title: Abhorsen
Author: Garth Nix
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
My Rating: 5/5

Abhorsen is a continuation of the previous book, Lirael, and picks up where the last one left off. The Destroyer, an ancient and terrible evil, has been released and is intent on the destruction of the world. Lirael, sent away from her home in the mountains, has just discovered that she is the Abhorsen-in-waiting, charged with laying the dead to rest and protecting the Kingdom. She and her friends the Disreputable Dog, Prince Sameth, and Mogget, the talking cat/imprisoned magical beast, continue on their journey to rescue Sam’s friend and defeat the Destroyer before it obliterates the world.

Like Lirael before it, Abhorsen is not a standalone book. These are basically parts one and two of the same story and cannot be read independently of each other. Abhorsen continues with a quick pace, starting in media res, and the action piles on until the very end. Lirael and Sam are much more likable in this book, as they’ve started to grow into their powers.Their companions, the Dog and Mogget, have strong personalities and mysterious backgrounds that come into play towards the end. Like threads being woven together, all major and minor storylines join beautifully in the conclusion. I have read Abhorsen dozens of times and I cry at the end every single time. A worthwhile read. 

…It is better to do something than nothing, even if the cost is great.

Abhorsen, Garth Nix

Full disclosure: I photoshopped the photo of the book for the this post because I’m still in the process of moving and wasn’t able to take a picture. So I reused an old photo and inserted a picture of the cover over top.

On My Bookshelf: Lirael by Garth Nix

Title: Lirael
Author: Garth Nix
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
My Rating: 4/5

Lirael is a daughter of the Clayr, a matriarchal society in the northern mountains. All the Clayr have the gift of Sight–except Lirael. Abandoned by her mother when she was a child, she feels alone and irreconcilably different from the rest of her kin. She finds solace in her position as a librarian where she meets–or creates?–her dearest friend, the Disreputable Dog. However, when the Clayr See an ancient enemy that threatens the entire world, they also See that Lirael is the only one who could stop it. They send her out of the mountain with only her own skills and the help of the Dog to face this terrifying evil.

Lirael is the sequel to Sabriel, but doesn’t feature the characters from the previous book much at all. The pace in the beginning is a little slow and Lirael often comes across as mopey and childish. Initially, she is fourteen, so this is fairly forgivable, as long as you can make it through the first section. Lirael has a great character arc, however, and grows into her own strength. She meets Prince Sameth towards the end of the book, who has similar issues but also grows out of them. While Lirael isn’t as strong a book as Sabriel, it’s very enjoyable. However, it is NOT a standalone book. It should have been combined with the third book, Abhorsen, and just been released as one huge volume. Don’t read Lirael without also having Abhorsen ready to read!

I am the Disreputable Dog. Or Disreputable Bitch, if you want to get technical. When are we going for a walk?

Lirael, Garth Nix

Full disclosure: I photoshopped the photo of the book for the this post because I’m still in the process of moving and wasn’t able to take a picture. So I reused an old photo and inserted a picture of the cover over top.

On My Bookshelf: Sabriel by Garth Nix

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Title: Sabriel
Author: Garth Nix
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
My Rating: 5/5

Sabriel is eighteen and about to graduate from private school in the country of Ancelstierre. However, she is from the Old Kingdom across the Wall, where magic runs wild and necromancers can command the dead to rise. Her father is the Abhorsen, sworn to combat necromancers and lay the dead to rest. When he sends a message from beyond death, Sabriel must cross the Wall into a land she hasn’t visited since she was five. With help from Mogget, a talking cat who is actually a deadly magical beast, and Touchstone, a man she frees from an enchanted sleep, Sabriel must take on the mantle of the Abhorsen to find her father and defeat a great Enemy who seeks the destruction of the entire kingdom.

I don’t think I can ever review Sabriel as an unbiased reader. It will always be dear to me as one of the books I read annually (along with Lirael and Abhorsen) and as a paragon of the types of stories I want to write. Nix writes Sabriel as a down to earth, intelligent, strong, emotional lead. She was written as a person who happens to be female, rather than as a tropey “strong female character” or, even worse, as a sex object. As a result, she felt more real to me than many female fantasy characters who often come across as caricatures. Sabriel’s companion Mogget is an absolute delight. Will he kill Sabriel? What even is he? It doesn’t matter because you end up liking him regardless. Touchstone takes getting used to because he is overly servile in the beginning, although his motivation for his behavior soon becomes clear. Perhaps the love story between him and Sabriel was a little quick, but I buy it because Sabriel and Touchstone work well together and people who go through great trials together bond deeply and quickly. The pace of Sabriel is quick but not rushed, the worldbuilding is one-of-a-kind (in fact, it wasn’t until many years and many rereads later that I realized this is essentially zombies with magic), and the characters feel real. Sabriel has a permanent spot on my top ten list of favorite books.

Let this be my final lesson. Everyone and everything has a time to die.

Sabriel, Garth Nix

Full disclosure: I photoshopped the photo of the book for the this post because I’m still in the process of moving and wasn’t able to take a picture. So I reused an old photo and inserted a picture of the cover over top.

On My Bookshelf: Call Down the Hawk by Maggie Stiefvater

Title: Call Down the Hawk
Author: Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: Fantasy, Young Adult
My Rating: 5/5

Ronan Lynch can dream things into reality–both miracles and nightmares. After years of practice, he has control over his dreams, for the most part, but something new is happening to him: A mysterious person, nameless and faceless, has been haunting his dreams. And if Ronan spends too long not dreaming, dark liquid oozes from his nose.

Jordan Hennessy creates living copies of herself if she allows herself to dream. Worse, every time she does, she meets a malevolent force that is slowly sucking the life out of her.

Meanwhile, dreamers around the world are being hunted and killed. Ronan and Jordan must work together to find out who is behind the killings and to save themselves.

The Raven Cycle series introduced Ronan and his dreaming and Stiefvater follows up with a new trilogy featuring him and characters old and new. Call Down the Hawk is the first book in the trilogy and it ends on a cliffhanger, setting the stage for book two. It is impossible for me to be completely objective about this book because I fell in love with the Raven Cycle series immediately and would have read anything further involving this world. Despite my high expectations, I wasn’t disappointed. I was enthralled from page one and I enjoyed immensely getting the perspective of Ronan’s brother, Declan, and the new character, Jordan Hennessy (who is actually two characters). At first I wasn’t as interested in the perspective of the person who is hunting dreamers, but it got more interesting by the end because the stakes were so high. I was breathless for most of the book. Maggie has long been on my list of “will read anything by this author” because of her imagination, characterization, and lyrical prose. I can’t wait to read the next installment.

Dreams are not the safest thing to build a life on.

Call Down the Hawk, Maggie Stiefvater