Contest for New Followers! An alternative to GFC!

I may not have a lot of followers or even a lot of followers of Google Friend Connect, but I hear they’re shutting it down. So I decided to hold a contest anyway to lure in new followers instead.

I’ll be giving away two $10 gift certificates to Amazon, since this is a Kindle book review site. One to someone who already follows this site and recommends this site to someone new and the second to the new follower.

New followers can also win singly, but they have to have stumbled upon the contest on their own. Nobody who has followed the blog prior to the contest will qualify as new.

The old-timer needs to leave a comment in this post with the username of the new follower. The new follower needs to either follow me through Linky, RSS, email, or through WordPress and leave a comment in this post.

New followers can simply enter by stating that no one recommended them to the site. They should follow through Linky, RSS, email, or WordPress. Whatever suits your fancy.

The contest runs from today until March 8, 2012 which should be ample time to spread the word. The winner will be picked through a random number generator.

I may not have a lot of followers or even a lot of followers of Google Friend Connect, but I hear they’re shutting it down. So I decided to hold a contest anyway to lure in new followers instead.

I’ll be giving away two $10 gift certificates to Amazon, since this is a Kindle book review site. One to someone who already follows this site and recommends this site to someone new and the second to the new follower. If a single new follower wins, I’ll give the other certificate away to a random person.

Simple, no?

If anyone has problems with Linky please leave me a comment.

Review – The Fall of the Haunted City

The Fall of the Haunted City

by A. D. Bloom

Molly must learn to rule the Haunted City. Instead the people fear and hate her. The Hales are on the way to attack. Molly desperately tries to save the Haunted City; along with Juan Chang, leader of the Populist Rebellion, Teddy-Da, a witch-altered vorpal clawed bear, and some vengeful noble Waltons.

While this was a more plot-driven novella, I enjoyed this second installment a lot more then I did the first one. The different characters introduced made it a lot more interesting despite the fact they weren’t very well fleshed out.

I liked the imaginative plot devices used throughout the book. Some were a continuation from the first book that I liked but took more notice of this time around. Some were introduced in the second book. I especially liked the eight-foot tall nobles!

I’m looking forward to reading the third installment. I do wish these weren’t novellas though, I’d rather they were full-length novels.

Review – After Dark

After Dark

by Haruki Murakami

(also available in paperback and NOOK) 

A short, sleek novel of encounters set in Tokyo during the witching hours between midnight and dawn, and every bit as gripping as Haruki Murakami’s masterworks The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle and Kafka on the Shore.

At its center are two sisters—Eri, a fashion model slumbering her way into oblivion, and Mari, a young student soon led from solitary reading at an anonymous Denny’s toward people whose lives are radically alien to her own: a jazz trombonist who claims they’ve met before, a burly female “love hotel” manager and her maid staff, and a Chinese prostitute savagely brutalized by a businessman. These “night people” are haunted by secrets and needs that draw them together more powerfully than the differing circumstances that might keep them apart, and it soon becomes clear that Eri’s slumber—mysteriously tied to the businessman plagued by the mark of his crime—will either restore or annihilate her.

Experiencing this novel, because it was indeed an experience, was like watching a citified episode of Twin Peaks. It had all the elements of surrealism and all the eccentric characters you’d come to expect out of the show. While disconcerting at times, it was also all the more intriguing.

It also had an eloquent prose that was like music to the ears. It urged me on to read until late into the night.

This was a more plot-driven novel. From seeing Mari in a Denny’s meet Takahashi the trombone player to having her propelled to a love-hotel. Then onwards into the night, you’re taken on a fascinating trip into the deep night of Tokyo.

While Eri remains asleep throughout the book, she’s not left out of the book. You get a definite sense of who she is and what her personality is like from the story. In fact she’s a key player.

I especially liked the way Murakami drew you in as a reader, cajoling you to take part of the experience along with himself as the narrator. You weren’t simply reading. You were, like I said, experiencing.

Ukishima

Ukishima

by Nigel Sellars

Instead of ending his days to the mercies of a wasting disease, Minamoto Ichiro decides to become a Kamikaze fighter pilot in the final legs of World War II. Before he can complete his mission, the Japanese war god Hachiman plucks him from the skies and offers him another chance at life as a Samurai. To save the universe from chaos, Ichiro must go to  a parallel universe where magic exists and save it from the evil daiymo Lord Taira.

This was a wonderful fantasy adventure into the not very often explored realm that is Japan. I enjoyed this book as I’ve always loved samurai books and movies. I grew up on them.

I have only a peripheral knowledge of Japanese culture and I’m no expert, but I did find it hard to believe that two female warriors would be so easily accepted in an all-male society. I also had a hard time believing that a left-handed, club-footed samurai would be so readily accepted as a hero and general. Instead I tried to suspend belief and I tried to enjoy the tale for what it was.

It was a fast-paced plot that didn’t slow down despite paying attention to the niceties of Japanese culture. A culture which can be tedious in its polite form. Sellars managed to pay homage to things like the tea ceremony while still keeping it interesting.

While the characters weren’t what I’d call fully formed or developed, they were still interesting and fascinating. Maybe it was because of the exotic setting.

I was disappointed in the development of the villain though. He came off as a bad actor in a vaudeville. He wasn’t as menacing or as truly evil as I’ve have liked him to be. One-dimensional villains always come off as second-rate. I would have liked to have seen more effort put into Lord Taira.

Ichiro is a good hero. He’s very likable and believable, but the question remains. How does he adjust to life in this new parallel universe? The book skips over that question by fast forwarding in time by two years. Effectively glossing over any adjustments he’s personally had to make in order to adapt.  I would have found it more believable if this topic had been addressed a bit more in depth.

The ending is open for more books in the series. I must admit I’m curious to see how the next one comes out.

Digital Reader – 1

Digital Reader is basically Mailbox Monday (this month hosted by Metroreader) or   In my Mailbox (created by The Story Siren ), but with a title that suits my blog. If you’re interested in joining the fun or seeing what other bloggers added to their shelves, I invite you to visit those two features. 

I got this idea from The Infinte Shelf.

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I’ve recently developed a passion for Japanese Literature and Japanese fiction in general. I’ve been busy amassing a collection of works from all different Japanese authors. Not all of these works are in Kindle format but I’ll have to learn to live with that.

So far I’ve read two books by Japanese authors. Shadow Family by Miyuki Miyabe and After Dark by Haruki Murakami. Both were excellent, but After Dark was by far my favorite.

It was much to my delight that I started reading the huge volume 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami this week. It’s over 900 pages and quite ponderous. It’ll probably take me quite awhile to read.

Another book that I’ve picked up is Laura Joh Rowland’s Red Chrysanthemum. I haven’t read her Sano Ichiro books in awhile, but I’m still enjoying it. It’s a light read and a nice switch from 1Q84.

Finally, I purchased the book Some Prefer Nettles by Junichiro Tanizaki. I’m very interested in books about the conflict between traditional and modern Japan which is what is at the “heart of this novel”.

1Q84

by Haruki Murakami

Red Chrysanthemum

by Laura Joh Rowland

Some Prefer Nettles

by Junichiro Tanizaki

What have you added to your shelves or your Kindle recently? Have you ever read anything by a Japanese author?

Review – Bone Blade Girl

Bone Blade Girl

by A. D. Bloom

Molly was forced to kill to protect her brother. In the eyes of her people, this makes her  a monster.

Vora is a Stitchlife witch who has discovered Sugar Music. A powerful magic that can save the ruins of the cities. She’s run away from the noble family she’s supposed to serve so that Sugar Music won’t be misused.

In the wake of a massacre, Molly has runaway only to run across of Vora. Vora rescues Molly and changes her into a witch-sped warrior.

In order to save Sugar Music, many sacrifices must be made. Some of them might include some monstrous acts on Molly’s part. For while young, she can be ruthless but she doesn’t want to be considered that way. She also shows a very vulnerable side that is very endearing.

Sugar Music offers Molly a means to Molly’s salvation or a means to her damnation. It all depends on how much she’s willing to sacrifice.

This character driven novella was highly entertaining and the pages seemed to fly by. It’s a fast-paced adventure that’s highly imaginative.

Molly is someone I took to immediately. You really feel for her plight. You want to comfort her. You want her to succeed. You want life to go right for her.

She becomes more of a superhero as the book goes on and as she gains her witch-sped powers. This makes her all the more special because she’s still just a little girl at the same time.

The problems I had? For one thing, the villains seemed one-dimensional to me. They were shallow and lacked intensity. To me, a truly great story has antagonists with some fire in them.

For another, despite my great liking for Molly, she still lacked a certain depth that I like to see in my characters. Vora also could have been more fleshed out as well. For some reason, they had a certain superficial air.

Finally, a few plot devices seemed corny. There were over-sized flying wasps that reminded me of 1950′s movie props. They were a little hard to swallow.

I’m still really looking forward to reading the rest of the novellas in this series.

On My Wishlist (#2)

On My Wishlist is a fun weekly event hosted by Book Chick City and runs every Saturday. It’s where we list all the books we desperately want but haven’t actually bought yet. They can be old, new or forthcoming. It’s also an event that you can join in with too – Mr Linky is always at the ready for you to link your own ‘On My Wishlist’ post. If you want to know more click here

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Masaharu Aoyagi, a former delivery-truck driver in the city of Sendai, is unemployed. Two years ago he achieved brief notoriety for rescuing a local actress from a robbery attempt while making a delivery to her apartment. Now he is back in the spotlight – this time as the main suspect in the assassination of a newly elected prime minster who had come to Sendai for a hometown victory parade.

Set in a near-future Japan modeled on the United States, Remote Control follows Aoyagi on a forty-eight-hour chase, in a dramatic retelling of the Kennedy killing with Aoyagi in the role of a framed Lee Harvey Oswald. A massive manhunt is underway. As Aoyagi runs, he must negotiate trigger-happy law enforcement and Security Pods set up throughout the city to monitor cell-phone and email transmissions and keep a photo record of street traffic. Can he discover why he has been set up and who is responsible? Can he find the real assassin and prove to the world his innocence – amidst media pronouncements of his guilt – before the conspirators take him out?

Isaka’s style is compared to Haruki Murakami, an author I’m currently deeply in love with as far as prose goes. I’m very interested to see how Isaka’s style compares.

Unfortunately, “Remote Control” is only available in Hardcover format. It’s expensive at that as well. I can either wait it out a bit or bite the bullet. I’m really not sure what I’ll do.

Review – Devil’s Lair

Devil’s Lair

by David Wisehart

Devil’s Lair is an epic fantasy set in Dante’s Inferno.

A medieval knight leads a quest through Hell to recover the Holy Grail from the Devil. The knight, Marco da Roma, is joined by: Giovanni Boccaccio, an expert on Dante; William of Ockham, an English friar; and Nadja, an epileptic with the gift of prophecy. As the Black Death sweeps through Europe, these unlikely heroes confront the Devil–and their own demons–to forestall the Apocalypse.

This historical fiction/fantasy novel is slow moving with lots of religious intonations. Good and evil weigh heavily on the questers. The friar, William of Ockham, is the quests real leader in spirit as it’s his faith that sees them through their doubt that Hell even exists.

I warn you that they don’t even reach Hell until a little more then halfway through the book. A lot of the story is about the journey to Hell and about the difficulties that they encounter on their way there.

A lot of the book centers on God and his love. So if you don’t want to be preached at, this book probably isn’t for you. The friar is constantly espousing the virtue of God’s love to those who have doubt in their hearts. There’s a lot of theological debate as well. This theme got a bit a tiresome after awhile.

There are some bawdy and evocative bits as well, but they’re few and far between. I can count them on one hand.

The character development in the book was well done. You got to know the main figures on the book quite well and in a short time you got a good feel for them. From the rough, amnesiac Marco de Roma to the poet who was desperately hoping to hold on to better times, Giovanni Boccaccio and the pious friar, William of Ockham. Also the naive and pure Nadja.

I did have a problem with Nadja. It seemed like she was put on a pedestal as the only woman in the group. She had her problems, but for the most part she was a bit too pure and a bit too naive.

The climax of the story had a good twist. I was quite surprised in the end and it was a good surprise. Although one portion of the climax did leave me wondering if that was all there was. I can’t say anymore without giving away a huge spoiler.

On the whole the book was well-written and I really wanted to like this book. Instead it just bored me with it’s tedious and endless repetition of the merits of good vs. evil and it’s unceasing preaching of the author’s brand of religion.

Review – Changelings & Other Stories

Changelings & Other Stories

by Leah Cypess

(also available on NOOK)

Laura is telling the truth about being from Faerie. But not about anything else.

Darri has been waiting years for her brother’s return… because only she can protect the rest of her family from him.

Sarli is one of a long line of abandoned girls chosen to be a human sacrifice. But she’s planning for her turn to go a little differently.

Seven previously published fantasy stories by Leah Cypess, author of Mistwood & Nightspell.

These seven stories were all particularly well done and I liked them all except for the last one. The last one was a little haphazard and confused. I especially liked Changelings and Silent Blade.

Changelings was about two fairies in human bodies and their attempt to get back into faerie. Silent Blade was about a girl who was waiting for her assassin brother’s return.

In all the stories the characters seemed to leap off the page in just the short amount of time you got to spend with them. The stories revolved around them and Cypess did a very good job of it.

These were a quick read and were very enjoyable.

Review – Twin-Bred

Twin-Bred

by Karen A. Wyle

(also available in paperback)

Can interspecies diplomacy begin in the womb?

     Humans have lived on Tofarn, planet of creeks and rivers, for seventy years, but they still don’t understand the Tofa. The Tofa are an enigma, from their featureless faces to the four arms that sometimes seem to be five. They take arbitrary umbrage at the simplest human activities, while annoying their human neighbors in seemingly pointless ways. The next infuriating, inexplicable incident may explode into war.

     Scientist Mara Cadell’s radical proposal: that host mothers carry fraternal twins, human and Tofa, in the hope that the bond between twins can bridge the gap between species. Mara knows about the bond between twins: her own twin, Levi, died in utero, but she has secretly kept him alive in her mind as companion and collaborator.

     Perhaps Mara should have expected the enigmatic Tofa to have their own reasons to support her project. Perhaps the ever-cynical Levi should have warned her that members of the human government might use her twins as weapons against the Tofa. Will the Twin-Bred bring peace, war, or something else entirely?

I had a hard time connecting with anyone but the “main” character until much, much later on in the book. It wasn’t that anyone wasn’t appealing to me, it was that character development was very slow in coming. There were also too many points of view in the book and it left me feeling disconnected.

The pace of the book was very slow. There wasn’t much action to the book as it centered more on the development and the growth of the twins. It turned out to be more of a drama rather then an action/adventure type sci-fi story. On the whole the twins were endearing though. Their antics were quite sweet even if I did get a trifle impatient with them.

I found Mara Cadell’s interactions to be the most insightful. She was a very complex character and I enjoyed her. She had a lot of depth of feeling. For that Wyle gets a lot of points.

Everything comes together in the end of the book nicely. The pace of the book picks up. Key points of the plot comes into play. I thought it was well done, but it didn’t quite make up for the earlier disappointments I experienced earlier in the book.

On the whole, the book was very imaginative and ingenious. The Tofa were fascinating creatures and the idea of having fraternal twins of alien species was a great idea.

3.5 stars