Classics Club: Ivanhoe

Published on by Rachelle

Ivanhoe

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott was my book for the Classics Club Spin #8.  I chose to do a read-along, and all the recaps can be found below.  Though the read-along is over, feel free to bookmark the recaps and/or leave comments as you read the book.  Each recap contains some trivia and the spoilers are marked.

First of all, I have to say that I really enjoyed reading this book about 95% of the time.  It’s full of action, adventure, romance, knights, King Richard and Prince John, and Robin Hood and his Merry Men.  It has a wide variety of characters including some I loved to hate and one or two that I was a little ashamed to love, and a couple that provided the comedy relief.  What’s not to love, especially if you’re a Fantasy genre addict like me?!

Then there’s that 5% that I didn’t enjoy so much.  There are parts that get ridiculously slow and the characters get long-winded.  Some of the conflicts get resolved a bit too easily, making the last few chapters a bit anti-climactic.  There’s also the racism that was prevalent during not only the times in which the story is placed but during the times in which the author wrote as well.  Now, I don’t believe in removing those uncomfortable parts from media in order to comply with a much more modern view of the world, but that doesn’t mean I like or agree with them.  I believe it’s important to keep the horrible stuff because 1) taking it out doesn’t mean it never existed, 2) we need to be able to know and understand our history, no matter how ugly, and 3) we need to be able to see how far we’ve come since those times.

While Ivanhoe didn’t make my Through the Magic Door list, because of that 5% I didn’t like, overall, it’s a great read.  I recommend it to anyone who enjoys Romance era fiction, classic Fantasy, or classic literature in general.

Bout of Books: Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt

Published on by Rachelle

Stefani @ Caught Read Handed is hosting one of the first mini-challenges for Bout of Books 12, and it’s a Bookshelf Scavenger Hunt!  Below is the list of items, with the one’s I found in bold, and pics of the books linked to Goodreads:

Find a book with the following criteria on a bookshelf:
1. Find an author with the same initials as you
2. Find a book with the color yellow on it
3. Find an author’s name with the letter “S” in it
4. Find a book with a female protagonist
5. Find the longest book you own
6. Find a book with a map in it or on it
7. Find a book with a face on it (photograph or illustrated)
Bonus: Find something on your shelf that isn’t a book.

Penumbra Historian Girl

 

Hobbit Max

Sci-Fi and Fantasy Bingo Challenge

Published on by Rachelle
S&S Bingo2
Snowflakes and Spider Silk has a SF/F Bingo Challenge that I’m going to participate in.
Rules:
1. One book can only count as one square, but feel free to shuffle which square you’re using the book for as the year progresses.
2. Although this card is geared towards SF/F, you can use other genres for squares like “debut author” or “reread a favorite”.
3. Fill out the entire square if you’re feeling motivated, or 5 in a row (across, vertically, or diagonally) for a more relaxed challenge. You are welcome to fill out as much or as little as you like!

Monday’s Minutes #1

Published on by Rachelle

Currently Reading: Tommy Black and the Staff of Light by Jake Kerr, a review book, and The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, which I’m reading for the Sword and Laser bookclub.

 Tommy Sparrow

Finished: The Sunken by S.C. Green, which I’ll be reviewing sometime this week, and Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott, which I’ll be reviewing later today.

Sunken Ivanhoe

Winter 2014-2015 COYER Progress:  I’ve read 2 book towards my goal of 10, and participated in 1 read-a-thon towards my goal of 3.  I’ve also participated in some socializing on Facebook, but I need to check out some reviews and do a mini-challenge.

Show Your Shelves Some Love, Outdo Yourself, and Netgalley/Edelweiss Progress: Since the books I’ve finished this week were started before Jan. 1st, I haven’t made any progress towards these challenges yet.

Total pages read for the week: 722

Total number of books for the year: 2.  Since I celebrated my Birthday this week, I got a lot more reading done than I thought I would.  However, the COYER New Year’s Read-a-Thon was a bit of a flail for me.  I didn’t finish a single book for it.  I’m going to try to make up for that by getting in as much reading time as possible for Bout of Books 12.

Top Commenter: Every week I’ll be posting the top commenter.  For this week, my Top Commenter was Shaina from Shaina Reads.

What are you reading this week?

Ivanhoe Read-Along: That’s a Wrap!

Published on by Rachelle

Ivanhoe

This is the final recap for the Ivanhoe read-along!  This week, we read chapters 39 – 44, but if you’re a little behind, that’s OK!  I’ll be posting the review tomorrow, and I’ll mark any spoilers.  The previous weeks’ recaps are below:

In 1825, a banking crisis in the UK caused the Ballantyne printing business to collapse.  Sir Walter Scott was the only partner with a financial interest and the company’s debts of £130,000 caused his very public ruin.  Rather than declare himself bankrupt or accept any kind of financial support (he even turned down help from the king), he placed his house and income in a trust belonging to his creditors, and was determined to write his way out of debt.  Scott was still in debt when he passed away, but his novels continued to sell, and the debts were paid off shortly after his death.

[SPOILERS]  Cedric organises Aethelstane’s funeral at Coningsburgh.  The Black Knight/King Richard arrives with Wamba, quickly followed by Ivanhoe.  King Richard reconciles Cedric with his son and gets him to agree to Ivanhoe and Rowena marrying. Suddenly, Aethelstane appears, not dead, but having been placed in his coffin alive and then held prisoner by some monks who were after the funeral money.  Aethelstane pledges his loyalty to King Richard, demands the death of the monks who held him, and urges Cedric to marry Rowena to Ivanhoe.  Soon after this, Ivanhoe receives word concerning Rebecca. He rushes to fight as her champion against Brian de Bois-Guilbert.  After Ivanhoe is knocked from his horse, the Templar also falls and dies “a victim to the violence of his own contending passions”.  The Grand Master declares this the judgement of God and proof of Rebecca’s innocence. King Richard, who had followed after Ivanhoe, arrives at the Templar Preceptory, banishes the Templars, and declares that the Malvoisins’ have committed treason and will be executed.  The book closes with Rebecca going to bid Rowena farewell since she and her father are leaving England. Ivanhoe and Rowena marry and live a long and happy life together, though the final paragraphs of the book state that Ivanhoe’s long service ended when King Richard died.  [SPOILERS]

Is it just me, or were these final chapters a bit anticlimactic?  I still really enjoyed this book, even the slow parts.  I probably won’t be adding it to my Through the Magic Door list after all, but it’s a book I’m never going to forget, and I’m happy I read it.  You never really know what you’re going to get with classic literature because people’s tastes during the times in which the books were written are often so very different from ours today, and it’s beyond difficult to write a truly timeless book.  On top of that, just because “everyone else” loves it doesn’t mean I will.  In fact, there are at least 3 books I can think of off the top of my head that I absolutely hated but are on all the “Top 100 Books Everyone Must Read” lists.

Did you enjoy the book?  What are your thoughts on the story, characters, setting, etc?  Please mark any spoilers.

No Book Buying Challenge: TBR List

Published on by Rachelle

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There’s no way I could possibly list every single book on my TBR bookshelf and all the ebooks I have in my 1st gen Nook (thankfully, Kindle links to Goodreads).  Even just randomly listing the amount of books for the level I chose (Black Belt: 51+ books) is daunting.  Since I signed up for this challenge, I’ve been very slowly adding books I already own onto a newly created TBR shelf on Goodreads, but those are only a drop in the bucket.  So, my TBR for this challenge is a weird combination of lists and photos:

To start off, I’ll be reading my review books:

  1. The Kingdom Lights by Steven VS
  2. Those Rosy Hours at Mazandaran by Marion Grace Woolley
  3. The Very Best of Kate Elliott by Kate Elliott
  4. The Eterna Files by Leanna Renee Hieber
  5. Cannonbridge by Jonathan Barnes
  6. Onyx Webb: Episode One: The Story Begins by Andrea Waltz
  7. Feast of Fates by Christian A. Brown
  8. Walking the Labyrinth by Lisa Goldstein
  9. Tommy Black and the Staff of Light by Jake Kerr

Then, I’ll be clearing out as many of my ebooks until March 6th, which marks the end of COYER.  These are the ebooks I’ve managed to get listed on Goodreads:

Foreign Correspondences Lesley Krueger
Little Boy Lost (The Librarian, #1) Eric Hobbs
The Princess of Dhagabad Anna Kashina
Ren of Atikala (Kobolds, #1) David  Adams
Turn of the Tide Margaret Skea
The Uncanny Valley: Tales from a Lost Town Gregory Miller
Lights Out Holly Black
Birth Of The Monster Shane K.P. O’Neill
The City of Worms (Everville. #2) Roy Huff
Everville: The Rise of Mallory Roy Huff
The Magic of Highland Dragons (The Clan MacCoinnach, #1) Kella McKinnon
Vigilante of Shadows (Novel 1 of The Scarlet Rain Series) Miranda Stork
The Final Formula Becca Andre
A Sea of Shields Morgan Rice
Gods & Dragons: 8 Fantasy Novels Daniel Arenson
The Lord of the Plains (Mixed, #1) Sarah Chapman
Fell’s Hollow A.J. Abbiati
Penny Dreadful Multipack Vol. 3 Robert Louis Stevenson
A Tide of Shadows (Chronicles of Llars, #1) Tom Bielawski
A Quest of Heroes (The Sorcerer’s Ring, #1) Morgan Rice
Mad Tinker’s Daughter (Mad Tinker Chronicles, #1) J.S. Morin
The Great Darkening (Epic of Haven Trilogy) R.G. Triplett
A Shadow of Lilies (The Last Savior) R. Moses
The Sibyl Cynthia D. Witherspoon
Sabriel (Abhorsen, #1) Garth Nix
The First Pillar (Everville, #1) Roy Huff
The Queen of the Tearling Erika Johansen

After COYER ends, I’ll move over to my physical TBR shelf.  Here are the 3 I’ve added to Goodreads:

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making (Fairyland, #1) Catherynne M. Valente
The Haunted Bookshop Christopher Morley
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry Gabrielle Zevin

And here are pictures of my bookshelf, sans knick knacks, with the books I’ve already read, and decided to keep, blacked out:

first shelf

second shelf

third shelf

As you can see, I have way more books to read than I will get through this year, and it doesn’t include the 136 books I have on my Nook.  I would be ashamed if I didn’t know that I’m not the only one with a major book buying addiction.

Resolutions and Announcements

Published on by Rachelle

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“New Year’s Day… now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions.  Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.” – Mark Twain

It’s New Year’s Day, so instead of “Thursday’s Quotables”, I’ve decided to let all of you know what changes I’ll be making for 2015!

First up are my resolutions for the year:

  • In keeping with the challenges I’ve chosen to take up, I need to read at least 65 books by the 31st of December.  At least 50 of those books will be those that I already owned as of yesterday, and 50 of them will need to be from Netgalley or Edelweiss.  That means I will actually have to read 84 books, so that’s my “true” goal.
  •  I’m participating in #FitReaders.  My goals for that are to start off the 1st week of the year with at least 1K steps per day, and then increase my total steps per day by 1K each week until I’m walking at least 12K steps per day during the 12th week.  I’ll repeat the week if I don’t make the steps for that week before moving on to the next one.  After that, I’m going to add some weight-bearing exercises and start either a cycling or jogging program, but that’s all dependent on my knees.  The Boyfriend and I also have plans to do Hot Yoga, so I’m hoping to do that at least once a week.
  • I have a bookmarks folder full of blog tips and tricks that I will attempt to clear out by the end of the year.  This will probably mean some changes to the blog over time, but they may or may not be as noticeable as the changes I’ve listed below, since some of them have to do with my editorial calendar, writing schedule, and other behind the scenes stuff.

Now on to the changes I’ll be making to the blog:

  • What I’m Reading Monday will now be called Monday’s Minutes.
  • Tuesday’s Tunes and Things will be split up into Tuesday’s Tunes and Thursday’s Things.  They will remain monthly features.  On “off” weeks, I’ll be posting book reviews.
  • Thursday’s Quotables will be moving to Wednesdays and will be called Wednesday’s Words.
  • I’ll be adding a new feature called Friday’s Fairytales starting Jan. 9th.  I’ve yet to decide if it will be a weekly or monthly feature.
  • Saturdays will be for author interviews or other book related posts that don’t fit into one of the features; otherwise I’ll be taking the day off.
  • Unless I’ve got something time sensitive and/or I just don’t want to wait to share it, I’ll be taking Sundays off.

What resolutions have you made?  What are your thoughts on the changes I’ve mentioned, or is there anything you wish I would add or that you would like to see more often?  Let me know in the comments!

COYER New Year’s Read-A-Thon

Published on by Rachelle

NewYearsRAT

I’m participating in the COYER New Year’s Read-a-thon! Anyone can participate, whether you’re a COYER participant or not. The Read-a-thon will run from 12 AM Thursday, January 1 2015 – 11:59 PM Sunday January 4 2015.

New Year’s Read-a-thon Rules

  1. All books must meet the COYER Price Guidelines (so Free/Nearly Free eBook or Audiobook)
  2. It’s a new year, so read an author, narrator, or series that’s new to you.
  3. Sign-up on the linky before 11:59 PM December 31st.
  4. Before 11:59 PM December 31st, post on your blog, twitter, FB, Google+, Booklikes (you get the idea… somewhere!) that you’re participating. That’s the link you’ll need for the Rafflecopter.
  5. Have Fun!

It’s not required, but my “goal” is to read Tommy Black and the Staff of Light by Jake Kerr and I’ll include a wrap-up in my “What I’m Reading Monday” post on Jan. 5th.  The great thing about this read-a-thon is that it ends the day before Bout of Books 12, which ends before the COYER Dusting off the Shelf Read-a-thon.  TWO WEEKS OF READ-A-THONS before I head back to school for the Spring semester! 🙂

Review: The Broken Sword

Published on by Rachelle

Broken

  • Author: Poul Anderson
  • ISBN: 9781497694224
  • Publisher: Open Road Media

The Broken Sword is High Fantasy at its highest.  It was originally published the same year as The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien (1954), and the trilogy is what I immediately thought of as I began reading this classic.  For the most part, I enjoyed it.  It’s a good story with a good plot that is fairly paced.  However, I never cared about any of the characters, and for me there has to be at least one character I cheer for or one I despise so much that I love all the others in comparison.  Neither of those characters exist in this book.  Some of them were a bit more despicable than others, but all of them did horrible things while also having problems that made them not seem so horrible; except for the trolls who are just vile and disgusting.  If anything, the gods that are behind everything that occurs are the ones to despise, but they’re rarely mentioned and only one of them is seen “in person”.

As I said, the story itself is good.  It was good enough for me to finish the book despite not caring about the characters, and it was good enough for me to give it three stars.  If you are a true lover of classic High Fantasy this just might be the book for you.  If you’re not, check it out at the library.

What I’m Reading Monday #18

Published on by Rachelle

Currently Reading:  The Sunken by S.C. Green, a review book, and Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott, for the read-along.

Sunken Ivanhoe

Finished: We Are the Birds of the Coming Storm by Lola Lafon, which I reviewed on Friday, The End of Violet and Abby by Scott Silver, which I reviewed on Saturday, and The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson, which I’ll be reviewing on Tuesday.

Layout 1 Violet Broken

Winter 2014-2015 COYER Progress:  I’ve read 1 book towards my goal of 10, but in trying to get as much reading time in as possible and also celebrating Christmas, I haven’t kept up with my “social” goals.

Total pages read for the week: 873

Total number of books for the year: 64.  I got a lot more reading done than I thought I would.  I’ve made a lot of progress with getting caught up on my review books. I pushed one back to January, but with some luck and lots of reading time over the next couple of days, I shouldn’t have to push anymore back.  I’m also determined to finish 65 books this year, so I’m going to try to finish either The Sunken or Ivanhoe before the 1st.

What are you reading this week?