Cora R

• Rated 0 stars

“Prayers for Sale is the story of a friendship between Hattie Comfort and Nit Spindle in a small mining town in Colorado in the early to mid twentieth century. Hattie has lived in Middle Swan, CO for seventy years. She has had a long and mostly fulfilling life in the mining town, however her daughter has been pressuring her to move in with her in her home on the Mississippi River in Iowa. When Hattie meets young newlywed, Nit Spindle, she befriends the girl and helps her adjust to life in the harsh environment. Hattie and Nit do a lot of quilting together and Hattie tells Nits stories of her past and others in the mining town. I really liked the stories told in the book as well as the interesting characters in the town, but something seemed off with the way it was written. The stories and flashbacks did not always seem integrated smoothly into the text. I was distracted that the stories that Hattie told about herself were not told in first person. There was a lot of heavy handed foreshadowing that was more annoying than suspenseful (Hattie often referred to an unnamed problem she had to resolve before moving away), I think that the ending would have been more effective if she hadn't referred to it so much earlier in the story. Overall, I liked the story, but wished the actual writing didn't seem so forced and disjointed. It was nice portrait of characters in a turn of the century mining town and I will probably give the author another chance to see if this is a problem overall or just an issue with this book.”

Cora R wrote this review 3 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink )

1 of 1 members found this review helpful.

• Rated 4 stars

“Wyrd Sisters has been my favorite Discworld novel thus far. It parodies Shakespeare, including elements of many of his plays and his life. Granny Weatherwax, Nanny Ogg, and Magrat Garlick are witches in the kingdom of Lancre. One evening the King of Lancre is murdered by the evil duke and his vicious wife. The witches come across the Kings infant son in the woods and help him escape by giving him to a couple that runs a troupe of traveling actors. The duke becomes king, but he does not do a good job of it and the kingdom is unhappy. The witches must decide if they should break their rules and meddle in political affairs. This was a humorous book that I had a lot of fun reading. I liked all the allusions to Shakespeare and the quirky characters. As silly as the story is, it also presents some real ideas to ponder - such as the power of words and how those writing the history books essentially writes history, no matter how accurate their account is. I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun read.”

Cora R wrote this review Sunday, April 21, 2013. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“When she is faced with a major betrayal, seventeen year old Valerie runs away to New York City. She meets some friends who live in a deserted corner of the New York subway system. She soon discovers that her friends are involved with strange beings - exiled fairies that will risk living in the iron rich city to escape their former lives. As Val gets more entangled with the fairies and more addicted to a drug that gives her some magical powers, she begins to notice that something sinister is going on. Someone is killing exiled fairies and the mysterious troll that she runs errands for is under suspicion. Val must solve the mystery to save her new friend and find the courage in herself to face the truth and stop running.

I liked this second book in the series much better than the first (Tithe). Although it is a part of a series, the books stand alone and tell the story of new characters in the same world. I liked Val and appreciated her journey throughout the book. There were many times I wanted to shake some sense into her, but I supposed that her actions are the same that get many teenagers into similar situations - being homeless and addicted to drugs - despite having alternatives. I am not sure that I really bought into the romantic relationship in the book. I don't think the author showed us enough interaction between the two characters to make their feelings too believable. Although the book is written for young adults, I would recommend it only for older teens as there are descriptions of sex and drug use by the teenagers. Overall, it was an interesting read with some complex supporting characters. I just wish that the fairy characters were as interesting as the human ones.”

Cora R wrote this review Saturday, February 23, 2013. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Cowen Drake has been sent to investigate a serial killer on a planet on the edge of the civilized galaxy. On this planet there are two major religious sects, although both sects worship the same goddess, they do so in opposite ways. The Triumphantes worship with joy and splendor and the Fideles worship in solemity and selflessness. Someone has been killing priestesses of both sects, alternating between the two. Drake has been invited to help the local police force find out who is killing the women and why. The murders have been spaced out approximately three weeks apart and time is running out before another priestess falls victim.

I really enjoyed reading this book. The mystery is interesting and although I figured out a major twist well in advance of the reveal it kept my interest. The characters were interesting and deep. They were well rounded and grew a lot over the course of the novel. There was a lot of interesting discussion of religion and faith as Drake questions the two sects and their different approaches to worship. He struggles with his own lack of faith in a universe that is so large he does not see how one diety or religion can account for it all and he doesn't understand how any god could let so much pain and horror exist in a world. The book goes beyond the mystery and the reader gets to follow along the spiritual and emotional journeys of the main characters as they begin to question their view of the world. I found that I really enjoy novels that cross the police procedural and science fiction genres. I would recommend this book to others, even if science fiction is not your genre of choice, who enjoy ruminating on questions of faith.”

Cora R wrote this review Saturday, February 16, 2013. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“When computer genius, James Halliday, dies he does not leave his fortune or control of the virtual reality universe, he created (called the Oasis) to an heir. Instead, he created a contest within the Oasis where the first to find the hidden egg wins all his money and his company. James Halliday loved the 1980s and those searching for the hidden egg immerse themselves in 80s pop culture in order to figure out the clues left by Halliday. Wade is a high school student who has devoted his life to the contest. In the real world, he is an orphan without a real home. He would rather spend his time in the Oasis than in the reality where war over scarce resources is causing society to collapse. The book is full of memories from the eighties. Although I was not familiar with all of the references, I still had a great time listening to this audio book, which was read by Wil Wheaton. The book was a lot of fun. Although there were questions about the nature of society's dependence on virtual realities at the expense of reality, the book did not take itself too seriously. There was a lot of adventure and the good guys were easy to like and root for. I would recommend this book to anyone that likes a fun adventure.”

Cora R wrote this review Friday, February 15, 2013. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is the story of writer looking for a story. It takes place in London and then Gurnsey shortly after the end of World War II. Juliet is looking for inspiration for a new book to write and something to lift the malaise she feels living in a destroyed London. By chance, she receives a letter from a man in Guernsey asking for her assistance in obtaining some books. This letter begins a correspondence between Juliet and the people of Guernsey that will change all their lives for ever. The book is written in the epistolary fashion.

The story unfolds as the characters write each other letters telling their stories and revealing bits of themselves. The characters really come alive in this book followed by the history of Guernsey and the German occupation of the island. Every character is fun and someone I would like to know. There were some points in the story that felt a little forced to give us a different perspective of the history of the time and the romance in the story was a little predictable to me, but otherwise I found the book delightful. It was a great way to spend a Saturday afternoon. Also learned a lot about the immediate aftermath of World War II and what is was like for a region to be occupied by the Germans. I liked that the author also could sympathize with the German soldiers as individuals stuck on a island far away from their families with little food themselves. While she did not sugar coat their atrocities she did not fall into the trap of making every German soldier a monster. I would definitely recommend this book to others.”

Cora R wrote this review Saturday, February 9, 2013. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“Flora Segunda lives in a magical house of many rooms and wonders. But ever since her mother banished the house's magical butler, it has been falling apart. Flora is responsible for keeping it clean and taking care of the dogs, horses, and her alcoholic father who is prone to violent explosions, while her mother is away leading the country's military. One day she breaks one of her mother's rules and takes the elevator. The elevator has a mind of its own and deposits her in a part of the house that has been closed up and unavailable as long as Flora can remember. What she discovers there changes everything and catapults Flora into an adventure that will change her life forever.

Wilce has created an unusual world full of magic and adventure. It took awhile to get used to the unusual words and expressions, but the details did make the world come alive (such as the complicated system of greetings and bows that designated the relative status of the meeting parties). The characters were interesting and complex and the story had enough twists and turns to keep me guessing. There was one point when the author seemed to go off on a tangent that distracted form the original story line, but in the end it turned out to be important so I was able to forgive her for the earlier confusion. I appreciated how the author had plenty of powerful female characters (Flora's mother is the general that runs the military in their country) and a spunky heroine. I recommend this book to those who enjoy young adult fantasy worlds full of magic. I will definitely continue the series. ”

Cora R wrote this review Tuesday, February 5, 2013. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“The Opal Deception is the fourth book in the Artemis Fowl series. Artemis Fowl is a boy evil genius that has worked with and against those in the Fairy world in the past. In this book, he and his body guard Butler once again are working with Captain Holly Short to stop Opal Koboi, the evil Pixie.

SPOILERS BELOW IF YOU HAVE NOT READ PREVIOUS BOOKS IN THE SERIES
In at the end of the previous book, Opal Koboi was stopped and she fell into a deep coma. In return for the fairy's help, Artemis and Butler agreed to a mind wipe which removed all of their memories of anything to do with fairies and their world. Unfortunately, this mind wipe also sent Artemis' personal development back to where it was at the beginning of the first book, a genius that only cared for himself and personal gain. Now Opal has found away to return and she is determined to have her revenge on everyone that had a hand in her defeat, including Artemis, whether he remembers or not. All of the characters I love from the earlier books are back in this novel, including my personal favorite, Mulch Diggins - the dwarf whose flatulence is a deadly weapon.
I found this installment less interesting plot-wise than the previous books. It felt like this book was being used to advance the series rather than tell an interesting story. The last book introduced a new villain, which enabled Artemis to work with the good guys. This book had to resolve the issue of his missing memories, set Opal up to be a continuing menace and set Holly up for a new role in future books. The book was successful in all of these aspects, but the conflict in this book was not as interesting to me as the ones in previous books. I do appreciate the continual evolution of Artemis' character. Every book, including this one, brings new dimensions to him. So while the book rated on its own was just OK for me, I am sure it is vital to the evolution of the series as a whole. I am looking forward to reading the next books, since this book has all the ducks in a row for a really fun story.”

Cora R wrote this review Saturday, February 2, 2013. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 4 stars

“The Tale of Despereaux is a book about characters that are unconventional and the consequences of their differences. Despereaux is a very un-mouselike mouse in a world where being un-mouselike results in a death sentence. He doesn't scurry and run and hide from people. He likes to read fairy tales and listen to music and he has fallen in love with the princess. The story also includes a rat that likes the light and a maid that wants to be a princess. Each of them reacts to the way their society treats them in a different manner. It was a nice little tale, but I think it suffered a little from my high expectations. I liked it enough, but I was expecting a little bit more from it overall.”

Cora R wrote this review Friday, January 25, 2013. ( reply | permalink )

• Rated 5 stars

“This story of a competition between two magicians and the circus that contains it is a beautifully written novel. The descriptions of the circus and the wonders found there touched all the senses. As I was listening to Jim Dale read, I was able to close my eyes and picture myself there and almost smell the caramel. Although I liked the two main protagonists, I found myself more interested in the supporting characters and wished that we were told more of their stories - but in a way the story of the circus was all of their stories. If you haven't read this popular selection yet, I would definitely recommend it to you. If you listen to audio books, give this one a try.”

Cora R wrote this review Wednesday, January 23, 2013. ( reply | permalink )