April Reads

The False Prince (The Ascendance Trilogy #1) by Jennifer A. Nielsen
Wow, I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of this book, literally. It resonated with my personal preferences and personality; like a kindred spirit of a book. I suggest avoiding all spoilers, including the book blurb, before starting. Even if you see some things coming, there are still plenty of mysteries and uncertainty about what’s going to happen next.

I immediately fell in love with Sage and all the characters. Sage is a real teen who gradually grows throughout the book. His personality is complete and complex. The book presents the full range of emotions without getting angsty. There are enough characters to keep things interesting but not so many that I got confused about who was who.

There was a constant sense of urgency and suspense. No scene was a waste of time. The dialogue was excellent and never dull. Descriptions were vivid but not overdone. The plot was tight with excellent buildup and a satisfying conclusion. Overall storytelling was excellent. Even the editing was great. 

In the end, it’s matter of personal taste whether you’ll enjoy it, but I was really impressed and want to congratulate the author on a job well done.

* * *

Sands (Sharani series #1) by Kevin L. Nielsen
While a bit rough around the edges, this is a good story overall. The sand worm creatures are certainly creepy and add to the unique setting. There are little mysteries (and bigger mysteries) and a good climax.

I just found the pacing a tad uneven in the first half. I also felt the characters weren’t fully developed; I never felt like I really knew them. Then there are spelling issues (“alright” being the most cringe-inducing) and grammar issues (mostly over lie vs. lay). However, I still look forward to continuing the series.

* * *

Smaller Faster Lighter Denser Cheaper: How Innovation Keeps Proving the Catastrophists Wrong by Robert Bryce
This is a little different from what I was expecting. Still, it was informative and optimistic. 

The book looks at key inventions of the past as well as current cutting-edge technologies. Most of it focuses on energy, though. (I was hoping for a broader view of technologies even though energy is important right now.) He is really critical of wind and solar supporters because the science is clear how unviable these are on a large scale. He believes that stifling innovation and forcing the world to live in the stone age is not the way to go, and I agree with that. There are a lot of facts and figures and diagrams and tables and charts and statistics. If that’s not your thing, you may not like this book.

* * *

Borderline (The Arcadia Project #1) by Mishell Baker
I was expecting something with more fantasy or science fiction elements, but the story is closer to a straightforward drama.

With a bunch of characters with varying mental illnesses, you end up not liking the characters too much. You like them okay but don’t love them. That’s a real challenge to write. Millie has Borderline Personality Disorder and is recovering from a failed suicide.

Most of the book is about investigating a missing person. Most mysteries are written so that the reader can piece together clues in a race with the protagonist. Here, the reader just meanders along with the characters. I didn’t feel any suspense or urgency for most of the book. The investigation just felt like something to keep the characters busy.

The climax/ending is really good. Overall, the writing itself is very good and professional. Even the editing was done well. (I’ve been wondering lately if editing is a thing of the past.)

* * *

The Last One by Alexandra Oliva
This was close to being really good.

Twelve contestants compete on a survival-type reality TV show. Soon after they’re all sent out alone, a pandemic breaks out, killing a lot of people and stranding the contestants, who don’t know what’s happened. The chapters alternate between the show’s editors’ view back when the show started and one of the contestants who’s been along for a while now. Everything is in present tense, which I am not fond of.

The TV show scenes were pretty interesting even though the details about camping and wilderness survival weren’t that interesting. The crew has nicknames for the twelve contestants based on their jobs or personality. “Zoo” is the one we follow in first person in the alternating chapters. She refers to the contestants by name, so I took it as a challenge to match up the nicknames with the real names. (It took the whole book. I didn’t find only one real name.)

Zoo/Sam’s psychological journey is done well, especially when she’s not sure what’s real or what she’s actually seeing. I think it would have been more interesting if the writer had left doubt about whether things were real or part of the show instead of announcing the pandemic right off. The ending’s a little anti-climactic, but it’s the journey that counts in this kind of story.

What irked me was the writer’s underlying judgmentalism (is that a word?). There’s a hostility to religion that comes straight from the writer, not the characters. There’s also a snide attitude about people who use the Internet, people who watch reality TV, people who might be racist, people who call everybody else racist, people who are (or aren’t) patriotic — everyone. I have to wonder if the writer is a real misanthrope. If you don’t come out feeling personally insulted, you at least feel like you aren’t supposed to like any of the characters.

* * *

The Runaway King (The Ascendance Trilogy #2) by Jennifer A. Nielsen
You could probably read this without its predecessor and not get lost, but I strongly recommend reading The False Prince first. BOOK ONE SPOILERS AHEAD.

As a 15-year-old king, Jaron is not highly respected or well-liked by his regents and counselors. He’s also facing threats of invasion and assassination from the Avenian king and the Avenian pirates. He has few friends and regrets that Roden is his enemy. He’s going to confront the danger head on because that’s who he is.

The story had good pacing and maintained an atmosphere of suspense and danger throughout. There are surprises and little twists; I was never quite sure what was going to happen. In all, it’s a very fun adventure.

* * *

Freaky Flyday (Ravenspell #3) by David Farland
This book is a bit odd and a bit silly. It’s well suited for young children, but there are jokes and puns that only adults will appreciate. Adult characters are much more present in this book than the previous two. Overall, cute and short.

The villain this time is a big fly named Belle Z. Bug, who creates minions out of flies and other insects through marketing and pyramid schemes. Meanwhile, Max the Toad Warrior emerges from stasis (or something like that) to join the Ever Shade, who promises to be the biggest baddest villain ever ... for another book or series.

* * *

The Color of Magic (Discworld #1) by Terry Pratchett
This book is rather odd in a very British way. It’s my second Discworld book; the two are completely unrelated, so I don’t think reading order matters much here. The writing reminds me of a mix of Douglas Adams and Mark Twain at times, but Pratchett is entirely original, not a copy of someone else. 

The book is really a collection of four short stories/novellas featuring Twoflower, the world’s first tourist; his guide Rincewind, a failed magician who happens to understand Twoflower’s language; and Twoflower’s Luggage, a fiercely loyal, indestructible, deadly chest with lots of tiny legs.

I was a little confused most of the time, and I laughed a lot of the time. Pratchett is not going to be everybody’s cup of tea. This book shows a lot of the geography and workings of Discworld, but I hear it’s not necessary to understand the other books.

* * *

Frogkisser! by Garth Nix
Ideal for middle-grade readers, this has all the feel of a traditional fairy tale. There’s a bad guy who transforms people into frogs and other animals and quirky heroes and a princess sent on a Quest. Half-way through the book, the princess has made barely any progress on her quest, so the ending starting feeling rushed: She’s supposed to overthrow the evil overlord, restore a bunch of frogs to human form, and reinstate justice and the rule of law through out the land — all in the last 25 pages. 

* * *

Exiled: The Story of John Lathrop by Helene Holt
My grandpa Gilbert is a descendant of John Lathrop, so I’ve always been interesting in his story. I didn’t realize this was written as a narrative nonfiction. I wasn’t thrilled about that, as it makes it hard to distinguish the facts from the embellishments. I was hoping for something strictly factual.

The trials and time in prison were fascinating, as it showed what people had to endure and what they were willing to endure for freedom of conscience. I believe this is the most fundamental and critical human right. The ending was very suspenseful. Overall, it was an interesting look at that time period of English history.

It’s an easy read, though it does have an LDS slant at times. The punctuation is atrocious — tons of missing quote marks and periods as well as comma confusion. (WHY IS THERE A COMMA BETWEEN YOUR SUBJECT AND ITS VERB?? AARRRGH!) There are also a lot of amateurish usage errors, like using ‘entitled’ to mean ‘titled’ and ‘comprise’ to mean ‘compose’ and so on.

* * *

The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn #6) by Brandon Sanderson
(Sorry if I don’t spell these names right; I listened to it on audio.)

I was expecting a romp full of chases and train robberies, and those were in the first third. Then it expanded, and the world just opened up. The Bands of Mourning are a legendary artifact; they are the metal minds used by the Lord Ruler and full of power. Suit’s group is after them. Are they real? What do they really do? Can they be found? What will it mean for the world?

Then our characters are all experiencing a lot of personal growth: Wax feels betrayed by Harmony, is unsure about his wedding, and is wondering about his not-dead sister. Wayne has regrets that make him avoid guns. Sterris really comes into her own as a genuine, helpful, even funny person. Marisey (along with everyone else) has to decide just who she wants to be exactly.

With a lot going on, the pacing never slows down, and surprises and mysteries never stop popping up. In Mistborn, there’s always another secret.

* * *

A World Without Heroes (Beyonders #1) by Brandon Mull
Brandon Mull has a certain writing style, and it takes me a little while to get used to it when I start one of his books. The beginning of this one was pretty weird — a 13-year-old leaves baseball practice for a job at the zoo, where a hippo sucks him into another world. There, a band of musicians is sitting on a raft headed for a waterfall in a group suicide. Ohh-kaay.

It all feels pretty random and aimless at first. But as it progresses, all the weirdness comes together and makes sense; the early events and people are important to later on. I liked it more and more as it went on. It’s a quest-adventure full of danger. The whole world is very creative but also solid. It started feeling perfectly normal before long.

Also, thanks to Fablehaven, I have learned to never trust anybody anywhere in a Brandon Mull book.

Crazy Valentine's Week

There was a crazy week in February with SEPs (parent-teacher conferences). Normally the high school does it Monday and Tuesday, the junior high does it Tuesday and Wednesday, and the elementary school does it Wednesday and Thursday. I guess this time they let every school choose for themselves. Rosecrest and Copper Hills (where I teach band and orchestra) did theirs Monday and Tuesday, so I didn’t have orchestra Monday (and no band all week). Hillside and Hunter High (where my kids attend) both did theirs Tuesday and Wednesday. That meant there were two afternoons to see about twenty teachers, and one of those was out because I had orchestra Wednesday as they were done with SEPs by then.

Meanwhile Glenn took the Saturn in for repairs on Monday and Tuesday; Tuesday afternoon I picked him up from work and took him back to the car place. Then he and I both went to the high school for parent-teacher conferences. He went to Deven’s classes, and I went to Jaelyn’s until I had to leave for Hillside’s. I got all of Jaelyn’s classes except seminary and biology. Glenn was able to finish her and Deven. 

I went home to pick up Caelan and Corin and see their teachers. Then I took them home because they were getting spastic at that point. That left only Sara’s teacher, and she ended up dragging herself over to the school despite a bad migraine. So that was how we spent Valentine’s Day.

Sara then had her 12th birthday Thursday the 16th. She picked to go to the trampoline place for her dad-child birthday activity. Then she officially joined Young Women’s.

Winter Concerts 2016

Kids in performance situations create a certain element of unpredictability and chaos.

My first winter concert was for Copper Hills. I ended up being so nervous about it. I was worried that they’d mess up really bad. I was missing a couple kids who got sick. The orchestra went first; they took a while. The band did three songs. They did Hot Cross Buns, and I played the piano accompaniment for that. Then we did “Good King Wenceslas.” Everyone did the first half, then the advanced kids and I played the second half. Then the advanced kids played “Up on the Housetop.” They actually did pretty well overall. 

Next was the Rosecrest concert. I just had time to go home from band class at Hillside and change. Even so, with traffic, I was later than I had planned on. With my tuner nowhere to be found (I left it at Copper Hills at the concert but got it back and then left my purse at Hillside), I tuned everyone with the iPad app. We were missing a couple kids for our concert. The band went first. My kids did ... okay. This is typical for elementary orchestras as it takes a while to get the hang of string technique. One beginner must have been nervous and rushed through all the songs. Then the advanced kids did “Frere Jacques” at the last minute since we decided to rehearse “Star Wars” more. But we had never rehearsed “Frere Jacques,” so that went badly.

After that I stuck around for the choir performance, which sang for around forty minutes. A few of my kids were in it. It turned out to be a good thing that I stayed, since the principal (I finally met him and figured out who he was) gave all the music teachers and staff poinsettias at the end. It was very kind. It’s actually still alive to this day. It’s a miracle.

The concert for Hillside/Orchard was at the music store at Jordan Landing. The principal said any concert we did would have to end by 5, which meant a lot of parents would miss it by being at work still. Again, I’d brought no tuner, so we had to tune by ear. How archaic. Orchestra went first. My band did pretty well. I played along on the clarinet for the “Jolly Old Saint Nicholas” duet. Then the advanced kids (two flutes and a sax) did “Frere Jacques” as a round. The one kid still wasn’t getting the concept of a round. He came in two measure later than the flutes but joined in with them instead of playing from the beginning. Oh well. Then the advanced flutes did “Up on the Housetop.” I joined with them on the flute as they were small in number. 

March Reads

The Monolith Crumbles (Isle of Wysteria #3) by Aaron Lee Yeager
You definitely have to read the previous two books first. This is a self-published series that I am really enjoying.

In this volume, Queen Athel has the weight of the world on her shoulders. In her personal life, her newborn son is in danger from clerics who think he’s an abomination, and her husband Alder’s health is declining. On Wysteria, civil war threatens as the men consider rebellion, and new discoveries about men’s magic upsets their whole religion. But all that pales in comparison to the awaiting disaster that will destroy the planet — Athel must unite all the island nations of the world to defeat the Kabal that will destroy all life. Meanwhile, the secondary characters (Margaret, Mandi, Molly, Setsuna) have their own lives to figure out.

With all these serious issues, the book has a weightier feel than the previous ones, which had occasional silliness. Athel and Alder’s marriage is such a great, tender and REAL relationship. It’s believable. Athel is someone who has to abandon her hopes and plans for other responsibilities, something many people can relate to. I have the impression that this author really poured his soul into these books.

Red Rising (Red Rising #1) by Pierce Brown
I don’t usually like comparisons to other books, as it de-emphasizes the originality, but this one is accurately described as a blend of Hunger Games and Ender’s Game with a touch of Lord of the Flies. After hearing nothing but enthusiastic praise for this, I had high expectations. It ended up being ... just fine. I found it about as good as Hunger Games but not as good as Ender’s Game. The story has lots of strategy, violence, and brutality mixed with plenty of introspection. Characterization is strong, and it’s hard to predict what anyone would do. Much of the story is buildup. While it’s not dull, it does make you anxious to get on with it.


Judy by Gerold Frank
This is a pretty comprehensive biography at 700ish pages. It was written in 1975, so the author was able to interview many friends and family members of Judy’s before they, too, passed on. I don’t follow Hollywood news, so I learned a lot here. It’s amazing how she never had music or acting lessons; she never had to work for her talent. This is a very rare thing.

Judy was someone who thrived on drama, and when there wasn’t enough going on, she’d invent her own. This meant she often made up stories or exaggerated events. The author includes all the various accounts if there are contradictions. While he tries to understand and explain Judy, he remains objective throughout, never condemning her actions or that of others. He avoids unconfirmed rumors and gossip. There are tons of people mentioned, and it was impossible to remember them all. 

The Alloy of Law (Mistborn — Alloy Era #1) by Brandon Sanderson
Three hundred years after The Hero of Ages, the world has trains and guns and this new-fangled thing called electricity. Full mistborns no longer exist, but there are twinborns: These people can use a single metal for both alimancy and ferruchemy. While the first trilogy is epic fantasy, this set is more of a turn-of-the-century crime mystery with a touch of Western.

Wax returns from a stint as a sort of sheriff of the wild west; as the only surviving member of his noble house, he has take over responsibilities in the city. His partner, Wayne, a smart-aleck, bad-pun-wielding master of disguise (I suspect his personality is closest to Sanderson’s), drags him back into investigating a series of baffling robberies and kidnappings.

It’s a fun book; Wayne is hilarious in an eye-rolling way. There is a puzzling mystery, clues to follow, and lots of danger. It’s lighter and shorter than the previous Mistborn books. You read this one without having read the first trilogy, but the magic system and religious/mythological references will make more sense if you do.

Alcatraz Versus the Shattered Lens (Alcatraz #4) by Brandon Sanderson
This is book 4 out of 5; you’ll want to read the others first.

This book continues the tradition of being comical and zany, full of bad puns and teddy bear grenades and giant robots. As a bonus, you can analyze the chapter numbers and see if you know what they mean. (My favorite is 24601.) But beneath all that is a serious story about making hard choices when it’s not clear what is right and wrong, good and evil. That comes with facing consequences, whether intended or not.

The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum by Kirsten Weiss
This is a quick, easy cozy mystery, easily enjoyable for mystery fans.

It takes place in California wine country in the fictional San Benedetto. However, the rivalry with Napa is very real. I found the best friend, Adele, really annoying at the beginning and was actually rather relieved when she got arrested and went away. There’s a romance on the horizon with a motorcycle dude, though I was kind of hoping Madelyn (or Madeline—the book spells it both ways) would go more for Detective Slate. Detective Hammer is Madelyn/Madeline’s arch nemesis. Her excuse for being a meanie was puzzling, by which I mean dumb.

The clues for the real killer are rather sparse, and the Final Reveal is about a page long. Don’t expect a big climax. But I did like the secondary murder mystery from the 19th century, and the minor paranormal activity was fun. The ghost-detecting cat was really special: He lived indoors and never needed a litter box.

The editing is mostly good, but there are some real glaring errors here and there. It’s very clean with no swearing, no sex, and very mild violence descriptions.

The Longest Con by Michaelbrent Collings
Science fiction/fantasy conventions are a place where people dress up as their favorite book and movie characters and geek out together. Vampires, werewolves, and other monsters also come, dressed up as humans or other such characters. Author Michaelbrent Collings comes to cons to make sure everyone gets along and obeys the law. He gets assigned to investigate a murder of a werewolf at FanFamFunComCon. (I think I remember that right.)

My hubby and I bought this at a Comic Con, so I of course loved the con setting, which is perfectly authentic, and the frequent sci-fi/fantasy references are great. I’ve met Michaelbrent and several of the other author “characters” in this novel. While it stays funny and wanders into downright silliness at times, the mystery and danger are very well done. There are serious, dark moments. As far as murder mysteries go, this is one of the best plots I’ve read, full of twists and surprises and a big climax. I did NOT see that coming, I admit. 

We got our copy autographed by Michaelbrent, Dame Ginny (Mrs. Collings), Larry Correia, and Dave Butler. I hope to get a few more “character” autographs next con.

The Wizard of Ooze (Ravenspell #2) by David Farland
Who knew worms could be so creepy and devious? Sebaceous Ooze, a somewhat mentally unstable worm, and his sidekick, Fluke Gutcrawler, are going to take over/destroy the world. It’s up to mice Amber and Ben and their friends to stop the evil worms. This time the humans notice some of the mice’s curious antics, which ultimately leads to the humans thinking there’s an alien invasion. It’s a great kids’ adventure with humor adults will enjoy, even if it will go over kids’ heads.

Shadows of Self (Mistborn — Alloy Era #2) by Brandon Sanderson
In this volume, about a year after The Alloy of Law, there are assassinations and civil unrest. Wax and Wayne and Marisee* are on hand to investigate. Wax gets to meet Harmony (aka God), and Wayne continues to be hilarious in an eye-rolling way. The chandra make an appearance in this one, so it’s really helpful to read the first Mistborn trilogy first. It’s good fun storytelling, and Sanderson continues to surprise me with his plot twists and reveals.

*I listened to this on audio, so I have no idea how to spell any of these names.

Space Eldritch
This is a collection of seven short stories based on the theme Cthulu in Space. Each of these science fiction stories shows a space encounter of some kind of tentacled, demonic entity. Some of them don’t end happily. This is according to the Goodreads rating system: 1 = didn’t like it; 2 = okay; 3 = liked it; 4 = really liked it; 5 = blown away in love

Arise Thou Niarlat From Thy Rest — 2.5
This was kind of confusing, especially at first, as three different times are presented but experiencing the same event. I think if it was fleshed out a little more, it'd be really good. Ultimately creepy.

Space Opera — 2.5
This had some very good descriptions and writing. Aliens invade earth, and it's from the aliens’ POV, which was very well done. But I wasn’t super gripped, and I was a little confused at the end.

Menace Under Mars — 3.5
This had good writing and story development.

Gods in Darkness — 3.0
This had good suspense and some good creepy elements.

The Shadows of Titan — 3.5
Straightforward storytelling with a bit of a surprise at the end.

The Fury in the Void — 3.0
This was nice and creepy but rather gory and full of strong language, which the previous stories did not have, so it felt out of place.

Flight of the Runewright — 4.0
I really liked this one. There was a sense of immediacy that instantly drew me in. It managed to pull off several plot twists in its few pages.
Average — 3.1 

The Dark Talent (Alcatraz #5) by Brandon Sanderson
So I like to read a little before going to bed and also when I first wake up. When I read it one morning, I couldn’t put it down until I finished it, and I was unable to read another book for a while. So wow — I guess it hit me just right.

In other books, Alcatraz tries to convince us he is a liar and awesome and stoopid. In this one he claims he is a coward. In my judgment, not more than anyone else.

In this book, Alcatraz (Brandon) has discovered footnotes and gets rather obnoxious with them. The really bad puns also continue along with an expected level of absurdity. But there is a serious undertone that really hits home toward the end. (The altar made of outdated encyclopedias is a real thing after all.) It’s smart and clever and succeeded at twisting up my insides.

Not the Best Hiding Place

Because Corin is the ultimate scavenger, I’m always looking for places to hide crackers and cookies and whatever else he wants to eat instead of dinner. Sara made cupcakes and didn’t want Corin to eat them all, so she also looked for a hiding place.

The next day I was making dinner, which included pre-heating the oven. As it warmed up, there was a lot of smoking from the oven. I figured something got dropped in the oven, as usual, like an olive or a french fry. As the smoke grew, I opened the oven and found the cupcakes. They were sitting in a metal cake pan with a dish towel covering them. The towel was scorched, and the frosting had started melting. It’s all fine now.