XXXHolic volume 13

Today's post is on XXXHolic volume 13 by CLAMP. It is the thirteenth in the series, so you need to have read the first twelve to understand the story. It is 178 pages long and is published by DEL REY. The cover has Yuko on it looking very pretty and wrapping around to Watanuki on the back. The intended reader is someone who likes Japanese mythology, ghost stories, and very pretty pictures. The story is told from Watanuki's perspective. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- The medium Kohane-chan has been punched and bruised on national TV, but still her controlling mother is forcing her to go on the air. Now Kimihiro steps between the rebellious young psychic and her raging mother, only to take the beating himself. See the dramatic conclusion of Kohane-chan's story!

Review- Watanuki is more here in this volume than the last but he is still dealing with whatever price he paid  to Yuko. Kohane-chan's story has a happy ending. She is going to learn to be happy herself and through her mother is going to be too. Watanuki is still fighting with Domeki but he is relying on him to help. It is making Domeki very nervous because he knows that he does not know everything that is going on with Watanuki. As always the art is just top notch. Only a few more volumes then done with manga series.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Working for The Devil

Today's post is on Working for The Devil by Lilith Saintcrow. It is the first in her Dante Valentine series. It is 255 pages long and is published by Orbit. I bought this in an omnibus edition so the cover is black with Danny in the center looking cool. The intended reader is someone who likes gritty urban fantasy, interesting magic systems, and good writing. Because of the subject matter adults only for the best. There is lots of language, sex, and lots of violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From Amazon.com- When the Devil needs a rogue demon killed, who does he call?
The Player: Necromance-for-hire Dante Valentine is choosy about her jobs. Hot tempered and with nerves of steel, she can raise the dead like nobody's business. But one rainy Monday morning, everything goes straight to hell.
The Score: The Devil hires Dante to eliminate a rogue demon: Vardimal Santino. In return, he will let her live. It's an offer she can't refuse.
The Catch: How do you kill something that can't die?
 

Review- A very interesting and excellent read. The magic system, the characters, the dialog, the world in general; everything is just about perfect. I like Saintcrow. I started of reading her new steampunk series and decided that I needed to read some of her older stuff. I was right. Dante is a great heroine. She is interesting, she knows who she is, and she handles most of the bad stuff in this novel with grace. The magic system is something that I really loved. This world is like ours but it is an alternate reality with all the fun stuff that we all wish were real. Dante is a necromance but she does not raise the dead, just their spirits mostly for lawyers but she is the most powerful one on the planet at the moment. Her love interest I liked. He was not annoying. In fact other than Dante ex-lover I liked all the character's, including the Devil. I look forward to reading the next book.
 

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with my own money.

A History of America in Thirty-Six Postage Stamps

Today's post is on A History of America in Thirty-Six Postage Stamps by Chris West. It is 336 pages long including index and notes. It is published by Picador. The cover is blue with six different stamps on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in American history and stamps. There is no sex, no language, and no violence in this book. The story is told from the third person with first interviews and other documents added in. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Discover the incredible story of America through its beautiful and diverse postage stamps in this exuberant and always charming history.
in A History of America in Thirty-Six Postage Stamps, Chris West explores America's own rich philatelic history. From George Washington's dour gaze to the charging buffalo of the western frontier and Lindbergh's soaring biplane, American stamps are a vivid window into our country's extraordinary and distinctive past. With the always accessible and spirited West as your guide, discover the remarkable breadth of America's short history through a fresh lens.
On their own, stamps can be curiosities, even artistic marvels; in this book, stamps become a window into the larger sweep of history.

Review- An interesting walk through American history. West starts with the very first stamp issued in America and goes all the way to present day, where you can now make your stamps look anyway you want. At times it was a little slow to read but if you are willing to push through that you get an interesting view of America and American life. In addition to American history you get a history of how stamps were and are made; not something I knew much about. West is very passionate about his subject and he knows his stamps. In the back of the book before the index he goes over each stamp for its own value as a stamp for stamp collectors or those just learning about it. 

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

XXXHolic volume 12

Today's post is on XXXHolic volume 12 by CLAMP. It is the twelfth in the series, so you need to have read the first eleven to understand the story. It is 178 pages long and is published by DEL REY. The cover has Yuko on it looking very pretty and wrapping around to Watanuki on the back. The intended reader is someone who likes Japanese mythology, ghost stories, and very pretty pictures. The story is told from Watanuki's perspective. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Lately Kimihiro Watanuki's dreams have been pleasant escapes that have given him the chance to talk to his new friend Haruki Domeki. But now he's falling asleep a lot- and starting to think that his entire life with the witch Yuko might be taking place in some kind of dreamworld. Then one night his dream is visited by a pretty princess named Sakura...

Review- The story is starting to get really sad. Watanuki is realizing that lots of things in his life do not add up. He cannot remember things like his parents names or what grade he is in. He is scared but he is letting that change him. He is determined to stay kind. This one also has some interesting one shots like the hole that just appears, takes some of Watanuki's cooking, then returns with flowers as a thank you. I do not know what Yuko is doing but she is so sad about something. The plot is really moving now and I think that it is going to make me cry. Not much left for this story.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with my own money.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses

Today’s post is on A History of the World in 6 Glasses by Tom Standage. It is 311 pages long including index and is published by Walker & Company. The cover is white with the title having some of the drinks being letters. The intended reader is someone who is interested in history, humanity, and good writing. There is no language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The story is told from third person close. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- From beer to Coca-Cola, the six drinks that have helped shape human history. Throughout time, certain drinks have done much more than just quench our thirst. As Tom Standage relates with authority and charm. Six of them have had a surprisingly pervasive influence on the course of history during pivotal epochs, from humankind’s adoption of agriculture and the birth of cities to the advent of globalization. A History of the World in 6 Glasses presents an original, well-documented vision of world history, telling the story of humanity from the Stone Age to the twenty-first century through the lens of beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea and cola.
Beer, which originated in the Fertile Crescent, was so important to the first civilizations of Mesopotamia and Egypt that it was used to pay wages. The golden age of ancient Greece was also the age of wine, which became the main export of Greece’s vast seaborne trade. Spirits such as brandy and rum fortified seamen on long voyages during the Age of Exploration and oiled the pernicious slave trade. Although coffee originated in the Arab world, it stoked revolutionary thought in Europe during the Age of Reason, when coffee-houses became centers of intellectual exchange. And hundreds of years after the Chinese began drinking tea, it became so popular in Britain that it started to dictate British foreign policy at the height of the British Empire. Carbonated beverages were invented in Europe in the late eighteenth century, but became a twentieth-century phenomenon, with Coca-Cola becoming the leading symbol of globalization.
For Tom Stadage, each drink is a catalyst for advancing culture, through which he demonstrates the intricate interplay of different civilizations. After reading his clever and enlightening book, you may never look at your favorite drink in quite the same way again.

Review- What a fun book. I had so fun reading this. Each drink has it own place in history and I really enjoyed learning about it. Standage takes us from the Stone Age to present day. As he does so he does not just forget about the drink(s) from the previous chapters, he talks about how they still played a role in society. As wine becomes more popular only lower classes drink beer, spirits are just for the slaves and the Americans and so on. I am simplifying it but you get the idea. He also talks about how the drinks were first made and how they are made now if it is different. All the threads are just really good from the social to the politics to human interactions.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

This Shattered World

Today's post is on This Shattered World by Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner. It is the second in their Starbound trilogy. It is 390 pages long and is published by Hyperion. The cover is pink with the two main character's on it falling and reaching for each other. The intended reader is someone who has read the first book, likes science fiction and some romance. There is some mild language, no sex, and violence in this book. The story is told from first person of the two main characters changing from chapter to chapter. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Jubilee Chase and Flynn Cormac should never have met.
Lee is captain of the forces sent to Avon to crush the terraformed planet's rebellious colonists, but she has her own reason for hating the insurgents.
Rebellion is in Flynn's blood. His sister died in the original uprising against the powerful corporate conglomerate that rules Avon with an iron fist. These corporations make their fortunes by terraforming uninhabitable planets across the universe and recruiting colonists to make the planets livable, with the promise of a better life for their children. But they never fulfilled their promise on Avon, and decades later, Flynn is leading the rebellion.
Desperate for any advantage in a bloody and unrelentingly war, Flynn does the only thing that makes sense when he and Lee cross paths: he returns to base with her a prisoner. But as his fellow rebels prepare to execute this tough-talking girl with nerves of steel, Flynn makes another choice that will change him forever. He and Lee escape base together, caught between two sides of a senseless war.
The stunning second installment in Starbound trilogy is an unforgettable story of love and forgiveness in a world torn apart by war.

Review- For a sequel this book takes about half the novel for it to become clear that it is the second in a trilogy. I do not think that it is a bad thing but it is something that I was thinking about as I was reading it. Maybe because I have not reread the first book so maybe I missed some earlier clues that this book was not just written in the same universe but about the same problems and with some similar characters as the first book. I really liked the hero. At first I did not think that I was going to. But Flynn won me over. I liked Jubilee from the beginning and I liked her all the way through. She is a soldier in an impossible problem and with very little help. I like how Kaufman and Spooner are developing the plot about the whispers. I am a little concerned about this being a trilogy. I think that this universe is so big with so much going on that I am not sure that the story can be told in just one more novel. But Flynn and Jubilee's story is finished and I liked it. I am curious about how this is going to end.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

XXXHolic volume 11

Today's post is on XXXHolic volume 11 by CLAMP. It is the tenth in the series, so you need to have read the first ten to understand the story. It is 178 pages long and is published by DEL REY. The cover has Yuko on it looking very pretty and wrapping around to Watanuki on the back. The intended reader is someone who likes Japanese mythology, ghost stories, and very pretty pictures. The story is told from Watanuki's perspective. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Kimihiro Watanuki has been saved from death by the sacrifices of his friends but his recovery time is cut short. His special connection with the spirit world is needed to investigate a terrifying haunted house, placate annoyed Warashi spirits, and face the growing threat of a shadowy figure called Fei-Wong Reed.

Review- Lots of plot happen in this volume. Watanuki is still very weak from almost dying in the last volume but he does not just stop his life. The haunted house really has nothing to do with him other than that he can see the ghost. He and Domeki have to deal with it but nothing that they cannot handle. But whatever is going on in the Tsubasa story line is affecting in one too. In addition to lots of plot there is lots of foreshadowing going on too. Whatever is around Watanuki is getting worse. As I have never gotten this far into the series before, all this is new to me and I am enjoying it. But this manga is only 19 volumes long so I am over half-way done with it. That makes me sad but it is so good.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get thing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

The Topic of Serpents: A Memoir by Lady Trent

Today's post is on The Topic of Serpents: A Memoir by Lady Trent by Marie Brennan. It is the second in her Lady Trent's Memoirs series. It is 331 pages long and is published by TOR. As it is the second in this series you need to have read the first one to understand the story. The cover has three green dragons on a white background. The intended reader is someone who loves fantasy, historical fantasy, and good writing. There is no sex, no language, and some mild violence in this book. The story is told in first person by Isabella, Lady Trent, herself. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Attentive readers of Lady Trent's earlier Memoir, A Natural History of Dragons, area already familiar with how a bookish and determined young woman named Isabella first set out on the historic course that would one day lead her to becoming the world's premier dragon naturalist. Now, in this remarkable candid second volume, Lady Trent looks back at the next stage of her illustrious (and occasionally scandalous) career.

Three years after her fateful journey through the forbidding mountains of Vystrana, Mrs. Camherst defies family and convention to embark on an expedition to the war-torn continent of Eriga, home of such exotic draconian species as the grass-dwelling snakes of the savannah, arboreal snakes, and, most elusive of all, the legendary swamp-wyrms of the tropics.
The expedition is not an easy one. Accompanied by both an old associate and a runway heiress, Isabella must brave oppressive heat, merciless fevers, palace intrigues, gossip, and other hazards in order to satisfy her boundless fascination with all things draconian, even if it means venturing deep into the forbidden jungles known as the Green Hell... where her courage, resourcefulness, and scientific curiosity will be tested as never before.

Review- I loved this book. The continuing adventures of Isabella is very good. This was a fun, engaging read about a character that I really like. The plot has more politics but it does not take away from the dragons. Isabella just becomes more entrenched in her lifelong passion for dragons. I love how dragons are mixed with Victorian ideals of womanhood. If I had been born in that time I would have found them to be just as annoying as Isabella does. She really does not care what others say or think about her, as long as she can have her dragons. The only thing that really annoys me about these books is that I have to guess what the corresponding country or nation in our world is and that is not easy. Sometimes I thought that Eriga was Africa then at other times I was sure that it was some kind of Arabian place. In the end none of that matters of course. I love dragons too much to care about politics either.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with my own money.

Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science- and the World

Today’s post is on Headstrong: 52 Women Who Changed Science- and the World by Rachel Swaby. It is 269 pages long including notes, index, bibliography and is published by Broadway Books. The cover is white with pictures of the women on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in women’s history, scientific history and good writing. There is no sex, no language, and no violence in this book. The stories are told from the third person with first person details added. There Be Spoilers Ahead. 

From the back of the book- In 2013, the New York Times published an obituary for Yvonne Brill. It began: “She made a mean beef stroganoff, followed her husband from job to job, and took eight years off from work to raise three children.” It wasn’t until the second paragraph that readers discovered why the New York Times had devoted several hundred words to her life: Brill was a brilliant rocket scientist who invented a propulsion system to keep communications satellites in orbit, and she had recently been awarded the National Medal of Technology and Innovation.  Among the questions the obituary- and consequent outcry- prompted were, Who are the role models for today’s female scientists, and where can we find the stories that cast them in their true light?
Headstrong delivers a powerful, global, and engaging response. Covering Nobel Prize winners and major innovators, as well as lesser-known but hugely significant scientists who influence our every day, Rachel Swaby’s vibrant profiles span centuries of courageous thinkers and illustrate how each one’s ideas developed, from their first moment of scientific engagement through the research and discovery for which they’re best known. This fascinating tour reveals theses fifty-two women at their best- while encouraging and inspiring a new generation of girls to put on their lab coats.

Review- This is an interesting read about a lot of women that I knew nothing about. Swaby is a good writer taking very big lives, work, and long history and turns into something that you can easily read and understand. She covers women from all walks of science from technology to physics. She gives some insight into their lives but mostly focuses on their professional work. What they did at home, if they had one was, secondary if talked about at all. The writing is very strong without going into repetition. Which is more that I can say for myself, I am at a loss to really describe this book other than it is well written, about an interesting subject, and I learned about interesting people. Read it.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

XXXHolic volume 10

Today's post is on XXXHolic volume 10 by CLAMP. It is the tenth in the series, so you need to have read the first nine to understand the story. It is 178 pages long and is published by DEL REY. The cover has Yuko on it looking very pretty and wrapping around to Watanuki on the back. The intended reader is someone who likes Japanese mythology, ghost stories, and very pretty pictures. The story is told from Watanuki's perspective. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Months ago, when Kimihiro Watanuki become the indentured servant of the witch Yuko Ichihara, Yuko warned Kimihiro about his attraction to cute young Himiwari-chan. But he refused to listen. How could his pretty classmate possibly pose any kind of danger? At last the secret is revealed... and with near-fatal results.

Review- Well we finally have an idea about what is up with Himiwari-chan and it is sad. She is bad luck for everyone around her. So she is used to being left because people get hurt around her but Kimihiro refuses to do that. He loves her, just as she is and does not care about that. It is so sweet and he promises to not make her cry and of course he makes her cry by saying that and meaning it. Again Watanuki meets the young girl who can see spirits like him. She is so sad and interesting. But Yuko is being mysterious about her and everything else as per usual. Good volume if a little sad and over the top. The plot finally answered one question but so many more remain. CLAMP is good about pacing. They do not let too much just hang on forever without getting something done. Like what was going on with Himiwari-chan. She really is so cute.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with my own money.

Dearest

Today's post is on Dearest by Alethea Kontis. It is the third in her Woodcutter Sisters series. It is 282 pages long and is published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. The cover has Friday on it with a swan in the background. The intended reader is someone who has read the first two books and likes fairy tale retellings. There is no language, no sex, and only a little violence in this book. The story is told from the third person close moving from Friday to Tristan changing from chapter to chapter. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Friday has met her destiny and he is gorgeous. If only he weren't a swan...

Friday Woodcutter, the apprentice seamstress with the generous heart and the patchwork skirts, loves and is loved by all. After her sister Saturday conjures up an accidental ocean in their backyard, Friday is found washed up on the shore and is taken to the palace of their youngest sister, Sunday, which is already brimming with refugees. There, Friday recovers by doing with she does best: tending to the children.
Yet Fate can never resist meddling with the Woodcutter family. When Friday stumbles upon seven sleeping brothers in the highest tower of the palace, she takes one look at Tristan and knows he's her future. But the brothers are cursed to be swans by day, a hex that their mute sister is trying desperately to undo. Can Friday's unique magic somehow break the spell?

Review- I really like the Woodcutter Sisters series. I love fairy tale retellings and these are great ones. Friday is loving and giving so to her all problems can be faced with love and mercy. I really liked that about her. She stayed true to herself, even when she had to do something 'bad' to save everyone. The story moves very quickly, just like the first two. Everything happens within about two weeks. I liked the hero, Tristan. He was not annoying. That is very important to me. He was driven to stop the bad guy but not at any cost and when Friday did what she had to do, he does not think any less of her. Kontis is a very beautiful writer. Her pose is easy to read but not simple. She is writing for teens and adults and her language choices reflect that. I cannot wait to read Thursday's story next year.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Princes at War: The Bitter Battle inside Britain’s Royal Family in the Darkest Days of WWII

Today’s post is on Princes at War: The Bitter Battle inside Britain’s Royal Family in the Darkest Days of WWII by Deborah Cadbury. It is 356 pages long including notes and is published by PublicAffairs. The cover has the King George VI and his three brothers all in military dress. The intended reader is someone who is interested in history, War World II and the British royal family. There is no sex, mild language, and no violence in this book. The story is told from the third person perspective with first hand documents added in for favor. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- In 1936, The British monarchy faced the greatest threats to its survival in the modern era- the crisis of abdication and the menace of Nazism. The fate of the country rested in the hands of George V’s sorely unequipped sons:

·         A stammering King George VI, terrified that the world might discover he was unfit to rule

·         A dull-witted Prince Henry, who wanted only a quiet life in the army

·         The too-glamorous Prince George, the Duke of Kent- a reformed hedonist who found new purpose in the RAF and would become the first royal to die in a mysterious plane crash

·         The Duke of Windsor, formerly King Edward VIII, deemed a Nazi-sympathizer and traitor to his own country- a man who had given it all up for love

Princes at War is a riveting portrait of these four very different men miscast by fate, one of whom had to save the monarchy at a moment when kings and prices from across Europe were washing up on England’s shores as the old order was overturned. Scandal and conspiracy swirled around the palace and its courtiers, among them dangerous cousins from across Europe’s royal families, gold-digging American socialite Wallis Simpson, and the King Lord Steward, upon whose estate Hitler’s deputy Rudolf Hess parachuted (seemingly by coincidence) as London burned under the Luftwaffe’s tireless raids.

Review- At times this book is very well researched with excellent notes about events then it will descent into speculation that the book says is speculation but wants to control what the reader thinks about an event. It is well written and I was moved at points of the narrative but it was the occasional mean spirited aside that stopped me from truly enjoying this book.  Of all the people in this book only the king and Churchill are spared it. The parts that are pure history, which is most of the book, are very enjoyable. Going from the very beginning of George VI’s reign to his death, the fact-based material is interesting, well written, and moving. I had tears in my eyes at some of the speeches that were reproduced.  Seeing what the war did to the royal family from an inside perspective was refreshing break from the horrors of most of the World War II books I have been reading lately. The horrors are still there but the hopefulness and the bond of the family helped. Take this book with a grain of salt and it should be very enjoyable.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

XXXHolic volume 9

Today's post is on XXXHolic volume 9 by CLAMP. It is 176 pages long and is published by Del Rey. As it is the ninth in the long series you need to have read the first eight to understand the story. The cover has Yuko on the front and Watanuki on the back looking cool. The intended reader is someone who likes mythology, ghost stories, and great art. There is no sex, no language, and no violence in this volume. The story is told from Watanuki's perspective. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Without realizing it, Kimihiro Watanuki has purchased a dream. According to Yuko Ichihara, the mysterious time-space witch, people usually buy good dreams- but Kimihiro's dream is a man-eating nightmare. Even worse, it has come true! Then Kimihiro meets a wistful girl who, like him, can see the spirit world. Together they try to prevent a harmless ghost from being exorcised from its beloved resting place, an ancient cherry tree. The girl's mother wants to have nothing to do with Kimihiro, but the spirits say otherwise...

Review- I love mythology and the first story is all about it. It has to do with the first dream of the new year and what it means. Of course Watanuki gets into some trouble but nothing that Yuko and Domeki's dream cannot get him out of. The second part is a bit more normal for this manga. Watanuki meets a young girl who like him can see spirits and like him is very alone because of it. We do not get to see the ghost they talk to but the way she is dressed is very lovely. I hope that we get to see more of the girl. She is in a very bad place and needs someone with a compassionate heart like Watanuki. Watanuki is starting to see some value in himself but not enough. It is interesting to to watch this very serious subject, self-worth, play out.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this book with my own money.