CBR 13 # 1 Piranesi

Piranesi lives in a house with many halls, with an Ocean trapped within. There are infinite statues, and birds and fish, and the remains of 13 people who had previously lived there. He lives in isolation save for the Other, who named him and spends one hour, twice a week with him, to talk of his scientific observations. The House is the only place Piransi knows, and he has lived there from the beginning of time. But the arrival of 16, as in the 16th person, would reveal that the Other, the House and even himself, are not what they seem.

The first few pages were a struggle for me. I have been in a years long reading funk (COVID anxiety and my stupid eyes) and I was reading the book trying to make and accurate map of the world in my mind, and it was tripping me up. Finally, I just let the peculiar language and descriptions wash over, to form a nebulous sense of the place, which, I found,  made itself clearer as I read further.

It would do a disservice to those who had not yet read the book to write more of the plot into this review, but that is not to say that the plot is the best thing about it. This book is so different from Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norell (the author's first novel, which I also enjoyed immensely).  The first book was quite long, charming and wryly funny. Piranesi is slight, almost a novella.  It is narrated by Piranesi, through his detailed journals, and his writing is odd and formal but also dreamy, especially in the first part.  You will be taken in by his ingenuity, innocence and innate goodness.

I read the book as a meditation on isolation and loneliness, and the exquisite peace it sometimes brings.  But no matter the strength of the pull of isolation, the stronger need to connect with other people always wins out.  I really, really loved this book, and to be honest, I did not expect to be crying by the end, but I was.

CBR 12 #4 - Willful Creatures by Aimee Bender

I read a review of this book somewhere on the internet, a long time ago.  Maybe on Pajiba, maybe on Cannonball read, I don't really remember.  But I did write the title and the author down in my little notebook, along with the dozens (maybe hundreds) of other books I plan on reading,  and movies and TV shows that I plan on seeing.  This year, before the world changed forever, a few friends came over to hang out and one of them brought the book and said that he feels like I might want to borrow it.  I had not told him that it was on my list, in fact, it totally escaped my mind until he handed me the book.  He just thought that I was the kind of person who would like Willful Creatures and he is not wrong.  So I read it during the first month of quarantine (we are already on our 5th month, the longest quarantine in the world, i think) when I could still focus and mull over and revel in the little morsels of weird that are Aimee Bender's short stories.

This book is a collection of 15 short stories.  Her stories are inhabited by willful creatures, some more melancholy, some more malevolent.  Her world is one in which the surreal just is.  Fantastical elements are not acknowledged as such and the narration is so matter of fact that you don't question it.  The world is just that way in her stories.  It is a world where somebody can purchase a tiny human as a pet, where a family of pumpkin heads can have a son with an iron head, or a boy can have fingers shaped like keys.  Some stories are more fantastical than others, but they are all written in way that makes them feel like fables or fairy tales, or myths.  There is a sort of detachment in the storytelling but at the same time, they feel very real.  Some stories are disturbing and violent which shocked me a little because she often tells the story from the "perpetrators" point of view but imbuing them with familiar emotions just taken to a grotesque level.  I don't know, they're better read than described, I think. 

So yes, my friend was not wrong.  I did want to read this book.  Some of the stories revealed themselves to me, like I get what it was trying to say beyond the weirdness.  Some stories, their meaning eludes me.  Either way, the stories stuck with me, bubbling up in my brain at random times.  I don't think I'll be returning this book.  

CBR VI # 3 - Messenger by Lois Lowry

This book is a more direct continuation of Gathering Blue.  Matt, Kira’s friend from Gathering Blue lived in the ghetto of Kira’s Tribe.  His parents were NOT nice. At the end of Gathering Blue, Matt had went with Kira’s father to live with him in The Village.  The Village was founded by people who are not welcome in their own villages.  Some travelled far and wide, some, like Kira’s father and Matt, came from just beyond the Forest.  Now this Village, this is Utopian.  Jonas, from The Giver, is the present “Leader” and resident wise man of the Village.  The Village is extremely peaceful with each person having their designation or their “true name”.  This is an echo of the Community where everyone is given their assignments when they turn 12.  But in the Village, naming seems more organic and benevolent.

Matt is living a pretty good life there.  He is far from his former wild self and is seemingly content and happy with Kira’s father and is hoping that he will soon be named “The Messenger”.  This is a job that he is already doing, in any case.  He delivers message far and wide, even beyond the mysterious forest which actually kills other people who have been living in the Village for long and dare to venture its depths.

But Matt’s perfect world is slowly being changed for the worse.  There is a mysterious trademaster who seems to be able to give everything your heart desires, at the cost of chipping away at your humanity one trade at a time.  The forest is becoming more and more corrupt and dangerous.  And the once benevolent and open villagers are planning on closing the village to outsiders, people, who, like the villagers when they first arrived, have nowhere else to go.  Because of the planned closing of the village, Matt goes back to Kira to lead her to the Village.  The way is hard and Matt barely makes it to Kira alive.  And things are even worse on the way back.  Someone will have to make a sacrifice.

The series, as it progresses, has less and less sci-fi aspects and has become very fantasy oriented.  While I also love fantasy, this leaves me a bit disoriented.  In this book, the mysterious trademaster seems like evil personified, a monster.  And Jonas’ and Kira’s and Matt’s special abilities are more magical, as is the dark forest.  As the series progresses, I like the books less and less.  I found the story a bit clichéd and simplistic.  And the ending, which was supposed to be really touching, didn’t really do anything for me.  That is not to say that the book was bad.  It was good enough to keep me interested.  It is quite alright and might be good for a younger audience.

CBR V # 1 - Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

A long long time ago, Northern England was ruled by a powerful magician king, The Raven King, John Uskglass.  Magic was abundant and many famous magicians learned and taught the craft.  However, for hundreds of years since its heyday, magic has been dead in England.  Gentlemen who call themselves magicians, are in fact, mere scholars of magic, debating and collecting spellbooks without doing any practical (or even impractical. heh) magic.

But in the 1900's, along came Gilbert Norrell, the only living practical magician and the only practical magician England has seen in a long time.  Norrell is secretive and bookish and not very unlikeable, quite unlike what one would think a magician is (as the book itself points out).  However, Norrell manages to rise in society and government by bringing back to life the dead wife of a high ranking official.  

Then along comes Jonathan Strange, who is quite the opposite of Norrell.  He has and innate talent in magic and taught himself with very little books (since Norrell hoarded most of the magical spellbooks). He is sociable and genial.  Because they the only magicians around, Strange becomes Norrell's student.  They ultimately quarrel and break apart due to different philosophies. From then on moves the story which includes humans enchanted and kidnapped by faeries and other such magical matters.

The book is divided into 3 parts, the first is where we are introduced to Norrell.  The second is when we are introduced to Strange and his path intersects with Norrell.  The third part is entitled John Uskglass and takes us to the final story.

The book is written in a charming and formal manner but the writing is very witty.  In fact, I who am known to be humorless among my peers (i.e. I don't watch comedy) chortled a few times.  The book is veery long but its the kind of book I like.  It wanders around for quite a while but never becomes boring.  The story gains momentum during then end and becomes quite exciting.  There are wonderful footnotes, and really, it's like an alternate history of England if magic were around to help in the Napoleonic wars and other historical events.  

I really liked it and would recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy and doesn't mind long books.

CBR IV # 21 - The Magicians by Lev Grossman

It is true, The Magicians is sort of like Harry Potter for grown ups.  And a little bit if Narnia in the mix.  It's cynical and grown up and I guess with more realistic elements if you can call it that.

Quentin Coldwater was a  gifted student living in Brooklyn, applying for colleges with his two bestfriends when he suddenly finds himself in a magical school in England.  He takes a rigorous exam and is accepted at Brakebills, the aforementioned school of magic.

The story takes us from his days in the school where he makes some friends, to his graduation and re-entry into the real world, to their entry into the even more magical world of Filory.

Unlike in Harry Potter where there is a truly separate world of magicians with real magician jobs and magician government, the graduates of Braksebill reenter the real world.  They have a trust fund provided by the school, so they don't really work.  They are rudderless and just floating around with so much power and nothing to use it on.

That is until Penny, a weirdo (even for magic school standards) former classmates shows up and says he's found a way to enter a sort of alternate universe, Filory.  Filory was actually a universe written about in a series of books wherein a group of siblings find their way in there.  Like Narnia.  There are magical beings and evil creatures.  So the group starts an adventure in that wonderful, weird land.

Although nothing really happened, I liked the first part, the Harry Potter part better than the Narnia part.    Maybe I was expecting too much.  I mean, I liked it, it was unusual, but I wasn't super wowed by it.  I mean, I haven't even read the second book yet.

# 47 - Ms. Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

X-men, Victorian edition (actually, 1940, but the pictures feel more Victorian). Present day, Jacob is a typical disaffected youth, pharmacy heir, and loner. Poor little rich kid he was. However, his close relationship with this peculiar grandfather proves a gateway to fantastical adventures. His grandfather always had weird stories (and even weirder photographs) for Jacob, which unfortunately, as Jacob becomes older seems more and more like just his grandfather's fantastical imagination.

His grandfather's death, though, leads Jacob to see the horrible monsters his grandfather has long been afraid of, and to learn that the stories may be true after all.

So there are kids with superpowers, time travelling and whatnot. It was an ok book but came eay below my expectations considering the creepy pictures. I was really expecting something a bit darker and deeper and creepier. Not so much the standard fantasy/adventure that this book was. The plot, as well as the monsters, just seemed a bit childish to me. Well, this is after all a YA book, so maybe, as noted in my Uglies review, I am too old for YA. I hope not.

But the pictures! Man, the pictures are the best part of the book, as well as how the author managed to make stories around the picture. That was cool, yeah.

# 38 A Dance With Dragons - GRR Martin

People who have not read the first four book need not (and probably will not) read this review. It is impossible to read this book without reading the first four books of this projected seven book series. Those who have read through all four book probably already have a good idea (and probably love) about how GRR writes and how the world of ASOIAF works.

ADWD starts off a little before the last book ends. Same as the other books, it follows several different storyline, some which converge, some which do not.

We follow the difficulties Dany, who having conquered Mereen, has in ruling it. In the North, Stannis has declared himself King and is residing hanging out at the wall with his Red Priestess. Jon Snow, is of course there, and we follow his triumphs and difficulties. There is also Tyrion who we follow in his adventures. Cat of the Canals aka Arya is present, Davos, Asha ad other familiar characters also make appearances. There are, however some new faces. Two mysterious princes, and the pitiful Reek. But that is as far as I will go plotwise. One of the best things about ASOIAF is the plot and it is best to go in completely unspoiled and really go along with the twists and turns.

I don't know if it is heightened expectations, but this installment for me, moved a little slower than the previous ones. Or maybe I am just too eager to know the final outcome of this whole thing, because, you know.. GRR, old, 7 books...haha. But it was also fun just going along with the adventure. I found that there was not a single POV that I was bored in, unlike in the other books (Iron Islands. ugh.). I find that this installment expands the universe even more and shows more fantastical elements. I like how the plot is going. I have accepted that the path towards the end is not a straight line but has many exciting detours and scenic routes. The writing is mostly the same GRR writing. People died, or did they? People had sex. People plotted and killed. People were being human in a fantasy world.

I may not be the most objective reviewer for this book though. I love love love this series. And I cannot wait for The Winds of Winter. Pretty please GRR!

#26 Summerland by Michael Chabon

Michael Chabon's foray into the YA genre turns into an ode to baseball, and you know, how it's a metaphor for life (no, I don't understand why. we don't play baseball here), and how playing it literally, saved the world from Armageddon.

Ethen Feld lives in a drizzly and dreary island obsessed with baseball. Unfortunately, he is horrible at it, the worst player anyone has ever seen. Then he gets recruited by a worlds-jumping creature to save Summerland, and save the worlds as they know it.

In the book, the universe is a giant tree, with four huge branches. One is the world as we know it, The Middling, then there's the Winterlands, Summerlands and the Gleaming. Cayote is plotting to bring down the tree, or put an end to the universe, by poisoning the well from which the tree universe gets nourishment.

Of course, Ethen Feld and his merry band of misfits (his bestfriend, a yeti, a ferisher, a changeling, a tiny dwarf.. you get the drift) travel and jump from world to world trying to catch up to Cayote and prevent him from ending life. This is done, of course, through baseball.

The book is a charming blend of Norse, Native American and North American mythology (those are all I recognized). It is quirky to the max with lots of amusing details and characters. Sometimes, I feel like it gets weighed down by all the quirk and the extraneous details. And like most children's fantasy, things just seem to fall into place. Sure, there are setbacks, but the protagonists seem to always find the perfect person, or the perfect weapon to escape the scraped they're in.

It is a wonderfully imaginative book, sometimes too much so that it seems sort of silly and random to me.

#22 Coyote Blue by Christopher Moore

Of the Chris Moore bibliography, my enjoyment has been varied. I loved (as most people do), Lamb. I really liked A Dirty Job. I liked Bloodsucking Fiends and You Suck. I flat out HATED The Stupidest Angel. This book was somewhere in the like category.

Samson Hunts Alone grew up in an Indian Reservation, however, an potentially prison-inducing incident had him leaving the reservation and making a new life for himself. He grows up neglecting his Indianess and cultivating and molding himself into the ultimate saleseman, able to transform himself into anything needed to cinch a sale. Things go awry when he meets a pretty, if a little flight, girl and an Indian guy seems to be following him everywhere. Things quickly go madcap, Chris Moore style and hijinks and adventure abound.

Like I said, it's typical Christopher, funny, but I occasionally find the humor too trying hard. Supernatural elements, the works. It was just ok. Aaaand I'm starting to sound like Randy Jackson.

# 17 - A Game of Thrones by G.R.R. Martin

Blame the crappy internet connection at the office for my rereading of A Game of Thrones. With the usual procrastinating tool unavailable, I had to turn to other means of indulging myself while at the office. (Don't worry kids, I still finish my pleadings and go to hearings and stuff..) As it turns out, ASOIAF are the only ebooks that I have in my laptop, so I decided to read the series again during my downtimes at the office. Perfect timing for a reread really, considering the upcoming HBO adaptation. Which I am super excited about!!! 10 more days!!!!

Damn you GRR for having the the power to break my heart time and time again! Damn you for making me forget all my deadlines once I start reading your damn books. Damn you for making me fall in love with honorable characters who absolutely DO NOT deserve what they get. This is a reread, what else can I say? I loved it the first time, and I loved it again the second time.

For those who do not know, A Game of Thrones is an ongoing fantasy series. But its not really fantasy. The Kingdom of Westeros were once different kingdoms, but were brought together by the Targaryen who invaded from Old Valyria using their powerful dragons. But that was ancient history and Westeros is now ruled by King Robert Baratheon, who, along with Ned Stark, overthrew the mad King, last Targaryen to rule the Kingdom.

The main story follows Ned Stark and his family as his life changes from being Lord or Winterfell, the farflung and northernmost province of the Kingdom, to becoming the King's Hand. There are also other storylines as well of different characters.

The book is complex, and truly epic in scope. It is gritty, and as realistic as a fantasy novel can be. It is NOT black and white. It is shocking and heartbreaking. It's really great.