2016's List of DNFs

This is a collection of books that I just couldn't bring myself to finish this year and have no real interest in trying again in 2017.


Wisconsin Vamp by Scott Burtress

I'll be honest, I was hoping this would be a funny, zany adventure and, maybe it gets there after the first 1/4 of the book. From what I read though, it was more like a slow Seth Rogan movie and I'm not that much of a fan of his. 

The Great Mathematicians by Raymond Flood

I had to struggle through so much of this book. I normally read non-fiction books much more slowly than fiction, but this book almost had me in tears because of how difficult it was for me to read. I know math is one of my weaker subjects, but I generally still enjoy learning about it. This book wasn't the case.

Rookie Privateer by Jamie McFarland

I honestly couldn't tell you why this book didn't work for me. It has so many of the elements that I enjoy, but after I finished the first chapter, I put the book down and never picked it up again. Never had any interest in picking it up again. 

There were a few more books that I didn't finish this year and probably will never finish but I wanted to promote these because, while they didn't work for me, they were sound enough books that maybe someone else could/would enjoy them, they just need to know that they exist.

So what are some of the books you couldn't finish this year? Please let me know in the comments. Hopefully there will be even fewer DNFs in 2017!

Void | James Owen Weatherall

*I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

This book is an overview of the definition of "nothing" from a mathematical and physical perspective over, pretty much, the entirety of human thought on the subjects. Most of the focus is on Leibniz, Newton & the invention of calculus as well as Einstein's relativity and the QED that followed. 

Review:

I always enjoy when a mathematics/physics/philosophy author has a strong sense of humor. The number of "side notes" I read regarding how mathematicians treat physicists and visa versa, was delightful and really helped to keep me interested in what I was reading. There was a little bit of skimming, I'm a little embarrassed to say, but for the most part I was quite intrigued. Heck, I even learned several (most likely watered down) aspects of Quantum Electrodynamics (QED). I will say that I recommend getting a physical copy of this book. Almost half of the book is Weatherall's notes and the ebook format that I received wasn't very good for going to the end note numbered and then back to where I was reading. Still, I really liked this one. 3.5 hoots!

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The Exorcism of Little Billy Wagner | Francis J. Flynn

*This book provided by the author for an honest review.

Summary:

This satirical novel tells the story of the events before, during and immediately after Billy Wagner's exorcism. We read about how responsibility gets passed from the archbishop to his underlings and then to their underlings, ending in the hands of Father Leo, a nice guy who just wants to go back to preaching in Bolivia. 

Review:

The thing that I love most about this story is that, if you're paying attention to the details, you can see what is really going on. You may think you know, but all of the facts aren't brought in to play until the final few chapters. While reading this book, I missed one or two things, but overall, it was pleasant to really see the puzzle come together. It did get me to sidetrack once or twice, as Father Leo sidetracked, regarding whether or not Billy is actually possessed or if it's something else.

I really enjoyed Flynn's establishment of character personalities. There was a lot of exposition about them, but they were, generally, entertaining side stories. Each person who thought themselves "perfect" or at least "beyond reproach" was clearly overlooking something others would find objectionable. Really the only people in this book I felt got worse than they deserved at any point were Father Leo and Bishop Waller.

I am very glad this book was listed as a satire because, if I thought this author was serious, it'd be a disappointing book. Knowing it was satire made it a lot of fun to read. I'll admit, anything non-fantasy, non-sci-fi or non-science isn't my usual genre, but I was happy to read this. If you like more realistic fiction with a good sense of humor, you'll enjoy this book. This really was a fun read. 4 hoots!

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Robota | Doug Chiang and Orson Scott Card

*This book was provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

A 2016 re-release of Robota, a book about a world where robots seek to extinguish all forms of organic life and intelligence. Caps, a human with no memory, joins the resistance and seeks to destroy the leader of the robots, Font Prime.

Review:

I should've picked up this book when it was first published in 2003. It's really easy to see why this is such a popular world. Chiang's art is incredibly beautiful and detailed. The balance between art work and story reminded me of Dinotopia, another series I loved. As it is, I know I'm going to need to buy myself  a copy of this book because electronic just doesn't do the artwork justice. I want to hold the book in my hands so I can get the best look at the world of Robota.

There were a couple of times where I felt that the plot made some skips and jumps. A couple aspects of character development, especially for the villain, kinda just threw stuff at the reader that didn't make a lot of sense, seemingly just so they could surprise the reader. I'll admit, if this is a strong example of Card's writing, I'm not sure I want to read more of his work.

Truly the gem of this book is the world, Robota, and Chiang's artwork bringing it to life. The artwork is so breathtaking and the world so full and developed that I do want a copy for myself. 3 hoots!

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Eye of the Storm | Frank Cavallo

*This book was provided free in exchange for an honest review.

Summary (from publisher):

"On a research mission in one of the most remote regions of the world, former Navy SEAL Eric Slade and Dr. Anna Fayne are caught in a mysterious storm. Catapulted through a rift in space-time, they are marooned on a lost world. 

Struggling to survive and desperate to find a way home, they must confront the dangers of this savage land—a dark wizard and his army of undead—a warrior queen and her horde of fierce Neanderthals that stands against him—and a legendary treasure with the power to open the gateway between worlds, or to destroy them all: the Eye of the Storm."

Review:

Every now and then I will pick up a book that ends up leaving me wondering "is this fantasy or science fiction?" Eye of the Storm is one of those books. Cavallo does a very nice job of blending the two together so well that neither is truly the dominant genre of the book. It's a balance that I appreciate and enjoy reading.

For me, the only real disappointment was that the book was fairly predictable; nothing really surprised me. However, the characters and the world from this book were still quite enjoyable. I happily read the book without ever feeling bored or disinterested. There was enough to the characters that no one felt flat, though I'll admit when Slade said his first lines I was hoping he'd die right away and my opinion of him wasn't raised much higher than "okay, let him live."

My favorite part of this book was the setting. What gets the scientists to go looking for something in the remote regions was when they find a "fresh" Neanderthal body with materials that could only be from the Iron Age. This theme of mismatched historical timings is continued throughout the book in a delightful way. The natives of the strange world are well aware of dinosaurs and stay away from their island. There are anthropomorphic frog creatures. There are tribes of Neanderthals. There are ancient Greek Hoplites. At the same time, there are skyscrapers and structures clearly built by civilizations far more advanced than contemporary humans. There is a lot to the world of this book and, if there is a sequel, I'd love to read more about it.

If you're in the market for a blended sci-fi/fantasy book with a world that blends timelines, I do recommend Eye of the Storm. 3.5 hoots!

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Bless This Mother-effing Home | Katie Kutthroat

*Image and book provided by NetGalley for an honest review.

Review:

This book is a collection of some of Kate Kutthroat's funniest work. The juxtaposition of traditional craftsmanship with NSFW phrases makes for some good laughs. One of them made me laugh out loud because it was, at one point, a bumper sticker that gave my mom one of the biggest laughs she's ever had. This would probably make for a good gag gift for other cross-stitch specialists or good for a quick laugh. At the very least, I'm going to take a look at Kutthroat's Etsy shop. 

Kid Zero | Conor Daniel

*I received a free copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

Summary:

Harriet is a student at a school where she is constantly made fun of by other students and punished for things she didn't do by the Headmistress. The only reason she's there is because her father got a job working on string theory. If it weren't for Bruno, the teddy bear her dad gave her, she'd have no one to talk to. In one of her escape attempts, she is accidentally brought with Bruno to his home dimension. Unfortunately, his home dimension isn't looking so good. The Hoohahs (elites) are so wrapped up in protocol that they either don't notice or don't care about the Orliks (a race of teddy bear like creatures) and their struggles to make ends meat. Nor do they notice that some among their ranks are very close to taking over everything in a quest for all the power.

Review:

Kid Zero really is a fun book to read. You've got flying pigs, a fat queen, a race of teddy bears and an intelligent main character. Seriously, for this being a middle-grade book and Harriet being so young, I was pleasantly surprised at how intelligently and maturely she handled so much of what came her way. Daniel does not allow her youth to be an excuse for lapses in judgement or plot holes. He's also created several types of characters. Admittedly they're kinda simple characters, but it fit with the whole story so it didn't bother me. 

This book was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be. There were times it was a lot darker than I expected as well. I highly recommend that you not read this to anyone younger than middle school age. There is a war and some suggestive dialogue that had me raising an eyebrow and grew my concern for Harriet.

I'll be honest, I don't often read middle-grade books (I think this is the first one in at least 5 years or longer). I may have to start reading more because this was the kind of book that made me give my teddy bear of almost 30 years a great, big hug. This book was a great reminder of how important my favorite toys were to me when I was younger and, like Harriet, not in a good situation. 

Really the only thing I didn't like about this book was the cliff-hanger ending. I should've known given that it's "Part 1" but still. At the very least, this could be seen as a sign that I was so into the book that I was quite emotionally charged at the ending. So, I happy give Kid Zero 4 hoots and recommend it for anyone in middle school or anyone who wants to be reminded of why we hug our teddy bears so tightly. 

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Monstress | Marjorie Liu & Sana Takeda

Review:

This book is truly an exemplification of the term "hauntingly beautiful". Liu's storytelling and Takeda's art style combine to create a world that looks so beautiful, but harbors many dark secrets. And considering the dark things that are open knowledge, that's saying something. I had some trouble at first because I don't like kids getting hurt, even kids that aren't human, but the payoff of continuing was worth it. 

There are a lot of things going on in this book. Many smaller stories entwined in the larger one. Fortunately it's easy to keep track without stumbling over plot holes. If anything, finding out how these stories are linked actually adds to the intrigue. 

This volume is a great start to, what I hope will be, a long series. I want to know more. Plus, I only threatened to not read the second volume if anything happened to my favorite character. You'll know who she is. She's the adorable one. 4 hoots!

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The Last Sacrifice | James A. Moore

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

In the world of the Five Kingdoms, it is common knowledge that the Grakhul will come at any time and take people to be sacrificed to the gods, leaving behind heavy, ornate coins in place of the people. Always four of them. Brogdan McTyre was on his way home from his mercenary work when he was told that all four of his family, (wife, son and twin daughters) were taken. Mad with grief he gathers a small army and disrupts the sacrifice. The gods are not happy.

Review:

This was a very good read. During the first few chapters I was worried it was going to be considerably bloodier than I like, and there is plenty of blood throughout, but after a while it took a back seat to the story and characters. Moore does a wonderful job of world building and establishing characters. Just about every chapter had a section dedicated to one character or another's perspective, but not in a confusing way. I was never unsure of who I was reading about. 

The Last Sacrifice has a steady pace and has an excellent exposition to action ratio. I was never bored while reading this and I never felt like I was missing out on something. There are a lot of individual stories mixed up in the overarching story line so the fact that I didn't get them confused is evidence of Moore's skills.

Probably my favorite part of this book is how Moore ended it. I've gotten tired of authors trying to get me to read the next book by ending the first one with a cliffhanger. Moore does an excellent "here's where things stand" chapter and trusts that the bigger story is interesting enough to get you to want to read the next one. He is correct, for me anyways. I am quite interested in finding out how Brogan is supposed to kill the gods before they destroy the world. 

This book is not for everyone. It's more of a book for people interested in fantasy, with a tolerance for bloody fight scenes. Four hoots!

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Sci-Fi Movie Book Tag | #RRSciFiMonth

Hi everyone! It's that time of year again, Sci-Fi Month!!!!!!! Science fiction is my favorite genre (tied with fantasy, I'll admit) so I'm always happy to participate in #RRSciFiMonth. If you want more details,  click the picture above for a link to the main page.

In honor of Sci Fi Month, I'm going to do a Sci-Fi Movie Book Tag. I'm sure there are other versions of this tag, and I'm not actually tagging anyone (though if you want to use this tag, go for it!) It's the first tag that I've created so I'm kinda nervous about how it'll go. Anyways, here's what I've got for the Sci-Fi Movie Book Tag!

1) Alien - A book series that should've ended long before it did.

For this one, I'm going to have to go with either the Xanth series or the Dragonriders of Pern series. Yes, these are two of my favorite series of all time, but I stopped reading them after a while because I kinda got bored with them. It was sad to see them go and I know I would have been sad had the series stopped, but I think that'd be better than getting bored with them.

2) Tremors - A scary book that also made you laugh.

I gotta give this one to Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix. Not only did it make every subsequent trip to Ikea slightly unnerving, but it legitimately terrified me. There were several moments, though mostly in the beginning, that also made me laugh so I gotta give this one to Hendrix.

3) Ghost Busters - Your favorite classic.

This may be my childhood speaking, but my favorite classic book is, hands down, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. It was a tradition for my great-grandfather to read the story to his kids and the family has continued loving that story. And not just at Christmas, either.

4) Evolution - A book you love that no one else seems to like.

Don't get me wrong, there are so many books and so many preferences that I don't mind being the "only one" to like a book. I get it, there are just too many out there to be informed of all of them. That being said, I do wish I had other people to talk about all the Hellboy novelizations out there. I have so many Hellboy books that aren't the graphic novels and yet, I don't really know anyone else who's read them. They're always so good. The writers really get Hellboy and his associates and I'm always on the lookout for new ones.

5) The Thing - A book where the bad guy wasn't who you thought.

It ain't often that a book can legitimately surprise me. I've stopped reading thrillers and mystery novels because of this. So when the bad guy from 14 by Peter Clines was revealed I almost yelled out loud at myself "how did I not see that coming?!" I was legitimately kicking myself because, in retrospect, it was so obvious! Yet, while reading, I thought nothing of the signs and warnings. I was so happy to be surprised.

6) Star Trek - Your favorite retelling of a classic story.

I'll admit, this is kind of a tough decision so I'm going to name both contenders for favorite: Cinder by Marissa Meyer and Pride, Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Grahame-Smith. Both of these books were based on classics that I either didn't like or only cared for a little. I read them because of all the hype around one and for the fun of the latter. I was not disappointed. PPZ is one of the few books I've re-read in recent years, not just because the movie was released. 

7) Wall-E - A character so adorable you couldn't put the book down.

I'll admit, this one is a more recent read, but Ella Patel, main character in Rise of Io is exactly the kind of lovable troublemaker that I find adorable and love to read about. She practically made the book for me and was consistently making me laugh. I couldn't put down the book because I wanted to know what she was going to do next, pranks or otherwise. 

8) Doom - A book that didn't translate well to other mediums.

Hands down, Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde as a video game. If you don't know, the 1988 NES game of the same title is one of the worst video games of all time. This is more the fault of the developers than the book because the player is never told anything about how to play it. As a result, random people and things hurt them and your character dies before any real progress can be made. 

*Personal Note: I'd love to see a Pride, Prejudice & Zombies video game with mostly female PCs and you have to find the right balance between civility points and fighting points so that you can progress in society and continue being able to kill zombies. 

9) Transformers - A favorite book or series, if only because of the nostalgia factor.

On my bookshelves, I have a copy of The Grasshopper Trap by Patrick F. McManus. I've had it for years but have only read it, maybe, once or twice. The reason I have it? It's a family favorite on my Dad's side of the family. These stories were so well read in the family that, every time we got together, everyone would get the joke when the stories were referenced. I'll admit, I still think on the stories often, but I just don't have as much interest in reading them as I used to. But I'll always cherish them.

10) Star Wars - A book or series that blurs the line between sci-fi and fantasy.

I'm going to give this one to The Strain by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan. The first book was a brilliant blend of science and fantasy with doctors treating the vampirism as a disease. Don't get me wrong, by the third book in the series it was strictly fantasy, but that first book had so much science. It was such an intriguing attempt at applying science to the fantastical/supernatural. 

So, that's my first ever original book tag. What'd you think? What books/characters would you pick for these? Please feel free to leave comments or links to your own version of the tag. 

How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe | Charles Yu

Summary:

Charles Yu is a time-machine repair man who spends most of his time in a pocket universe with just his computer, TAMMY (who's avatar looks like a sexy librarian) and Ed, a dog that exists, yet doesn't. Mentally he's been in a kind of stasis since his father disappeared in time. He rarely visits his mother whose retirement plan is reliving the same hour every hour for the rest of her life. Everything gets thrown off, however, when he sees his future self walking towards him.

Review:

I was introduced to Charles Yu via an anthology (Press Start to Play). After reading the entire book, his short story was the one that stuck with me the most, so I knew I had to pick up something else, anything else, that he'd written. When I was at the bookstore, I found this one and bought it. At the checkout, the woman behind the counter even told me "That's a really good book!" So, going in, the standards for this book were set quite high. Yu delivered and then some.

This book is so very different in all the right ways. The combination of scientific, linguistic and narrative terminology to explain time travel was humorous and sensible at the same time. The observations and experiences are poignant and resonated with me long after I finished the book. Though I've never experienced many of the things the main character does, I still felt him to be incredibly relatable. I felt his pain, his dad's pain and his mom's pain. For a book about science fictional universes, this book feels very well steeped in reality. This book made me laugh and almost made me cry. 

I really want to talk about plot points, even jokes, but I'm so afraid of giving spoilers. This entire book is an experience and I don't want to ruin that experience for anyone who may read it. I cannot emphasize enough how beautiful this book is to me. The entire experience of perception versus reality, free will versus fate, I immediately wanted to read it all over again.

When I finished reading, I experienced a kind of high that I don't get from a lot of books. The kind where I didn't want to pick up any other books for hours because I was in such a good mood over how beautiful this book is. I smiled for the rest of the night. I'm recommending it to people with even a slight interest in science fiction. 5 Hoots!

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How to Talk to Your Cat About Gun Safety | American Association of Patriots

*Book received from Blogging For Books in exchange for an honest review.

Review:

This compilation of pamphlets from The American Association of Patriots is an enjoyable combination of satire and cat puns. I swear, each section must have been written by someone who challenged themselves to add as many cat puns as possible. I'll admit, I love puns, but even I was kinda getting tired of how many instances of "Expurrrrrt" and "Pawsitively" there were. Still, there is some legitimately good information in here, just replace "cat" with "kid". The importance of talking to your kids about gun safety, about online safety, and other things are legitimate concerns. Still, if you don't want to take this thing seriously, you don't have to. Just sit back and enjoy the puns and cat pictures. ^_^

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Binary Storm | Christopher Hinz

*Image and book provided via NetGalley for an honest review.

Summary:

100 years prior to the events in this book, Nick submitted himself for cryogenic freezing in the hopes of at least helping science learn from its mistakes if not actually being woken up in a more hopeful future. It turns out, the future isn't as bright as he'd hoped. There are constant bio-terrorist attacks wiping out hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives. There are also creatures called Binaries, entities that exist in two bodies and have superhuman speed, strength and intelligence. They consider themselves above the human race and are working towards destroying or enslaving the lesser creatures.

Review:

I was nervous about picking up this book as it is the prequel to an entire series. I was assured, however, that the book stands on it own and does not require you to have read any of the other books. For the most part, this is true.

Hinz does an incredible job of building the world and quickly establishing its problems through action rather than exposition. Yes, some of the disasters were news reports, but Annabel directly interacted with Doomers and Nick had to be saved from gangs in the sec region. The character development was also evidenced through actions and conversations, though could, at times, seem to jump with the time skips in the chapters. This is, genuinely, a good book that appeals to my love of sci-fi, intelligent characters and puns. Hinz was even able to give me a couple moments of genuine I-did-not-see-that-coming moments, that were not caused by plot holes but, rather, good writing. 

The one downside to this book is that I haven't read the rest of the series. There were several moments in this book where I thought "if I'd read the series, this [moment/name] would be more profound." There were a number of names, especially towards the end, that I felt would have impacted me more if I'd read even one of Hinz' previous books. Instead, I ended up finishing the book feeling like I was missing out on something. 

If you're a fan of the series, this is a great book for you. If you're interested in the series, I recommend you start with one of the original books. This was a good read, with a good story, but it's best if you know the series' history.3.5 hoots!

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Dewey Read-A-Thon | 5 AM Update

Okay, I only gotta stay up reading for 3 more hours. I'm getting a lot of support from other readers on Twitter (seriously gotta love the reading community). I'm not sure what to say for an update so I'm going to give you my page counts. 

Keep in mind, I don't count one comic strip as one page so I will give you the number of strips read and then the converted page count for the three web comics I've been reading.

Romantically Apocalyptic - 268 strips (134 pages)

Yosh! - 777 strips (259 pages)

The Devil's Panties - 3,332 strips (833 pages)

I'll admit, part of me is tempted to cut back the count on The Devil's Panties because the majority of the strips are one line or less so maybe I should divide by 8 instead of 4, but I'll make that call AFTER I've gotten a fair amount of sleep. Let me know what you think.

In the meantime:

Dewey Readathon Mini-Challenge: All-You-Can-Eat!

Hello everyone! Happy Readathon!!!!! It's 3 AM and if I know my stomach, it's time to eat! I try to be careful of what I eat during the Readathon because I don't want my stomach to get sick nor do I want to risk a sugar crash. Plus, not all foods mix with books, as many of us know. Still, we need to read and we need to eat so it got me thinking: if I had a bookish restaurant, specifically an All-You-Can-Eat Buffet, what foods would I use?

For me, personally, I'd want to make sure I included a Hobbit style feast, drink selections from Pern, the pure sugar sculpture desserts from Elvenbane. I'd also want a "garden" section for the food trees from Xanth that can grow whole pies, cakes, and dragons steaks! Of course, you gotta have something for the picky eaters: Gorgers from School of Deaths (Gorgers take the flavor and texture of whatever food you think about right before you bite into it).

Of course, that's just me. What kind of food would you offer at your All-You-Can-Eat Buffet? The most diverse and creative assortment of food will win a $15 Amazon or B&N gift card! Please be sure to leave me a way to get a hold of you, though. Even a Twitter handle will work.

I'm gonna let this mini-challenge run for the next 3 hours. And remember, if you're somewhere that allows you 24-hour delivery, don't take it for granted. Some of us have to walk to the 7-11 if we want 3 AM food!

Dewey Read-A-Thopn | 2 AM Update

Only 6 hours left to go and I'm still feeling pretty strong! I'm actually kinda surprised at how awake I still feel. I'm going to be taking some pre-emptive measures and take a shower to wake up and maybe do some more reading while on the exercise bike. I gotta make sure I keep moving and I keep hydrated. 

I'm still plugging away at Yosh! and The Devil's Panties. Dang if they ain't worth spending 20 hours reading them. ^_^

Dewey Read-A-Thon | 11 PM Update

Holy Wah! 11 PM! I'm kinda coming down from the hyperactive period I had earlier. Many thanks to Memory Scarlet for a fun, all caps conversation ^_^ 

I gotta admit, I'm starting to get a touch tired, but nothing that I can't survive. I'm still working on Yosh! and The Devil's Panties. I don't think I'll be able to read any other comics I had hoped to get to today. But, such is the nature of the Read-A-Thon. You don't know what you'll actually be able to get through until it's all done.

Dewey Read-A-Thon | 8 PM Update

Had a nice little food break. Cuddled up with Fluxxdog on the couch and "watched" Deadpool while reading more of The Devil's Panties archive. I've got less than 10 years of comic strips left to go for it!!! This archive seems to go on forever but it's so much fun! I have so much love for this comic and not just because I can relate to her on so many levels! 

I'm getting back to the Yosh! Saga archive as well. I've been a TwoKinds fan for a few years now so it's kinda fun to see the "guest posts" Tom's done for Yosh! and comics Philp's done for TwoKinds.

I'm gonna do a little bit of cheering and possibly some moving around. I've got a "second wind" going because we've reached the point where we have to stay awake fewer hours than we've been awake!

Dewey Read-A-Thon | 5 PM Update

Okay, I've reached the point where I need to start wearing my reading glasses whenever I read from my phone. I've been using my phone for reading because I can use that while using the exercise bike in my living room. I've spent more time on that bike today than I have in the past year or so. Who knew the Read-A-Thon could help with your health?

I'm still working my way through both Yosh! Saga and The Devil's Panties. I'll probably be working on the latter throughout the rest of the night, if not longer. But I wanted to read through more than one archive tonight. 

Hubby should be ordering pizza soon. If not, I'll make him order it soon. ^_^

Dewey Read-A-Thon | 2 PM Update

Hello again, everyone! Hope you're having a fun time! I just finished up the Romantically Apocalyptic archive. I'm tempted to subscribe to it for future comics because it is so very beautiful. The use of color is magnificent. But, at the same time, it's kinda difficult to keep up with everything in the story because there's so much going on and it's so insane. 

Anyways, I'm going to walk around for a little bit, do some more cheering. I haven't participated in many of the mini-challenges this time around, but that's okay. I'm genuinely enjoying the reading. I've gotten the hang (kinda) of reading web comics while doing other things. Thankfully I know I won't run out of reading material because The Devil's Panties has so much content. 

After I get back from my break, I'll be starting on Yosh! Saga, which also has a fair amount of content. Wish me luck! 

Dewey's Read-A-Thon | 11 AM Update

Hello and Happy Read-A-Thon!!!!!

Just starting hour 3 here and taking a break. I've read the first 800 or so strips from the web comic The Devil's Panties and am still only in the early 2000's section of the archive! It's a lot of fun to read but, I may need to switch to another web comic soon if I want to read any others in the next 20 hours. 

If I do switch to another web comic it'll probably be Romantically Apocalyptic. The one I had intended to start today off with. But, like all Read-A-Thons my morning did not go as planned. I woke up a couple hours early. I ended up having to cook breakfast at the last minute. Things like that. But I am reading and that is all that matters. 

Hope you're having a fun Read-A-Thon!!!!

Dewey's Readathon Opening Meme

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today?

Same place as always, lovely Michigan. Seriously, Michigan in the fall is so beautiful. ^_^

2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?

The Devil's Panties. I'm reading web comics this time around and my husband's already shared several of these comic strips with me. 

3) Which snack are you most looking forward to?

Belvita snack bars mixed into yogurt. 

4) Tell us a little something about yourself!

I've worn the same shirt for the past 3-4 Read-A-Thons. 

5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to?

Today, instead of reading books, I'm reading web comics. All day at the computer screen. I'll have to remember to take breaks. 

Dewey Read-A-Thon Plan

It's that time again!!!!! Time to start prepping for October Read-A-Thon! I've already requested time off from work the following Monday to make sure I recover my sleep because I am planning on staying up the FULL 24 hours. I still regret not being able to stay awake last time, even if I was recovering from serious health issues. Stupid fragile body. 

Anyways, I need a plan of attack. True to form, I still intend on waking up at 7 AM to give myself an hour to prepare. Technically I'll be preparing the day before, baking snacks and shopping for energy drinks to stock up on for the day. However, first thing in the morning, I'm planning on eating a good breakfast and prepping my blog for the Opening Questions. 

This Read-A-Thon, I'm not going to read books. Shocking, I know. The thing is, my husband reads a lot of web comics that I've wanted to get into, and I've had several others recommended to me. But I know I'd have to start from the very beginning of each of them in order to understand what's going on. Problem is, many of these comics have been running for years! If I were to get started on them, I'd need to dedicate huge chunks of time to reading them. So, why not during the Read-A-Thon?

Of course, there is also the problem of page counting. I keep track of the number of pages I read and I'm not counting one quick, four-panel comic strip as a page. At the same time, however, there are some comics whose content is dense enough, I'd feel comfortable counting one page as a page. So, what I'm going to do is count my pages, based on the comic. I've listed my reading list below and, in parentheses, is how I'm going to count them. If you think a comic deserves different treatment, please let me know. I'm open to discussion on this.

Reading List:

Yosh Saga (3 = 1 page)

Grrl Power (1 = 1 page provided I read the footnotes as well)

Girl Genius (1 = 1 page)

Romantically Apocalyptic (2 = 1 page)

The Devil's Panties (4 = 1 page)

Giant in the Playground (1 = 1 page)

Dr. McNinja (2 = 1 page) - I understand this one will be ending soon, so may as well read it all.

Now, I know that there's no guarantee I'll get through all of these. There's also no guarantee that it'll take me 24 hours to read all of them. I will be at least trying to do a fair amount of cheering each hour, plus I've got a couple of favorite web comics that I've been meaning to re-read for a while and my husband always has more comics to recommend if I need more to read. If I run out of time to read what's on my list, hopefully I'll at least have made some good progress. 

So, what are your plans for the Read-A-Thon? Do you agree with my page count scheme? Do you have any web comic recommendations? Please let me know in the comments! 

In the meantime, Happy Reading!

The Shackled Scribes | Lars Teeney

*This book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Author's Summary:

"The Broxanians have been enslaved by the Olgoikhorkian Masters to exploit the Broxanian talent for rune-scribing. In exchange, the rune-scribes are compensated with the sweet, golden liquid, Ichor, that the giant worm-like Olgoikhorkians secrete from their glands. The Ichor also happens to be highly addictive and psychoactive. The system has worked for millennia. However, the Great Fern Jungle that surrounds Futharkia is dying, being bleached white by some unseen force."

Review:

This ain't a book for everyone. The description doesn't quite do justice to the scenes where the Ichor is harvested or given, nor the Broxanian reaction to said Ichor. It's not quite graphic, but the imagery is there. If you were grossed out by the episode of Futurama with the Slurm factory, you won't like this.

That being said, this was an, overall, entertaining read. It was certainly fast paced and the world piqued my interest enough that I wish there had been more information. I'd love to actually see some of the rune designs that the main characters, Tialina and Cyesko,  come up with. For all the "ick" factor that parts of the book contains, there are also some pretty scenes. The natural beauty of the Fern Lice village, Tialina's feathers and the runes. That cover image does not do the descriptions justice.

Because the story is so fast-paced, I'm glad it only focuses on three characters, Tialina, Cyesko and Chingus; the good, the bad and the ugly. Despite their differences, each of their stories is about their personal quest to rise among the ranks. Of course, this doesn't mean that you'll like them or be willing to justify their actions, but it's an interesting parallel, nonetheless.

I do recommend that Teeney go through the book again with a proofreader's eye. There were some notable errors that kept pushing me out of the story.

Other than that, this was an enjoyable read. Not entirely my cup of tea, but definitely entertaining. 3.5 hoots!

                Hoot!Hoot!

                Hoot! Hoo