Thursday Quotables: The Eyes of the Dragon

Posted in Thursday Quotables by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Welcome back to Thursday Quotables! This weekly feature is the place to highlight a great quote, line, or passage discovered during your reading each week. Whether it’s something funny, startling, gut-wrenching, or just really beautifully written, Thursday Quotables is where my favorite lines of the week will be, and you’re invited to join in!

The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
(first published 1987)

Once, in a kingdom called Delain, there was a King with two sons. Delain was a very old kingdom and it had had hundreds of Kings, perhaps even thousands; when time goes on long enough, not even historians can remember everything. Roland the Good was neither the best nor the worst King ever to rule the land. He tried very hard not to do anyone great evil and mostly succeeded. He also tried very hard to do great works, but, unfortunately, he didn’t succeed so well at that. The result was a very mediocre King; he doubted if he would be remembered long after he was dead.

It’s been many, many years since I first read The Eyes of the Dragon — so many, actually, that it really feels brand new. I’m just starting this book with my son, and that opening already made me happy.

What lines made you laugh, cry, or gasp this week? Do tell!

If you’d like to participate in Thursday Quotables, it’s really simple:

Write a Thursday Quotables post on your blog. Try to pick something from whatever you’re reading now. And please be sure to include a link back to Bookshelf Fantasies in your post (http://www.bookshelffantasies.com), if you’d be so kind!
Click below (next to the cute froggy face) to link up your post! And be sure to visit other linked blogs to view their Thursday Quotables too.
Have a quote to share but not a blog post? Leave your quote in the comments.
Have fun!

16Jan2014

Flashback Friday: Good in Bed

Posted in Flashback Friday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Flashback Friday is a weekly tradition started here at Bookshelf Fantasies, focusing on showing some love for the older books in our lives and on our shelves. If you’d like to join in, just pick a book published at least five years ago, post your Flashback Friday pick on your blog, and let us all know about that special book from your reading past and why it matters to you. Don’t forget to link up!

Keeping things light this week! My pick for Flashback Friday:

Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner
(published 2001)

Synopsis (Goodreads):

For twenty-eight years, things have been tripping along nicely for Cannie Shapiro. Sure, her mother has come charging out of the closet, and her father has long since dropped out of her world. But she loves her friends, her rat terrier, Nifkin, and her job as pop culture reporter for The Philadelphia Examiner. She’s even made a tenuous peace with her plus-size body.

But the day she opens up a national women’s magazine and sees the words “Loving a Larger Woman” above her ex-boyfriend’s byline, Cannie is plunged into misery…and the most amazing year of her life. From Philadelphia to Hollywood and back home again, she charts a new course for herself: mourning her losses, facing her past, and figuring out who she is and who she can become.

Good in Bed is probably the first book I heard referred to as “chick lit” — and while in general I really dislike the term for its derogatory overtones (but that’s a topic for another blog post!), I don’t mind it so much here. Maybe that’s because Good in Bed defies all the expectations that “chick lit” seems to promise — hearts and flowers, shopping, BFFs and looking for love. Yes, some of that does factor into this book, but it’s also honest, sneaky, snarky, and in places, really devastating too.

Granted, the synopsis does make Good in Bed sound like a single-girl-on-the-prowl type of book — but it’s really a deeply emotional portrayal of a woman who is smart and strong, and who goes through some unimaginably painful experiences. Cannie is not perfect by a long shot, and maybe that’s why so many women relate to her. She doesn’t have great taste in men, things don’t always work out for her, and her weight is an ongoing issue. She goes through one particularly terrible experience, and the chapters dealing with this are truly heartbreaking — so that when she does find moments of happiness, we really want to cheer.

Good in Bed isn’t high-brow literature by any means, but it’s a terrifically fun read with a big heart and surprising depths. For someone who doesn’t usually frequently the “chick lit” sections of the bookstore, enjoying this book was a great surprise.

Have you read Good in Bed? If so, how does it measure up for you against other books lumped under the “chick lit” heading?

Note from your friendly Bookshelf Fantasies host: To join in the Flashback Friday fun:

Grab the Flashback Friday button
Post your own Flashback Friday entry on your blog
Mention Bookshelf Fantasies as the host of the meme
Leave your link below
Check out other FF posts via the linky
… and discover some terrific hidden gems to add to your TBR piles!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

Do you host a book blog meme? Do you participate in a meme that you really, really love? I’m building a Book Blog Meme Directory, and need your help! If you know of a great meme to include — or if you host one yourself — please drop me a note on my Contact page and I’ll be sure to add your info!

9Jan2014

Flashback Friday: Alanna: The First Adventure

Posted in Flashback Friday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Flashback Friday is a weekly tradition started here at Bookshelf Fantasies, focusing on showing some love for the older books in our lives and on our shelves. If you’d like to join in, just pick a book published at least five years ago! Post your Flashback Friday pick on your blog and let us all know about that special book from your reading past and why it matters to you. Don’t forget to link up!

My pick for this week’s Flashback Friday:

Alanna: The First Adventure
Book #1 in The Song of the Lioness Quartet
by Tamora Pierce
(published 1983)

Synopsis (Goodreads):

“From now on I’m Alan of Trebond, the younger twin. I’ll be a knight.”

And so young Alanna of Trebond begins the journey to knighthood. Though a girl, Alanna has always craved the adventure and daring allowed only for boys; her twin brother, Thom, yearns to learn the art of magic. So one day they decide to switch places: Thom heads for the convent to learn magic; Alanna, pretending to be a boy, is on her way to the castle of King Roald to begin her training as a page.But the road to knighthood is not an easy one. As Alanna masters the skills necessary for battle, she must also learn to control her heart and to discern her enemies from her allies. Filled with swords and sorcery, adventure and intrigue, good and evil, Alanna’s first adventure begins — one that will lead to the fulfillment of her dreams and the magical destiny that will make her a legend in her land.

I picked this book for today’s Flashback Friday post in honor of my wonderful daughter — happy birthday, sweetie!

Way back when, when the lovely girl was a pre-teen, the Song of the Lioness books were her absolute favorites. Who am I kidding? The books of Tamora Pierce that relate to the land of Tortall (the Alanna series as well as a few related series) are still books that she returns to — frequently — like revisiting old friends.

In Tamora Pierce’s books, a girl can grow up to be whatever she wants — but she might have to fight pretty hard to get there. Alanna sets out to become a knight, rather than fulfilling an acceptable female role in the kingdom of Tortall, and over the course of the four books in the series, we see her use her wits, her strength, and her determination to achieve her goal, obstacles be damned. It’s impressive stuff.

As a mom, I also enjoyed the books, although I admit that I was a bit taken aback as the series progressed to see how much bed-hopping was going on. It’s nothing that would be considered racy for YA, but hey, this was my 12-year-old reading it! I got over it, and we had some excellent conversations about the romantic entanglements as well as the challenges and fierceness shown by this kick-ass heroine.

For middle grade to younger YA readers, the first Alanna book is a terrific introduction to the fantasy world of Tortall. As Alanna ages over the course of the series, the remaining books venture further into more mature YA subject matter and will have greater appeal to slightly older readers. Alanna herself is a terrific lead character, sure to inspire girls for years to come. The Tortall books provide a female-positive adventure that challenges standard gender-defined roles as often seen in the fantasy genre — and they’re just really fun to read!

A quick note on looks: Over the years, Alanna has gotten a makeover. Check out the variety of cover images:

Unfortunately, the latest makeover seems to have given the books what my daughter sneeringly calls “the Twilight treatment”. See if you agree — especially the 3rd in the series. Can we say “generic teen love triangle”? According to my daughter, this is a sacrilege:

I haven’t returned to these books in the years since, and wonder how I’d like them without my “mom eyes” in place. Meanwhile, my daughter has been trying to get me to read Tamora Pierce’s Beka Cooper series, also set in Tortall. Have you read any Tamora Pierce books? Which are your favorites? And do you think they work for adult readers?

Note from your friendly Bookshelf Fantasies host: To join in the Flashback Friday fun:

Grab the Flashback Friday button
Post your own Flashback Friday entry on your blog
Mention Bookshelf Fantasies as the host of the meme
Leave your link below
Check out other FF posts via the linky
… and discover some terrific hidden gems to add to your TBR piles!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

12Dec2013

Flashback Friday: Last Chance To See

Posted in Flashback Friday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

NOTE: Flashback Friday will be taking a little pause over the holidays! Look for my next Flashback Friday post on Friday, January 10th.

Flashback Friday is my own little weekly tradition, in which I pick a book from my reading past to highlight — and you’re invited to join in!

Here are the Flashback Friday book selection guidelines:

Has to be something you’ve read yourself
Has to still be available, preferably still in print
Must have been originally published 5 or more years ago

Other than that, the sky’s the limit! Join me, please, and let us all know: what are the books you’ve read that you always rave about? What books from your past do you wish EVERYONE would read? Pick something from five years ago, or go all the way back to the Canterbury Tales if you want. It’s Flashback Friday time!

My Flashback Friday for this week:

Last Chance To See
by Douglas Adams and Mark Carwardine
(published 1990)

Synopsis (Amazon):

Join bestselling author Douglas Adams and zoologist Mark Carwardine as they take off around the world in search of exotic, endangered creatures. Hilarious and poignant – as only Douglas Adams can be – LAST CHANCE TO SEE is an entertaining and arresting odyssey through the Earth’s magnificent wildlife galaxy.

I am so glad that I stumbled cross this non-fiction book by the extraordinary Douglas Adams a couple of years ago. We all know and love Douglas Adams for his incredibly inventive and humorous works of fiction (I mean, does anyone NOT like The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy??), but this work of non-fiction is just as funny and entertaining, even in its more serious moments and while delivering not terribly optimistic messages about the fate of the natural world.

The book Last Chance To See grew out of a BBC production in which Douglas Adams traveled with zoologist Mark Carwardine to all sorts of far-flung points around the globe. Their goal was to see, understand, and document the plight of animals so endangered as to be all but assured of extinction. Among the animals visited were komodo dragons, northern white rhinoceroses, mountain gorillas, and more. In each instance, Adams describes the plight of the species and how they got to that point, what’s being done to protect them, and what the future may hold.

It’s often a sad journey, but with Adams’s quirky and wonderful writing, Last Chance To See manages to entertain and challenge the reader. It’s witty, it’s gritty, and it’s just a pleasure to read. I highly recommend Last Chance To See for anyone who enjoys Douglas Adams, as well as for anyone who’d like a fresh take on humanity’s footprint on the animal kingdom and its habitats.

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

5Dec2013

Flashback Friday: Seventeenth Summer

Posted in Flashback Friday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Flashback Friday is my own little weekly tradition, in which I pick a book from my reading past to highlight — and you’re invited to join in!

Here are the Flashback Friday book selection guidelines:

Has to be something you’ve read yourself
Has to still be available, preferably still in print
Must have been originally published 5 or more years ago

My Flashback Friday for this week:

Seventeenth Summer
by Maureen Daly
(published 1945)

Synopsis (Amazon):

Until the summer before college, Angie Morrow didn’t really date. Her mother didn’t like her to go out much. But no one — not even Angie’s mother — can resist the charm of strikingly handsome Jack Duluth. His good looks grab Angie’s attention from the moment in June when Jack throws Angie a smile at McKnight’s drugstore. And on their first date sailing under the stars — when Jack leans in and whispers to Angie, “You look nice with the wind in your hair,” the strange new feelings begin. Tingles, prickles, warmth: the tell-tale signs of romance. It’s the beginning of an unforgettable summer for Angie, full of wonder, warmth, tears, challenge, and love.

Maureen Daly had created a love story so honest that it has withstood the test of time, winning new fans for more than six decades. Today, this classic is enjoyed by many who think of it as the quintessential love story, and as a glimpse of love in the 1940’s; a refreshing alternative to modern love stories, reflecting the beauty and innocence of new love.

Young adult fiction from before YA was a “thing”, Seventeenth Summer has an innocence to it that is both sweet and old-fashioned. I read this several years ago, at the urging of a colleague who has superb book taste. She remembered this book from her youth, and talked enthusiastically about how much of an impact it had on her at the time. Here’s what I said about it on Goodreads at that point:

I might not have given Seventeenth Summer a second glance, had not a book lover with almost impeccable taste recommended it to me. Written in 1942, Seventeenth Summer is a look into the heart and mind of a 17-year-old Wisconsin girl as she experiences first love over the course of the summer before she starts college. Seventeenth Summer in many ways is quite dated, yet the simplicity of the story in no way diminishes the lovely depiction of the elation, insecurity, and tumult of growing up, falling in love, and ultimately becoming a young woman itching for independence.

Main character Angie spends a lot of time worrying about her reputation, thinking about every nuance of her time with the boy she likes, reveling in the joys of summertime, and just living life on the cusp of adulthood. The author was herself still in her teens when she wrote this book, and there’s a freshness in the attitude that’s unusual when compared to today’s teen novels. It’s a bit jarring reading a book from the early 1940s that’s so totally immersed in the day to day, with no reference to the war consuming so much of the rest of the world at that time — but in a way, that just reinforces both the innocence of the narrative and the feeling that the story, while lovely in its own way, is also ever-so-slightly dated.

I don’t know that I’d recommend Seventeenth Summer to teen readers today. I suspect they’d find it rather bland and uneventful. And yet, it has certainly stayed with women readers of an earlier generation, so clearly it’s a book that was relevant and meaningful in its day. For readers today, I’d say it’s a lovely look back at a particular time, its culture, and its sensibilities. As a snapshot of a by-gone era, it works, with a nostalgic feel that really captures what it must have been like to be a teen at that time, falling in love, with the whole world open and full of wonder.

What older books are on your flashback radar this week? Link up and share!

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29Nov2013

Flashback Friday: A Hanukkah Favorite!

Posted in Flashback Friday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Flashback Friday is my own little weekly tradition, in which I pick a book from my reading past to highlight — and you’re invited to join in!

Here are the Flashback Friday book selection guidelines:

Has to be something you’ve read yourself
Has to still be available, preferably still in print
Must have been originally published 5 or more years ago

Happy Hanukkah! Your turkey may be nothing but leftovers by now, but you’ve still got six more days to chow down on latkes! In honor of the (very early!) festival of lights, I thought I’d highlight a family favorite for this week’s Flashback Friday post:

Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins
by Eric Kimmel
Illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman
(published 1994)

Synopsis (Amazon):

What are the poor villagers to do? The holiday-hating, hill-dwelling hobgoblins are bound and determined to ruin yet another Hanukkah for them. Every year the beasties snuff out the menorah candles, destroy the dreidels, and pitch the potato latkes on the floor. But these wicked wet blankets never counted on someone as clever as Hershel of Ostropol showing up. Using his wits and a few props–pickles, eggs, and a dreidel (a square-shaped top with Hebrew letters on each side)–Hershel manages to outwit all the creepy critters and break the spell. This fabulously creative adaptation of the ancient Hanukkah story in which the Syrians forbade the Jews to worship as they wanted, keeps the spirit of the original while adding a spine-tingling twist. Warmth and humor prevail, even in the midst of hopeless-looking circumstances. Award-winning illustrator Trina Schart Hyman creates lively and witty pictures that pair perfectly with Eric Kimmel’s words to create this Caldecott Honor Book. (Ages 4 to 8)

I have never seen a more rapt group of 6-year-olds than on the day that my son’s teacher asked me to read a Hanukkah story to the class. Once I began the story of Hershel and the icky, creepy, mean creatures who were trying to destroy Hanukkah, they were hooked. Even today, my 11-year-old pulls this one off the shelf for a Hanukkah read-along (although he’d probably be thoroughly embarrassed that I said so). Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins has it all — scary creatures, an ordinary guy who outsmarts the baddies, and really funny (and a little bit frightening) illustrations as well.

Sure, there are plenty of Hanukkah books to choose from, but how many have goblins? We’ve always loved this book at my house, and I’m glad none of us are too old to enjoy it once again this year!

Happy Friday! I hope you’re enjoying the company of a terrific book… and avoiding the shopping madness!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

21Nov2013

Flashback Friday: The Color of Water

Posted in Flashback Friday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Flashback Friday is my own little weekly tradition, in which I pick a book from my reading past to highlight — and you’re invited to join in!

Here are the Flashback Friday book selection guidelines:

Has to be something you’ve read yourself
Has to still be available, preferably still in print
Must have been originally published 5 or more years ago

Yesterday it was announced that James McBride was awarded the National Book Award for his most recent novel, The Good Lord Bird. In honor of his award, I thought I’d flash back to the author’s first best-seller: his non-fiction tribute to his mother, which was published more than 15 years ago:

The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother
by James McBride
(published 1996)

Synopsis (Amazon):

Who is Ruth McBride Jordan? A self-declared “light-skinned” woman evasive about her ethnicity, yet steadfast in her love for her twelve black children. James McBride, journalist, musician, and son, explores his mother’s past, as well as his own upbringing and heritage, in a poignant and powerful debut, The Color Of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother.The son of a black minister and a woman who would not admit she was white, James McBride grew up in “orchestrated chaos” with his eleven siblings in the poor, all-black projects of Red Hook, Brooklyn. “Mommy,” a fiercely protective woman with “dark eyes full of pep and fire,” herded her brood to Manhattan’s free cultural events, sent them off on buses to the best (and mainly Jewish) schools, demanded good grades, and commanded respect. As a young man, McBride saw his mother as a source of embarrassment, worry, and confusion—and reached thirty before he began to discover the truth about her early life and long-buried pain.

In The Color of Water, McBride retraces his mother’s footsteps and, through her searing and spirited voice, recreates her remarkable story. The daughter of a failed itinerant Orthodox rabbi, she was born Rachel Shilsky (actually Ruchel Dwara Zylska) in Poland on April 1, 1921. Fleeing pogroms, her family emigrated to America and ultimately settled in Suffolk, Virginia, a small town where anti-Semitism and racial tensions ran high. With candor and immediacy, Ruth describes her parents’ loveless marriage; her fragile, handicapped mother; her cruel, sexually-abusive father; and the rest of the family and life she abandoned.

At seventeen, after fleeing Virginia and settling in New York City, Ruth married a black minister and founded the all- black New Brown Memorial Baptist Church in her Red Hook living room. “God is the color of water,” Ruth McBride taught her children, firmly convinced that life’s blessings and life’s values transcend race. Twice widowed, and continually confronting overwhelming adversity and racism, Ruth’s determination, drive and discipline saw her dozen children through college—and most through graduate school. At age 65, she herself received a degree in social work from Temple University.

Interspersed throughout his mother’s compelling narrative, McBride shares candid recollections of his own experiences as a mixed-race child of poverty, his flirtations with drugs and violence, and his eventual self- realization and professional success. The Color of Water touches readers of all colors as a vivid portrait of growing up, a haunting meditation on race and identity, and a lyrical valentine to a mother from her son.

I think the synopsis speaks for itself! I read The Color of Water with a book group about ten years ago, and we were all just blown away by the writer’s honesty, his absolute love and respect for his mother, the insights on what life was like for a boy growing up in such a unique family — and most of all, just really inspired and impressed by Ruth’s courage, love, and determination.

I’m not a big non-fiction reader in general, but every once in a while I’m happy to make an exception. The Color of Water is a memoir that’s as compelling as fiction, with fascinating characters and their incredible journeys. It really is too good to be missed.

Happy Friday, and enjoy your flashbacks!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

14Nov2013

Flashback Friday: Alive in Necropolis

Posted in Flashback Friday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Flashback Friday is my own little weekly tradition, in which I pick a book from my reading past to highlight — and you’re invited to join in!

Here are the Flashback Friday book selection guidelines:

Has to be something you’ve read yourself
Has to still be available, preferably still in print
Must have been originally published 5 or more years ago

My pick for this week’s Flashback Friday:

Alive in Necropolis
by Doug Dorst
(published 2008)

Synopsis (Goodreads):

A fresh, imaginative debut novel about a young police officer in northern California struggling to keep the peace – and maintain a grip on reality – in a town where the dead outnumber the living.

Colma, California, is the only incorporated city in America where the dead outnumber the living. The longtime cemetery for San Francisco, it is the resting place of the likes of Joe DiMaggio, Wyatt Earp, and aviation pioneer Lincoln Beachey. It is also the home of Michael Mercer, a rookie cop trying to go by the book as he struggles to navigate a new realm of grownup relationships including a shaky romance with an older woman; a growing alliance with his cocky, charismatic partner, Nick Toronto; fading college friendships; and an aching sense of responsibility for a local rich kid who Mercer rescues from a dangerous prank in the cemetery.

But instead of settling comfortably into adult life, Mercer becomes obsessed with the mysterious fate of his predecessor in the police unit, Sergeant Featherstone, who seems to have become confused about whether he was policing the living or the dead. And as Mercer delves deeper into Featherstone’s story, it appears that Mercer’s own sanity is beginning to slip — either that, or Colma’s more famous residents are not resting in peace as they should be.

With all the playful sensitivity of Haruki Murakami and the haunted atmosphere of Paul Auster, but with a voice all his own, Doug Dorst has crafted an irresistible, compelling debut.

Last week, having received a lovely giftcard, I treated myself to S., the new book collaboration between J. J. Abrams and Doug Dorst. I haven’t read it yet, but I’ve definitely been enjoying handling the book, looking at all the odds and ends tucked inside, and wondering how on earth to actually go about reading it.

Meanwhile, looking at S. and reading a bit about how the project came about reminded me of how much I enjoyed reading Doug Dorst’s first novel, Alive in Necropolis. Funny and spooky, this book portrays its ghostly characters with as much “life” as its actual flesh-and-blood characters. The police force and their patrols of the cemetery are quite entertaining, and I loved the writing and the inventiveness in this wonderful novel.

Plus, as a San Francisco resident, Alive in Necropolis gave me a fresh view and a whole new appreciation for the vast cemeteries of Colma!

Happy Friday, and enjoy your flashbacks!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

7Nov2013

Flashback Friday: Furies of Calderon

Posted in Flashback Friday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Flashback Friday is my own little weekly tradition, in which I pick a book from my reading past to highlight — and you’re invited to join in!

Here are the Flashback Friday book selection guidelines:

Has to be something you’ve read yourself
Has to still be available, preferably still in print
Must have been originally published 5 or more years ago

My pick for this week’s Flashback Friday:

Furies of Calderon (Codex Alera, #1)

Furies of Calderon
(Codex Alera, book 1)
by Jim Butcher
(published 2004)

Synopsis (Goodreads):

In the realm of Alera, where people bond with the furies — elementals of earth, air, fire, water and metal, fifteen-year-old Tavi struggles with his lack of furycrafting. But when his homeland erupts in chaos — when rebels war with loyalists and furies clash with furies — Tavi’s simple courage will turn the tides of war.

From Publishers Weekly:

At the start of Butcher’s absorbing fantasy, the first in a new series, the barbarians are at the gates of the land of Alera, which has a distinct flavor of the Roman Empire (its ruler is named Quintus Sextus and its soldiers are organized in legions). Fortunately, Alera has magical defenses, involving the furies or elementals of water, earth, air, fire and metal, that protect against foes both internal and external. Amara, a young female spy, and her companion, Odiana, go into some of the land’s remoter territories to discover if military commander Atticus Quentin is a traitor—another classic trope from ancient Rome. She encounters a troubled young man, Tavi, who has hitherto been concerned mostly with the vividly depicted predatory “herdbanes” that threaten his sheep as well as with his adolescent sexual urges (handled tastefully). Thinking that Amara is an escaping slave, Tavi decides to help her and is immediately sucked in over his head into a morass of intrigues, military, magical and otherwise. Butcher (Storm Front, etc.) does a thorough job of world building, to say nothing of developing his action scenes with an abundance of convincing detail.

Want to understand the vibe of The Codex Alera series? Think Dresden Files thrown into a blender with Game of Thrones. Kind of.

Jim Butcher, known for the ongoing (and totally awesome) Dresden Files series, here creates a fantasy world full of magical powers, human and non-human races, and heavy doses of military adventures and escapades. His characters come with family legacies, inherited struggles and feuds, and secrets galore. There’s a ton of scheming, ruthless manipulation and political maneuvering, and scenes of magical occurrences that practically beg to be filmed and loaded with CGI.

Tavi is a terrific main character, immensely likeable, funny and brave, with the smart-ass attitude we’ve come to expect from Butcher’s heroes. The supporting characters are strong and well-defined, and the action never flags. Plus — romance! Secret identities! Evil forces! Potential destruction of the world!

I love that I was able to read the entire series (six books) straight through, so I could really live in the world of Alera for a sustained reading experience and get to feel that I truly knew the characters, understood the stakes, and was invested in the outcomes.

By the way, Codex Alera has an amazing (and very funny) origin story, which Jim Butcher explains in this clip from 2008’s Comic-con:

Happy Friday, and enjoy your flashbacks!

♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥

31Oct2013

Flashback Friday: Dangerous Liaisons

Posted in Flashback Friday by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies

Flashback Friday is my own little weekly tradition, in which I pick a book from my reading past to highlight — and you’re invited to join in!

Here are the Flashback Friday book selection guidelines:

Has to be something you’ve read yourself
Has to still be available, preferably still in print
Must have been originally published 5 or more years ago

My pick for this week’s Flashback Friday:

Dangerous Liaisons

Dangerous Liaisons (Les Liaisons Dangereuses)

by Pierre Choderlos de Laclos

(published 1782)

Synopsis:

Published just years before the French Revolution, Laclos’s great novel of moral and emotional depravity is a disturbing and ultimately damning portrayal of a decadent society. Aristocrats and ex-lovers Marquise de Merteuil and Vicomte de Valmont embark on a sophisticated game of seduction and manipulation to bring amusement to their jaded lives. While Merteuil challenges Valmont to seduce an innocent convent girl, he is also occupied with the conquest of a virtuous married woman. Eventually their human pawns respond, and the consequences prove to be more serious-and deadly-than the players could have ever predicted.

I fell head-over-heels in love with the 1988 movie version of Dangerous Liaisons, with all its twisted, sick manipulations and one-upmanship in which other people are sacrificed for the sake of an all-important victory. After seeing the movie, and gasping in amazement at the over-the-top way the characters glory in casually destroying other people’s lives, I knew I had to know more.

Granted, the book doesn’t have the 20th century finishes of the movie, but this epistolary novel has all of the intrigue and mind games you’d expect. Told through letters, we get an inside look into some very twisted minds, and it’s an amazingly complex web that’s woven, in which reputations, marriages, and lives are ruined on a whim.

Of course, I couldn’t read the book without all of these pictures in my head:

According to Wikipedia, there are six different movie adaptations of Dangerous Liaisons, including the much lighter (and less successful, as far as I know) Valmont (1989) and the crazy New York teen version Cruel Intentions (1999), which starred Sarah Michelle Gellar and Reese Witherspoon:

Not to mention various TV, radio, opera, and ballet versions of the story, and even, apparently, a 2013 e-book called Dangerous Tweets, retelling the story entirely in (yes) tweets. Ooooookay, then.

Have you read the book? Do you have a favorite movie version? What other books could be retold via Twitter?

Happy Friday, and enjoy your flashbacks!

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