Game of Thrones

Penned By: George R.R. Martin

In the world of Ice and Fire magic is real. Only it's subtle and not overwhelming to the enthralling story unfolding. Each chapter is told from a different characters viewpoint, yet flows easily and the pieces and timeline can be put together with little effort. This first novel focuses primarily on the powerful family in the North of the country Westeros, the Starks. For several years a peace has fallen and a long summer has allowed warmth to seep into their lives. However, "Winter is coming", and strange happenings are sending the country spiraling into a struggle for power, both of the politcal and mystical kind. Follow the Stark family as they are made pawns and major players in the Game of Thrones.

Quote: "You have five trueborn children... Three sons, two daughters. The direwolf is the sigil of your House. Your children were meant to have these pups, my lord."

Genus: Fantastical Worlds

Era: Older is Better

Difficulty: 4

Determination: For the genus lover

Series: Yes, 1st of 7

Film: HBO Series Game of Thrones

Your type of tale? Try these: The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien, Eragon by Christopher Paolini,  Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey

Cool Stuff:  Comic Book       Fan site: Westeros      The Board Game

Ready to buy it?

The Bartimaeus Sequence: The Amulet of Samarkand

Penned By: Jonathan Stroud   

Welcome to a world where magicians are the ruling class but the real power lies in the creatures they enslave. One young boy slated to be a magician, Nathaniel, will rebel against the system and defy convention to better his life. The djinni, Bartimaeus is Nathaniel's only saving grace but will the mischieveous Bart prove to be his greatest ally or greatest enemy. The story starts slowly with excellent detail and quickly spirals into a harrowing adventure and surprise ending. A fun and thought proving tale that allows the question, is there a right to every side?

Quote: "The shattering of an elemental sphere in an enclosed space is always a frightening and destructive act: the smaller the space, or the bigger the sphere, the worse the consequences are."

Genus: Fantastical Worlds

Era: Everyone

Difficulty: 3

Determination: For the genus lover

Series: Yes, 1st of 4

Film: Up in the air

Your type of tale? Try these: The Golden Compass (Northern Lights) by Philip Pullman, A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony, The Great Book of Amber by Roger Zelazny

Cool Stuff:  Bart's Journal     Audio clip by author      Disney's Bartimaeus Website

Ready to buy it?

Dragonflight

Penned By: Anne McCaffrey

.

If you're a woman and a fan or writer of science fiction you owe a big thank you to Anne McCaffrey. She was the first woman to successfully break into Science Fiction literature. Her Pern series is by far and large one of my favorite series of all time. She was a fantastic and detailed writer, who passed the gift on to her son, Todd McCaffrey. He has been working in collaboration with his mother for a few years now to continue her Dragon of Pern series. He has successfully written the last few books himself. The world has lost one of it's greatest science fiction writers of all time just a few short weeks ago when Anne McCaffrey passed away at the age of 85.

Step onto the planet of Pern, where a thriving human population survives in a perilous environment. Lessa, the main character, was born into one of the ruling feudal families but forced into hiding with the dregs of society. She manages to survive through the hardships and rises to regain her birthright. However, her destiny lies with the dragons of the planet. When legend becomes reality they are all threatened and the promise of a real life for Lessa seems like it will be cut cruelly short. Lessa, though, is incapable of giving up  - but is her will to survive enough to save the entire planet? Read one of the strongest female literary character's of all time, written in the 1960's.

Quote: "Black, blacker, blackest, And cold between frozen things. Where is between when there is naught To Life but fragile dragon wings?"

Genus: Fantastical Worlds

Era: Older is Better

Difficulty: 3

Determination:For the genus lover

Series: Yes! This is the first, however the series does not need to be read strictly in order. I recomend reading in the order they were published and not the earliest in the "time-line".

Film: In the works

Your type of tale? Try these: Eragon by Christopher Paolini, A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, Wagon Train to the Stars by Diane Carey

Cool Stuff: Chapter One Part One    The Pern Museum & Archives - Fansite    Todd McCaffrey

Gregor the Overlander

Penned By: Suzanne Collins



Suzanne Collin's Website



Underneath the teeming city of New York exists a world of massive proportions. Gregor and his younger sister Boots are about to discover the existence of this world and meet the many people and creatures that live there. Following the fantastical discovery will come a grand adventure and the threat to never return home. A choice between love and security will have to be made. Forced to live beyond his years, Gregor will prove that loyalty and hope are worth fighting for.

Quote: "Fly you high."

Genus: Fantastical Worlds

Era: Everyone

Difficulty: 2

Determination: Must read

Series: Yes, 1st of 5

 

Film: No

Your type of tale? Try these: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling, Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan, The Alchemyst by Michael Scott

Cool Stuff: Scholastic's Underland Chronicles Website      Fan Trailer       Official Underland Chronicles Trailer

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Sea of Monsters

Penned By: Rick Riordan

Happy Birthday Percy Jackson!

The second book in the series opens with a fiery bang and with breakneck hilarity readers are taken on another adventure with the young demigod. As if last summers discoveries weren't enough for a lifetime, Percy will find that being a member of the Olympic family means there's always at least one more skeleton in the closet. Besides a refresher in Greek mythology and humorous adventures, The Sea of Monsters will present readers with the opportunity to contemplate what's really important in life.

Quote: "Mythologically speaking, if there's anything I hate worse than trios of old ladies, it's bulls."

Genus: Fantastical Worlds

Era: Young at Heart

Difficulty: 1

Determination: For the genus lover

Series: Yes, the 2nd of 5 - Read 1st book review: The Lightning Thief

Film: No

Cool Stuff: Olympian Week    Book Page    Percy Jackson Birthday Celebration Kit  

Your type of tale? Try these: Here, There Be Dragons by James A. Owen, The Alchemyst by Michael Scott, Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets by JK Rowling

Ready to buy it?

Bones of Faerie

Penned By: Janni Lee Simner

Janni Lee Simner defines in medias res in this astonishing tale of the future. A heart-wrenchingly beautiful story that proves what you don't know, is what truly hurts you. If you're the type that believes there is much more to this world than we know, this is a story for you. Follow Liza on a path of discovery that in the end will prove how strong she truly is. A fast, can't put down read in which the author pulls no punchs.
Genus: Fantastical Worlds

Era: Everyone

Difficulty: 2

Determination: For the genus lover

Series: Yes, 1st of 2 (so far)

 

Film: No

Quote: "One of the oaks threw an acorn at us. It grazed my ear. 'We're going to find my mother, like Karin said.' I picked up the acorn and flung it back into the forest."

Your type of tale? Try these: Afternoon of the Elves by Janet Taylor Lisle, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry, A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

 

Cool Stuff:  Book Website      Fan Made Trailer     Invasive Species (short story, same world) 

Ready to buy it?

Paranormalcy

Penned By: Kiersten White

I will freely admit that when I got to the main character's pink taser, I almost put down this book. Yep, you read it right, pink taser. However, I firmly believe that reading bad literature is just as important as reading good literature, so I soldiered on. I am very glad I did. This is in no way, shape, or form, a bad book. Well-written and cunningly funny, Paranormalcy is refreshingly unique and a fun read. I can see where most people would think of this as a "girls" book, I can assure any gentlemen who brave it that they will be hooked within a few pages.

Quote: "Tasers are a one-size-fits-all paranormal butt-kicking option. Mine's pink with rhinestones. Tasey and I have had a lot of good times together."

Genus: Fantastical Worlds

Era: Everyone

Difficulty: 2

Determination: For the genus lover

Series: Yes, the next, Supernaturally, comes out in July.

Film: No

Your type of tale? Try these: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K. Rowling, Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris, The Host by Stephenie Meyer

Want more information?  Publishers Paranormalcy Page    Author Page & Paranormalcy Trailer

Ready to buy it?

Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief



Photo by Amber Murray

 Penned By: Rick Riordan

In honor of Rick Riordan's newest novel, The Throne of Fire, releasing this week.

We all go through a period of self-discovery in our pre-teen years, but of course very few of us find ourselves to be demigods. Percy Jackson takes the news and subsequent adventures with a great deal of aplomb and tongue-in-cheek humor. You'll find yourself chuckling sympathetically throughout. Revisit Greek mythology and discover how Rick Riordan makes it come alive in the 21st century.

Quote: "The chihuahua barked louder, and with each bark, it grew. First to the size of a Doberman, then to a lion. The bark became a roar."

Genus: Fantastical Worlds

Era: Young at Heart

Difficulty: 1

Determination: For the genus lover

Series:  Yes, the 1st of 5

Film: Yep - Official Site

Your type of tale? Try these: Molly Moon's Incredible Book of Hypnotism by Georgia Byng, Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins, A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony (Older is better)

Ready to buy it?
                                                                                                                  

Spells

Photograph by: Amber Murray

Penned By: Aprilynne Pike

 

Illusions book signing tonight!  I highly suggest going out! Aprilynne Pike was a fantastic speaker and very personable, it was a great joy meeting her.

The second in this series really steps it up a notch. The relationships and love triangle ramp up, the action and adventure are in full-force, and the magic takes over our lead lady, Laurel's, life. The mystery and questions are tripled so if you were hoping to walk away with answers, well, just remember this is a 4 part series. Once again, the tale is beautifully crafted and merges the real world with fantasy seamlessly. This book is a good reminder to appreciate those who are dear to us and not take people for granted.

For those who are reading this series:
Are you Team David? Or Team Tamani? And who do you think she will actually end up with?
(Yes, these can be mutually exclusive!) Answer(s) in the comments.

Quote: "Everything was rainbow-hued and vivid and it took Laurel a few seconds to realize that the bright, multicolored flashes she saw weaving through the crowds were the blossoms of the Summer faeries."

Genus: Fantastical Worlds

Era: Everyone

Difficulty: 2

Determination: For the genus lover

Series:  Yes! The third one releases today! May 3rd. See what I have to say about book one here.

Film: No

Your type of tale? Try these: Talisman of Valdegarde by Madeleine Simon, Paranormalcy by Kiersten White, Just One Wish by Janette Rallison

Ready to buy it?

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's (Philosopher's) Stone

Photographs by: Amber Murray

Penned By: J.K. Rowling

There is nothing I could possibly say about this book (or series) that has not already been said. So this blog is for you who have not read this book yet... Why not? It is an easy read and fun to boot. Admittedly, J.K. Rowling is not a literary writer extraordinaire and hence, the reason she is so popular. Let me also disabuse you of the notion that Rowling is a poor writer, really, she is quite good. So, why not? Perhaps you are of the misguided and often religious belief that these books are evil. If so, I pity you. You must never read any fantasy or sci-fi and your imagination is quite limited. The life you lead must be horribly mundane and you are missing an astronomical amount of literature that our world thrives upon. So, why not? If you have made it this far you can not possibly use the excuse that you are not a reader. However, if you insist, get the audio version. For you, there is now only one answer left to my "why not?" And that is "why should I?" This book is the start of a revolution. It has shaped our global culture in a way that will resound for centuries. Are you honestly going to let a mere 300 pages keep you from taking part? So, why not?

View from the top of the Flight of the Hippogriff
 roller coaster in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Quote: "The truth...It is a beautiful and terrible thing, and should therefore be treated with great caution. However, I shall answer your questions unless I have a very good reason not to, in which case I beg you'll forgive me. I shall not, of course, lie."

Genus: Fantastical Worlds

Era: Everyone

Difficulty: 2

Determination: Must read

Series: Yes  

Film: Yes

Your type of tale? Try these: The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper, The Alchemyst by Michael Scott, The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

Hogsmeade store fronts in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Ready to buy it?