Waiting for books

As my Facebook feed suggests, I'm counting down the days until I get my Audible credits and Words of Radiance by Brandon Sanderson comes out (two days for my credit and next week for Sanderson's book). To quote the great Spaniard - I hate waiting. There are few things as wonderful and frustrating as discovering a new series or new author because unless they have retired from writing you'll have to wait for the next book to come out. I know some that will wait for the entire series to be finished before they try it, just so they won't have to wait. I don't do that, simply because my desire to enjoy or find out now is stronger than my hatred of waiting later. It also means that I often end up juggling books, plots, characters, and such as I wait. I've rarely had a problem with this, so I don't find myself rereading everything before when the new book comes out. But Angel will tell you that I'm like a little kid waiting for Christmas morning if I'm expecting something.

Waiting for Audible credits is pretty bad because it means that I'm waiting for books that have already come out that I just have to wait to get. I mentioned to my dad that this next credit is already spoken for - Dead Six by Larry Correia and Mike Kupari. Dad thought the book was selling for $14 (it's actually $24) and wondered why I would spend a credit on it when the credit cost me $11. I explained that one of the reasons we got Audible was to curb my impulse binge book buying. I'm always looking for a new book and am known to grab books I'm interested in when I'm at the store. I am greatly able to curb my book buying by knowing that I have a new audio book I get get every month. Hence, my reason for using a credit on a book that isn't much more than the credit cost me.

I've come to really enjoy Audible. It lets me enjoy books when I wouldn't normally be able to read them - i.e. driving, yard work, housework, lying in bed with the lights off. Even though Angel and I listen to books on CD on our daily commute I still can go through a 18+ hour Audible book before my next credit comes. Again, I hate waiting and generally count down the days and have the book I want already picked out. I've already listed to close to thirty books over the last year but have only read a dozen or so in paper. One of my coworkers asked if I miss the pages. I don't miss anything about reading. I enjoy it all. There are still books that I buy (just fewer of them) and read in hardback. Cress by Marissa Meyer and House of Hades by Rick Riordan are two and I know I'll pick up Sands of Nezza by M.L. Forman at some point. Not to mention the 100 Cupboards books by N.D. Wilson, which I listened to on CD first. I don't think that you can only enjoy books in a particular format: audio, paper, electronic. Each has it's advantages and disadvantages. Yes, I'm a fan of paper books - I like the smell, feel, and weight of a book in my hands. My audible books fit nicely into my pocket and are good productions that I can enjoy anytime and just about anywhere. I don't own an e-reader, but I'm not opposed to them. I've been considering getting a small tablet and if so it would be e-book compatible. For now, I don't mind packing a book if I need to and if I'm just looking for recreational reading on the move, I have my audible books.

Book review - Cress by Marissa Meyer, The Lunar Chronicles

Since we got Audible accounts, we haven't bought very many physical books. This is simply because it's had to find time to read a book and very easy to listen to one. Cress was an exception that we had all along. Book three of The Lunar Chronicles, Cress continues a story that is part sci-fi, part, political thriller, and part romance. How does that all work? Easy. Just wrap your sci-fi triller romance up as a fairy tale adaptation. Each based around a different fairy tale heroine, The Lunar Chronicles give a fantastic (or should I saw sci-fi-ic) twist on stories most people are familiar with. However, our heroine are not simple damsels in distress. Well, they are in distress  and they are damsels, but one is a cyborg mechanic, the other is a fiery pilot, and Cress is a brilliant, if someone naive, hacker. I've loved these books since I first picked them up and Cress didn't disappoint. I'll provide a basic rundown of the series plot below (without spoilers) and include some basic pot points for Cress specifically.

Plot: The Lunar Chronicles take place in the distant future. Interplanetary travel is fairly common and years ago people settled on the moon. In fact, the people that now live on the moon have evolved into quite different people than those living on Earth - able to control others' perception of themselves and even able to take control of other peoples' bodies. Earth has been ravaged for more than a decade by a plague that is killing thousands. Queen Levana of Luna claims that her doctors have developed a cure but insists on marrying Prince Kai of the Eastern Commonwealth. This is less then desirable as Queen Levana is not know for her patience, kindness, or general positive nature. She's known more for wanting to rule the world with an iron fist. Needless to say, the match is less than optimal. Enter Cinder, a cyborg mechanic who can fix anything. Anything except her broken family, her 2nd class citizenship, and her crush on Prince Kai. Becoming Prince Kai's go to mechanic does have some advantages though. An invitation to the royal ball. But things go downhill when she make entirely the wrong impression on Queen Levana, who is visiting the palace. Things get broken. Very broken and it turns out that Cinder is the only one that can fix them. She leaves in search of answers and a possible solution and crosses paths with Scarlet, a young french lass with red hear and a pistol tucked in her waistband. Keeping her grandmother's farm going despite the older women's disappearance has been rough and the police are no help in tracking her down. Finally deciding to look for her grandmother herself takes Scarlet to Paris in the company of a street fighter who is surprisingly protective of her. However, it turns out that Scarlet's grandmother had secrets and those secrets are troublesome for the Lunars. Scarlet quickly finds it advantageous to join up with Cinder and see that the Lunars don't succeed with their plans. Luckily, both Cinder and Scarlet have an angel keeping Lunar's eyes off of them. Cress knows more about security systems that anyone else out there. She designed the ones used by Luna and she's hacked, cracked, and subverted every other system out there. Trapped on her satellite orbiting between Luna and Earth Cress has come to the decision that too much has been asked of her. Because of her, Luna and Queen Levana have been able to commit some atrocities that Cress wants no part of. But how do you get out of a prison floating in space? And what happens when your masters learn that you're helping the enemy? In the end, Cress gets to taste the fresh air of Earth and gets to meet her hero. But first she has to survive to enjoy both.

My personal favorites: Cress pays homage to the "damsel in distress," with Cress even thinking of herself as the DiD and waiting for her hero, but then shows us why this doesn't work. While being a very real DiD, Cress is also a very competent young woman who shines in her own ways. I particularly found her love of Italian opera a fun detail of her background. She was a well rounded character whose naivety was honest and believable. Cinder and Scarlet continued to be kick butt characters, even though we see Scarlet in a lot more vulnerable situations. The other characters were great as well. I always love Iko. The tension was certainly high, like in the last book, both from the physical danger as well as the potential repercussions, but the flow of the book was nice.

Considerations: There is very little in the way of considerations for this series. The only thing I feel worth mentioning in this section is the brutality that Queen Levana and other Luners can show. With that said there are no graphic descriptions. Scarlet ends (and Cress begins) with attacks of lunar super soldiers that kill 16,000 people in fourteen cites across the world. Scarlet also undergoes some traumatic experiences, but again, nothing graphic in nature. The writing is age appropriate for young teens.

Cinder, Scarlet, and Cress, are all very good books. The characters are fun and competent and the plot is both robust and yet straight forward. The romantic elements are handled well and the political intrigue is diverting, but not convoluted. Can a book be classic fairy tale, sci-fi, romance, and political intrigue all at once. I submit that it can and these books are the proof. I can't wait for Winter to come out next year. The total length was just over 500 pages.

Taxes

Today was President's Day, so Angel and I had it off. We always enjoy our days off. It means we can spend more time with our family. I will say that when we went down to visit my parents today, it was to do taxes and that tends to suck the fun out of everything.

I was thinking about why taxes are so horrible. Really, it's a matter of filling in boxes with information that is given to you. Granted, that is if you do your taxes yourself. I understand that having somebody do them for you it's not as complicated as that. Yet, every time I have to put that information in those boxes it tends to stress me out. I think that it from the fact that it seems that I always forget something. Some important paper with squares that I need. It seems that this year is no different - we weren't able to finish it today. I guess we'll have to finish it later. I've often joked about getting back at the IRS for the crazy tax laws by filling out my tax return in Roman Numerals. I'm just afraid that it would put me in the "Audit Me!" pile faster than I could say MMMCDLXXIV.

Book Review - The Kingdom Keepers: Disney after Dark by Ridley Pearson

This was another book that I grabbed off the shelf at the local library to listen to on the way into work with Angel. I noticed it was written by David Barry's co-author for Peter and the Starcatchers. It was a short listen (comparatively to what we normally listen to) and featured Disney World. My wife loves the Disney parks so I figured we couldn't go wrong. We didn't. The book was a fun urban fantasy - part sci-fi, part magic and a lot of Disney. The book is a middle grade level novel but done well. I liked the premise and the characters were pretty good. I defiantly recommend it to anyone looking for a fun read. Audible does carry this title. It was read by Gary Littman who did good impressions of young teenagers. Some of the voices came across as loader than others, so we had to adjust the volume sometimes, but his performance was well done.

Plot: In a new feat of holographic technology Disney's Magic Kingdom has launched the Disney Hosts Interactive (DHI), a project that makes use of daylight capable holograms that give tours to guests. They selected five kids to be recorded giving the tours and then created them in light. Finn, one of the five, was pressured to audition by his mother, but afterwards thought that it was a pretty cool initiative. However, not long after doing it he went to bed in his room and woke up in the Magic Kingdom as his holographic self talking to an old man. Apparently the DHIs were not just created to be the newest attraction at the park but to enable the Disney Imagineers to combat the villains and monsters that lurk in the minds of children. It turns out that believing is seeing and Disney has caused many people to believe. And not just in princesses and heroes, but also in the darker sides of stories. And it's up to the DHIs to keep that darker side from taking over.

My personal favorites: I liked how the actions the DHIs took when they "crossed over" affected them when they woke up. Finn's mother calls him out on his wet clothes and asks him about the stuff. They take a couple of days off from searching the park to spend time with their families. The adults were not idiots, stereotypical at times, but I can forgive that because of the genre. The action was entertaining and their were some fun fantastic elements mixed in.

Considerations: There is nothing in the book that I would object to a pre-teen or early teen reading. As a middle grade book they characters can't really do wrong. This isn't to say that problems don't arise. Just that they tend to guess right the first time on everything. As one of my old colleagues would say, it wasn't a cerebral as many other things out there. Still a fun story.

We'll see if the library carries any more in the series. I don't know if I would use a credit to get it on Audible, but who knows. Like Adventurers Wanted it was a good book, well written with age appropriate conflict and characters. The total length was just over 6 hours.

Mornings and a nice surprise

Angel and I get up early most mornings. With a 40 minute commute and ourselves pules two kids to get ready it takes a while to get out the door. I usually don't have too many problems getting up around 6:00 am as my sleep schedule has been go to bed at 12:00 am and get up at 6:00 am since I was in high school. It doesn't mean that I am running on all cylinders, but I get generally get myself out the door with Angel and the kids in tow at 7:10.

Despite the occasional lack of sleep my mornings tends to be the most productive time for me. In college I scheduled as many of my classes that I could between 8:00 and noon. Afternoons is when my body starts to slow and at 2:30 is when I generally need something to pep me up. I've learned that working out helps me stay alert. This is even true for my weekends. I get the most done between 8:00 and lunch, be it house work, or yard work. Afternoons are when I play games with Angel or the kids. I've recently taught Kanga and Tigger Uno. A bit ambitious when the box says ages 7 and up, but if they do well. Evenings are for reading, playing the piano, maybe watching a film or a show (off DVD since we don't have a signal). When I have classes I usually do that at night after everyone is asleep.

As a teenager, we rose early so Dad could catch the bus on weekdays. Saturday breakfast was served no later than 9:00 so you were dressed and ready by then (for the most part) if you wanted to eat. Sundays had church at varying times, so you never knew when you would be getting up. I never understood how friends of mine could sleep in to noon or even later. If I wasn't out of bed by 10:00 it felt like my body could not physically lie there anymore and would throw itself out. Sleeping in for me is anytime after 7:30.

We had church a little later than normal - it was stake conference - and so Angel and I were enjoying some extra time in bed when we heard the kids up and about. We've trained them well. While I have to get them out of bed at 6:30 on weekdays, they are generally up by 7:00 on the weekends. This means that we sleep in at our own risk. We could hear them running around. Normally they will grab a yogurt to eat and then play, but today they were all over the place. At one point we even though we heard the chest freezer in the basement open and close. I finally rolled out of bed and was coming out of our bathroom when I saw Kanga carrying a small bedside table into our room. I looked at her funny and she said, "We made Mommy breakfast in bed." Sure enough after setting the table next to our bed she pulled in one of our breakfast trays with a bowl of cereal (about 1/4 cup with a few drops of milk), a tortilla and some tortilla chips, a small boxed milk, a set of pop tarts, and a Popsicle. We were both very surprised. Angel pulled the tray up and started eating her breakfast in bed, just like the kids wanted. It wasn't bad, although the kids asked if they could eat the tortilla. I can't say that I'm against them showing this kind of initiative.

The Super Bowl (and sports in general)

The last couple of years I've watched the Super Bowl, including yesterday. I don't support any particular team. I don't follow the leagues. And I really don't care who wins. I still enjoyed myself This holds true for most sports I watch. I do cheer for the local teams in basketball, hockey, soccer, and college football, but beyond that I don't really care. When I do watch sports I appreciate good technique, strategic thinking, and well executed play. I've learned enough about a fair number of sports to understand what the players are trying to achieve and how they are trying to do it.

My own experience of sports is limited to playing soccer for three years as a kid, playing at school, and two seasons of church basketball and one of church softball. My parents are not really into watching sports - we did watch the two seasons when the Jazz were in the playoffs against the Bulls - but that was it. We did enjoy going to live events when Dad got tickets through work. The huge exception to all things sports is volleyball. Mom has played volleyball every week for over thirty years. Several years ago she started playing in city leagues and has even played (twice) at the Huntsman Senior Games in St. George, UT where she and her team faced international competition. She will tell you that they didn't do as well as many other teams, but we are still fiercely proud of her. We all enjoy playing volleyball as well and our family is large enough that we can field a whole team (give us some time to grow the grand kids and we'll field two teams.

But back to yesterday. I was impressed by the Seahawk's defense. The game was pitched as the greatest offense verses the greatest defense and the second certainly held true. The receiver coverage was tight and didn't allow many passes. Which ones did get through were taken down almost immediately. Not to mention the quarterback press was intimidating. There were two interceptions that were caused by the defense making contact with quarterback while he was trying to throw. The Bronco's offense was limited. Runs didn't go anywhere - and were often driven back. Passes were wide, wild, or of limited effectiveness. Their defense was exploited - not that it was abysmal, just exploitable. I was disappointed in their showing. I like to see a good close game and yesterday didn't provide it. Will I watch next year? Probably. If it's on where I am. Will I hope for a better game than yesterday. Definitely. 

Audible Book Review - On Basilisk Station by David Weber, Hono Harrington book 1

I'm not sure what I've gotten myself into. With my completion of the Tunnels series I was looking for new book blood when I had a chance to talk to my dad. He and my sister EA are presenting at Life, the Universe, and Everything (a writing symposium In Utah) on world building in science fiction and fantasy. As a result he has every excuse he'll ever need to dive headfirst into his beloved sci-fi books. I'm sure I've mentioned that science fiction is not my favorite genre to read, often because of what I might call "techno porn." Science fiction is known for dwelling on the technical intricacies and aspects of the world the author's built. Many science fiction stories depend on the reader understand the technology involved in order to understand character motivations, possible solutions, and plot points. However, sometimes the author drones on about a technology just to show how cool it is. One of the last sci-fi books I read did this and while I found the story interesting I didn't want to hear about how the main character manipulated his computer. My concern leads me to be a little wary of the sci-fi my father recommends - although I know that the books he does recommend is going to be well written. However, when he told me about On Basilisk Station by David Weber my interest was piqued as he described it as a military sci-fi. Military fiction is something that I do find very interesting and so waited with baited breath for my credits to come in so I could pick it up. I was not disappointed. David Weber gives us a heroine who is competent, cool, caring, and flawed in her own little ways. Someone we can stand up and cheer for. What's more, he gives us a whole cast of characters that we can relate to, get behind, and also stand up and cheer for. I'm worried about what I've gotten myself into because the Honor Herrington series started in 1991 and the most recent book came out two years ago. So far there are thirteen books. I don't know if I'll try to get them all one after the other, but I will probably end up working my way through them. Here is the link to the Audible page for the book. The series is narrated by Allyson Johnson who does a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life. I enjoyed her accents for the different roles and was impressed with her range of voices.

Plot: Honor Herrington is receiving her first independent command. She is a career officer in the Royal Manticorian Navy and has show great ability during her assent to the rank of Commander (just below captain in the navy) and is about to take control of Fearless, a light cruiser class warship. However, the first problem that arises is that someone has completely changed her weapon systems and expects Honor to validate the new tactics required to use them. Being the imaginative officer she is, Honor succeeds this, but then suffers from the limitations of the system. Posted to the most out of the way station possible for her efforts Honor is forced to complete multiple objectives with just her lowly light cruiser, a crew who doesn't know what to think of their new commander, and no help from the outside. What's more, there is a plot boiling below the surface of the local planet and the overworked and lonely Fearless is the only one in position to do anything about it.

My personal favorites: The book was very well written. It was clean and concise giving plenty of drama, suspense, action, and intrigue. Honor was a character that I could really get behind and we were able to see her, not just from her own eyes but from others as well. Her victories were truly exciting whether it was a naval engagement or confronting an irate merchant magnate. They were also not without costI loved the different kinds of drama within the book - naval engagements, character, troop action, personal - it had a good variety of them all. Despite the new cultural and technological elements it was easy to accept them and I didn't feel like they bogged down the story.

Considerations: The term, "swear like a sailor" is applicable here. It wasn't anything like Red Shirts more on par with Larry Correia's books. The language was used appropriately - meaning that it had weight to it and it was used by certain characters in very particular instances, usually when something was going horribly wrong. There was also a fair amount of violence. Not as descriptive as Monster Hunter International but there was certainly gore.

The audio book ended with the first chapter of the next book, Honor of the Queen, which was a nice listen. I don't know if I'll get it immediately, Words of Radiance book two in The Storm Light Archives comes up in the beginning of March and I've been waiting for it for almost a year (many have been waiting longer). I did thoroughly enjoy the book and am looking forward to grabbing these along the way. The total length was just over 15 hours.