The Moor, by Laurie R. King (Amazon)

I’m a huge fan of Laurie R. King’s “Mary Russell” series, as I am a big fan of Sherlock Holmes, and seeing this sort of revival is really nice. King has basically created a new character in Mary Russell and inserted her into Holmes’s life as a partner. Of course, the usual suspects are around – Dr. Watson, Ms. Hudson, and Mycroft.

I started reading this prior to spring break on that really nice day. I was able to just go out to the rocks on the lakefill, and I sat and read for several hours. It’s on hold for now, but that’s fine since I’ve read it so many other times.

Laurie R. King has a new book out called The God of the Hive, the second half of The Language of Bees. It goes back into Holmes’s past, and I’m really excited to read it. I highly suggest reading this and every other Mary Russell book that King has authored. With me at NU, I have The Game, and one other (can’t remember). Ask me to borrow books sometime!

For more info: 30 Things in 30 Days

PS: May the 4th be with you.

I realize that people from college don’t know that I am actually a very prodigious reader. I can (if i try hard) go through about a book a day. If I’m just reading for relaxation or that sort of thing, it will take me maybe 2-3 days, a week tops.

So I went to the library last week, and again this week, and figured it might be nice to give people a taste of what sort of stuff I read. I was putting the books on my LinkedIn profile (http://www.linkedin.com/in/byroncheng) and started filling out the Amazon Reading List. I figured that most people don’t read LinkedIn to find my book preferences, so I decided to mirror them here for your interest. Just a warning – my writing in short reviews is much more awkward and less lucid (to me at least) than these blogs entries.

People of the Book
by Geraldine Brooks
See this book on Amazon »

Comment: “Brooks does an interesting job with the book. She switches between the modern story and the historical account tied to each of the miniscule particles found on the Haggadah. The book ends up reading like many short stories, and each story has its own plot, characters, and climax, allowing a reader to pick up and put down the book easily.”

The Language of Bees (Mary Russell Novels)
by Laurie R. King
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Comment: “This book felt a little bit longer than the other novels in the Mary Russell series. Although I enjoyed the book, I felt the bee analogy mentioned in the title and in several portions of the book felt incongruous. Unlike the first book in the series, The Beekeepers Apprentice, I did not clearly see how he story could be compared to the bee’s instincts. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read that developed both characters more – and in ways I would never have expected.”

Life of Pi
by Yann Martel
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Comment: “I don’t really know a good way to describe this book. It certainly gives you a lot to think about. Pi talks about his being stranded for a year on a small lifeboat with a Bengal tiger. Many unbelievable events transpire, but Martel writes about each event with such clarity as to make it seem real. The things that Pi is scared of, the reader becomes scared of them as well. I highly recommend this book – and I can’t believe it took me this long to actually read it.”

Nation
by Terry Pratchett
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Comment: “A slow start nearly made me put the book down, but it was a good thing I didn’t. A departure from his Discworld series (as I’m sure every review says), the novel still is obviously one of Pratchett’s. Even the characters would fit right in to Discworld canon – Daphne could be Tiffany Aching of the Wee Free Men series, while Locaha is like Death (without the sense of humor). Stylistically, it is easier to read than the typical chapter-less Pratchett novel, but nonetheless enjoyable.”

Invasive Procedures
by Orson Scott Card, Aaron Johnston
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Comment: “Card is obviously known for his Ender series, but this is a different take on the sci-fi genre. He goes on and describes a world where people are able to heal others by actively replacing faulty DNA with a completely re-engineered version. Card does give some insight on how people change with power – political and physical. The novel was intriguing, but probably will not have the same staying power as the Ender series.”

That’s all the books I got this week. I plan to share some new albums I’ve been listening to sometime in the future.

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