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Rereading Winter by Marissa Meyer

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This is it.  I don’t want to say that this will be the last time I read Winter or The Lunar Chronicles but I am ready to move on.  This was a very lovely series that was just fun to read.  So here we go. My last few observations Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, Winter, Kai, Throne, Wolf and Jacin.

  1.  I liked all the romances but Scarlet and Wolf’s is the best.  Wolf is torn from his family, forced into the army, his body physically altered and none of this he wanted.  He spent the entire series fighting what was done to him so he could have his own choice.  That he wasn’t just a monster he was made to be and Scarlet saw him.  Maybe from the very beginning when he was just sitting in the tavern, maybe in the fight pit or maybe on the train but she saw HIM and even after everything, that’s all she ever saw.  That’s love.
  2. I do love Throne’s devious plan to prove he’s worthy of Cress’ love.  That my friend is a criminal mastermind.
  3. Winter is adorable.  I’m not sure what I think of Jacin.  He’s still a jerk but he does have his reasons.  If I was raised in the Lunar court I would probably be like that too.  I saw that they both truly cared for each other but I wasn’t quite connected with them as a couple as the others.  Maybe since I only really got one book with them and they spent most of the book apart from each other.
  4. Cinder is amazing.  After everything that she has been through.  She still finds away to be fair to Adri and  Peony when they had never been fair to her.  A lesson we all can learn.  She will make a great leader.  I think that best leaders are the ones who don’t want to but do when needed.
  5. I do hope that she and Kai do stay together
  6. I’ve said this before but I do love the friendship between Cinder and Throne.  He was the first to follow her and to go along with what she wanted and needed.  True at first he thought their would be money involved but he was game for everything.  I think that is what made he final battle that much more powerful.
  7. Levana is a terrible person but she also had a terrible upbringing.  I read Fairest, the prequel, and we find out that she was never shown love from her parents.  Her sister was cruel to her and was responsible for her own burn injuries.  She had always felt inferior and really just wanted to be loved.  She was the second daughter.  The second woman in his husbands life.  Well really the third after Winter.  She was never anyone’s first until she ascended to the throne and only because she manipulated everyone.  I’m not saying any of this excuses her behavior but terrible people are not created in a vacuum.
  8. Whatever Marissa Meyer will write next. I’m totally going to read it.

What did you all love about The Lunar Chronicles?

Preview of The Hidden Oracle by Rick Riordan

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hidden oracleWe are big fans of Rick Riordan here at Stacks so we or at least I am since Kate has yet to finish Blood of Olympus (and I will continue to publically shame her until she does, out of love of course). We saw that USA TODAY published the cover to the first book of Rick’s new series The Trials of Apollo: The Hidden Oracle.  The series is a small spoiler as to what happens to a certain God at the end of the last series but then again, if you know your Greek Mythology then you know that Apollo has a history of pissing off Zeus and that he gets turned into a human. The most exciting part of all of this is that it returns us to Percy Jackson’s world and another trip to Camp Half-Blood.  Rick may explore other mythologies like Egyptian in the Kane Chronicles and Norse in his latest Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard but he always seems to come back to Greek mythology and Percy. USA TODAY not only revealed the cover but also publish a short excerpt and it’s pretty clear that Apollo is in for a world of hurt.  After ten books from demi-gods point of view, it’s going to be fun to read from a God’s point of view, even if it is one turned human.

Who else is excited to read about Apollo’s adventures?  Or who is more excited about more Percy and the gang?  Is it May yet?

Wyatt Comic Strip by Eric Gapstur

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Full disclosure.  Eric Gapstur is a good friend to Kate and I so we are please as punched that his comic Wyatt got picked up by GoComics.com.  If you are a fan of superheroes and Calvin and Hobbes then you are going to love Wyatt, his sister Adeline, their father and grandmother.  So check it out every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and every other Sunday.  Trust us, you will love it.

Source: Wyatt Comic Strip, December 07, 2015 on GoComics.com

Rereading Cress by Marissa Meyer

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Now on to Cress.  If you have been following along.  You can read my thoughts about my second readings on Cinder and Scarlet there and there. Again *Spoilers*

  1. I think I mentioned this before but I love how our heroines have non-traditional jobs.  Cinder is a mechanic, Scarlet is a pilot and farmer and Cress is a computer programmer and hacker.  They may be based on fairy tales but doesn’t mean that have be damsels in distress. (though I do love Cress’ line about being a damsel in distress instead of a being a prisoner)
  2. I do love the friendship between Cinder and Throne.  The bickering back and forth between the two is truly delightful.  It really sets up for the big ending.
  3. Cress’ reaction to seeing sand, trees and animals for the first time is just plain adorable.  I love the scenes where she is forced to describe their surroundings to Throne who has temporarily lost his eyesight.  It’s really cute.
  4. In Cinder Jacin is described as having a pony tail but is never described with one again.  Does he get his haircut?
  5. Also a lot of characters have blue eyes.  Cress, Throne, Jacin and Dr. Erland.  Okay that’s only 4 but that is half of them.
  6. When Jacin says he serves the Princess, did everyone just forget that Winter exits?  That might have been a good idea to say, hey how did you know?  I know there were a little unsure if they could trust him and for good reason but it probably might have been a good idea to let him in on the Princess Selene angle.  Sure, he might have did what he did anyway but maybe not.  Communication could have been a little better, that’s all I’m saying.
  7. Lunars can be real jerks.  They manipulate and torture Scarlet and then put her on display in the menagerie.  I do hope Cinder gets rid of the families when she takes over.
  8. I hope they make a movie or TV show because I want to see the scene at the end when Kai is looking for Cinder and sees Wolf sewing up his wound and looks up and says “Your Majesty”.  Classic.
  9. Wolf.  sigh

One more book to go.  I probably won’t have as many thoughts about Winter since I did just recently finished it but that doesn’t mean I’m any less excited about it.

Rereading Scarlet by Marissa Meyer

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scarletNow on to Scarlet. I do love this book too.  I love the no nonsense of Scarlet.  The almost innocence of Wolf. Captain Thorne cockiness.  Cinder’s sarcasm. Kai’s sarcasm and Iko as a ship.  Just like I did with my rereading of Cinder, he’s a few observations I may have missed or didn’t think much of the first time around or just things that I love about this story. *Spoilers*

  1. Seriously, is there a better character as Iko ever.  Whether she is a regular android, a ship or an escort droid, she’s the best.  I mean that.  No way the team can accomplish anything if Iko wasn’t there.  She’s very Data like (Star Trek reference!) in her quest to be be and feel more human.  She’s a total optimist in the face of the immense odds and gets everyone going when they feel that can’t go on.  She’s the best!
  2.  When Kai starts to think that the Lunar’s are spying on him, why doesn’t he have his office swept then?  Why wait?  The worst thing that could happen is that there are no bugs and he was just paranoid but the best, he could have stopped  their spying a little sooner.  Of course, who knows what Levana’s reaction would have been then but she was probably going to attack anyway.
  3. Wolf not knowing what Tomatoes were and saying he was from Paris probably should have been a bigger red flag that he was not actually from Paris.  I’m not all that familiar with French food beyond pastries but I’m sure he would have at least seen a tomato before.
  4. How much time did Dr. Erland spend on building new hand and foot for Cinder?  Is that what he was doing when he was hiding from Levana instead of researching the antidote? Or did he have spare cyborg body parts at the ready and once he found her pulled out what he needed once he found her? And if Cinder hadn’t been arrested, when would he have given it to her?
  5. Anyone else want to talk about how creepy it was that Throne wanted to take an unconscious Emile hostage?
  6. How cute was Wolf when Scarlet suggested that she was his Alpha female?  Love seeing men blush.
  7. Let’s give props to Michelle Benoit.  She keeps the biggest secret the world has ever none for 11 years and still doesn’t give it up under severe torture.  Sacrifices herself and her son to do so and still was able to do some serious trash talking before she dies.

I feel like there was more  I wanted to say but I can’t remember.  I really should write these things done.  Next up, Cress.

What I’m Thankful for 2015

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Happy Thanksgiving to all who are celebrating today.  In keeping with tradition here at Stacks,  we are going to share what literary things we have been grateful for this year.  I’m going to go first.

I am thankful for my Nook Tablet.  Now this is something that I have never thought I would say.  I bought it because I got a heavy employee discount on it when it first came out but I haven’t used it all that much until this year.  Since leaving B&N, I’ve had to buy more books than I have ever had before.  I much prefer the real deal when it comes to reading but I have to admit the convenience of my Nook has its benefits.  The books themselves are cheaper.  I don’t have to get dressed to the bookstore.  I don’t have to wait for them to be delivered and they take up space in my apartment.  My place is already overrun with books as is.  Plus, my nook is a little easier to read on the train to work because it doesn’t take up as much space.  So thank you, Nook.  You will never fully replace books for me but you have come in handy.

I am thankful for #Weneedmorediversebooks movement.  It has made me aware of my own privilege which I never really thought about.  I’m sure if you look through the books that I read you will noticed that they are mostly all women but you also will noticed that they are also mostly all white.  And their characters are also mostly white as well.  I’ve been trying to be find more authors of color, who are from different backgrounds from me but also look for books with protagonists who are from different cultures.  I’ll admit that I still have work to do but I am trying.  Thank you for Sabaa Tahir, Marie Lu, Julie Kagawa and Nnedi Okorafor just to name a few.  I hope that 2016 will bring new authors and new voices.

I am thankful for book clubs because it forced me to read books that I probably would never have read on my own.  Also, it’s also fun to talk books with friends.

I’m thankful for J.K. Rowling’s twitter.  I’m thankful for her in general but following her on twitter just reaffirms everything I have ever thought about her and that I really want to be her friend.   She’s smart, quick, funny and does not suffer trolls.  She truly is a bright spot on the internet.

And finally I’m thankful for all you reading.  Kate and I started this blog for fun.  A way to keep connected and talk books but I think it’s fair to say it has passed our own expectations.  I thought that maybe a few of our real life friends would read it and comment but to have complete strangers from all over the world, like our blog and leave comments has been so much fun for us.  If it wasn’t for you, I’m not sure that Kate and I would have been as motivated to keep updating the blog.  So with complete sincerity, thank you.

Fan Art

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This post contains spoilers for Maggie Stiefvater’s Raven Cycle and Laini Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone series.
I’ve been listening to Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater and I’ve really been enjoying it.  This is no surprise; I’ve read it before and Beth and I are avowed Maggie Stiefvater fan girls. One of the things that I really enjoy about rereading a book is that you get a chance to notice all the little things that the author sets up to sign post the direction of the narrative.  Noah is the smudgy boy, which at first I took to mean that he was like Pig Pen but now I’m starting to wonder if his smudge was more than that?  And, does the tension between the psychics mirror the tension that develops between the raven boys or foreshadow the covering and uncovering of secrets as the time goes on.  And, I didn’t notice the first read through that Blue is the page of cups (“So full of potential” they say.)  Coincidence that the one person that makes the leyline powerful is the one that is full of potential?  I think not. Oh, and there’s some nice, not-at-all subtext about Chain Saw and Ronan Lynch.  Anyway, today, I got to the part in Raven Boys where the death is.  And, it was heartbreaking again.  After that I thought for a minute about what kind of fan art I could make, if I wanted to, to honor this fallen soldier in the narrative. I’m a knitter and a tatter so my fan art would have to be something made with needles, shuttles and fiber.
This isn’t the first time I’ve thought about knitting something for a character.  If you’ve been with us for the full year you’ll know that Beth and I once had a…disagreement? moment of upset?  over a character’s death.  Back when the second Daughter of Smoke and Bone came out I fell in love with Akiva’s angel sibling Hazael.  And, while I read the book I sent a series of texts about my new book boyfriend to my sister who politely engaged my new obsession without a hint of what was to come.  She’s good about not ever spoiling anything, including your inevitable heartbreak. So, I was devastated when Hazael was slain at the end of the second book.  And, a little angry at my sister for not even a tiny hint that it was coming.  (I got her back for it, though.) After reading that I book I started my first fan art knitting project: a shawl I’m calling My Fallen Angel.
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For the knitters in the room, I am using the dreambird pattern by ravelry user Nadita Swings.  It is completely shaped by short rows, so it looks complicated but is pretty easy (as long as you don’t lose your place in the pattern).
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I am knitting it up in fingering weight palette yarn from knitpicks in the colors seraphim and hazelnut for the feathers and fairytale for the body.
Since I’ve been reading Raven Boys, in addition of thinking about what I could do for the dead, I’ve been musing about what a Blue Sargent sweater would look like.  I think it would need to have design features that look like rips and it would have to be made in bright colors.  In the meantime, if you’re as excited for the upcoming release of the fourth book as we are and you’re also a knitter you can try your hand at Alasdair Post-Quinn’s corvus pattern.
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It is double knit, so that can be challenging at the beginning and at the edges.  But, It is a cool pattern that’ll up your chart reading fu.
Are you the kind of fan that makes fan art? What is your favorite fan made piece? Hit us back in the comments!

Rereading Cinder by Marissa Meyer

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cinderEarlier this month, we posed the question, should you reread the previous books before reading the final book in the series or just dive in.   Kate on the other hand has gone back to the beginning of The Raven Cycle. Of course, she still has five months until the final book The Raven King comes out.     I decided to go ahead and read Winter, the final book in the Lunar Chronicles.  Which was fantastic! I loved it so much that I decided to take my friend Valerie’s advice and read the last book and then go back to the beginning.  So I did and there were some things that I didn’t noticed or didn’t think were important at the time that now that I’ve read the whole series seems silly.  So let’s the observations begin. Obviously spoilers will follow.

  1. In almost every scene that has Sybil or Levana in it the narrative always points out that the blond guard behind them.  This of course is Jacin.  We don’t know that, in fact he is only named once in Cinder. It does bring up the question, if he’s just a guard then why spend so much time reminder the reader that he’s there.  It should have been the first clue that he would play a bigger role.
  2. How nonchalant Dr. Erland was in hearing that droids were harvesting id chips from letumosis victims. We learn in Cress that he is responsible for the genetics behind the Luna’s Wolf army so he probably knows or at least on some idea as to why the androids would be taking the chips, more then what he said.
  3. Adri selling off Iko.  She’s been sitting on a goldmine for years and didn’t know it.  I guess that is partly her husband’s fault for not telling her about his work, you know just in case something happens like catch the plague.  It also makes me wonder how involved she was in his work or in his life?  She seems to be like someone who married for comfort then love.  She is lucky that Cinder saved Iko.
  4. Why doesn’t anyone ask why Levana is so insistent on catching Cinder?  If Levana is so sure that she is just a shell or just another Lunar then why would she threatened war over her?  These are red flags people! did no one think, maybe we should look further into Cinder’s background, like how she got to earth in the first place.

Stay tuned for more observations for Scarlet.

What Would You Do?

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I’m going  completely off topic but we said we were going to post a blog every day of November in honor of NaNoWriMo so I got post something.  I have to say we’ve been doing really well. With the exception of the one day that we sorta missed because technically one day we posted after midnight but I’m totally counting that since I doubt anyone noticed besides us.  Of course not now that I have pointed it out.  Anyway, I digress.  Recently my boss asked me, “What would I do if I was fired tomorrow?”  Which is kinda a scary question to asked by your boss.  Is she asking me because she’s going to fire me soon and wants to know I have plan? Am I being paranoid? After being assured that she wasn’t going to fire me, she was just curious.  She would probably go back school for culinary studies.  Not really surprising since I know she loves to cook.  Check out her blog.  Now for me, I have no idea.  I’m pretty sure if I were fired tomorrow, there would be a lot of panicking and a lot of crying.  It took me forever to find a job that paid enough for me to live off of here in New York.  The thought of having to go through that all over again is terrifying.  Would I move back to Iowa? Or move to Chicago?  It’s a lot closer to home then New York.  Maybe move in with Kate for a bit.  Go back to work for Barnes and Noble?  I have no idea what I would do.  She then asked,” what I would want to do?” If I could do anything, no matter how improbable, what would you do?  Hmm.. I would love to parlay this blog into a job?  Anyone want to pay to read and review books all day? When I was younger, I thought about a being a sportswriter. Why not start a sports blog or podcast?  I’ve been thinking about this question for about a week now and I still don’t know.  I guess I’m still going to have keep thinking.  What would you do if you were fired tomorrow?