Book Reviews, Fantasy, Gothic/Horror, Mystery, Short Stories

Fragile Things Group Read, Week Three

33 Comments

I am a fan of Neil Gaiman. If you’ve been around this blog for any length of time, that much is obvious. But I am a fan of him because of his work, not a fan of his work simply because it is written by Neil Gaiman. That is an important distinction. There is (gasp!) work that Neil Gaiman has done that I am not a fan of, for one reason or another. His collaboration with Michael Reaves, Interworld, comes to mind. As do some of the short stories in his collections Angels and Visitations, Smoke and Mirrors, and this one too.

While I do not understand it when anyone says that Neil Gaiman is a “bad writer” (a position I find indefensible) I do understand completely when people say that they cannot connect with him or his stories. I understand that when I read some of his short stories that do nothing for me. I understand it even more when his short stories make me angry (you’ll have to wait for a coming week to find out about that). This week’s selections are far from my favorites. I will readily admit that in my normal re-readings of Fragile Things I often skip these altogether. I am truly hoping I am a rare exception in this and that some of you liked these and will talk them up. If not, please know that the collection does turn around. There are great stories to come. And if you did like these, don’t be shy, tell us all why that is the case.

Do I have to remind you that there might be spoilers ahead? Yes I do, because I want to be a conscientious blogger.

And here we go.

Continue reading Fragile Things Group Read, Week Three →

Book Reviews, Fantasy

The Fellowship of the Ring Group Read: The End

10 Comments








“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.”











It feels as if the journey has just begun and now here we are, at the breaking of the Fellowship. This final section of The Fellowship of the Ring begins in tragedy and continues with a growing air of melancholy and despair. It is as beautiful and as touched with sorrow as the last days of autumn before the coming of winter. By my reckoning it has been at least eight years since I last read The Fellowship of the Ring (for the first time) and if I recall correctly I skipped large sections of the beginning because I was not connecting with it. That was not the case on this occasion. I have cherished every word from Tolkien’s pen and have gotten so much out of the reading, in part because I have been reading it with an eye towards discussing it with you dear folk.

For those who are unfamiliar with the story, the following discussion is filled with spoilers. For anyone who has read the books and/or seen the films, intense gushing will soon ensue. I do hope you will join in the conversation.

Continue reading The Fellowship of the Ring Group Read: The End →

Book Reviews, Fantasy, Gothic/Horror, Mystery

Storm Front Group Read, Part 1

32 Comments





“My ad looks like this:”

HARRY DRESDEN–WIZARD

Lost items found. Paranormal Investigations.
Consulting. Advice. Reasonable Rates.
No Love Potions, Endless Purses, Parties or Other Entertainment

“You’d be surprised how many people call just to ask me if I’m serious”.





When I was tossing around group read ideas with friends for the R.I.P Challenge, my friend Jeff mentioned that he really wanted to give Jim Butcher a try. I have said many times that it is pitiful for me to have worked in the city which Jim Butcher calls home for over a decade and not have read one of Butcher’s novels. A number of us experienced the work of Patrick Rothfuss for the first time earlier this year and in a couple of different venues recently he has sung the praises of Jim Butcher’s Dresden books.

Just like fellow bloggers get enticed by the books that other bloggers like, it is easy to be tempted by the books loved by our favorite authors, new and old.

And so here we are, just finished with the first section of Jim Butcher’s first Dresden Files book, Storm Front. While Storm Front does not have the depth of other recent group reads (Dune, The Way of Kings), it is a refreshingly fun, fast-paced novel and I am glad we are reading it together.

As with all group reads, spoilers may be present in the posts and comments.

You’ve been warned. 🙂

Continue reading Storm Front Group Read, Part 1 →

Book Reviews, Fantasy, Gothic/Horror, Mystery

Fragile Things Group Read, Week 2

26 Comments

“It seemed like a fine title for a book of short stories. There are so many fragile things, after all. People break so easily, and so do dreams and hearts.”

As dawn breaks on this chilly (almost) Autumn Sunday, I sit here with a contented smile on my face, ready to put the finishing touches on Week 2 of our group discussion of Neil Gaiman’s short story collection, Fragile Things. We had a great discussion last week which has me even more excited about this week’s four selected stories.

By way of spoiling my forthcoming thoughts on the four stories for this week, there were no misses for me in this week’s grouping either. I like them to varying degrees, but all were stories I enjoyed the first time I read them and I enjoy them even more now.

And speaking of “spoiling”, the Fragile Things Group Read encourages an in-depth discussion of the stories in question, so spoilers will be present in the posts of participants, to varying degrees, and also in the discussion.

Enough preamble, let’s talk Gaiman!

Continue reading Fragile Things Group Read, Week 2 →

Book Reviews, Fantasy

The Fellowship of the Ring Group Read, Part 2

17 Comments


(art by the incomparable Alan Lee)

All that is gold does not glitter,
Not all those who wander are lost;
The old that is strong does not wither,
Deep roots are not reached by the frost.

From the ashes a fire shall be woken,
A light from the shadows shall spring;
Renewed shall be blade that was broken:
The crownless again shall be king.

The Road goes ever on and on, bringing us to week two of the group read of The Fellowship of the Ring. This week’s journey takes us from the eventful night at The Prancing Pony through the long and perilous journey to Rivendell and the home of Elrond. Rivendell was one of my favorite locations in the film and the Last Homely House is wonderfully described by Bilbo as:

“a perfect house, whether you like food or sleep or story-telling or singing, or just sitting and thinking best, or a pleasant mixture of them all.”

Is it possible to go on a long sabbatical there? Anyone? Someone call my travel agent.

I don’t know if the stars have all aligned or if the Fates are smiling on me or if it is merely serendipity, but each time I have picked up The Fellowship of the Ring over the past two weeks it has just felt right. The reading could not be more pleasant and I am reveling in the small details that make Tolkien’s work so very special to me.

Thanks again goes out to Andrea and Clint for the co-hosting duties. Please visit their sites to find links to others participating in this event. I am of the opinion that there are fewer spoilers present in my answers this week, however spoilers there are and The Lord of the Rings virgins are warned to read on at their own risk.

Continue reading The Fellowship of the Ring Group Read, Part 2 →

Eclectic Musings of a Renaissance Geek