The Friday 56, Terminal Logic

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Storytime With Tonya and Friends.
*Post a link along with your post back to Storytime With Tonya and Friends.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.



This week my book is Terminal Logic by Jefferson Scott. It takes place in the far off future, in the year 2006 when computers take over the world. So, as you might have guessed it is not a new book. Not bad if you ignore the dates. I find the references to movies and TV shows interesting. Kind of old school and futuristic at the same time.

The sentence:

Little yellow blossoms shimmering along the hedgerow. The flag billowing gently atop its silver pole. Nothing out here gave the slightest hint that a fire-breathing dragon lived inside.

A little misleading, that sentence. This is not a medieval adventure. But that doesn't mean you won't run into a dragon or two.

Pure Imagination

Pure Imagination is having a wonderful giveaway.

Up for grabs are:

Wings by Aprilynne Pike
Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Night Runner by Max Turner

One winner will get all three books.

You must be a follower to enter and leave a comment with your email address.

You can get extra entries too!

+3 for anywhere you post about this giveaway(sidebars, blog posts, Twitter etc...)post links!
+2 Add Pure Imagination to your blog roll
+5 Follow Pure Imagination on Twitter

The contest runs through November 4th. It is open to the US and Canada.

The Terror Vocabulary

Some words from The Terror by Dan Simmons that I didn't know. Now I do. I feel so much smarter now.

Sastruga: a wavelike ridge of hard snow formed by the wind —usually used in plural

Orlop: the lowest deck in a ship having four or more decks

Serac: a pinnacle, sharp ridge, or block of ice among the crevasses of a glacier

Deliquesced: 1.to dissolve or melt away
2. to become soft or liquid with age or maturity —used of some fungal structures

Victualler: 1. one that provisions an army, a navy, or a ship with food
2. the keeper of a restaurant or tavern
3. an army or navy provision ship

Drayage: the work or cost of hauling by dray

Dray: a vehicle used to haul goods; especially : a strong cart or wagon without sides

Ebullient: characterized by ebullience : having or showing liveliness and enthusiasm

Priapic: relating to or preoccupied with virility or male sexual excitement

Amanuensis: one employed to write from dictation or to copy manuscript

Abattoir: slaughterhouse

Lost City of Z

Back to Books is giving away an ARC copy of The Lost City of Z by David Grann. This is an ARC so it does not contain the pictures and maps that you would find in the finished book but the text is there. You must be a follower to enter so if you aren't already make sure you sign up. And make sure to leave your email address. For extra entries you can blog or tweet. And for one more entry you can tell everyone where you would go if you could go back in time and go on a great exploration journey or which famous explorer would you travel with. This contest is open until November 6th. Open to the US and Canada only. Hurry up and enter. You'll want to read the book before the movie comes out!

The Friday 56, Do-Over

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Storytime With Tonya and Friends.
*Post a link along with your post back to Storytime With Tonya and Friends.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.


This week my sentence comes from Do-Over! by Robin Hemley. The subtitle is 'in which a forty-eight-year-old father of three returns to kindergarten, summer camp, the prom, and other embarrassments'. He's trying to get them right this time. It's actually pretty funny so far.

The sentence:

"That's from Monty Python and The Meaning of Life."

Nothing better than a nine year old doing Monty Python.

The Little Sleep Review

The Little Sleep by Paul Tremblay

From the back of the book:

Mark Genevich is a South Boston PI with a little problem. He’s narcoleptic, and he suffers from the most severe symptoms, including hallucinations that wreak havoc on a guy who depends on real-life clues to make his living. Clients haven’t exactly been beating down the door when Mark meets Jennifer Times, who walks into his office with an outlandish story about a man who stole her fingers and leaves behind a couple of risqué photos and many unanswered questions.


Mark Genevich is narcoleptic. And he doesn’t just fall asleep at odd times. He also has vivid hallucinations, loses control of all his muscles and becomes paralyzed, and sometimes he looks like he’s awake when he isn’t and still manages to do things like take notes so no one even notices. It’s a very interesting concept. And leads to some major complications when it comes to solving a case. Mark can never be sure if what he remembers actually happened. He is missing important pieces of information that were passed on to him while he was incapable of hearing them. He is trying to solve a case without even knowing what the case actually is. And guessing at what goes in the gaps leads him into trouble. And on top of all of that he tends to fall asleep at inopportune times. Which all adds up to a very interesting story. I like a flawed hero. I like that he isn’t super smart or super observant. He makes mistakes and pays for them. He really has to work to get anywhere. The case turns into a battle for Mark, not just against a shadowy enemy but against himself and his past as well. Mark does tend to fall into self pity but he also uses self deprecating humor that stops him from becoming whiny (most of the time anyway) and you root him on. When I first read what this book was about I thought it was going to be funny. It isn’t. There is some humor, but it is definitely not a comedy. It is too gritty for that. Even lines like ‘My cigarette is almost dead. I know the feeling well’, ‘For many narcoleptics, laughter is a trigger for the Godzilla symptoms, the ones that flatten Tokyo,’ or ‘The photos and film reunited and it feels so good,’ that could tend to go goofy are pulled off by the deadpan delivery and dark tone and tension of the book. It has a noir feel to it and definitely harkens back to Chandler. It has thugs, mysterious women, friends who aren’t what they seem, old secrets coming back to haunt people, witty banter (it could have been wittier but was pretty good), and a smart mouth detective. There were even times when you weren’t sure Mark was going to win. And in the end you aren’t really sure that he did. If you like noir mysteries this is definitely worth a look. I found Mark a compelling hero and would like to see his next adventure.

Giveaways at Patricia's Vampire Notes

There are some wonderful giveaways going on over at Patricia's Vampire Notes and you should go check them out.

She is having a giveaway in celebration of Halloween. There will be 5 books given away to 5 different winners (one book each). It runs until October 31st. Go here to check it out.

For a chance to win one of 2 copies of Day by Day Armageddon by J.L Bourne go here. Open until October 31st to the US only.

For a chance to win one of 5 copies of Hellbound Hearts edited by Paul Kane and Marie O'Regan go here. Open until October 31st.

For a chance to win one of 3 copies of The Midnight Guardian by Sarah Jane Stratford go here. Ends November 4th.

There is also a Spine-Chilling Book Giveaway. 3 winners will each get a set of 5 books. Open until November 8th to the US and Canada, no PO boxes. Go here to get details.

Life After Genius

Interesting in reading Life After Genius by M. Ann Jacoby? There are a couple of places you can go and win a copy.

I'm Booking It has 5 copies to give away.

Leave a comment to enter.

For another entry, subscribe via RSS or e-mail, or follow on Twitter.
One more entry if you let other people know about this giveaway! On your blog, on Twitter, another social site.
As a bonus (for an additional entry) tell about your favorite book about someone with an ability outside the usual. Super smart, extra athletic, otherwise outside the mainstream.

Open until November 5th.

Books and Needlepoint also has 5 copies to give away.

For first entry - Leave comment with email address.
+2 Current Followers
+1 New Followers
+2 Follow on twitter (kherbrand) and tweet
+2 For a blog post - leave the link please.
+1 If you say how you heard about this giveaway.

Open until November 6th

These books are coming from Hachette Books so the giveaways are open to the US and Canada only and PO boxes are not allowed.

Pigeons

One day these two guys started hanging around outside my window at work. After a while there were two eggs. That hatched into these guys...

Aren't they cute? They would squawk up a storm when one of the parents came back to feed them. They didn't even seem to mind when I would go right up to the window to watch them. Then they grew into these guys...

Who grew into full fledged pigeons, one grey and one white just like their parents. They have since flown away. I miss my little pigeon family. Is that weird?

The Friday 56, The Knitting Circle

Rules:

* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.

* Turn to page 56.

* Find the fifth sentence.

* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Storytime With Tonya and Friends.

*Post a link along with your post back to Storytime With Tonya and Friends.

* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

This week my sentence comes from The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood. This is not really shaping up to be my kind of book but we will see where it goes. I have my doubts.

The sentence:

She remembered lying in bed with Dylan and gasping slightly, taking his hand and pressing it to her stomach.

Obviously there's a baby in there. Well, maybe not obviously if you consider some of the other books I've blogged about but this time nothing creepy or weird, just a baby.

Life After Genius

The Tome Traveller's Weblog is giving away 5 copies of Life After Genius by M. Ann Jacoby. Just leave a comment to enter. But that only gets you one entry, if you want more do some of these things:

+1 become a follower
+1 tweet giveaway on twitter or blog about it (note that you did in your comment)
+3 fave the blog at Technorati (click on the little green box on the left sidebar)
+3 subscribe via Feedburner
+1 leave a comment on the review

If you already are a follower or any of the other things on the list you get the extra entires too.

You have until October 28th to enter. Open to the US and Canada, no PO boxes.

Eyes Like Stars

The Book Butterfly is giving away a copy of Eyes Like Stars by Lisa Mantchev. The winner will not only get the book but a a signed bookplate and bracelet from Lisa as well. It's easy to enter. All you have to do is leave a comment. An extra entry can be had for linking to or posting about the giveaway. It all ends November 6th. This one is open to everyone!

Cirque Du Freak

Drey's Library is giving away 2 copies of Cirque du Freak Book Set (3 titles in one book) by Darren Shan. Winners will also receive a Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant Locker Mirror. All you have to do to enter is tell Drey why you want to win. For extra entries share about the giveaway, follow Drey's blog and/or vote for your favorite t-shirt slogan.

You have to be at least 13 to enter and it is open to US mailing addresses only. You have until 6:00 pm CST October 26th to enter.

She: Movie vs Book

She by H. Rider Haggard
She with Randolph Scott

Leo is told by his uncle that there is a civilization where they have the secret of eternal life and he sets off with his friend Holly on a dangerous journey through unknown territory to find it.

In both the movie and the book Leo’s ancestors have visited this land before and left behind the legend and some clues on how to find it. But in the movie Leo’s uncle sends him off with Holly to find the element of eternal life that they have scientifically proven existed and is sure that Leo will find it. In the book, however, his journey is more motivated by what happened to his ancestors there in the past and much of what they have heard about this place they think is myth and story.

I like Holly’s character better in the book where he follows Leo on what he thinks is a wild goose chase because he loves him like a son instead of going off to find the secret of eternal life for personal reasons. He doesn’t seem too bright in the movie and bumbles about a bit where as in the book he is educated and philosophical.

She Who Must Be Obeyed is much more believable as the great power she is supposed to be in the book. In the movie she has lived a long time and rules the natives but there is not much more to her. She is more extremely bossy than actually powerful. However in the book her age has brought her wisdom and she has terrible power that is close to magic. She is so beautiful it is dangerous to look at her and she can literally strike people dead. You can understand why the natives live in fear of her and why people are powerless to resist her.

Leo is in many ways the same in both. He is out on an adventure, caught up in what has happened in the past, caught in a web that She has created. His actions and reactions are more understandable and excusable in the book where he was so obviously pitted against a power greater than his own. In the book you get the sense that he has lost a fight and is pulled in against his will but in the book it looks more like weakness in his character. His love interest in the movie annoyed me in the movie, given to speeches and the like, but in the book she is more tragic and noble in the way she stands by Leo and stands up to She.

Both have a lot of drama and spectacle. In the interest of making the movie more exciting they have taken out all the discussions between Holly and She about history, philosophy, religion and the general state of things losing some of the depth of the book but understandable for the medium. I definitely come down on the side of the book in this case because the characters are all more dynamic and well rounded, and the story grander but the movie was fun and well worth watching for anyone who likes the classical adventure genre.

The Friday 56, Unquiet Dreams

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Storytime With Tonya and Friends.
*Post a link along with your post back to Storytime With Tonya and Friends.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.

Right now the closest book to me is Unquiet Dreams by Mark del Franco. Faeries, elves and druids on the streets of Boston. This is the second in the series. I liked the first one enough to give this one a try. We'll see how it goes.

The sentence(s):

It hit me immediately. Nigel was pissed because I had done nothing, Here I was, two years after my accident, and I had not made any effort to deal with it until recently.

Connor Grey is the one talking there, a druid who lost most of his power in the accident he mentions.

Win The Informant

Bookin' With Bingo is giving away 2 copies of The Informant by Kurt Eichenwald. (Which has been made into a movie.) To enter leave a comment and name a spy or espionage type novel you wish they made into a movie OR a spy movie you wish you could read the book of. For extra entries follow Bingo on Google Connect (or say how you follow) or blog or tweet. Remember that you have to leave your email address, links to blog posts or tweets and that all entries must be made in separate comments. You have until 6 PM EST October 29th to get your entries in. Open to the US only, no PO boxes.


Bingo has a bunch of other giveaways going on too. Check them out here.

J. Kaye's October Giveaways

J. Kaye's Book Blog already has quite a list of giveaways going for October.

For the audiobook The Castaways by Elin Hilderbrand go here.

For Dead Weight by Batt Humphreys go here.

For The Accidental Bestseller by Wendy Wax go here.

For Royal Blood by Rona Sharon go here.

For Vanished by Joseph Finder go here.

For The Hollow by Jessica Verday go here.

For the audiobook The Tenth Justice by Brad Meltzer go here.

For The Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji go here.

For The Night Watchman by Mark Mynheir go here.

For The Shimmer by David Morrell go here.

For The Real Enemy by Kathy Herman go here.

• You must be 18 years or older (Under 18, get your parents to enter.)
• US and Canada residents only
• Winners will NOT be notified by email. The winner will be posted on October 31, 2009. If you don’t want to miss the announcement post, be a subscriber to the blog.

Read the rest of the rules here.

J. Kaye adds giveaways all month long so make sure and go back and check the complete list.

Beat the Reaper

I'm Booking It is giving away 5 copies of Beat the Reaper by Josh Bazell. Leave a comment to enter. If you are not on Wordpress make sure that you leave your email address. For extra entries follow on twitter, subscribe via RSS or e-mail, share on your blog, twitter, or other social network, and for one more entry mention your favorite medical related book or your favorite funny book/author. The winners will be picked on October 22nd. The contest is open to addresses in the US and Canada, no PO boxes.

Haunted Mesa Review

The Haunted Mesa by Louis L’Amour

From the back of the book:

L’Amour’s inspiration for The Haunted Mesa, his biggest hardcover bestseller ever, is a centuries-old enigma that has baffled historians: the sudden disappearance off the face of the earth of a race of Southwestern cliff dwellers the Navajos called the Anasazi. Summoned to a dark desert plateau by the desperate letter of an old friend, renowned investigator Mike Raglan is slowly drawn into a world of mystery and violence, where he will ultimately learn the astonishing legacy of the Anasazi.


Explaining what happened to the Anasazi is an interesting concept and adding the fantastical elements made it more interesting still. Unfortunately the book itself wasn’t very interesting. It started out mysterious and kind of spooky but then it settled into a rut. Mike Raglan goes to save a friend from some unknown danger and he has to think about it a lot. You hear him go over the few facts he has in his head and then he explains these facts to someone else and then he goes over them in his head again, and again. He keeps repeating that he’s scared, that he doesn’t know what he has gotten himself into or why, that he could just turn around and go home. He keeps asking the same unanswerable questions. The same things in much the same words over and over again until you could almost recite the passages yourself. Introspection is fine but in this case I don’t think we needed 250 pages of it. When there is no new information or new insights it starts to get monotonous. I think L’Amour wanted to make a point that Mike was just an ordinary man who got scared like the rest of us but did what had to be done anyway. He did make that point. Endlessly. It did pick up in the last 100 pages or so when thinking led to a decision and then some actual action. The concept was good, the characters were fine and I liked L'Amour's interesting explanation of what happened to the Anasazi but the story took a long time to develop and I think if 100 pages of Mike’s repetitive thoughts were cut out it would have been a better book.

The Friday 56, Violet Wings

Rules:
* Grab the book nearest you. Right now.
* Turn to page 56.
* Find the fifth sentence.
* Post that sentence (plus one or two others if you like) along with these instructions on your blog or (if you do not have your own blog) in the comments section of Storytime With Tonya and Friends.
*Post a link along with your post back to Storytime With Tonya and Friends.
* Don't dig for your favorite book, the coolest, the most intellectual. Use the CLOSEST.


My book this week is Violet Wings by Victoria Hanley.

The sentence:

"One final time?" Andalonus murmured next to me. "I believe that makes twenty thousand five hundred sixty-two final times."

And it sounds like he still isn't listening. I guess even fairy children resent the advice of their elders.

Calling All Freaks!

Steph Su Reads is giving away 2 copies of Cirque du Freak Book Set (3 titles in one book) by Darren Shan. It collects the first 3 books in the series in one book. The winners will also get a Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant Locker Mirror. Vote for your favorite T-shirt slogan to enter.

For extra entries:

+1 if you follow Steph Su or begin to follow
+1 for each place you link this giveaway to (Twitter, blog, sidebar, etc) up to 5 links
+1 if you state from where you found out about this giveaway (can be from your Reader, other blogger's site, etc.)
+1 for each person who lists you as their referrer

Don't forget to leave your email address!

The giveaway ends October 15th. It is open to US addresses only and you must be at least 13 to enter.


The Book Muncher is also giving away Cirque du Freak Book Set (3 titles in one book) by Darren Shan.

Fill out the form to enter. Extra entries for following, for linking to the contest, and for voting for your favorite T-shirt slogan.

The giveaway ends October 15th. It is open to US addresses only and you must be at least 13 to enter.


Frenetic Reader is giving away 2 copies of Cirque du Freak Book Set (3 titles in one book) by Darren Shan too. To enter share what upcoming movie you are looking forward to seeing, or what "attraction" in a freak show would freak you out the most, or something about your day or something else. Also vote for your favorite t-shirt slogan. An extra entry for posting about the contest somewhere and leaving a link.

Ends October 15th. Open to the US only.


The Story Siren also has two copies of Cirque du Freak Book Set (3 titles in one book) by Darren Shan to give away.

Leave a comment to enter.
Extra entries:
+5 entries for making a post on your blog about the contest
+3 entries for posting about the contest in your sidebar
+5 entries for voting for your favorite Cirque du Freak t-shirt

The giveaway ends October 22nd. It is open to US addresses only and you must be at least 13 to enter.


There is another chance to win Cirque du Freak Book Set (3 titles in one book) by Darren Shan at YA Book Realm who also has two copies.

Comment with your email address to enter and remember to vote for your favorite t-shirt slogan. Each place you link to the contest will get you another entry.

Ends October 23rd.

Books I Finished in September

I picked a very short one and managed to just get it in this month so I made it to 10 this time.

She by H. Rider Haggard
I like adventure stories, especially old ones so I found this very entertaining.

The Vanishing Sculptor by Donita K. Paul
Read my review here.

Norstrilia by Cordwainer Smith
It was interesting in a way but it was weird and I can’t say that I actually enjoyed reading it.

Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran
Read my review here.

Skulduggery Pleasant by Derek Landy
I really enjoyed this. It was both funnier and slightly darker than I expected.

Same Difference by Siobhan Vivian

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

The Shack by William P. Young
I must admit that some of the ideas here struck me as rather bizarre, mostly toward the end, but some of it was good and I’m glad I gave it a shot.

Free For All by Don Borchert
About working in a library. Since I work in one myself I have actually come across some of this stuff. Some of the stories are funny and a couple just kind of sad but it is an interesting read.

Arsenic Soup For Lovers by Georgia Z. Post
Well, it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t particularly good either. Two page stories that were mostly unremarkable.