30 Days of Books - Day 6

A book that makes you happy

Kiriel's copy of "Good Faeries, Bad Faeries"

Good Fairies, Bad Fairies by Brian Froud is one of those two-books-in-one things where if you open one side it's a different book than if you open the other. I live Brian Froud's artwork. You might know him from his collaboration with Jim Henson's Creature Shop on movies such as Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal.

Is there a book that makes you happy? Leave a comment and tell Me.

30 Days of Books - Day 5

A book or series you hate

The 50 Shades of Grey trilogy. I don't care how popular they are, GTFO with that trash.

These books are shining examples of every writing cliche in every "how not to write" reference book in the history of ever. Every. Single. One. It's bad enough that 50 Shades is fan fiction of the Twilight novels - which are poorly written in the first place - but E. L. James' writing is even worse than Stephanie Meyer's! Proving, once again, that talent is not a prerequisite for fame and fortune, it's just a perk.

To make matters worse, 50 Shades takes the abusive relationship elements found in Twilight and ramps them up to 11 by adding BDSM to the mix. This study in domestic violence is further glamorized by making the perpetrator a multi-billionaire. Don't get Me wrong; I have no problem with kink as long as it's between consenting adults. Obviously. The key word here is consent. 50 Shades violates the informed consent rule at every turn and then rationalizes it away by claiming it's part of the male lead's neurosis and should be forgiven because it's not his fault.

I call bullshit.

But don't take My word for it. Check out The 50 Shades Reviews over at Bizzybiz Blog. Amberance reads the 50 Shades trilogy (so you don't have to) and her reviews are hysterically funny. Don't try to drink anything while you read her blog unless you like the burning sensation of liquid spewing out your nose.

30 Days of Books - Day 4

Favorite book of your favorite series OR your favorite book of all time

Kiriel's well-loved copy of Exile's Gate by C. J. Cherryh

Today's post was hard to write. Asking Me to choose My favorite book is like asking Me to choose My favorite air molecule. READ ALL THE THINGS!!!

I finally settled on Exile's Gate since this is the book that introduced Me to My favorite author, C. J. Cherryh. I was in high school and attending some sort of summer camp/leadership seminar that was supposed to prepare Me for college or something like that. The conference was one of those utterly useless and entirely forgettable things that middle-class parents ship their kids off to so they can "build character" or some BS, I don't even know.

The point is that I was bored out of My mind and decided to walk down to the corner drug store to find a book. Exile's Gate happened to be sitting on the rack. Although I'd never heard of the author, the cover art by Michael Whelan intrigued me. After reading the blurb on the back, I decided to buy the book.

Best. Decision. Ever.

What's your favorite book?

30 Days of Books - Day 3 + Wordless Wednesday

A book or series of books you’ve read more than five times

Part of Kiriel's collection of Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter novels

30 Days of Books - Day 2

A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just freaking end already (or both!)

George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire. I talked about the first book, A Game of Thrones, in yesterday's post about the best book I've read in the last 12 months. And it is. Seriously, read this book!

However, as much as I enjoy the series, A Game of Thrones was published in 1996. While I can appreciate that every artist has a different process, Martin is a notoriously slow writer. C'mon, man, just sit down at the computer and work. Finish the freakin' series already!

30 Days of Books - Day 1

The best book you’ve read in the last 12 months

Kiriel's copy of "A Game of Thrones"

I had a hard time picking the "best" book I've read in the past 12 months. My reading habits fall into two categories - research and entertainment. I read a lot of nonfiction, either when I'm researching a topic for a story or when I'm preparing to tackle a new task. This year, I've been doing a lot of research, from gardening to reading about life in the French foreign legion. I don't know if I'd call any of those books "good" although they were informative.

However, during My recent illness I wanted some lighter entertainment so I started re-reading A Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin. If you're familiar with the HBO series Game of Thrones, you should really read the novels on which it's based. So much better than the show.