Thoughts on Muggle artifacts...

"Mr Weasley's shed of Muggle artifacts contains, among other things, two Remington Noiseless Portable Typewriters and an HP Laserjet 4"   I found this while poking around on IMDB, and it made me think about all of the things that we all have that might be considered quirky artifacts.  And things that I used to use quite commonly, that now would be thought of as artifacts.   Example: I learned to type on an electric typewriter with a manual carriage return.  I then graduated to an IBM Selectric (which had a ball - very cool at the time).  The Selectric weighed a ton and took up tons of desk space.  And had no correct tape.   Lest you think I am ancient, please keep in mind this was when I was 15 (and both of these were hand-me-downs).  I'm no teen, but I'm under 40.  I don't have either of these objects any more, but I'm sure Mr. Weasley would love them. 


Other things I have used which would now be artifacts:  5 1/4 inch floppy disks.  DOS programs like WordStar.  2400-baud modems.  I was exposed to a lot of technology (which was cutting edge at the time) when I was a pre-teen, and technology has grown in leaps and bounds.  I remember when a tape Walkman was the coolest thing and really expensive (and I remember my cousin crying at Christmas because she didn't get one. I didn't either, but didn't see the need for tears).

Things I have and love that are artifacts:  antique glass ink bottles, antique bottles (my new favorite is an embalming fluid bottle from the 1930s), wood card catalogs (I use them to store jewelry and other small things) and an antique ice chest.  I, like Mr. Weasley, find some fascination in old objects such as tins, bottles, and antique spool cabinets.  I find comfort in using or re-purposing something that has had a long life, and like imagining who had it before me.  I don't collect as much as Mr. Weasley, but I think he and I might have a good time comparing collections.

So -- anything of your own you think Mr. Weasley would like?  

Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness (Chaos Walking, #3)

 Summary (courtesy of GoodReads):  'War', says the Mayor. 'At last'. Three armies march on New Prentisstown, each one intent on destroying the others. Todd and Viola are caught in the middle, with no chance of escape. As the battles commence, how can they hope to stop the fighting? How can there ever be peace when they're so hopelessly outnumbered? And if war makes monsters of men, what terrible choices await? But then a third voice breaks into the battle, one bent on revenge - the electrifying finale to the award-winning "Chaos Walking" trilogy, "Monsters of Men" is a heart-stopping novel about power, survival, and the devastating realities of war.

And here's what I thought:  I'm going to avoid spoilers, so this will be short.  This book was amazing.  When I was reading, my heart would be pounding, and I thought it couldn't get better ... and it did.  If you're familiar with the first two books, be warned that this one picks up right where the second one ended (so if you haven't read #2 for a bit, do a quick skim before you read this one, so you're up on what's happening) and amps up the story.   We have the same characters we've been following:  Todd and Viola (our heroes) and Mayor Prentiss (evil, evil, evil).  And like in the previous books, it's hard to tell if the heroes are going to come out on top in this one, because the situation just keeps getting more intense, and more difficult.

And I'm not telling you any more.   Sorry, but I'm afraid I'm going to reveal too many details, or give a spoiler -- and I just can't do that.   What I will tell you is this:  Patrick Ness has a way of writing that completely pulls you in and makes you a slave to the book.  I mean that in the best way.  You get inside the heads of the characters (literally), in a very personal way.   When I started the first book, The Knife of Never Letting Go, I had to get used to way that Todd expressed himself, but once I became comfortable with that (and it didn't take more than a few pages), the story just took off.   This is a wonderful story, full of emotion, that I can't say enough about.   Every so often, when reading, I'd just be struck by something, and roll it around in my mind for a minute (I love it when that happens).  For example, in this book, one of the Spackle expresses his feelings of loss for his "one in particular."  I love this.  It doesn't matter if your "one in particular" is male, or female -- what matters is the feeling.    This is one of the things that makes Ness' writing so powerful.

If you haven't read these books, I'd strongly recommend picking up the first one, and making sure that you have undisturbed reading time -- I think once you begin, you won't want to stop reading.    The series is:  The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer, and Monsters of Men.

First sentence(s):  "War," says Mayor Prentiss, his eyes glinting.  "At last."
"Shut up," I say. "There ain't no at last about it.  The only one who wants this is you."

Thoughts on the cover:  Full of fire and jumbled words at the bottom, it perfectly reflects the story. 

Where I got this book:  Library

Ravenclaw House Party

Well, here I was, all ambitious and ready to party .... and didn't post anything yesterday!  Sorry about that.

I got inspired, however, seeing this post over at vvb32 Reads -- she's got an amazing schedule up, so definitely pay her blog a visit over the next few days!!    I have nothing so ambitious... but I thought I'd do a few posts and put up a giveaway on the 17th (not sure what'll be in it yet, but I have some ideas.... books and chocolate, to start......).

So stay tuned for some fun!!!!      In the meantime, there's a great quiz to determine what kind of wand you are ---   this is what I came back with, and I already have some jinxes in mind.....

What Harry Potter Wand Are You? Your Result: 12.5" Yew, Dragon Heartstring Your wand is longer than average, with a flexible and long-lasting wood. Dragon Heartstring is a common Ollivander core. Your wand is ideal for jinxes and hexes.
9" Willow, Phoenix Feather
11.5" Yew, Unicorn Hair
11" Ash, Hippogriff Talon
10.5" Ash, Phoenix Feather
8.5" Mahogany, Dragon Heartstring
14" Holly, Veela Hair
11" Mahogany, Unicorn Hair
What Harry Potter Wand Are You? Quiz Created on GoToQuiz

Hopping !

We've reached Friday, so it's time for another Book Blogger Hop!!  Hosted by Jennifer at Crazy for Books, this is a great chance to meet other bloggers, visit them on the web ... and just have fun!!    And it lasts from Friday to Monday, so there's plenty of time to Hop.    

I'll hop... as soon as I finish this.....

This week's question comes from Christina at The Paperback Princess:  "If you find a book that looks interesting but is part of a series, so you always start with the first title?"

Yes --the story usually makes more sense to me if I read them in order.   I once read a bunch of Patricia Cornwell books out of order, and it was pretty confusing.  I enjoyed the stories, but if an author has a character refer back to something, or someone, it makes more sense if I know the previous story.      And speaking of series --- I sometimes have to be careful to not completely gorge myself.   What I mean is: In the past, I've discovered an author/series and pick up a whole bunch of the books and read them right away ... and then feel like I've overeaten, so to speak.   So what I do now is start with the first and second book, and then see how it goes.

Happy Hopping, everyone!!!

Across the Universe by Beth Revis

Summary (courtesy of GoodReads):  Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.   
       Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone—one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship—tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next.
       Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming.

And here's what I thought:  I could not stop reading this book.  Ok -- maybe I paused once to grab a snack.  But then, it was right back into the book.   This was such a thought-provoking story, with characters that I really cared about -- and I just got swept up into the book.   I was originally intrigued by the story because I read a fair amount of science fiction (and yes, watch sci-fi tv and movies).  And from the very first part of the book, I knew this was going to be a great read.

When the story begins, Amy is going to undergo the cryofreezing -- and it sounds pretty awful.  Her mother goes first, and the description of what happens really was unpleasant. When it's Amy's turn, we experience it as she does, each step of the way.  And this didn't change throughout the book; it is told from alternating points of view, from Amy, and from Elder, so we get to see things as they do.   Both of them are completely different, coming from situations from two directions, so it creates an interesting back-and-forth with the story, and an increasingly fast pace.

One of the things I really enjoyed about this book was that there are some really thought-provoking elements.  On Godspeed, in a future time from when Amy is frozen, it is a "monoethnic" society; everyone is (more or less), the same.   And Eldest, the leader, is fine with that.  It's explained early on that "because we are not different, we don't fight." (p. 30)   It's such a simplistic way to think of things, but it's hard to completely dispute.  After all, we can all look at events throughout history and see that many conflicts arose because people only saw the differences between them, and focused on that alone.    However, making everyone the same isn't a real solution, either.     Revis brings up other things to make the reader think: genetic engineering, methods of controlling a population, and even roles in society.   At times, I was completely disturbed -- and this was a good thing (because some of the things are pretty disturbing).  I appreciated how the two viewpoints of Amy and Elder gave us insights into these issues, as each had their own experiences and beliefs (which were, most of the time, on opposite ends).  

Something else that was really cool about this book was how elements were layered together.  The whole time I was reading, I felt like I was peeling back layer after layer, excited (and a little worried) about what I'd find at the core.   The realistic characters, combined with a fast pace, and interesting story, made this a great read.     And if you'd like to know more about this author, she has a very cool blog, too!

Please note: any page numbers I cite are from an ARC of this book and may not reflect the actual page number upon final publishing.

First sentence(s):  "Daddy said, 'Let Mom go first.'  Mom wanted me to go first.  I think it was because she was afraid that after they were contained and frozen, I'd walk away, return to life rather than consign myself to that cold, clear box."

Thoughts on the cover: Beautiful.  With the couple suspended over the galaxy, it gives a good idea of what the story is about.  Really eye-catching and pretty!

Where I got this book:  From a used bookstore.  The owner had a few shelves of ARCs - if I bought a book, I got 1 ARC free.    This was a no-brainer choice --- I had seen bits about this book on the blogosphere and was excited to see the ARC on the shelf. 

Wordless Wednesday

HooDoo Sea by Rolf Hitzer

Summary (courtesy of GoodReads):  The government of the United States of America is on the verge of startling the world. Billions of dollars had been invested in its space program . And now, the moment of truth had arrived… Scott Reed is the man for the historic mission. He is the Wing Commander chosen by the elite brass at NASA. The assignment to test flight the first speed of light craft, held top secret, was about to shock the world. The risk? Utter and complete failure. The reward? Being a part of the greatest human accomplishment ever known to mankind. Major James Harrow, second in command of the four person crew, despised his Wing Commander. Harrow was a proud and patriotic American. What was NASA thinking when they selected a Canadian to pilot the voyage? There was no comparison as to who was the better skilled aviator. This was his time, his moment. Major James Harrow was about to prove to everybody they were wrong to bypass him as Commander. The weather conditions were perfect and lift-off for the test flight was text book. The triumphant cheers from Mission Control in Houston were echoed all the way to Cape Canaveral. The silent fear of the first hurdle of the flight had been succumbed. All systems were go! That is, until the crew and SOLT-X1 entered the Bermuda Triangle…

And here's what I thought:  I was interested in this story because I had just finished Mary Roach's Packing for Mars, a nonfiction book about the realities of space.  So, here I was thinking this was about a space mission ... and as I kept reading, realized there was much more to this book.  The writing is very straightforward, and almost terse, which set a great tone to the story.  There's also some wry humor throughout the book, which helped lighten some of the tension, along with some interesting characters.  What I really liked was how the story seemed to be going in one direction, and then would completely twist in another direction.  I'm determined to avoid spoilers, so suffice to say, this review will be relatively short.  However, if you're wanting a quick-paced story with some surprising elements and a completely unexpected ending, this would be up your alley.   I don't know if I'd classify this as pure science-fiction, because there are other elements in it to move it more towards a thriller/Crichton-esque kind of book.   Either way, it's an entertaining read.    I'd be interested to see what this author does next.

As much as I liked the book, I tended to hit snags on some of the dialogue.  There are a lot of idioms here, and repetition of things in a way that didn't sound like natural speech.  Example:  James tends to say "Man" way too much.  p. 166 "You're early man."  And then, at the top of the following page, "I've decided to stay here, man."  Um... is James a surfer?  I'd expect different from a guy who's second in command of a NASA mission.   And... this is my other snag.  The main female character in this book is named DeeDee.  Perhaps it's just a personal quirk, but this name makes her sound like a lightweight (no offense to any DeeDees out there --- I'd just have preferred that she had a less young-girl-sounding name).   I also didn't warm to her character; I never quite believed that she was NASA material from the way she was written (less focus on her personal life, and more on science/the situation at hand).  

First sentence(s):  "White.  The room was a sterile, monotonous white.  Had you been standing there blindfolded and then had the blind removed, you'd be convinced this was the cell of an asylum." 

Thoughts on the cover:  Pretty simple, but once I got into the book, I understood the eye design.  However, at first, I wasn't sure what was going on....  but I like the way the eyes seem to appear as if they're coming out of a mist.

Where I got this book:   Part of a virtual book tour - I gave the review in exchange for the book.   Thank you!