Friday, July 26, 2013

Coming Soon: The Dog Days of Summer Read-a-Thon


The lovely gals at The Estella Society are hosting a read-a-thon in a couple of weeks --
We wanted to take a weekend to just kick back and read the books we are so nostalgic for. ... So, here, I humbly introduce The Dog Days of Summer Readathon. A whole weekend devoted to reading. No challenges. No prizes. No cheerleading (unless you feel so inclined). Just a weekend of reading fun, fluffy, nostalgic books.
So on August 17 and 18, I will be kicking back with some fun books (and likely some tasty, nostalgic snacks -- rice krispie treats, anyone?). First, I have decided to make a super-fun-reread stack including

adorable cover by fourblackbirds on deviantart
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (and possibly its sequels),

and from lerms on deviantart
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett,

a beautiful imagining by Arturangga on deviantart
and Un Lun Dun by China MiĆ©ville.

I'm also going to be checking out a couple of first-read Discworld books from the library, probably Wyrd Sisters and Witches Abroad and maybe Soul Music. This would be a great time to move forward in the series.

So, head on over and sign-up if you're interested in joining for some pressure-free fun and/or nostalgic reading on what will hopefully be a warm and lazy summer weekend (or winter weekend for you Aussies)!

Thinking about stacking and snacking,
K

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Dragonslayers and Quarkbeasts

Jasper Fforde is, in my opinion, an author for which rereads are pretty much a prerequisite before moving on in a series when it has been a while since the last read. His complex worlds can always reveal more on a reread and there is no exception for this series, Fforde's first middle grade/YA outing. I first read The Last Dragonslayer in 2011 and thought it was very good but maybe not quite as satisfying as his adult novels, mainly due to the lack of complex wordplay and historical reference. But this didn't mean that it was not still a smart story and that's what I found again this time through. From the brave and imaginative Jennifer Strange to her unique Quarkbeast to the enigmatic dragon Maltcassion, there were a lot of fantastic characters that I remembered and was happy to meet again. But the parts I didn't remember as well--governmental corruption, rival wizards and the Transient Moose--ended up being both amusing and essential bits that tied nicely into ...

The Song of the Quarkbeast (out in September in the U.S.). This story picks up right after the first, weeks after Jennifer Strange has played her role as the Last Dragonslayer. Things aren't all magically rosy in Hereford even though magic is slowly gaining in strength again. But with rival factions of wizards fighting for government contracts and the same ridiculously corrupt king in power, Jennifer is going to have to do a lot more than just fulfill her destiny to save her friends (and even her enemies).

This is such an incredibly fun and unique series. Like I said after I read the first book, this isn't necessarily a youth series except for the age of the protagonist. The story is pretty complex, as are the personal relationships. I have yet to dislike a Fforde series (as you may have noticed) but this is probably my second favorite after the Thursday Next books. They stretch my imagination and have a plethora of moral and physical conundrums that have me already awaiting the third book -- and the requisite rereads of these two!

Feeling the magic,
K

Thursday, July 18, 2013

Summer Project: London -- Update One

beautiful map by Virginia Allyn
I've done a lot of fiction reading already for my summer project. The non-fiction is unfortunately not going as well. I've only read about 25 pages of London: A Biography. The main problem seems to be that the book is so large that it just sits on my nightstand. I get to a few pages of it at a time but not enough to make real progress. So, I'm going to continue with the fiction but try to make more effort with the non-fiction. Anyway, here are the books I've read so far ...


I finished Christopher Fowler's The Water Room and it was a really well-researched and interesting mystery. It did a great job of exploring the sewers and ancient rivers of London and making those underground places both more and less mysterious at the same time. The aging detectives are really interesting characters, quite different from a lot of the standard detective pairs these days.

To help out Trish, I'm going to start labeling series books as good for lone reads or better in the series. This book definitely works completely on its own. I, however, am very excited to continue on with the Peculiar Crimes Unit series.


Next, I did a reread of Neverwhere, which I first read four years ago. I liked it then but didn't love it but, of course, kept reading lots more of Gaiman's work. Then I listened to the recent BBC Radio play version a couple of months ago and started falling in love with the story. So this reread turned out to be the means by which I really fell in love. Being set in London Under, this tied in well to the book before it. I adored the characters and really understood so much more of the twisted tale. This won't be the last time I reread this one.


Almost two years ago, I discovered Leon Garfield through his story Smith. I loved that middle grade/YA historical adventure so I couldn't wait to read Black Jack. This was an over-the-top romp through 18th century London, at a point where the various towns (like Islington) were still separate entities. This story was a bit of a "what if Pip's (Great Expectations) convict didn't leave after he was rescued but instead tried to recruit Pip into a life of crime". Young Bartholomew Dorking's trials and adventures with the villainous Black Jack are outlandish but suspenseful. I will likely search out more of Garfield's other novels because they are smart reads to put on Z's shelves for the future.


The Agency: The Traitor in the Tunnel is the third of Y.S. Lee's Mary Quinn Mysteries. This explored a very different part and locale of London's history, Buckingham Palace during the reign of Queen Victoria, and yet somehow it ended up down in the sewers yet again. I seem to be destined to spend the summer in the tunnels under the city. Anyway, I really enjoyed the story and the character development. The Queen herself was kind of a badass too! (Best read in the series because of relationships.)


Finally, I'm getting toward the end of Oliver Twist. I totally failed in my Dickens project from last year so I knew I had to atone by picking up a London-heavy story from one of my favorite but recently-neglected authors. I can't believe I haven't read this book before. It's such an easy read and a truly compelling story. I'll talk more about it next time.

Wandering back and forth in The Smoke,
K

Sunday, July 14, 2013

May in Maui

I feel like we all need a bit more beauty and serenity right now so I'm (finally) sharing the piccies from our trip to Maui.

palm trees on Ka'anapali Beach
sunset
more sunset
the tail end
rusty cliffs north of Kapalua
a gorgeous sunny day
fish and more at the Maui Ocean Center
pretty porthole
plumeria
more plumeria
tiki at dusk
lava field
Z and me
Wishing you all a world filled with peace and love,
K and Z

Monday, July 8, 2013

Five Years of We Be Reading!

photo by k, book by Jasper Fforde
This, our five (gasp!) year anniversary blogging here at We Be Reading, kind of snuck up on me. I honestly would never have predicted that this little project would have lasted so long, with over 1100 posts written and over 5000 comments made. I was thinking how to commemorate it and my best idea was to acknowledge some of the others who have helped us or been there for us along the way. So, without further ado ...

Thank you, Lenore, for being my earliest commenter that is still blogging! She commented on August 12, 2008 and I truly appreciated it then and now.

Thank you, Carl, for creating the absolute best challenges (Science Fiction Experience, Once Upon a Time and Readers Imbibing Peril) and read-alongs in the book blogosphere. These events tend to pop up right when I need a blogging or reading pick-me-up. I've enjoyed every single one (maybe a little too much sometimes).

Thank you, Jenny, for being the inspiration for the best event that I have ever hosted -- Diana Wynne Jones March. It wouldn't have been created if it wasn't for you.

Thank you, Elizabeth and Tif, for reading along with me more than once. It's made the journey so much more fun!

Thank you, Andi and Heather, for creating The Estella Society. It's a fantastic place for community building and I would love to see more of you others contributing over there (not so subtle nudge)! Even though I've been posting erratically here on my own blog lately, I've been having lots of fun keeping up with the Top 100 Chapter Books Project over there.

Thank you to Natasha, Ana, TrishDanielle, Aarti, Anastasia, Karen, SimonIris, Simon, Jenny and Teresa, Danielle, Tasha, and so many others for writing the blogs that I love to read.

And finally, thank you, dear readers, for reading and commenting and recommending and everything else you've done to support our blog!

photo by k
So here's to more bright blogging days ahead. I can't guarantee five more years but I hope that the blog's natural course lasts for a while longer.

With true thanks,
K and Z

Monday, July 1, 2013

Swallows and Amazons


I've posted about Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome today on The Estella Society. Have any experience with the story? Come over and comment!

Dreaming of a summer at the lake,
K