N ~ The Novice

The Novice by Trudi Canavan is the second book in the Black Magician trilogy.  I wasn't sure what to expect.  It was a new author to me.  I love fantasy, but know (unfortunately) that there is plenty of mediocre fantasy out there.

This series was really good.  It's easy to lose yourself in these stories.  I read this trilogy back in 2011 and it still sticks in my mind as a really wonderful set of books.  I gave them all a solid 8/10 or better.  

The Magicians' Guild (book 1) and The High Lord (book 3) are both equally memorable.  Give this series a try.  I can't imagine it will disappoint you.

M ~ McCaffrey

Anne McCaffrey wrote dozens and dozens of books.  She is best known for her Dragonriders of Pern series, but she has written many other fascinating science fiction / fantasy novels.

I've read 47 of her novels and have another ten I haven't read yet.  There are a few more on my wish list.  After that, all that are left are her few novels involving cats, which I doubt I'll read.  Ms. McCaffrey passed away and there won't be any more.

Her son, Todd, is continuing her Dragonriders books and they are good, but he doesn't quite have his mother's talent.

I'm so glad that about 10 years ago, I wrote away for a bookplate hand-signed by Anne McCaffrey.  She sent me two.  They are treasures to me and I haven't put them in a book yet.  They are still in the envelope they came in, all the way from the Ireland.

L ~ Little House on the Prairie

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder, along with the other 8 books in the series, were some of my very favorites when I was young.  This picture looks exactly like my copy did (although mine was not in very good shape, having been read over and over by my much younger self).

I was also a great fan of the TV series based on these books starring Melissa Gilbert and Michael Landon.

These stories were of a gentler and perhaps, in some ways, better time.  There were still unkind people and still things to be afraid of, but Pa and Ma were always there to take care of the family.  My set of books were given away or sold at a yard sale decades ago.  I'd like to find another set.  I believe I'd still be enchanted.  Definitely worth reading, even if you don't have children.

Trader by Charles de Lint

Title:  Trader
Author:  Charles de Lint
Pages:  464
Genre:  Urban Fantasy
Series:  Newford, Book 5

Synopsis:  Max Trader is a luthier, a maker of guitars. Johnny Devlin is chronically unemployed. Trader is solitary, quiet, responsible. Devlin is a lady-killer, a drunk, a charming loser.

When they inexplicably awake in each other's bodies, Devlin gleefully moves into Trader's comfortable and stable existence, leaving Trader to pick up the pieces of a life he had no part in breaking.

Penniless, friendless, homeless, Trader begins a journey that will take him beyond the streets of Newford to an otherworld of dreams and spirits, where he must confront both the unscrupulous Devlin and his own deepest fears. This is a novel of identity, an adult coming-of-age story in which a man discovers his own hidden strengths with the aid of a strange and wonderful community of unexpected friends...and of a beautiful musician who is willing to follow him beyond the boundaries of the world.

Review:  There is a reason Mr. de Lint is called 'a master of urban fantasy'.  He is that and so much more.  He makes you believe, which is really pretty incredible.

This series is long and I love it.  It is one of those series that you can read a book and stop, then pick the next book up later and not be lost.  You cannot possibly forget the stories.  They are just thoroughly wonderful and scary and seem so very real.

This author is on my top five list of authors.  I can't give this book anything but perfect marks.  It read like a dream and left me wishing there were another 400 pages to read.

Rating:  10 / 10

K ~ King

Stephen King is one of the most prolific and well-loved authors ever.  I've read a whopping 62 books written by him.  Some of them were short story collections and some had more than one novel in them, so if I was to count stories...well, the number would be even higher.  This number also doesn't count the number of times I've re-read the same book because I loved it so much.  I have another half-dozen yet to read (which doesn't include the ones he's written that I don't have yet!).  And, he's not done.  Of this, I am sure.

From Carrie (1974) to Sleeping Beauties (2017), from The Stand to the Dark Tower series, this man has earned the title The King of Horror, although I think he's actually The King of Story-Telling myself.  So many of his books have been made into movies (or mini-series), it's incredible.

My favorite books remain the Dark Tower series (which I'm currently re-reading) and The Stand, which is also my favorite of his film adaptations, although the movie made from The Shining with Jack Nicholson and The Shawshank Redemption starring Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman are very close seconds.

He is and has been for as long as I can remember the one person I'd like most to meet.

J ~ Jordan

Robert Jordan has written one of the better fantasy sagas out there.  His Wheel of Time series is just plain wonderful.  Swashbuckling adventure and a quest to save the world.  What more could you ask for?

Unfortunately Mr. Jordan died before finishing his epic.  He left behind copious notes and tape recordings, thankfully.  Another very fine author, Brandon Sanderson, took up where he left off and finished the story.

There are a total of 14 books (and 3 novellas, two of which I've skipped) in the set and none of the novels are short.  You could build a house with these books!  It's a huge investment of time, but so well worth it.  I have the last three waiting for me and I just can't wait until I finally find out how it all ends.

I ~ Intruder

The Foreigner series by C. J. Cherryh is one of the two science fiction series I consider 'keepers'.  Intruder is the 13th book and, while there are other books in this series that start with 'I', this is the only one that starts with 'I' that I've actually reviewed.  I lost most of my collection a few years ago and am trying to get them all back, but it's hard when there are currently 17 books and I only have six.

I cannot begin to tell you how much I love this saga.  Bren, Banichi, and Jago are such wonderful characters -- as are all of the characters in these books.  The world of the atevi is incredible.

My goal is to get all the books again and start from the very beginning... and review them all.  I know I will love them all as much as I did the first time around.

H ~ Harry Potter

The Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling and the movie franchise based on these young adult novels are among some of my very favorites.

I've read them all (twice!).  I've watched the movies twice through and probably will again.  They are magical, fun, exciting, scary and just so wonderful.

They may be considered young adult, but they are timeless and ageless.  I loved them.

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

Title:  The Storyteller
Author:  Jodi Picoult
Pages:  460
Genre:  Fiction

"Yes," she said.  "But see how much of me is left?"

Synopsis:  Sage Singer becomes friends with an old man who is particularly beloved in her community after they strike up a conversation at the bakery where she works. Josef Weber is everyone's favorite retired teacher and Little League coach. One day he asks Sage for a favor, to kill him. Shocked, Sage refuses, but then he tells her he deserves to die. Once he reveals his secret, Sage wonders if he is right. Can someone who has committed a truly heinous act ever redeem themselves with good behavior? Should you offer forgiveness to someone if you are not the party who was wronged? And most of all, if Sage even considers his request, is it murder, or justice? What do you do when evil lives next door?

Review:  There is so little I can say about this book without giving too much away.  So, I'll just say that Josef Weber did the most horrible thing imaginable.  Sage is stuck in a nightmare, trying to figure out what is right and wrong, now that she knows the truth.

I'll also say that Sage wasn't my favorite character.  I found her to be a little self-centered and dishonest.  Lou Stein, who she contacts to help with Josef, is a much better person.  But, Sage's grandmother, Minka, is the best character in the story by far.

As always, this author made me feel very deeply about the story and the subject matter.  Have a box of tissues and be ready to be upset if you decide to read this novel.

Rating:  9 / 10