I'm Ba-ack!

Okay, so I've been back for a while now, but I've been recovering; camping was intense! Get it, in tents? And it's a lot of work! Especially if there's strong wind, which there was. The first night, anyway. And we must have gotten every kind of rain there was. Big, goopy rain, spitty, misty rain, it even rained men1. I swear. But it was great. I got to kayak and jump around in the surf, a very good workout! I also got a little bit of a tan! Just a shade, though. I'm fairly, well, fair. Also, in homage of An Abundance of Katherines, I anagrammed the word "Coleman", the name of my tent, and came up three really good ones; emo clan, no camel, and coal men. Not bad, eh? But the really great thing about camping is that you don’t gotta go all the way to the rim to see the elephants2. There's also a lot of time to just sit around and read. I finished Witches Abroad by Terry Pratchett, Wild Magic by Tamora Pierce, and Peter and the Starcatchers by David Barry and Ridley Pearson.
So any-hoo! About the books I read!

I figured Witches Abroad would be a good vacation book because it's about travel in the Disc World. As always, Terry's book was filled with wit, wisdom, and hilarity. And also as usual, I occasionally felt lost. I don't know what happens, but from time to time I feel like maybe I've wandered off the beaten path when I read his stuff. It only happens for a page or two a couple times per book, and he always manages to get me back on track with a funny or thought provoking line such as, "Good people are innocent, which is why they create justice. Bad people are guilty, which is why they invent mercy." I don't know if maybe it's because he's British and they're sense of humor is so different, I felt the same way when I saw Hitchhiker's Guide, or maybe he's writing for people more clever than I. I still really liked this book though and will be recommending it to several friends of mine and anyone who enjoys the works of Dianna Wynne Jones. I'd give it...

...three and half zombies.

Wild Magic was really good. I don't why I hadn't read it sooner, I mean, I love evrything else by Pierce! I guess it's because I started Tamora's books by reading The Protector of the Small Series, and that's the third series set in Tortall. I wish I'd read it sooner though, because Daine is awesome. I really like Tamora's brand of magic. It's tied to the mage's life force so they can't keep going indefinitely. Animals play a very important role in all of Tamora's books, and obviously they are even more important in this series as Daine is a wild mage and can communicate with the animals around her, her presence even makes them more human, but it's never delivered in a dippy "horsey story" kinda way. The use of animals makes her work more interesting, it adds dimension and texture to the books. The characters are very interesting, especially Daine and Numair, they have a very interesting relationship right from the get go and you can see where it's headed pretty clearly, you can also see the troubles that will arise in the future. I give Wild Magic...

...four and half zombies.

I could see myself reading this again in the upcoming year, and I can't wait to get the next book! Plus, aren't the new covers gorgeous? I didn't have the luck of finding the new cover, however. My copy came from a used book store and looks like this...

I got a little razzing for taking this one out in public, but what'cha gonna do? It was an awesome book and I will defend it no matter what it's wrapped in.

Peter and the Starchatchers was a prequel of sorts to the classic Peter Pan. Pearson and Barry told the story behind the story; how Peter got to the island, why he doesn't age, how Hook got his hook-hand, they even explained the magic! It's the starstuff from the title, and it is literally the stuff of legend, the medium of myth. It was pretty awesome. The only thing I could have asked for from this fast paced tale was a little more insight into the characters. It was told from the third person POV and bounced around the island to keep up with what everyone was doing; there was actually a lot to keep up with. At one point there were five or more different story lines going on at once. I just wish there had been a bit more insight into the characters motives and thoughts; they seemed a bit one dimensional at times. I don't mind being a fly on the wall, but I at least want to be a psychic fly. I give Peter and the Starcatchers...

...three zombies.

I liked this book, it was a quick, fun read. A good workout for the ol' imagination muscle. I'll read the next book in the series if I see at my library, but I'm willing to let sleeping dogs lie when it comes to adding it to my library.

Well, that was fun but I gotta go, Golden Girls is on!

Happy reading, y'all!

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Footnotes__________________________________________________
1 There were some Marines off in the distance doing parachute drills.
2 Something the people on the Sto plains of the Disc World say when they're fed up with staying in the same place.