Just read this in my literary revisit of Valdemar. Of the three books in the trilogy, this may be the strongest but I do wish that more of the events Just read this in my literary revisit of Valdemar. Of the three books in the trilogy, this may be the strongest but I do wish that more of the events in Vanyel's life had made it into print. Yes, we get the highlights and the most important events but so much is skipped over or just referred to obliquely that I sometimes feel that there might have been three more books at least....more
After reading a couple of the Collegium Chronicles, I decided it was time to re-read the book that started it all for me.
Even after the umpteenth reaAfter reading a couple of the Collegium Chronicles, I decided it was time to re-read the book that started it all for me.
Even after the umpteenth read, there are parts of this tale that bring a tear to my eyes.
This is a coming out story. it's a tragic romance, it's a fantasy tale that does a lot of world building and it's an introduction to a host of characters that I've enjoyed spending time with over the years. ...more
Two years ago Aaron's life as he knew it ended when he and his best friend Juliet stopped to give directions to the men in the beat-up van that hailedTwo years ago Aaron's life as he knew it ended when he and his best friend Juliet stopped to give directions to the men in the beat-up van that hailed them. Now Juliet is in the cemetery and most days Aaron wishes he was too. Instead he lives in state of near constant terror unable to look at his scarred face in the mirror or even shower his burned and scarred body without flashing back on the horrifying events of that day. His sleep is full of nightmares and even the slightest touch of his loving mother sends him into a downward spiral toward terror that only heavy doses of tranquilizers and anti-anxiety meds have seemed to make a dent in.
And yet when Aaron's mother pushes him to take a computer course at a community college, Aaron is forced to interact with Spencer, a deaf boy with issues of his own. Yet, somehow these two misfits find a way closer to normalcy through each other.
This story has some minor flaws and some parts aren't quite as credible as they might have been but somehow that doesn't matter much amid such a compelling tale. These two wounded souls just charm their way into your heart. And it's not just the two protagonists. The author has crafted a heartwarming story and has created a number of deeply sympathetic characters. I love the relationship Aaron has with his mother. I love his two brothers, I love Spenser's father. I've always had a thing for characters willing to let their vulnerability show and these characters are all vulnerable and endearing.
Some other reviewers have criticized this title asserting that for a story that relies so much on psychology and the practice of psychiatry, the details in this area were particularly weak, particularly as to patient confidentiality) but if one can suspend disbelief, accept the inaccuracies and just move on, this is one of the most heart-rending stories I've read in a decade.
For those that can manage to maintain that willing suspension of disbelief, this may well be one of those books that you love and read again and again. Perhaps it's all those plaintive Simon & Garfunkel songs I was exposed to in my youth, along with movies like Brian's Song, or even books like Love Story, Death Be Not Proud, and Thursday's Child, but I do love a good three hankie story. This is one of the best I've seen in yonks. Plus it has the added attraction of having a hopeful ending and a sequel that I can't wait to read, Spencer.
On an afternote... I listened to the audio-book version of this narrated by Tyler Stevens rather than reading the text version. Stevens did a great job with the narration and the voices of the main characters are easily distinguished and fit well with my conception of the characters. Stevens also did a brilliant job of switching between Spencer's cadences as a deaf speaker and the more common cadences of the hearing speakers. One strange thing I noted though was in an early sex scene between the deaf Spencer and a delivery man. Somehow hearing the inner monologue of a deaf man and his concerns in an audio format, while it sounds a bit twisted, actually made the eroticism of the scene really work well. It made for one of the hottest sex scenes I've encountered in a book in years.
*** Note: I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest and impartial review ***...more
The Student Prince started as fan-fiction based on ideas inspired by the UK TV series Merlin. But while the TV series is clearly set in "ye olden daysThe Student Prince started as fan-fiction based on ideas inspired by the UK TV series Merlin. But while the TV series is clearly set in "ye olden days" this Brokeback Harry Potter style reinvention/retelling firmly places Prince Arthur as the Prince of Wales in a paparazzi laden modern day with his father, Uther, as king. When Merlin, wins a Prince's Trust scholarship to attend St. Andrews and then finds out that Prince will be attending as well, the adventure begins.
What would you do if you were Merlin, gay and 17, and apparently secretly master of magic? Frequently thrown into contact with the Prince of Wales who's constantly referred to in the tabloid press as "His Royal Hotness?" Sure, Merlin's been secretly crushing on Arthur since his early teens but when he must deal with Arthur being, smug, smart-mouthed, entitled, and a part-time prat, but also noble, earnest, likable and even lickable...
This retelling is absolutely brilliant. Even the updating is explained in a conversation that Merlin has with the Great Dragon about how all great stories are fated to repeat though "details do change."
Sure there are Harry Potter moments. How could there NOT be in a story involving schooling in England and a wizard, but the characters are aware of these stories and sometimes poke fun at the very stories they seem to be inhabiting. There are references to Harry Potter and World of Warcraft and Sauron and even a few veiled Princess Di references that are all completely believable and in keeping with the spirit of the story.
The characters are well developed and three dimensional and the kind of people you actually enjoy spending time with. The plot is laugh out loud funny at many points and yet the romantic longing is all too recognizable as well. The interplay is as funny as one would expect from highly educated, smart witty and literate young people. There are moments of true nobility and self sacrifice. There are recountings of college experiences that ring entirely true, particularly the drinking games. I even learned a bit about Raisin weekend, something I'd never heard of before. The story is pretty much a continual joy to read. The romance rings true, the sexual tension is heartfelt and some of the best I've read. The sex scenes (I'm not saying with who) are really hot as well. But it's much much more than that. Poor Merlin goes the entire first third of the book without getting laid at all.
This is one of those rare books that when I finished reading it I was immediately ready to go back to page one and read it again. It was that good. I just didn't want it to end.
I really hope that this thing gets published by somebody soon. It really desrves a bigger audience than has found out about it so far....more
Epic approach to history and the pivotal battle of the U.S. Civil War. The movie is an all time favorite and the movie makers were very faithful to thEpic approach to history and the pivotal battle of the U.S. Civil War. The movie is an all time favorite and the movie makers were very faithful to the book. I listened to this in the audio-format and the reader (Stephen Hoye) did a masterful job - often mimicking the dialects and accents of the parties and even separating younger voices from old in a performance that is one of the best I've encountered.
A timely read in light of the recent events surrounding the removal of statues of Confederate generals. This story stick to the traditional interpretations though it does show Lee in a less venerable light than other histories....more
My Name is Shawn McDaniel. I'm 14 years old. I think my father is planning to kill me.
In a phenomenally personal story Terry Trueman takes us into th My Name is Shawn McDaniel. I'm 14 years old. I think my father is planning to kill me.
In a phenomenally personal story Terry Trueman takes us into the mind of a profoundly, developmentally disabled cerebral palsy sufferer who's also a quirky, insightful, vibrantly alive 14 year old. However this kid is pretty much input only. Who can tell what goes on in the mind of a child who cannot even control his own eye blinks?
While the protagonist in this story is unable to communicate with anyone in his world , this book gives us an inner monologue that shows us a unique individual who's glad to be alive and who is relishing each and every new life experience with the wonder of a child (and sometimes that of a horny kid). This kid's inner monologue connects with the reader on a level that books seldom do. Written by the father of just such a boy, this book may even afflict the reader a bit too, only the body parts that the sympathetic reader will be unable to control are the tear ducts. And yet for the most part this is NOT a sad, maudlin, tear-jerker of a book.
One really needs to read this oneself to experience the full effect but even the visceral dread that one experiences as the kid describes his fear that his father may end his life in order to spare him continued suffering is only accentuated by the feel of having so few pages remaining unread in the book.
I've rated Terry Trueman's other book Inside Out as being an unsung work of genius, this, his first book, is perhaps even better. If you ever wanted to really fulfill that old adage about understanding someone by walking a mile in his moccasins, pick up one of these books. ...more
A wonderful look at a unique mind. Telling this story from the point of view of a boy with autism/aspergers made it more immediate but his keen sense A wonderful look at a unique mind. Telling this story from the point of view of a boy with autism/aspergers made it more immediate but his keen sense of observation also made the pathos of his parents situation seem somehow more tragic.
Humor is often found in seeing something surprising and while our protagonist claimed that he could tell no jokes, he had me laughing out loud at several spots.
I particularly liked how this ended. The other books that I've read that touch on this subject have all ended more bleakly. This one has some hopeful aspects.
This is a great read on so many levels, I'm glad that it's gotten the attention that it has. ...more
This is an amazing novel considering the time at which it was written. It is still completely compelling and believable and doesn't feel dated as so mThis is an amazing novel considering the time at which it was written. It is still completely compelling and believable and doesn't feel dated as so many other books of this era do.
The three main characters are all likeable and plausible and understandable.
I would love to know more about what happened to these characters in later years but the journeys that we see in this book gives me hope that at least some of those endings will be happy ones.
When sixteen year old homophobic bully Avery's latest victim stops breathing following a pummeling, Avery realizes that he may have gone too far and kWhen sixteen year old homophobic bully Avery's latest victim stops breathing following a pummeling, Avery realizes that he may have gone too far and killed his victim! Panicking he flees his hometown only to fall prey to exactly the types of people he most fears. Then through a trick of fate he finds himself staying with his cousin's family in a great old haunted house that holds it's own secrets of a homophobic crime long past. Can Avery learn fast enough from history or is he doomed to repeat it?
This is a quick paced story of one angry young man's fall and redemption. That redemption comes at the help of a couple of long dead boys that might well have been his victims. The story is compelling and the message important, if a bit heavy handed in spots. The story has a unique voice and there are plot twists that make this consistently interesting and a worthwhile read....more
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