Author: cherylmahoney

I'm a book review blogger and writer. I have published four novels, The Wanderers; The Storyteller and Her Sisters; and The People the Fairies Forget; and The Lioness and the Spellspinners. All can be found on Amazon as an ebook and paperback. In my day job, I'm a Marketing Specialist. Find me on Twitter (@MarvelousTales) and GoodReads (MarvelousTales).

Blog Hop: Stacking the Books High

On By cherylmahoneyIn Blog Hop4 Comments

book blogger hopThis week’s Book Blogger Hop question: Name an author or authors that you have read most of his or her books and would recommend to others.

There are loads of authors I would recommend, so I thought I’d focus in on which authors I’ve read the most by…

I think we all know I’ve read everything by L.M. Montgomery, and I would recommend her–provided you like beautiful pastoral stories with real emotion but not much action.

I’ve read 52 novels by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and would recommend him if you like old style science fiction with plenty of action, albeit not much in the way of character depth.  Also, all but two of those novels had a plot centered around a kidnapping or a castaway (or both), so you have to be on board for that too…

I’ve read most of Diana Wynne Jones (28 books), nearly all of Robin McKinley (14 books) and Gail Carson Levine (15 books), and all of Tamora Pierce (28 books).  I recommend all of them to lovers of fantasy, especially if you like strong heroines.

I’ve read 32 of Terry Pratchett’s Discworld books, and five others by him.  None of the others were as good as Discworld, but Discworld is brilliant.  When I describe Maskerade as the funniest Discworld book, there is no higher compliment to pay for a funny book.

As you can see, when I find an author I like, I read them!  My top choice for future “read most of their canon” authors is Anne Ursu, who I only encountered recently but I have swiftly gone on to read two more books–and expect to continue!

What authors have you read many books by?  I’d love to hear the recommendations!

Book Review: The First 15 Lives of Harry August

On By cherylmahoneyIn Reviews2 Comments

In my reading of parallel universe books, I think the best title so far has been The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North–and it’s a contender for best concept too!

Every time Harry August dies, he is reborn–always in the same time and place, with gradually returning memories of all the lives he has led before.  After a few trips through life, Harry manages to connect with others like him, the Cronus Club, people who reincarnate in the same life again and again, and remember all they’ve lived before.  Near the end of his thirteenth life, Harry receives a message from a little girl, delivered from a later time in her life: the end of the world is coming, and it’s speeding up with every lifetime.  This plunges Harry into a quest to find out what’s bringing on the chaos–even if it takes multiple lifetimes to solve the mystery.

This was a very cool story, with a widespread conspiracy extending across decades and multiple lifetimes.  As things heat up, we can see how the entire world is being reshaped from one lifetime to the next.  Harry’s life, of course, is wildly different every time too.  He’s born in 1919 and typically lives into the 1990s, making different choices along the way.  Once he’s been through World War II a few times, he gets very good at manipulating where he’ll wind up to live through the conflict.  The changes, of course, are broader reaching than that, as he pursues entirely different careers, marries different people and explores different paths. Continue reading “Book Review: The First 15 Lives of Harry August” →

Blog Hop: Romance Between the Book Covers

On By cherylmahoneyIn Blog Hop2 Comments

book blogger hopThis week’s Book Blogger Hop question: Who is your favorite fictional couple?

The first one who comes to mind is one I’ve already discussed in a review, but it’s been a while…  Arabella and Turnip (real name Reginald) from The Mischief of the Mistletoe.  They’re my favorite in part because they’re so disregarded by the people around them, but are so perfect for each other.  Everyone thinks Turnip is rather dumb and laughable, but Arabella sees how kind, earnest and just fun he is.  No one ever remembers Arabella’s name or thinks of her as more than a wallflower, but Turnip notices her lively spirit, intelligence, and also that she’s actually quite pretty.

I especially like a moment near the end when they’re dancing at a party (Regency England, you know, people do that), and Turnip sees how Arabella glows with enthusiasm when she dances.  He’s baffled that no one (including himself, on earlier occasions) seems to notice this!

I also especially like Cress and Thorne from the Lunar Chronicles.  Cress is brilliant but naive, and I love the way her belief in Thorne’s heroism totally freaks him out–but does eventually lead to him trying to be that person she thinks he is.

Your turn!  Who’s your favorite romantic couple in fiction? 🙂

Book Review: The Little House Series

On By cherylmahoneyIn Historical Fiction, Reviews1 Comment

Ages ago I reviewed Little House in the Big Woods, and then went on to read the entire rest of the series…but somehow I never came back to review the others.  Today I thought I’d finally pick that thread up and review the nine books en masse!  And since it happens to coincide with the Fourth of July, I guess that’s fairly appropriate…

The series follows the somewhat fictionalized life of Laura Ingalls, growing up as a pioneer girl as her family moves west.  It starts when Laura is four, moves on up through adulthood, her marriage to Almanzo Wilder, and the first four years of their marriage.

This is a charming and mixed series.  The first few books were fun but also bogged down a bit for me.  There was frequently too much detail on how various pioneer occupations are done and not enough of an active role for Laura. The broad strokes of life were interesting and the forays into the wild country were exciting (if slightly unfathomable why anyone would want to!)  Also in these early books, they so rarely seem to have any fun!  But by about book five, By the Shores of Silver Lake, Laura is getting older, the level of detail gets more reasonable, and the books pick up significantly.

Book Six, The Long Winter, is a wonderful choice during a hot summer.  I was listening to the audiobook last summer (it was that long ago!) and despite a heat wave it made me long for cozy firesides.  Little Town on the Prairie and These Happy Golden Years recount Laura’s teenage years, her school days, becoming a teacher, and her courting by Almanzo.  These were always my favorites—the most happens, plus Laura is actually having a much better time! Continue reading “Book Review: The Little House Series” →

2016 Reading Challenges – Halfway Update

On By cherylmahoneyIn Ruminations2 Comments

Can you believe we’re halfway through 2016 already?  I can, actually…it’s been a busy year.  With lots happening in and out of books! 🙂  But today is time for an update on the in-books news.  Here’s where I am for my reading challenges, with titles read in the previous quarter in gray…

Newbery Medal WinnersPicture
Goal: 15 Newbery Medal Winners, to bring myself to half of the total list
Host: Smiling Shelves

I’ve been enjoying these more this quarter, having hit several good ones.  My faith is becoming restored in the Newberys!  Suggestions are still welcome though.

  1. Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (best of the bunch)
  2. The Grey King by Susan Cooper (very disappointing)
  3. The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate (pretty good)
  4. The Door in the Wall by Marguerite de Angeli (enjoyable, but unrealistic)
  5. Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt (the poor man’s L. M. Montgomery)
  6. A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck (uncertain start but grew on me)
  7. Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo (cute and surprisingly silly)
  8. The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare (fascinating historical fiction with Biblical connections)
  9. Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli (delightful and surprisingly deep)
  10. A Gathering of Days by Joan W. Blos (distant, but entertaining)

Parallel Universes
Goal: 12 books

I continue to have a wonderful time with parallel universes and parallel lives, and have managed to break out of the YA universe that marked my first-quarter reading.

  1. Pivot Point by Kasie West
  2. A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
  3. Parallel by Lauren Miller
  4. Here, There and Everywhere by Chris Roberson
  5. Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid
  6. The Long Earth by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Baxter
  7. The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North

Diversity On the Shelf
Host: The Englishist
Goal: 18 books

I’ve made some good progress here as well, and happily, I’ve actually managed to stumble on more non-Caucasian protagonists by pure chance!  Four this time, a big jump from the single one in the first quarter of the year.  I’m still hoping to review a few more of these than I have so far, but here’s the current list.

  1. Otherbound by Corrinne Duyvis (Hispanic)
  2. Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley (African-American)
  3. Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (Unspecified Asian)
  4. Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld (Indian)
  5. Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed (Pakistani)
  6. Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie T. Lamana (African-American)
  7. Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu (Indian)
  8. Scarlett Undercover by Jennifer Latham (African-American Muslim)
  9. Bridge of Time by Lewis Buzbee (Chinese)
  10. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline (Native American)
  11. Pioneer Girl by Bich Minh Nguyen (Vietnamese)

The Bardathon: Shakespeare Plays
shakespeare400Host: Samantha Lin
Goal: 5 plays read or seen (but ideally, read 5 comedies, read 5 tragedies, and watch 5 movies)

I’ve lost sight of Mr. Shakespeare a little this quarter, compared to the other challenges, but I did fit in a couple movies.  Hopefully, more to come later in the year!

  1. Much Ado About Nothing (Joss Whedon production)
  2. Comedy of Errors (read)
  3. Comedy of Errors (BBC production)
  4. Measure for Measure (read)
  5. A Midsummer Night’s Dream (1996 production)
  6. Coriolanus (Gerard Butler production)

Carl’s Seasonal “Challenges”: We just finished out the Once Upon a Time Challenge, which I reported on last week!

So at the midpoint of the year, I’m actually past the midpoint on most of my challenges, which is nice if I get side-tracked somewhere in the second half of 2016.  I’m having the most fun with the parallel universes one, but I’m feeling good about all the others too, which is a nice place to be halfway through the project. 🙂

How has your reading been going for 2016? Are you pursuing challenges or reading whatever sounds fun? 🙂