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).

2016 Reading Challenges – Quarter Update

On By cherylmahoneyIn Ruminations3 Comments

Happy April Fool’s Day!  No tricks here though, I’m here to tell you accurately 🙂 how my reading challenges for the year are going a quarter of the way in.  I was very laid-back about challenges last year, and I’ve been greatly enjoying digging in on challenges this year, after that break.

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

I’ve been making great progress reading these, though I’ve been disappointed more than once by a book.  For now I’m continuing on and hoping to hit some better ones (suggestions welcome!)

  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)

Parallel Universes
Goal: 12 books

I’ve been thoroughly enjoying this one.  Even imperfect books are just so fascinating in how they handle the question of parallel universes and crossing between them.

  1. Pivot Point by Kasie West
  2. A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray
  3. Parallel by Lauren Miller

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

Just a few months has made it abundantly clear that if I don’t seek out non-white protagonists, they rarely happen.  Depressing, although not surprising.

  1. Otherbound by Corrinne Duyvis (Hispanic)
  2. Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley (African-American)
  3. Stars Above by Marissa Meyer (Asian) (the only chance-met book)
  4. Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld (Indian)
  5. Written in the Stars by Aisha Saeed (Pakistani)

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 loved getting back into Mr. Shakespeare’s language, and even though I have a ways to go to reach my ideal goal, I feel like I’m making wonderful progress.  I like the feeling that the Bard and I are getting closer again!

  1. Much Ado About Nothing (Joss Whedon production)
  2. Comedy of Errors (read)
  3. Comedy of Errors (BBC production)
  4. Measure for Measure (read)

Carl’s Seasonal “Challenges”: We’re just at the beginning of Once Upon a Time, so I’m signed up and reading fantasy.  I’ll have more to report on this at the next update.

I’m also quite pleased that I’ve been reviewing many of my challenge books (and still plan to review some of the recent, unreviewed ones).  I hate to do these updates and have no information on the blog about the books or what I thought of them!

So far I’m still enjoying these challenges, and feeling good about how they’re impacting my reading.  How has your reading been going for 2016?

Book Review: A Thousand Pieces of You

On By cherylmahoneyIn Reviews, Science FictionLeave a comment

I crossed off another book for my goal to read more parallel-universe-stories this year with A Thousand Pieces of You by Claudia Gray.  I madly love this premise (which is sort of a given with a reading goal this specific), and the book came close to living up to it!

Marguerite has grown up surrounded by cutting-edge science and transdimensional theory.  Her parents are the leading scientists on the theory, and their research assistants have always been like extra siblings…though eighteen-year-old Marguerite is kind of crushing on both current assistants, Theo and Paul.  When Marguerite’s father is killed and Paul, apparently guilty of the murder, disappears between dimensions, Marguerite and Theo set off in pursuit.  It doesn’t take long for Marguerite to realize that she doesn’t have the full story–and that she can’t be sure who to trust.

This book is fantastic in some ways, a little disappointing in others.  One small thing I love: Marguerite’s mother is the genius scientist.  Her father too, but it’s clear he’s supporting her mother’s work, and there’s a lot about how smart her mom is without even a whisper of comment on her gender.  Nice reversal of the gender stereotypes and normalizing women in science.

On a larger thing, I love it that Marguerite is running through multiple dimensions and multiple versions of her life.  When she enters a new dimension, she occupies the body of her other self in that dimension.  She gets glimpses of who she is and what her life is like in very different worlds, which is fascinating. Continue reading “Book Review: A Thousand Pieces of You” →

Blog Hop: A Time For All Things…

On By cherylmahoneyIn Blog Hop1 Comment

book blogger hopThis week’s Book Blogger Hop question: How much of your day is devoted to your blog, and how much is devoted to reading?

Reading is much easier to calculate…I generally fit in 20 minutes of reading in the early morning, 45 during the workday (breaks, lunch), and 30 minutes before I go to bed.  Weekends could be more or less, depending on what else is going on.  So call it about an hour and a half each day with a print book.  Plus I usually do about an hour of driving (thanks to my 30 minute commute!), so an hour of audiobooks.  Though I suspect I read print books faster than most audiobook readers do, for whatever that means…

My blogging is much less consistent (that Schedule feature on WordPress?  Invaluable).  Roughly each post takes 30-60 minutes, though it varies wildly depending on the post.  But at 2-3 posts per week, I guess that’s one to three hours on blogging.

I’m especially curious about other bloggers–how much time do you spend blogging?  I haven’t the slightest idea what’s normal–if there is such a thing!

Once Upon a Time Once More

On By cherylmahoneyIn Ruminations2 Comments

out10ishere250It’s the start of spring, and you know what that means–time to return for another year of Once Upon a Time, the fantasy reading “challenge” hosted by Carl over at Stainless Steel Droppings.  This is my favorite reading challenge, one that so perfectly fits my favorite genre–fantasy, with an emphasis on fairy tales!

In keeping with the laid-back nature of this challenge (and the general busy-ness of my life in the last few weeks!) I don’t have particular plans…but I’m sure I’ll find my way into plenty of challenge appropriate books.  I’m reading a fantasy right now and have three more on my stack, so…

I love two-for reads, so I’ll be checking the Newbery list for any fantasies, and if you know of a magic-based parallel universe story (I think it’s been all sci fi so far) or a good fantasy with a non-Caucasian protagonist, let me know!

Are you joining the challenge?  Do you have fairylands you plan to explore? And did I mention I’ve written three fairy tale retellings, if you need ideas? 🙂

Book Review: Up a Road Slowly

On By cherylmahoneyIn Historical Fiction, Reviews1 Comment

Scanning through the Newbery Medal titles, I liked the sound of Up a Road Slowly by Irene Hunt. In fact, it sounded rather like an L.M. Montgomery book. Which may not have been the best thing in the world after all.

The broad strokes are very recognizable—a young motherless girl is sent off to live in the country with an austere maiden aunt. There is initial conflict between them, but they gradually grow to understand and love each other. Against a backdrop of small school day dramas and eccentric relatives, the girl grows into young womanhood, chooses the right beau, and achieves artistic fulfillment.

All well and good. And Up a Road Slowly was a perfectly fine story…but it wasn’t L. M. Montgomery. Julie was just no Emily or Anne. Late in the book she discovers a writing talent, but it’s not at all like Emily’s long-held and worked-for dreams. Julie’s Aunt Cordelia, with her tragic love story, and Uncle Haskell, with his grandiose and unfounded sense of self-worth, were more colorful and interesting characters. But nothing here ever really grabbed my heart. Continue reading “Book Review: Up a Road Slowly” →