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Kasei's 2014 Read-a-Blog


Kasei

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Hey there all! Probably most of you don't know me, but I have lurked here since 2007 and done a couple of book (b)logs off and on over the last five years or so (First attempt and second attempt). I just found my way back here again this afternoon and thought I'd keep with tradition and start a new book log for 2014. We'll see how long I can go this year before I have to disappear due to busy-ness again. e_e;

 

To give an update, I am still teaching and spend most of my freetime drawing or looking at art-related books/sites/things these days. I am trying to focus more on building my portfolio and getting into the illustration business (or at least trying to). But I do still go through phases where I'll read voraciously for a few days, so those times are probably when you will see me around most...because sometimes I need to decompress and ramble about how awesome a book I just read was on a forum that is used to lots of letters and will not "tldr" my words. ;)

 

What I tend to do in here is write reviews/ramble about the books I'm reading, so if that interests you feel free to join in. I mostly read fantasy, adventure, classics, and books about nature...but there are sometimes other things sprinkled in, and I am always open to suggestions. :)

 

Well then, here I go!


 


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Currently Reading:
 

Irresistable Revolution (re-read) by Shane Claiborne

A Framework for Understanding Poverty by Ruby K. Payne

Wind in the Willows byKenneth Grahame

Sitting on the shelf in Que to be Read:

Dracula by Bram Stoker
Beowulf
Aesop's Fables by Aesop
Cujo by Stephen King
Don Quixote by Miguel De Cervantes

 

 

Have Read since January 2014:

Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (5/5)
Old Yeller by Fred Gipson (4/5)
Savage Same by Fred Gipson (4/5)

Call of the Wild by Jack London (5/5)

Freaky Fast Frankie Joe by Lutricia Cliffton (4/5)

Ida B. by Katherine Hannigan (4/5)

Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood (4/5)

White Fang by Jack London (5/5)

Skip by Aileen Fisher (3/5)

Wild Mustang by Lynn Hall (3/5)

 

 

 

 

 


Recommended reads from years past:

*Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake [review]
**The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson [review]
*The Wal-Mart Effect by Charles Fishman[review]
*Gorillas in the Mist by Dian Fossey
**An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina

*A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin [review]

*The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
*War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy

 

 

Key:
** = Highly recommend!
* = Recommend
X = I didn't care for the book, would not recommend
All unmarked books mean that I enjoyed the read



My review ratings can be interpreted as such:
0/5: Paperweight
1/5: Could've done without reading this one, hardly any redeeming qualities
2/5: A "meh" book--unmemorable/had a lot of problems I couldn't read around
3/5: Pretty okay. You won't die if you miss it, but not awful.
4/5: Quite enjoyable, would read again.
5/5: You absolutely should read this. It reeks of awesome.
(you may assume that any title with * by it gets this rating from me)
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Would Like to Read but do not currently have in possession (aka my TBR list):

American Gods by Neil Gaiman
London by Edward Rutherfurd
Cretaceous sea: A novel of time travel by Will Hubbel
Ice Hunt by James Rollins
Raptor by Paul Zindel
Tyrannosaur Canyon by Douglas J. Preston
West of Eden by Harry Harrison
The Land that Time Forgot by Edgar Rice Burroughs
The Lost World by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Not a Fan by Kyle Idleman
Africa by Kim Donaldson
The Red Wyvern by Katherine Kerr
The Rover by Mel Odom
In Search of America by Peter Jennings
Long Night Dance by Betsy James
Eden by Olympia Vernon
The Iron Ring by Lloyd Alexander
Kushiel’s Dart by Jaquine Carny
The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks
Silverhair, Longtusk, Icebones by Steven Baxter
King’s Shadow by Elizabeth Alder
Between by Jean Thompson
The White Bone by Barbara Gowdy
Dragon’s Bait by Vivien Vande Velde
Firegold by Dia Calhoun
Pure Dead Magic by Debi Gliordi
Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden
The Merlin Conspiracy by Dianne Wynne Jones
The Book of the Lion by Michael Cadmum
Deep Dream of the Forrest by Malcom Bosse
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Four Loves by C.S. Lewis

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Nose-deep in White Fang right now, was reading along and saw this little excerpt that I liked and thought I'd share:

 

They ran many miles that day. They ran through the night. And the next day found them still running. They were running over the surface of a world frozen and dead. No life stirred. They alone moved through the vast inertness. They alone were alive, and they sought for other things that were alive in order that they might devour them and continue to live.

 

This starving wolf pack is written like a fire. Such cool imagery, makes me want to stop and draw. xD A frequent problem when I read.

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Hello Kasei, good to 'see' you. :smile:

 

White Fang has always intrigued me, so I will be really interested to read your review when you have completed it. The excerpt is wonderful, you can feel the rush of the passing pack.

 

The thought of a cross over between being a reader and an artist rolled up together is a bit mind blowing for this reading-only gal. If you are inspired to draw from the imagery in a text do you occasionally give into the urge?

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Hey there! Good to "see" you again too! :D Always nice when I recognize familiar names.

 

The thought of a cross over between being a reader and an artist rolled up together is a bit mind blowing for this reading-only gal. If you are inspired to draw from the imagery in a text do you occasionally give into the urge?

 

Oh yes, all the time! I have sketchbook pages full of character sketches and drawings of powerful scenes from the pages I read. I love books and I love drawing what I see come out of them. That's actually what I would love to do for a living, illustrate books. I have always been really interested in the idea of words and images helping to share thoughts from author/artist to the reader/viewer. Such a cool thing to me! It's like stepping into someone else's head for a moment. I may post some sketches here from time to time if people wouldn't mind the slight off topic-ness...

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Welcome back, Kasei!  You have some good books on your lists, and interesting reviews. 

I love the idea of drawing scenes from the books you're reading, fantastic!  Please do post some when you are able.  :)

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Hello Kasei  :006: .

I read The Call of the Wild many years ago (maybe 35 years ago) and the book is still haunting me; it was so different, written as the dog's perspective. 

I hope you are successful with your illustrations - I love book illustrations, and quite often I'm drawn (not meant to make a pun there  :giggle2: ) to a books by it's illustrations. :smile:

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School got cancelled on account of ice today, yay! So I was up at 3 am finishing White Fang. xD It was quite good, but I also have a bias towards nature books/books written with animals as the main characters. So...yeah, I dunno. Maybe if you're not into that sort of thing you wouldn't like it, but as someone who grew up reading Lassie Come Home, Redwall, The Black Stallion series, etc I certainly enjoyed it a lot. Great descriptions of White Fang's psychology throughout his life experiences.

 

And wow, thanks everyone for the comments and interest in pictures! I'll have to be sure to include some throughout my little blog here, even if they are just doodles. :3

Now onto a couple more animal books I swiped of my TBR shelf that I keep at my parents' house (not enough room in the apartment I own for all of them, haha). These ones are pretty short, but I will feel accomplished adding a few more books to my 2014 read list.

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Nice! Nothing like free classics! :D

 

I probably should review White Fang too since I usually do for the books I read....but I feel so weird reviewing a book that has such an established place in literary circles. It's one of the many well-known classics and, well, I dunno, I just feel weird writing a review for it. xD Maybe I will though sometime, just didn't have as much time today as I thought.

 

Sped through Skip and the Wild Mustang, but they weren't really all that notable. Not terribly written or anything, just very much aimed at a younger audience and there wasn't a lot of substance in them. The Wild Mustang was interesting insofar as it was based on a founding member of the Pony of the Americas horse breed named "Dragon." Made me go look up the facts and see what matched, so that was kind of neat. But even so, his story wasn't all that involved or surprising. So I probably won't be reviewing those book either, haha. Wind in the Willows though, that one should be fun. It's one of those books I've always meant to read my whole life (like the Phantom Tollbooth, which I finally did read and HIGHLY reccomend) and just never have. Well, here's to checking another one off my lifelong reading list! May not get to it for another week or so though, life is about to get pretty busy again here for the next few days.

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You shouldn't feel obliged to write a review. For me reading other people's it's a case of knowing whether they liked it or not, and the reasons. For 'White Fang' you have said that you enjoyed the imagery and the 'great descriptions of White Fang's psychology throughout his life experiences.' (<quote!), so you have covered it! :D

 

I get all funny with my reviews and I get all vague and pretty meaningless. :blush2:  

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Oh no, I don't feel pressured at all. I was just commenting that it felt wierd not writing one since I almost always do, especially last year when I was doing this. I reviewed eeevveeerryyyttthiiing. And at length. xD Always glad to point someone in the direction of a good read though! Hope you enjoy it.

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