Drawing a Blank by Aaron Ehrenhaft

It was time for another change up. Somehow, this book reminded me very much of the Man in the Ceiling by Jules Feiffer. It had similar themes of escapism and the whole nice ending thing working for it. Only, there was a lot more light-hearted moments in this one.

The story is about a boy and - as the subtitle says - how he tried to solve a mystery, end a feud, and land the girl of his dreams. Seems like a pretty 2-dimensional kind of story with one dimensional characters doesn't it? Well, let me tell you it is not. You learn about random things like Bentham's Panopticon and words like misogynist and misanthropy. Teenagers, especially the guys would enjoy this book.

This is a book that you want to pick up after a long day at work or at school and chill out and read just to relax and laugh. People who love utterly random and slapstick humor will enjoy this book. And if you have this thing for accents, well, let's just say, " Well, what are you waiting for? Pick that book up!"

The Gods of Amyrantha by Jennifer Fallon

And the plot thickens... like mash potato gravy and just as yummy. Did I also mention that Jennifer Fallon herself has seen the review of The Immortal Prince? All us people at All Books Great and Small feel very honored to have had it featured in her blog. Check out her website! It's awesome!

We last left the story at the point Cayal saves Arkady from certain death. The second book starts off with a prologue giving the us readers a taste of the Immortals' cruelty and a stark look at the nature of their ability to heal unconditionally adding urgency to the fact that the Immortals must be killed. What was ironic was that in this same prologue, one can see the cruelty that humans possess.

Arkady and her husband Stellan are exiled to the capital of Torlenia ironically, for helping the crown prince get out of trouble. In the meantime, Jaxyn Aranville, Stellan's lover, is making plans to move in on the throne which are not going as smoothly as he would like it because Diala, another immortal posing as Stellan's niece, is one up on him because of her marriage to the crown prince. As they both make their move to dispose of any other heir to the throne, Stellan and Arkady suddenly find themselves under arrest for high treason. The millenia old question then remains... will mere mortals be able to find a way to rid themselves of the machinations of the Immortals?

Another sleepless night worth spending. The Gods of Amyrantha keeps you on the edge of your seat, breathless in anticipation of what will happen next. This is a series that is worth following closely. The Immortal Prince was captivating and this second instalment has yet to disappoint! A beautifully woven tapestry of words!

Naked by David Sedaris

Finished this one last month. I finally have a little time to write about it. I'll be blunt. It was twisted, cynical and utterly mind boggling. That being said, I think it was a pretty good read! Naked is a collection of short stories detailing parts of Sedaris's life. Though some of the incidents he talks about are fairly mundane, his take on them creates this bizarre twist. He takes you through his world of constant hitch-hiking (he refuses to drive in Chicago), kids and X-rated reading material, making friends with the physically challenged, the harmless white lies that all parents (especially dads) tell their kids, and... wait for it... nudist colonies. Reliving his life was quite the experience. Though his brand of humor doesn't quite suit my taste (as I only found one of his stories particularly humorous), those who enjoy cynicism and sarcasm at its twisted best would do well to pick up this book. Our latest addition to the team, (Bagus) would be a great example.

The Black Tattoo by Sam Enthoven

In addition to being attracted by really cool book covers, I happened to be attracted by tattoo designs as well. Not that I'll ever get one in this lifetime. I think I'll leave the permanent skin marking thing to the brave souls out there clamoring for one.

That said, this book was particularly intriguing. You'd think that with a title like that the story line would go along the lines of the protagonist being born with this tattoo which gives away the fact that he is of noble birth or has some super fantastical power and how he has to deal with the responsibilities or consequences for having such a mark.

Wrong! You will be pleasantly surprised by the unusual plot of the story. I mean, it's still a good versus evil theme ultimately, but I guess conceptually and character-wise, this book wins my vote.

The story is set in London of the future. The villain: The Scourge. Three young heroes must set out to destroy The Scourge or the world risks being annihilated. Sounds cliched I know, but I wouldn't want to give a good story away.

Young adult readers would enjoy this book very much, especially if you're into supernatural powers and stories about demons.

Priestess of the White by Trudi Canavan

The Gods are fairly silent in the reality to most of us but in this book, the religious representatives of the people, The White, see their five Gods on a periodic basis. This is a world where Dreamweavers are being persecuted and feared by the Hanian people that they offer their healing services to. It has everything from a community of flying people and underwater dwellers created and favored by one of the gods, forbidden love, a mysterious cult from the south with sorcerous leaders clad in black that, according to hearsay, recruits followers by conducting religious orgies among other sacrilegious activities, and mysterious, powerful sorcerors on the run from the persecution of the White. It makes you wonder, whose side these people are on. And why do these five supposedly benevolent Gods instruct the White to destroy a people at one point or stay their hand at the next? And are they truly the only survivors of the great war between the Gods that happened once upon a time?

The great thing about this book is the way she wrote about the numerous and complex main characters that make this fantastic world go round. She introduced them all fairly early in the story. I normally go ballistic when authors keep you on tenterhooks about one character for the first third of the tale and then suddenly decide to switch to a completely new one during the second third. It throws me off but I have to admit, it makes the book all the more difficult to put down. I enjoyed how everything connected and lent itself to the mystery surrounding some of the more enigmatic characters. All in all a good read. This book is the first in Canavan's second trilogy, Age of the Five. For those who are just starting off in the fantasy genre, you might no want to try out this book just yet as it's a little heavy.

A Lick of Frost by Laurell K. Hamilton

This book is the 8th installment in the Meredith Gentry series. As a fantasy novel, it falls heavily into the romance genre as the book is chock full of authorized promiscuity in the faerie world. Faeries are normally potrayed as whimsically beautiful, ephemereal, magical creatures or as extremely sexual beings who commonly take it in their heads to seduce (mainly) the heroine or hero of the story for their own evil(?) or enigmatic purposes. This tale of course plays on the latter except all the seduction takes place between faeries. Our heroine, Meredith Gentry, is the half-human, half Unseelie daughter of the deceased Prince of the Unseelie court. She has always been caught up in the drama and politics between the various faerie factions but as the years go by, each encounter seems more perilous than the next. Thankfully, her Darkness and Frost are always there by her side to support her. This time around, Meredith has to secure her throne by following her sadistic Aunt's (The current Queen of the Unseelie) terms and deal with a horrible and unexpected accusation made by the Seelie King through human laws against her bodyguards. What makes this turn of events terrifying is the fact that the King had tried to kill her before... For those who love both the romance and fantasy genre, this book is definitely for you. It provides a good blend of both genres as it has all the spice of sizzling sex yet it retains the wonder and mystery of magic. All in all a great read!

The Wish List by Eoin Colfer

A great concept for a wonderful story. Mr. Colfer turns the conventional into the unconventional with his approach and concept of Heaven and Hell. If you've read Artemis Fowl at some point you will see what I mean.

'The Wish List' revolves around a young teenage girl named Meg Finn who, by some unfortunate twist of fate, gets herself blown up and splattered on the furnace while trying to save the life of an old man whose house she was planning to rob with her "friend", Belch Brennan. She then finds herself travelling to the Pearly Whites but finds herself neither here nor 'down' there. What's a girl to do to get into Heaven?

The characters are likeable and disagreeable. But that is the element that makes the story a fun and gripping read. I liked it because it reminds you of how valuable your life is and so, to live it to the fullest with no regrets to hinder your happiness without going all soppy on the reader. For young adult to adult readers.

Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde

"This book is dedicated with affection for
but no patience with
those who would protect our children through
humorless moralizing and paranoia about fantasy"

Hmmm... An intriguing dedication to kick-start a highly entertaining read. The story kicks off with Giannine Bellisario, who is grumpily on her way to redeem her gift certificate given by her dad for her birthday. You'd think that any teenager would be thrilled by a gift certificate to a virtual reality gaming center of the future where total immersion games exist.

Not so, first her indirectly asks her about what she wants for her birthday, via his secretary. Next there's a disturbance by members of Citizenz to Protect our Children (CPOC) outside the gaming center she's headed to AND the bus's artificial intelligence isn't letting her get down because she's under-aged. What else could go wrong?

Plenty, as Giannine finds herself trapped in the total immersion game Heir Apparent - thanks to equipment damage by a CPOC rampage. As if things couldn't get any worse, Giannine's life is at stake. The only way to get out of total immersion - with the equipment damaged - is to win the game. Easy right? Of course... not, Heir Apparent has multiple permutations that lead to its successful completion.

Will she get out in the end? What do you think?

This book is reccomended for readers who like good strategy and understand the world of role playing games. It's quite fascinating how fantasy can be woven into a technologically advanced setting. Readers will notice clashes in olden (fantasy) and modern day culture; especially where parent-child relationships are concerned.

Artemis Fowl: The Arctic Incident by Eoin Colfer

Successfully having survived the bio-bomb, narrowly, Artemis Fowl receives news that his father is still alive, unfortunately, in the hands of the mafia. Meanwhile, underground someone is aiding a revolt against the LEP Recon and is planning to take control of Haven City, but who? As events take a turn for the worst, Artemis and Holly realize that they may need all the help they can get... by joining forces.

Learn more about Artemis and his cleverly wrought plans in this great sequel as he battles the Arctic cold and the pre-conceptions the LEP Recon have of him. May his anti-heroism reign!

The Thief with No Shadow by Emily Gee

This book falls under the romance-fantasy genre. Yes, folks, it's got quite a hefty bit of romance. Pretty steamy too! It's about a wraith who has to save her brother from the Salamander's den because he tried to steal something from them. The element of story telling in it is really, very good. It was hard to close the book and stop all reading. Girls, if you like romance novels, give it a go! One of the better blends of romance and fantasy.