Review: Nightchaser (Endeavor Trilogy #1) by Amanda Bouchet

2 stars for Nightchaser (Endeavor Trilogy book 1) by Amanda Bouchet.

It has been a long time coming since I read a science fiction romance. It is not for lack of trying but the limited pool of space opera novels good enough to make my heart flutter and sweep me off my feet keeps me away from my favourite genre. Frankly, I am hesitant to start another series and a trilogy at that after my last book by this same author, book 2 of Kingmaker Trilogy. But if experience teaches me anything where reading is concerned, it is that there is nothing to lose - save my time - and everything to gain by giving authors a second chance.

A couple of chapters into the story sees me smiling from ear to ear for taking the odds with this author. The writing is remarkable. The plot seems credible. The world building is good going. I tell myself perhaps this is really the one - the epitome of space opera. There is the science in the fiction what with outer space, space travel, space warfare, spacecraft, spacewalk, hyperspace, melodramatic adventure, risk-taking, sophisticated technology and then some. And then, there is the science in the, well, science. There is black hole, wormhole, discoveries of vaccines, hypotheses, experiments, scientists, biological warfare and more.

I will say everything is almost perfect, that is, until the author ruins it by introducing a male character who has the X factor. There is actually nothing wrong with this leading character except that everything about him screams tall, dark and hot to the point of unbelievably unbelievable. In a single exchange within twenty-four hours of meeting the female protagonist, Tess Bailey, X factor cares for pretty much nothing except to get into her hot pants. And the best part? It goes both ways. I am appalled at the sudden change in story direction; from the moment X factor makes his appearance, what is supposedly a science fiction romance is turning into a science fiction erotica. There is absolutely zero romance. How does romance even fit in when there is no passage of time for two people to fall in love and develop into something that lasts for this very reason? Instead, there is craving, hunger and biological urge. Even though the author tries to justify their behaviour with explanations, I still cringe every time the two protagonists come together only to be ruled by a passion which is that of carnal love. Perhaps I am wrong, but somehow, I feel that the author tries to remedy the lust at first sight situation with romance later. But the damage is done. And it becomes terribly obvious from the instant X factor materialises that everything about this story is building towards concluding their game of hide the salami.

Then, there is the issue of foul language. There is just way too many expletives used for my liking. They are in every chapter and everywhere. Ok, maybe I exaggerate some but it seems to me, cuss words are scattered all over the place. A good story does not need that many four-letter words to bring its point across. No, scratch that. A good story does not need any profanity to make it good. Period.

Nightchaser has all the potential to make it as a great science fiction novel, one of its kind. I enjoy this story where elements of science fiction is concerned, but sadly, the same cannot be said for the so-called romance portion. In my opinion, the story can do very well on its own sans an alliance that has nothing to do with love and romance but everything to do with desire and libido that goes into overdrive more times than I can count. As it is, Nightchaser makes a wrong move to chase after the wrong goal somewhere along the line and comes away as a science fiction erotica masquerading as science fiction romance. This is definitely not what I have in mind when I first set out to read this book.

If experience teaches me anything where reading is concerned, it is that it is time to let go of this author.

Review: Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein

3 stars for Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein.

This is my third attempt to read the book. For my first two tries, I cannot for the life of me recall reason for the reading failure other than a vague recollection that I did not go anywhere beyond the first few chapters. All things considered, I think I did a good job this time round as I manage to enjoy more than half of this original version of the science fiction classic, complete and uncut with a preface by Virginia Heinlein, erm.. before it loses me again. Yes.

This book was first published in 1961, eight years before The United States' Apollo 11's first crewed mission to land on the Moon. It is quite amazing to think that way before man's first successful Moon landing, author Robert Heinlein has already set the wheels turning to piece together a story about Earth making successful contact with another planet, another civilised race - the Martians. It goes to show how creative this writer's imagination is.

Stranger in a Strange Land revolves around an intelligent being with the genes and ancestry of a man. He is a man, but he does not think like one having been brought up on Mars by the Martian way shaped by Martian environment. He thinks like a Martian and feels like a Martian. In fact, he is more a Martian than a man and possesses great powers exclusive to the Martians. The author makes it easy for readers to guess who the stranger is and which planet this strange land is referring to.

There are three things I like about this novel. First is the good sense of humor throughout the book and the good dose of innocence as displayed by the Man from Mars, Valentine Michael Smith. He seems like an ordinary young male human, bright, docile and eager to learn, but he is more than he appears to be due to his strange background and upbringing. As such, I find myself constantly entertained by Smith and his grokking. Yes, he groks! Second is the superb display of political and media manipulation. I read with great delight the many conversations so masterfully crafted to show social media manipulation as a political tool with science fiction as the backdrop. Third and also last is the unexpected twists and turns of the story. Though a slow-paced story, it is not easy to predict what Smith is going to do next and this makes the reading fun and forward looking.

I will have gladly given this book a 4-star rating or more has it not been the way the story develops two-thirds into the book. From the writing, I have an inkling where the story is heading and my intuition tells me that I am not going to like it. As usual, intuition wins and I find myself losing grip with the story, especially when the Man from Mars goes into the sacred grounds of Archangel Foster Tabernacle of the Church of the New Revelation to meet with the Supreme Bishop. It didn't get any better from then on but progressively worse. There are pages and pages of discussion on religion. This science fiction of a story has turned into a wearying religious philosophy. I am so not interested to grok the topic of faith and doctrine even though I am only an egg (in the Martian sense), so I started skipping large chunks of text. And before I know it, I have reached the end of the book. Well, at least the ending chapter is funny and entertaining still.

I am thankful to friend Robert (of Mafia and Pet Society) for recommending this book to me. It has been an entertaining read (save the religious portion). I have finally completed my journey with the Man from Mars. And I think I have learnt to grok, not perfect but can make do.

Review: My Ideal Bookshelf by Thessaly La Force

3 stars for My Ideal Bookshelf by Thessaly La Force.

Books find readers. Yes, you heard me; I believe a book seek its reader. Books always unexpectedly find me instead of the other way around. And when it does, I will reshuffle my Reading List and go with the flow. What I like to say really is, I did not seek this book. Interestingly, this book comes to me at the right time, right after I have read My Bookstore. Any other time and I will likely have dismissed the book.

It is interesting peeking into other people's reading lives, especially people from all walks of life - actors, architects, artists, athletes, cartoonists, chefs, composers, curators, dancers, designers (for book cover, fashion, graphic, interior, jewelry, typeface), doctors, editors, filmmakers, historians, illustrators, journalists, librarians, musicians, photographers, poets, producers, violist, writers - to see what they have read or are reading or are rereading. It feels good to be among people who loves to read. I have an enjoyable time thumbing through the pages of this book, examining the bookshelves of every contributor in there, checking out the hidden gems in their collection, that is, books I never know existed, and it goes without saying, adding them to my ever-growing Reading List.

In some ways this book helps to accentuate the different reasons for reading. Different people see things differently and have different taste in books. They look for different things in books and they look at different things on books. It every much depends on people's upbringing and what they do for a living. The same book can mean different things to different people, or in different stages of life. What I glean from this book is, while most will advise "never judge a book by its cover", those who work in the artistic side of publishing, say an illustrator/artist will tell us to ignore that advice because to them, people judge books by their covers. Literally. Every day. Well, I think they are not wrong either.

My Ideal Bookshelf. The book title in itself is thought-provoking enough. It set me thinking. What does it mean to create my own ideal bookshelf? Hmm.. There is actually no such thing as one ideal bookshelf. Because a lot depends on where I am, physically and emotionally, when I decide to pick up a book and gives it a chance. It also depends on the different seasons of life. What I select today may be completely different from what I will assemble say one year later. What it means is, I may build my ideal bookshelf every year of my life and it will turn out to be completely different each time, though still as satisfying. Ultimately, it is not the building of an ideal bookshelf that matters, but rather, the ongoing search for the ideal book, the one more that I will love to read and hold dear for the rest of my life. That is the reason why my Reading List is growing longer by the day as I am constantly in search of and adding more good reads.

Nevertheless, I will still like to go ahead to put together my ideal bookshelf. It will display books that made me cry, books that I have read and reread, books that changed me, shaped my thinking and made me who I am today, books that I love most, and books that I think is the best I will ever read. These are books that are linked to the different moments of my life. They may be books I want on my ideal bookshelf for now, but who knows what the future has in store for me.

Reading is not simply a hobby or something done to pass time. Reading is a lifestyle, my lifestyle. Books are an essential part of my life and life story. There is nothing that parallels the physical book, nothing like its weight and feel, touch and smell, and the crackle of its spine. I am proud to say that I am the happy owner of physical books 1-6 below.

《My ideal bookshelf》

1. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
2. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell
3. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt
4. Stranger with My Face by Lois Duncan
5. The Lord of the Ring trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien
6. Magic Strikes by Ilona Andrews
7. Across the Universe trilogy by Beth Revis
8. Red Letter Day by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
9. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
10. Promise Me by Richard Paul Evans
11. Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
12. Ways to Live Forever by Sally Nicholls
13. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
14. The Year of Less by Cait Flanders
15. What I Know for Sure by Oprah Winfrey

So, the big questions is, if you are tasked to share your passion for reading with the world, to select a small shelf of books that represent you, books that have made you the person you are today, your favourite among the favourites, what books will you choose?

Review: My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop by Ronald Rice

4 stars for My Bookstore: Writers Celebrate Their Favorite Places to Browse, Read, and Shop by Ronald Rice.

This book is what I call Bookstore for the Literary Soul, the equivalent of Chicken Soup for the Soul book series. It is the embodiment of booklovers' paradise, a physical place where booklovers park themselves, not only to browse and buy books, but also to pass time, to lift their spirits and to just be.

It is a significant literary pleasure getting to know as many as eighty-four independent bookstores through authors' take on their favourites. Even though I have never set foot in any of the bookstores listed herein, I feel a great fondness and affinity with these bricks-and-mortar stores as if I have known them all my life. Bookstores are places of genuine wonder with a universe of knowledge on their shelves. Ask any booklover and she will tell you "there can never be too many books". For the same reason, there can never be too many small, locally owned bookstores. For a while, I read this hardcover book like a freight train, devouring bookstore after bookstore, soaking it all in. But as far as good things go, even bookstore hopping within the safety confines of my home does not escape the law of diminishing marginal utility. I have to admit that by the time I reach the forty-second bookstore, I feel somewhat overwhelmed by the stories inside every bookstore. Yes, each bookstore has its own history to tell, story to share, and every patron's experience is different, yet, it is all the same. Because all independent bookstores are owned or ran by book people. They know their store, they know their customers and they know books. Period.

Besides providing unique book-shopping experience to customers, independently owned bookstores also organized book events and readings, bring communities together, support small presses and give lesser-known or even unknown writers the opportunity to sign and read their books. This book gives an eye-opening look into the lives of authors. It has never occurred to me that even authors who are well known and well published now, were once unknown; having to launch a new career is no easy feat when most bookstores cannot be bothered with a rookie author's debut novel published by a small company.

This book also drives home the existential struggle faced by independent bricks-and-mortar bookstores around the world. The struggle is very real and is ever more dire, especially with the threat of big chain bookstores such as Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble and the inevitable rise in popularity of e-readers and e-books. With independent bookstores vanishing at an alarming rate, I wonder how many of these traditional bookstores will still be around in another three, five, ten or hundred years.

A bookstore is like a magical place, one where we may both lose and find ourselves. To have a bookstore - within walking distance from your home - which you like enough to call your own is truly a great blessing. I enjoy reading the essays and fond memories of authors on their favourite physical bookstores, but sadly, it also reminds me of the fact that there is no locally owned bookstore that I frequent enough and like enough to call my own - my personal bookstore. Sure, there are independent bookstores scattered around the island but I have yet to find the one. I am still searching, still hoping to discover My Bookstore.

My Bookstore is most certainly a book meant for readers and writers alike. If you like physical bookstores, to be surrounded by books (and I mean real books of hardcover and paperback), the feel of paper pages bound between covers, the smell of old books and the touch of language, then this is definitely the book to read.