A to Z Challenge

A to Z Challenge: V is for Valdemar series

VToday’s A to Z Challenge post carries me back to my early teenage times, when I was only starting to read fantasy, and preferred the light and positive reads (and even though my preferences broadened a lot since then, I still enjoy a good happy ending).

I think I first came across Mercedes Lackey’s “Arrows of the Queen” in a cheap books store, one of the best places for a bookworm with little pocket money. The description intrigued me, and the price was pleasantly low, while the book itself was pleasantly thick. So I didn’t hesitate long before buying it. (more…)

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April 26, 2016
A to Z Challenge

A to Z Challenge: T is for “Trapp’s War”

TIn my A to Z Challenge posts I’ve already mentioned several times books recommended to me by my mom, and today I’m going about another one.

She handed Brian Callison’s “Trapp’s War” to me around the same time she let me read thrillers from her bookshelf, and as far as I remember, I’ve read it in one sitting. And then again, and again, and again… (Back when I was young and had plenty of time, I loved to re-read books.) (more…)

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April 23, 2016
A to Z Challenge

A to Z Challenge: R is for “Red Mars”

RWith today’s post in A to Z Challenge we’re going into space with Kim Stanley Robinson.

I found “Red Mars” (the first book in Mars Trilogy) in a library, a massive book promising a lot of words to read, and since I had a science-fiction phase, I grabbed it without thinking too much. Besides, who wouldn’t like a good story of the first colonists on Mars? I knew I would. And I did, but I got much more than I expected. (more…)

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April 21, 2016
A to Z Challenge

A to Z Challenge: Q is for Quotes

QAs the letter Q was quite tricky, in today’s A to Z Challenge post rather than writing about a particular book, I’ll focus on quotes from various books.

Some quotes become famous, and even people who haven’t read the books recognize them. One of such is definitely “Not all those who wander are lost” by J.R.R. Tolkien, another one would be “Winter is coming” from George R.R. Martin, or Leo Tolstoy’s “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” while others remain obscure save the fans of a particular book. (more…)

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April 20, 2016
A to Z Challenge

A to Z Challenge: P is for “Primeval and Other Times”

PFor today’s A to Z Challenge post I have a Polish book, but a book that has actually been translated into English, so if you get interested in it, you’ll be able to check it out.

I first came across “Primeval and Other Times” (in Polish: ”Prawiek i inne czasy”) by Olga Tokarczuk in my high school class. It was the fourth year, we were trying to catch up with the material before the finals came, so we didn’t cover much of Polish contemporary fiction, and since I already was diving into speculative fiction, I didn’t have much interest in it. But an excerpt from “Primeval and Other Times” was used as an example in a class (I can hardly recall what it was used for, something related with the style), and it looked very promising, but wrapped up in the preparation to finals, I just remembered the title and the author. And, after all, it wasn’t my genre, so I didn’t lose much by not reading it, right?

As you can guess, I was wrong, but I didn’t learn it until much later, when I finally purchased the book. (more…)

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April 19, 2016
A to Z Challenge

A to Z Challenge: O is for “The Orphan’s Tales”

OFor today’s A to Z Challenge post I’m once again going back to the familiar waters of speculative fiction, and will be sharing my impression of one of the most charming fantasy stories I’ve read in the recent decade.

I came across Catherynne M. Valente’s book in Uczta Wyobraźni (Feast of Imagination) series by a Polish publisher, MAG. “The Orphan’s Tales” is actually two books, “In the Night Garden” and “In the Cities of Coin and Spice”, but their structure makes them inseparable, so writing about them both seemed the best idea. (more…)

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April 18, 2016
A to Z Challenge

A to Z Challenge: N is for Non-Fiction

NA little late this time, but for the letter N in the A to Z Challenge I have a genre instead of one book, and a genre… I don’t really read.

It’s not that I don’t like non-fiction, but with so many great fiction books out there, they seem to always fall to the end of my reading list. But every once a while I skip the fiction and pick up some non-fiction, and three very different books always pop up in my memory. (more…)

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April 17, 2016
A to Z Challenge

A to Z Challenge: M is for “Miracle of Rare Design”

MFor today’s A to Z Challenge I’m coming back to the speculative genre with a book that is very special to me.

I first came across Mike Resnick’s books when my friend gave me his “Soothsayer”. I loved the concept and I loved the main character, a girl able to see possible futures and affect which one would happen, so I quickly read two other books in the trilogy (”Oracle” and “Prophet”), and then I searched for more by that author. This is how I came across “A Miracle of Rare Design”, though when I looked at the inconspicuous little book on the bookstore’s shelf, I didn’t know it would steal me for long hours, re-read after re-read. (more…)

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April 15, 2016