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…)

6 Comments

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…)

5 Comments

A to Z Challenge: L is for “A Little Princess”

LToday’s A to Z Challenge post will take me good 25 years back (if not more), to one of the most charming books I’ve read as a child. But truth to be told, it all started with a movie, not the book itself. If I recall correctly, it wasn’t the shortened and simplified version with young Shirley Temple, but a Japanese animated series. Of course, when I discovered “A Little Princess” is actually a book, I could not ignore it, and found it already waiting on my bookshelf where my mom had placed it. (more…)

11 Comments

A to Z Challenge: K is for “The Key to Rebecca”

KAfter two rather obscure titles from Poland, my today’s A to Z Challenge is going to back to the safe waters of books in English, though I steer away from the speculative fiction, and will be writing about a book from another genre.

Before I dived into the depths or fantasy and science-fiction, when I’ve already ran out of adventure books to read (my library had a great selection… but I had a great amount of time and was always a fast reader), I started poking around my parents’ library. My mom already recommended some books to me, like the Count of Monte Christo, so I felt confident I’d find another great read on her bookshelf. This is how I came across thrillers. (more…)

11 Comments

A to Z Challenge: J is for “Jeszcze jeden bohater” (“One More Hero”)

JFor today’s A to Z Challenge I have another title in Polish language, a short story by Robert M. Wegner. Please bear with me, tomorrow I’ll be back to more English-friendly reads.

Robert M. Wegner is one of the rising stars of Polish speculative fiction and is most well-known for his epic fantasy (often compared to Erikson’s series), but he doesn’t shy away from science-fiction, like the short story I’ll be writing about: “Jeszcze jeden bohater” (”One more hero”) published in the anthology “Herosi” (“Heroes”). (more…)

4 Comments

A to Z Challenge: H is for Hyperion Cantos

HThe A to Z Challenge is a chance for me to re-visit books that left an impression in the past, and letter H brings a very special book.

I’ve already mentioned “Hyperion” by Dan Simmons in last year’s Myk’s Book Tag, and that it was a turning point in me getting more interested in science-fiction. I eyed the book in the library, one of the few that I hadn’t read by the time that kept sparking my interest. So I gave it a chance. (more…)

9 Comments

A to Z Challenge: F is for Fairy Tales

FAs you probably guessed already, today’s post in A to Z Challenge won’t be related to one particular title, but rather to a genre that just might be the most popular one in the world: fairy tales. Whether written down or spoken, they accompany us since childhood, since we’re able to understand the words, and are a worldwide phenomenon: every culture, every tribe has their tales. (more…)

19 Comments