A long-time fan of the Harry Potter series, or "epic tale," as they put it, you can bet that I had the book in my hand when it came out on the 21st.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows is more or less what I expected it to be. There were some explanations for things, a number of plot lines resolved, and it had exactly the cheesy ending I thought it might. I enjoyed it, but don't know whether I'll read it again.

A week or two ago I finished reading The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly. It's an excellent tale of a boy who loves reading books, especially tales of fantasy. When his mother dies, the line between the fantasy and real worlds begins to blur, until he finds himself thrust in the world of his fantastic stories.

I found the book on the clearance rack at Barnes and Noble, and am glad I did. It's a fun read.

aaand that's book 4 in the Earthsea cycle. It was called the Earthsea trilogy when LeGuin wrote it in the late sixties and early seventies, until twenty years later, when she picked it up again with the fourth book, Tehanu. Then it became the Earthsea cycle.

I found this one to be pretty predictable and heavy in feminism. The development of a new, interesting character brought some freshness to it, but I didn't find that this book fit well with the others. It's still worth reading, but I would have been fine reading just the original trilogy.

So… overall, it's good, but not great.

Yesterday I finished reading the second book in the Earthsea cycle, The Tombs of Atuan, and today I finished The Farthest Shore, the third. Ursula K. LeGuin is a master wordsmith. The books are fantastic and written as one in that world may tell the legend. Highly, highly recommended if you like fantasy. Even if you don't, they're worth a read.

plot=great
writing style=awesome
addiction level=high

It's been years since I read Ursula K. LeGuin's Earthsea trilogy. I had been meaning to go back and revisit them, so I finally picked up the first book, A Wizard of Earthsea, and read it today. I had forgotten how good these books are. I'm itching to read the rest now. If you like fantasy, it's well worth a read, and the books aren't too long.

Ever heard of flash fiction? No? Then read these short stories, each comprised of six words.

honey, please... put the chainsaw down.

A few days ago I spent about two days reading Christopher Paolini's Eragon and Elder, the first two books in the Inheritance trilogy. It was a decent read, but nothing to go nuts over. The story has all the familiar elements: elves and dwarves acting out their stereotypes, strong friendships that turn to betrayal, war, and the emergence of a hero from a nobody kid. It's very much a coming-of-age story, and seems so far to be a cross of the Lord of the Rings, Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern and Harry Potter. It's overwritten in some areas and underwritten in others, but the story itself is a pretty good one.

I just wonder about the elves. They hood the boy so the other elves won't notice that he's human, but they do nothing about the dwarf, when dwarves haven't been seen in their realm for ages… seems to me that dwarves aren't exactly inconspicuous. And what about the horse? He told it to stay there and wait for him, then he leaves without it. Makes me wonder if it's still there…

It's the little things that bug me. It's a decent read, though. Out of 5, I'd give it a 3.5. Worth reading if you like that kind of thing, but probably not something I'd read again. The movie comes out next week, though, and I'm sure I'm going to go see it.

I just finished reading Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. Certainly an interesting read. I liked it. Don't know if it's one I'll read again, but I enjoyed it well enough.

Two Michael Crichton books this time:

Eaters of the Dead
I very thorouhttp://beta.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifghly enjoyed this book. Picking it up every now and again, I finished it in 2 or 3 days. I was pretty confused as to what was fact and what was fiction. I get it now, though, and realize I also need to read Beowulf when I have a chance. And a copy.

State of Fear
Excellent, excellent book. Started reading it last night, I think, and finished it not too long ago. He always researches his stuff so thoroughly, and he's got a great writing style. The political and real-life fears are there, and really make you think. and criticize. It's good to think every now and again. You should give it a try sometime.