Freedom

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20. The Dark River by John Twelve Hawks
21. The Diamond Throne by David Eddings
22. The Ruby Knight by David Eddings
23. Tangled Webs by Anne Bishop
24. The Sapphire Rose by David Eddings
25. Domes of Fire by David Eddings
26. The Shining Ones by David Eddings
27. The Hidden City by David Eddings
28. The Elder Gods by David & Leigh Eddings
29. The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop
30. Jhereg by Steven Brust
31. Yendi by Steven Brust
32. Teckla by Steven Brust
33. Taltos by Steven Brust

The Dark RiverThe sequel to Traveler, this is the second book by John Twelve Hawks.  It takes up where the first book left off.  The two brothers begin the search for their father, who they had thought was dead, killed by the Brethren.  It is every bit as good as the first book, and really makes you think about the world around you.

The EleniumThis trilogy is made up of the Diamond Throne, the Ruby Knight, and The Sapphire Rose.  This was the first series of books that I had read by David Eddings, the first time I read them.  This is the second time I've read them.  It is an epic tale of the Knight Sparhawk, and his search first to save his queen and then to save all Eosia.  It is a very well written trilogy, and well worth the second read.  I first read it about fifteen years ago.  Some might take offense to the theology in the books, but I'd recommend them to anyone who can look past this and enjoy the story.  It takes place in a different world than ours.

Tangled WebsI had trouble getting through this book the second time.  It was too close to the first time I read it.  I think it's my least favourite book in the series.

http://kethar.livejournal.com/238094.html

The TamuliThis trilogy, made up of Domes of Fire, The Shining Ones, and The Hidden City, takes up where the Elenium ends, or a few years later.  Once more Sparhawk's skills are needed, this time in the Tamul Empire.  The characters we met and loved in the first trilogy are joined by more characters for the conclusion to the story.  I didn't like this trilogy as much as the first one, but it was still excellent and worth the read.  It doesn't ruin the first series; it adds to it.

The Elder GodsThe first book in the Dreamers, a series of four books also by David Eddings (and his wife), this book has nothing to do with the Sparhawk books, despite both having Elder and Younger gods.  They are different Elder and Younger gods.

This series is about the wars between That-Called-The-Vlagh and the people of the lands ruled by the Elder Gods.  This first book takes place primarily in the domain of Zelana.  Aided by the Dreamers, four children who can change things with their dreams, the four Elder Gods recruit fighters to assist in the war.  Zelana recruits Maags, pirates from the west, and her brother Veltan recruits Trogite soldiers.  Together these two forces prepare to fight the armies of the Vlagh.

It's a good book, but not as good as the Sparhawk books, which still are my favourites from David Eddings.

The Shadow QueenI enjoyed this book every much as much the second time.  I think it is better written than Tangled Webs.

http://kethar.livejournal.com/238094.html


JheregSteven Brust is one of my three favourite authors of all time, and this is my favourite series by him.  This is my third time reading this book, along with the next four, and will be the second time for the rest of the series, except the latest which I haven't read before.

This series follows Vladimir Taltos (pronounced Taltosh).  This it the first book.  Vlad is an assassin in the Jhereg, one of the seventeen Houses of the Dragaerian Empire.  He is also a witch and a sorceror.  This book is about an assassination he has been hired to preform.  The target is a high up in the Organization of the Jhereg, who has made the rest of the high ups very angry.  Things get very complicated and Vlad has to find a way to complete his mission without upsetting his friends.

I love this book.  It is well written, an easy read, and a delight to read.  I would recommend it to anyone.

YendiThe second book in the series, this one is about a Jhereg war Vlad finds himself in.  Things get complicated again, and Vlad has to find a way out of it.  This book takes place before Jhereg and provides background for the first book, including how he meets his wife.

TecklaThis book takes place just after the events of Jhereg.  Vlad is suddenly rich as a result of the first book and seeks to determine what he will do with the money.  His wife gets involved with a group of revolutionaries and doesn't tell Vlad.  When he finds out, he is very upset and proceeds to try to protect her.  This gets between them and Vlad finds himself astranged from his wife, trying to solve a murder, trying to protect her, and generally trying to figure out what his lifes all about.

This was a hard book to read this time.  It hadn't been the first two times.  I think the issues between Vlad and his wife hit me harder this time.  The first time I wasn't married; I don't know why it wasn't hard the second time.

TaltosThis takes place the furthest back in time of all the books in the series so far, before Yendi.  He is just new to running his area and one of his employees steals from him and escapes to Dzur Mountain.  Vlad must meet Morrolan, the lord of Castle Black, and Sethra Lavode, the Sorceress of Dzur Mountain, who are friends of his in later (earlier written) books.  Eventually, this leads him the Paths of the Dead, which he's mentioned in later (earlier written) books having been to, to run an errand for Morrolan and Sethra.  He doesn't know what's in store for him.

-ken-

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14. Shadows and Light by Anne Bishop
15. Dreams Made Flesh by Anne Bishop
16. The House of Gaian by Anne Bishop
17. The DustBunnies/MarchHares Big Damn Handout Volume I, Third Revision by Valerie Walker (veedub)
18. Sebastian by Anne Bishop
19. Belladonna by Anne Bishop

Shadows and Light
The second book in the House of Gaian series, this book takes up where Pillars of the World leaves off. The Inquisitors are regrouping, and the Bard and the Muse set off to find help to fight them. In this book, we learn more about the House of Gaian and about the Fae.

This book is as good or better than the first book. I greatly enjoyed it. Definitely read the first book before reading this one.

Dreams Made Flesh
http://kethar.livejournal.com/204603.html#cutid1

The House of Gaian
The third and final book in the House of Gaian series, this book raps up the series nicely. War is coming and everyone is heading towards the same places. Unexpected allies begin to gather to fight together. This book is action packed and very good. It may be the best book in the series. It's the longest of the books and I read it the fastest. This series just gets better and better.

The DustBunnies/MarchHares Big Damn Handout Volume I, Third Revision
This is a book of handouts about the Feri Tradition. It's in its third revision. I read most of the second revision back a while and it was improved and contains a lot more information. It had some parts that I couldn't relate to, especially the parts about Hestia, but over all, it's a useful book for anyone interested in Feri.

Sebastian
I put off reading this series, Ephemera, because Sebastian is about an incubus and this didn't seem interesting. Boy was I wrong. I think this series is the best series Anne Bishop has written. Everyone should read it.

Set in a world where the land has been shattered into pieces called landscapes, connected by bridges, which form connections that join the landscapes together, Sebastian is an incubus who had a hard childhood. He lives in a landscape called the Den of Iniquity. His cousin is a Landscaper named Glorianna Belladonna. Bad things start happening when an ancient evil is release and begins to hunt across the landscapes once again.

Belladonna
This book leaves off where Sebastian left off, and is the final book in the duology. It follows Belladonna, Sebastian's cousin, primarily. Both books are just as good, and the best books I've read in a long time is not forever. Belladonna must find a way to fight the ancient evil released in the first book, while trying to protect her new friends and her family.

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8.  The Far Kingdoms by Allan Cole & Chris Bunch
9.  Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop
10.  Heir to the Shadows by Anne Bishop
11.  Queen of the Darkness by Anne Bishop
12.  The Invisible Ring by Anne Bishop
13.  Etheric Anatomy by Victor & Cora Anderson

The Far Kingdoms
There have been legends of the Far Kingdoms, but no one had ever been there.  Amalric Antero has come to age and meets a soldier named Janos Greycloak.  Janos convinces him to seek the Far Kingdoms for his Finding.  The rest of the book follows their adventures as the seek this legendary land.

It's a very good book, though very dense.  It has small print and is fairly long, so it took me a long time to finish it.  It's a grand, epic adventure that I would recommend to anyone.

Daughter of the Blood
I'm rereading this books.  I like them a lot.  I will post a link to my original reviews of each book.

http://kethar.livejournal.com/195177.html

Heir to the Shadows
http://kethar.livejournal.com/195177.html

Queen of the Darkness
http://kethar.livejournal.com/195177.html

The Invisible Ring
http://kethar.livejournal.com/195177.html

Etheric Anatomy: the Three Selves and Astral Travel
Victor and Cora were the founders of the Feri Tradition.

It's a strange book.  The book gives the most detailed description of the three souls that I've ever read, whether in Feri or in Kabbalah.  It's a great description.  The book also gives information about out-of-body experiences and astral travel.  As such, I wouldn't recommend it to most people.  As I said, it's a strange book.

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7.  Wondrous Strange by Lesley Livingston

Wondrous Strange

Wondrous Strange is a young adult book which is really good.  Kelley has moved to New York City to be an actress.  She's in the play a Midsummer's Night Dream.  Little does she know, the Faerie world is real.  The book is the story of her discovery of what that means.  Sonny is a Janus, a changeling who was stolen as a babe and now defends the Samhain Gate, Central Park, to keep the Fae from coming through.  He stumbles upon Kelley one night, and his world is never the same.

I really enjoyed this book.  It was a fast read, but well written.  I'd recommend it to anyone.

-ken-

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5.  Tangled Webs by Anne Bishop
6.  The Shadow Queen by Anne Bishop

Tangled Webs

I forgot how much I love the books in this series.  This is the sixth Black Jewels book.  Taking place after the events of the trilogy, this book could stand as a stand alone book, but is better if you read the other books, or at least the Trilogy, first.

Jaenelle decides to create spooky house, modeled after the Landen's misconceptions of the Blood.  When Surreal, Lucivar, and Daemon receive invitations, they think the invitations are from Jaenelle and Marian.  Surreal shows up and finds herself in trap.  Now her family have to find a way to rescue her.

This was a great book, living up to the enjoyment of the rest of the series.  It contains surprises and draws you in.  There is some violence to to children, so some people might have issues with the book.  There was a few things that Surreal says that she shouldn't have known because other people had said the things when she couldn't have heard, and one similar place where Daemon knew something before anyone had a chance to tell him.  This is my only complaint and the only place the book didn't live up to the rest of the series.  These parts don't take away from the book, though.

The Shadow Queen

The seventh Black Jewels book, this book takes place after Tangled Webs, but mostly back in Terreille.  This book builds on the events of the Invisible Ring.  Dena Nehele, where the Gray Ladies once ruled, has barely survived the events of the Trilogy.  They have survived a Landen uprising and have tentitively established.  All they're missing is a Queen.  No Queens who know the Old Ways have survived.  And in Kaeleer, Cassidy has lost her Court.  The entire First Circle resigned, so she is a Queen without a Court.  Jaenelle has created a Tangled Web and sees the Cassidy can either save Dena Nehele or lead to its final end.  Cassidy goes to Terreille to be the Queen.

This was an excellent book!  I read it much too fast.  There was nothing in it to complain about.  It can be read as a stand alone book, though it's better knowing the events of at least the Trilogy and the Invisible Ring.  Unlike the Trilogy and several of the other books, nothing bad enough happens to children to be hard to read.  This is an excellent book and definitely lives up to the rest of the series.

-ken-

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4. Night Huntress by Yasmine Galenorn

Night Huntress

I just finished the fifth book in the Otherworld series. We return to Delilah's perspective.  They discover the location of the fourth spirit seal, but have to once again find it before Karvanak the Raksasa gets it.  Trillian is missing and Chase and Delilah and Chase are having problems.

Like the rest of the books, it was a light read, but enjoyable.  A little more sex than the previous ones, but not too much.  I enjoyed reading it.

-ken-

From kiptripsyc:

"Don't take too long to think about it. Ten books you've read that will always stick with you. First ten you can recall in no more than 15 minutes."

(Order is random...)

1. Steven Brust's Jereg series
2. Isaac Asimov's Foundation trilogy
3. Madeleine L'Engle's Winkle in Time series
4. Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit
5. C.S. Lewis's Chronicles of Narnia
6. Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun
7. Gene Wolfe's Fifth Head of Cerebus
8. Lynn Flewelling's Luck in the Shadows series
9. William Gibson's Neuromancer trilogy
10. William Gibson's Pattern Recognition

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...
3.  Silk by Caitlin R. Kiernan

Silk

This is a disturbing and excellent book. It takes place in Birmingham, Alabama, I believe in the present. It is a dark book, not one to read if you want something light. Spyder, the character that the story revolves around, owns a shop that sells everything and lives alone in the family house with a bunch of spiders. Daria plays bass in a band with Mort, the drummer, and Keith, Daria's druggy boyfriend. Theo, Mort's girlfriend hangs around the band. Niki leaves New Orleans and ends up in Birmingham. Robin, Byron, and Walter hang out with Spyder. Strange things start happening and everyone is in danger.

There isn't one main character in this book. It changes back and forth between characters. It's written in a stream of consciousness type of feel, which adds to the dark feel. I loved the book and recommend it highly.

-ken-

0.  The Devouring by Simon Holt
1.  Lick of Frost by Laurell K. Hamilton
2.  Dragon Wytch by Yasmine Galenorn

( Reviews... )

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I read 31 books this year, if I didn't miss any.  That's six more than last year.

1. Fool's Errand by Robin Hobbs
2. Golden Fool by Robin Hobbs
3. Fool's Fate by Robin Hobbs
4. Ship of Magic by Robin Hobbs
5. When Demons Walk by Patricia Briggs
6. Darkling by Yasmine Galenorn
7. Blade of Fortriu by Juliet Marillier
8. The Sword of Bheleu by Lawrence Watt-Evans
9. The Book of Silence by Lawrence Watt-Evans
10. Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
11. Steal the Dragon by Patricia Briggs
12. The Witch of Cologne by Tobsha Learner
13. Shadows Return by Lynn Flewelling
14. Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop
15. Heir of the Shadows by Anne Bishop
16. Queen of Darkness by Anne Bishop
17. Invisible Ring by Anne Bishop
18. Daughter of the Desert by Noel-Anne Brennan
19. Dreams Made Flesh by Anne Bishop
20. Pillars of the World by Anne Bishop
21. A Thousand Words for Stanger by Julie E. Czerneda
22. Ties of Power by Julie E. Czerneda
23. To Trade the Stars by Julie E. Czerneda
24. Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
25. Wanderlust by Ann Aguirre
26. The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison
27. KOP by Warren Hammond
28. Reap the Wild Wind by Julie E. Czerneda
29. Horus Rising (Horus Heresy Book 1) by Dan Abnett
30. False Gods (Horus Heresy Book 2) by Graham McNeill
31. Galaxy in Flames (Horus Heresy Book 3) by Ben Counter

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...
31. Galaxy in Flames (Horus Heresy Book 3) by Ben Counter

( Review... )

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I'm going to try to get caught up on my book reviews.

...
22. To Trade the Stars by Julie E. Czerneda
23. Grimspace by Ann Aguirre
24. Wanderlust by Ann Aguirre
25. The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison
26. KOP by Warren Hammond
27. Reap the Wild Wind by Julie E. Czerneda
28. Horus Rising (Horus Heresy Book 1) by Dan Abnett
29. False Gods (Horus Heresy Book 2) by Graham McNeill

( Reviews... )

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I got on a SciFi kick, so I've changed to SciFi books.  I red the first two books in Julie E. Czerneda's Trade Pact Universe series. I haven't found the third one yet.

...
21. A Thousand Words for Stanger by Julie E. Czerneda
22. Ties of Power by Julie E. Czerneda

( Reviews... )

-ken-

In my last post of reviews, I missed one book.  Since then, I've read two more.  I'm going to do them all as one post.

...
18. Daughter of the Desert by Noel-Anne Brennan
19. Dreams Made Flesh by Anne Bishop
20. Pillars of the World by Anne Bishop

( Read more... )

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I Asked for Wonder, A Spiritual Anthology from Abraham Joshua Heschel's writings (Page 94):

The Pious Man

Whatever the pious man does is linked to the divine; each smallest trifle is tangential to His course. In breathing he uses His force; in thinking he wields His power. He moves always always under the unseen weight of the name of God rests steadily on his mind. The word of God is as vital to him as air or food. He is never alone, never companionless, for God is within reach of his heart. . . . The pious man needs no miraculous communication to make him aware of God's presence; nor is a crisis necessary to awaken him to the meaning and appeal of that presence. His awareness may be overlaid momentarily or concealed by some violent shift in consciousness, but it never fades away. It is this awareness of ever living under the watchful eye of God that leads the pious man to see hints of God in the varied things he encounters in his daily walk; so that many a simple event can be accepted by him both for what it is and also as a gentle hint or kindly reminder of things divine. In this mindfulness he eats and drinks, works and plays, talks and thinks; for piety is a life compatible with God's presence.

This mindfulness is Kavanah.

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I got way behind on my book reviews, so I'm going to do all of them as one post with just a few sentences for each. This isn't quite the order I read them in, and I could have missed a few, but I believe this is all the books I've read so far this year.

1. Fool's Errand by Robin Hobbs
2. Golden Fool by Robin Hobbs
3. Fool's Fate by Robin Hobbs
4. Ship of Magic by Robin Hobbs
5. When Demons Walk by Patricia Briggs
6. Darkling by Yasmine Galenorn
7. Blade of Fortriu by Juliet Marillier
8. The Sword of Bheleu by Lawrence Watt-Evans
9. The Book of Silence by Lawrence Watt-Evans
10. Dead Witch Walking by Kim Harrison
11. Steal the Dragon by Patricia Briggs
12. The Witch of Cologne by Tobsha Learner
13. Shadows Return by Lynn Flewelling
14. Daughter of the Blood by Anne Bishop
15. Heir of the Shadows by Anne Bishop
16. Queen of Darkness by Anne Bishop
17. Invisible Ring by Anne Bishop

( Read more... )

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Got this one from kiptripsyc:

THE CHARACTER RATING MEME

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I Asked for Wonder, A Spiritual Anthology from Abraham Joshua Heschel's writings (Page 61):

Something Asked

The beginning of faith is not a feeling for the mystery of living or a sense of awe, wonder, and amazement. The root of religion is the question what to do with the feeling for the mystery of living, what to do with awe, wonder, and amazement.

Religion begins with a consciousness that something is asked of us.

It is, in that tense, eternal asking in which the soul is caught and in which man's answer is elicited.

Isaiah 6 / Hebrew - English Bible / Mechon-Mamre:

.ח וָאֶשְׁמַע אֶת-קוֹל אֲדֹנָי, אֹמֵר, אֶת-מִי אֶשְׁלַח, וּמִי יֵלֶךְ-לָנוּ; וָאֹמַר, הִנְנִ שְׁלָחֵנִי

8. And I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then I said: 'Here am I; send me.'

The irony of the first quote above it that many people avoid the word "religion" because of the connotation of religion being the ritual without anything else. People think of religious people as those who talk the talk, but don't walk the walk, those who are hypocritical. People see religion as a synonym for not having the awe, wonder, or amazement, and not doing anything in response to any they do have. Heschel, on the other hand, sees religion as the response. Isaiah has a vision, sees G-d, realizes how far he truly is from the Divine, being unclean in the presence of Holiness. He is cleansed, and his response to this experience is to volunteer to go. He needed the experience first, but he wasn't content to do nothing. Like Heschel, his response to the mystery, the awe, the wonder, the amazement, is to do something. Are we content to experience the Mystery, or will we respond to it and do something to change our world? Will we step out of Fate and Mazal, and embrace Destiny and Change?

-ken-

He simply did what had to be done ... It would be easy, he told himself, to throw everything overboard and disclaim any responsibility.  All he had to do was saddle up and ride out of the country.  It sounded easy, but it was not that easy, even if a man could leave behind his sense of guilt at having deserted a cause.  To be a man was to be responsible.  It was as simple as that.  To be a man was to build something, to try to make the world about him a bit easier to live in for himself and those who followed.  You could sneer at that, you could scoff, you could refuse to acknowledge it, but when it came down to it, he decided it was the man who planted a tree, dug a well, or graded a road who mattered.

~ Louis L'Amour, Conagher

Jeremiah 1 / Hebrew - English Bible / Mechon-Mamre:

ה בְּטֶרֶם אצורך (אֶצָּרְךָ) בַבֶּטֶן יְדַעְתִּיךָ, וּבְטֶרֶם תֵּצֵא מֵרֶחֶם הִקְדַּשְׁתִּיךָ: נָבִיא לַגּוֹיִם, נְתַתִּיךָ.
ו וָאֹמַר, אֲהָהּ אֲדֹנָי יְהוִה, הִנֵּה לֹא-יָדַעְתִּי, דַּבֵּר: כִּי-נַעַר, אָנֹכִי.    ס
ז וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֵלַי, אַל-תֹּאמַר נַעַר אָנֹכִי: כִּי עַל-כָּל-אֲשֶׁר אֶשְׁלָחֲךָ, תֵּלֵךְ, וְאֵת כָּל-אֲשֶׁר אֲצַוְּךָ, תְּדַבֵּר.
ח אַל-תִּירָא, מִפְּנֵיהֶם: כִּי-אִתְּךָ אֲנִי לְהַצִּלֶךָ, נְאֻם-יְהוָה.
ט וַיִּשְׁלַח יְהוָה אֶת-יָדוֹ, וַיַּגַּע עַל-פִּי; וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה אֵלַי, הִנֵּה נָתַתִּי דְבָרַי בְּפִיךָ.
י רְאֵה הִפְקַדְתִּיךָ הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה, עַל-הַגּוֹיִם וְעַל-הַמַּמְלָכוֹת, לִנְתוֹשׁ וְלִנְתוֹץ, וּלְהַאֲבִיד וְלַהֲרוֹס--לִבְנוֹת, וְלִנְטוֹעַ.    פ

5. Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee, and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee; I have appointed thee a prophet unto the nations.
6. Then said I: 'Ah, Lord GOD! behold, I cannot speak; for I am a child.'
7. But the LORD said unto me: say not: I am a child; for to whomsoever I shall send thee thou shalt go, and whatsoever I shall command thee thou shalt speak.
8. Be not afraid of them; for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.
9. Then the LORD put forth His hand, and touched my mouth; and the LORD said unto me: Behold, I have put My words in thy mouth;
10. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, and to destroy and to overthrow; to build, and to plant.

Sometimes what we want to do and what needs to be done aren't the same thing.  Are we willing to sacrifice our wants to do what needs to be done?  Are we willing to sacrifice our wants to move from Fate to Destiny?

-ken-

I Asked for Wonder, A Spiritual Anthology from Abraham Joshua Heschel's writings (Page 65):

What of the Night?

This is a time to cry out.

One is ashamed to be human. One is embarrassed to be called religious in face of religion's failure to keep alive the image of God in the face of man....We have imprisoned God in our temples and slogans, and now the word of God is dying on our lips.

There is darkness in the East, and smugness in the West.

What of the night?

What of the night?