Saving Fish From Drowning by Amy Tan

Title: Saving Fish From Drowning

Author: Amy Tan

Type: Audiobook (abridged) 
Narrator: Amy Tan
Genre: Fiction

Series: No

Copyright: 2005
Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Rating: 3.5 out of 5


Summary: from Good Reads
A pious man explained to his followers: "It is evil to take lives and noble to save them. Each day I pledge to save a hundred lives. I drop my net in the lake and scoop out a hundred fishes. I place the fishes on the bank, where they flop and twirl. 'Don't be scared,' I tell those fishes. 'I am saving you from drowning.' Soon enough, the fishes grow calm and lie still. Yet, sad to say, I am always too late. The fishes expire. And because it is evil to waste anything, I take those dead fishes to market and I sell them for a good price. With the money I receive, I buy more nets so I can save more fishes." - Anonymous 

Twelve American tourists join an art expedition that begins in the Himalayan foothills of China - dubbed the true Shangri-La - and heads south into the jungles of Burma. But after the mysterious death of their tour leader, the carefully laid plans fall apart, and disharmony breaks out among the pleasure-seekers as they come to discover that the Burma Road is paved with less-than-honorable intentions, questionable food, and tribal curses. 

 And then, on Christmas morning, eleven of the travelers boat across a misty lake for a sunrise cruise - and disappear. 

Drawing from the current political reality in Burma and woven with pure confabulation, Amy Tan's picaresque novel poses the question: How can we discern what is real and what is fiction, in everything we see? How do we know what to believe? 

Feelings:
This is a culinarily distressing book. Part of this may have been that where the story starts in China, is someplace that I have been and I knew all the mistakes they were making without the author going into detail which she did. That's right all the food that makes them sick you hear about. All the stupid tourist culturally insensitive things they do them.

Once the story gets to Burma it gets a little less culinarily distressing and more about the characters. The political history included in the story is interesting and unfortunately even though this is a work of fiction some of what happens is what really has happened in Burma.

Something that is interesting and different about this story is that it is told from the point of view of a ghost and although she knows she is dead she is unsure how she died. Because of the fact that she is dead she knows all but cannot influence and must sit and watch.

I liked the story but could have done without much of the culinary distress that came from listening.

Blood of Dragons by Robin Hobb

Title: Blood of Dragons 
Author: Robin Hobb 
Type: Novel 
Genre:  Fantasy 
Series: Yes. Volume Four of the Rain Wilds Chronicles 
Pages: 425 
Copyright: 2013 
Publisher: Harper Voyager an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers 
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Summary: From GoodReads.
The dragons' survival hangs in the balance in the thrilling final volume in the acclaimed River Wilds chronicles fantasy series The dragons and their dedicated band of keepers have at last found the lost city of Kelsingra. The magical creatures have learned to use their wings and are growing into their regal inheritance. Their humans, too, are changing. As the mystical bonds with their dragons deepen, Thymara, Tats, Rapskal, and even Cedric, the unlikeliest of keepers, have begun transforming into beautiful Elderlings raked with exquisite features that complement and reflect the dragons they serve. But while the humans have scoured the empty streets and enormous buildings of Kelsongra, they cannot find the mythical silver wells the dragons need to stay health and survive. With enemies encroaching, the keepers must risk "memory walking"- immersing themselves in the dangerously addictive memories of long-deceased Elderlings - to uncover clues necessary to their survival. And time is of the essence, for the legendary Tintaglia, long feared dead, has returned, wounded in a battle with humans hunting dragon blood and scales. She is weakening and only the hidden silver can revive her. If Tintaglia dies, so, too, will the ancient memories she carries - a devastating loss that will ensure the dragons' extinction.

Feelings:
Finally an ending.

After the last three books ended like a chapter ending but not really a closing this was somewhat of a relief. I do think that this may have had a little to much of a nice tidy bow tied on it but I have to admit I am just glad there was an ending so I'm willing to over look a little of the neatness of this story. I enjoyed the story but I do think it was a little to neat and because of that it lacked reality and believability.

There were somethings that happened that weren't perfect or ideal but they weren't devastating. With all of the events that happened in this book things things seemed to work out a little to well to be realistic but sometimes we want our stories to be the idealistic and the best possible future and not realistic.

With this book I think I would have enjoyed a little more reality the other books in the series didn't seem to shy away from what is difficult as much as this one did. Yes there were topics in here that were difficult but the characters got what was coming to them and those that were unfairly treated were avenged.

I liked the story around the memory stones and I think this may have been the most realistic part of the book. Thymara was still an interesting character to follow because of how she struggles to find balance and to make her own choices for the right reasons. Of all of the characters in the story I think she is the only one who we follow that really changed that much. The dragons went through physical changes but they did not really change much as far as attitude or action. Kelsingra, the city, played more of a role in this story but not so much as to become a character in and of itself but more to be a more foreboding and welcoming setting. The Duke of Chalced became a real character just on someone who was making demands on others. I like that he was in here and I think it is what made this more interesting.

The Characters were the enjoyable part of this book as with the others in the series. I think that the story itself in this book was a little weaker but maybe that was because it was the ending. I would recommend this book to those that enjoyed the rest of the Rain Wild Chronicles.

A Confusion of Princes by Garth Nix

Title: A Confusion of Princes
Author: Garth Nix
Type: Young Adult Novel
Genre: Fantasy
Series: No
Copyright: 2012
Publisher: HarperCollins
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Summary: from Good Reads

You'd think being a Prince in a vast intergalactic empire would be about as good as it gets. Particularly when Princes are faster, smarter, and stronger than normal humans. Not to mention being mostly immortal.

But it isn't as great as it sounds. Princes need to be hard to kill--as Khemri learns the minute he becomes one--for they are always in danger. Their greatest threat? Other Princes. Every Prince wants to become Emperor, and the surest way to do so is to kill, dishonor, or sideline any potential competitor. There are rules, but as Khemri discovers, rules can be bent and even broken.

Soon Khemri is drawn into the hidden workings of the Empire and dispatched on a secret mission. In the ruins of space battle he meets a young woman called Raine, who challenges his view of the Empire, of Princes, and of himself.

But Khemri is a Prince, and even if he wanted to leave the Empire behind, there are forces that have very definite plans for his future. . . .

Feelings: 
I enjoyed reading this book it was very different from many of the other Grath Nix books I have read. My favorite by him are the Abhorsen series. I think those are by far the best books by him. I have not read his other well know series The Keys to the Kingdom.

This book takes place in a very different world than what we would know. There is space travel and a higher intelligence that dictates what princes must do as well as others. The world which this is set in is very unique and described in a way that makes it easy to understand and enter.

Khemri is a Prince and he has died three times. When he is connected to the Mind he can be reborn, yes, as an adult the same age as he was when he died. a little odd I know but I enjoyed it. The deaths are even a confusion to Khemri at first.

This is in many ways a love story but it is well written and worth reading. I would recommend this to those that have read Garth Nix's other books and like them.

Dodger by Terry Pratchett

Title: Dodger
Author: Terry Pratchett
Type: Young Adult Novel
Genre: Fantasy
Series: No
Copyright: 2012
Publisher: Harper
Rating: 3.5 to 5


Summary: from Good Reads.
 A storm. Rain-lashed city streets. A flash of lightning. A scruffy lad sees a girl leap desperately from a horse-drawn carriage in a vain attempt to escape her captors. Can the lad stand by and let her be caught again? Of course not, because he's...Dodger.

Seventeen-year-old Dodger may be a street urchin, but he gleans a living from London's sewers, and he knows a jewel when he sees one. He's not about to let anything happen to the unknown girl--not even if her fate impacts some of the most powerful people in England.

From Dodger's encounter with the mad barber Sweeney Todd to his meetings with the great writer Charles Dickens and the calculating politician Benjamin Disraeli, history and fantasy intertwine in a breathtaking account of adventure and mystery.

Beloved and bestselling author Sir Terry Pratchett combines high comedy with deep wisdom in this tale of an unexpected coming-of-age and one remarkable boy's rise in a  complex and fascinating world,.

Feelings: 
This was I believe the first Terry Pratchett novel I have read. I picked it up at the library when I was looking for something else and I'm glad that I did. This was a fantasy that combined aspects of history into the story. Yes it is a bit jumbled up and the time line isn't exactly straight but it is fiction and fantasy and as Pratchett says at the end he took some liberties to make time the way he wanted it.


I have to admit that I liked having the historical people included in the story. Many of the historical figures where ones that I wasn't all that familiar with so I had no trouble suspending disbelief.


I liked his take on Sweeney Todd, he felt a little less malicious and a little more human in this version of the telling.

At some time, somebody must have told Mister Todd that a barber, in addition to tonsorial prowess, should have memorized practically a library of jokes, anecdotes, and miscellaneous rib-ticklers, occasionally including--should the gentleman in the chair be of the right age or nature--ones that might include some daring remarks about young ladies. However, the person who had given him this advice had simply not calculated on Sweeney's terrible lack of anything that could  e called bonhomie, cheerfulness, ribaldry, or even a simple sense of humor. (p.128)

This is an example of Pratchett's at times long sentences and how Dodger begins to understand Sweeney. Without giving away this particular part of the story it is difficult to say more.

I enjoyed reading the story. I think while it's aim was not to be historical fiction there are historical aspects and it does show some of what city life in London was like in the early Victorian age. It does make you think about how much better things are now even when they are pretty bad.

I would recommend this to young adult readers. This is not to say that this is strictly speaking an young adult novel. I don't think that it is. I would also recommend it to Terry Pratchett fans as I think that it is well written and an enjoyable read.