Well, Spring 2010 season is here and I have this massive list to sample that actually beats my ‘to-watch’ jdrama list for once. Of course, how many I will actually continue is yet to be seen. And I still have yet to clear my backlog anime as I have been solely watching dramas and not to mention playing with my shiny new Playstation 2 which I bought as a Christmas present to myself last December as JB HIFI had brand new slim ones for sale under $100. So far I have played Dynasty Warriors 5,6, Samurai Warriors 2, Orochi Warriors 2, Final Fantasy X and Okami, although I have not completed any of it as I’m not a regular gamer. As it is I stare at the computer screen long enough so I don’t really want to stare at the TV screen for too long too. Not to mention there’s also the DS which I play from time to time. It’s pretty hard to choose which to do. Lately I’ve been trying to catch up with my reading as well, as once again I am trying to complete the 50 book chellenge. I tend to have spates of reading where I’ll read a book a day, and weeks in between where I don’t. So during those ‘power reading’ periods I try to get in as much as I can, otherwise I will not hit the target in December, considering it is already May.

Speaking of reading, my amazon.com wishlist is now around 30 pages long on full-view mode with the pictures turned on… so much for trying to reduce it. I basically just dump anything that sounds interesting there, so not all the books there are stuff I must absolutely get. My own ‘must buy no matter what list’ is pretty easy to remember. That said, so far this year’s reading list has been quite enjoyable, and I’ve read things out of my comfort zone, or plan to read some anyway.

Notable authors for the year thus far would be Naomi Novik (probably the best first book of a series I’ve read), Dennis L McKiernan and Anthony Piers. I also have the urge to continuing collecting some of Stephanie Lauren’s Cynster series even though it has been a luke warm experience with the first book I read, and a not bad for the second. Having met some character who have appeared in previous books, I want to know their stories, at least just for some, so I may not read all of it (it is really long anyway), but I’ll definitely try to get my hands on the particular ones I want. Just for memory’s sake, last year’s notable authors new to me were Moria J Moore, Lisa Kleypas, Walter Moers, Allyson James, Lian Hearn, CL Wilson, and Jim C Hines. I wish I could afford more books as I’m not so keen on borrowing from the library but both money and space are constraints. I have also found some hard to find titles from the BookMooch website, which I highly recommend if you have money to pay for shipping your books to people around the world. Although in-demand titles disappear faster than you can mooch them, due to time differences. I use BookMooch for either outofprint/hardtofind books or books on the Amazon Wish List I would like to read but might not be so willing to pay full-price for. The best books I’ve gotten from there are harder to find hardbacks that would’ve cost around $30 to buy at stores.

Hm, off to watch me some Hakuoki Shinsengumi Kiten now.

Summary:
There is foul play running amok in the court of Sessalie and the Princess suddenly goes missing. Mykkael, the Captain of the Garrison, a war-hardened foreigner held in contempt by the court for the little understood shamanic practices of his desert tribe origins, gets begrudgingly caught up in the investigations as he finds himself a suspect. He works together with the uptight and nobel Commander of the Royal Guard, Taskin, who cannot deny the Garrison Captain’s skills. However, Taskin is hardpressed to believe Mykkael’s theory that the Princess was not actually kidnapped but was actually fleeing from an evil power, the same dark force that is slowly taking over the court members one by one.

Thoughts:
A very action-packed book from the start, things are always happening, though I wouldn’t say it was particularly fast paced because the book just shy of 700 pages. I haven’t read alot of fantasy and this is part of my efforts to read more of the genre, although I can probably say that it’s not going to be at the top of my list, but nice to dip into now and again. I enjoyed the book overall as I get bored with lengthy descriptions of world building and history (I like learning about the world as the characters interact with it) and also huge chunks dialogues and internal monologues. The writing style was fluid and descriptions vivid (very heart pumping action scenes). It had alot of character focus, which is something I love in stories. The three main characters, Mykkael, Taskin and Anja were quite likeable despite their little quirks and attitudes, and different from the usual cookie cutter fantasy characters. Mykkael I felt was a bit of the unconventional hero/anti-hero because he’s not really attractive in looks but you can’t help but feel for his suffering, which he takes into stride well. I enjoyed the scenes where he interacted with other characters because there was so much depth to him. Jussoud the healer is one of the best secondary characters I’ve come across. It was also interesting to see Mykkael working by himself and Taskin from inside the palace. It’d be too cliche if both of them journeyed out together because nearly every fantasy story has a trio/group on a quest. And Anja who I thought would be a little annoying to bear with at first became very sympathetic especially her relationship with the horses, you just want cry with her each time. She’s a strong girl but not overbearingly promoting modern female ideas, she understands her position as princess and the ways in which she can help her kingdom. I wouldn’t really classify this as a fantasy adventure but more as a fantasy mystery, because the focus was on finding out what was going on in the court. The only thing was that Myakkael’s ending was rather random, I was hoping he’d go back to his Garrison post because he’s perfect for it, and thought he’d be pretty upset when he woke up to find himself back in a place he had believed all his life outcasted him. But overall, this book is a good example of how a fantasy can be a standalone with meet without having to resort to a series with xx number of books (thick ones too).

[Rating: 4.5/5]

Genre: Regency Romance

Order:
Once Upon a Summer’s Night, It Happened One Autumn, Devil in Winter, Scandal In Spring

Summary:
Four unlikely women who are tired of being casted aside at the ton’s parties band together to find each of themselves a husband!

Okay, despite the very typical regency romance plot it a very worthwhile series to read! Why did I not start on it sooner~ There were bits in each book which made me smile, laugh and feel a tug at my heartstrings. Every character had their own personality and weren’t cardboard cutouts at all. Each story was different in it’s own way and writing quality stayed consistent throughout the series, an important point for me. It’s one of those things which sound so cliche (I mean, women looking for husbands, sounds like some Jane Austen rip-off) but it was very refreshing and not as light-hearted as they look. They have nicely driven plots with enough action, adventure and romance to keep me satisfied. And recently I realized that there were spin-offs which involve minor characters in the series. I’ll update on my progress when I’ve finished them. I could bundle them together with the series but they aren’t exactly the same as the main Wallflowers series is about well, the four wallflower girls.  My favourite of the series was The Devil in Winter. It’s always fun to read about rakes falling in love. Devil in Winter had my favourite heroine of the quartet and It Happened One Autumn had my favourite hero of the series. Another strong point for me were the lovely covers because they cleverly (okay actually it’s been more common amongst romance books of late) hid the stereotypical racy covers behind the front cover (which were of landscapes in the four seaons corresponding to the titles) so it’s a romance series you don’t have to be shy about reading in public.