Balance del año 2016 en Libros

Bueno, este no es un libro en realidad sino algo que se han inventado en Goodreads para hacer comentarios acerca de este año de lecturas , donde muchos ponen sus pensamientos o solamente las lecturas más importantes del año. Este es el mio.

2016 on Goodreads 

by 

Various

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow, look at that, I go from 3.12 avg to 3.14 avg this year. Boy, what a year.

My FAVORITES until now: (no surprise - there are my favorites authors)

Fire Touched *****

Fury's Kiss *****

Gentleman Jole and the Red Queen *****

Shadow Rites *****

Círculo de espadas ***** (esta autora es nueva para mi, voy a buscar otros suyos)

Flight of Magpies *****

El vino del estío *****

Reseña: Kim

+Reto Popsugar 2016 - #33: Clásico del siglo XX+

Kim 

by  

Rudyard Kipling

363 pages

Published 2006 by Ediciones del viento (first published 1901)

ISBN8493477893 (ISBN13: 9788493477899)

Edition Language Spanish

Sinopsis: Hacia 1885, Kim vagabundea por los aledaños del Museo de Lahore. Parece uno más entre las bandadas de niños indios que pelean por encaramarse al viejo cañón Zam-Zammah, pero Kimball O’Hara es en realidad un niño inglés al que el destino depara una aventura de amistad, lealtad, honor y heroísmo.

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mi Bookshelves: adventure, classics, literary-fiction, situ-1895, teen-protagonist, vi-primero-la-pelicula, w_spying,


Coming-of-age story about an irish orphan raised in Imperial India, a picaresque kind of novel of this 13 year old boy curious as a cat, full of wit, and adverse to school and work. Helping a lama because is something new, and playing a dangerous game is like Kipling paint this exotic land through his eyes.

—Los sahibs no disfrutan de los viajes —reflexionó—. ¡Hai mai!, voy de un sitio a otro como si fuera una pelota. Es mi kismet. Nadie puede escapar a su kismet. Pero tengo que rezar a Bibi Miriam y soy un sahib. —miró sus botas con tristeza—. No, soy Kim. Este es el gran mundo y yo soy simplemente Kim. ¿Quién es Kim? —se puso a considerar su propia identidad, cosa que nunca antes había hecho, hasta que la cabeza le dio vueltas. En ese ruidoso torbellino de la India, él era una persona insignificante que iba al sur hacia un destino desconocido.

-RTC-

Reseña: La última canción de Bilbo

La última canción de Bilbo 

 by

 J.R.R. Tolkien

40 pages

Published October 4th 2010 by Minotauro (first published 1974)

Original Title:Bilbo's Last Song

ISBN:8445077821 (ISBN13: 9788445077825)

Edition Language:Spanish

URL:http://www.planetadelibros.com/la-ultima-cancion-de-bilbo-libro-47273.html

Series:Middle-Earth Universe

 

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Mis bookshelves: art-illustrated, poetry, hobbit, fantasia-epica

Recommended for: Tolkien fans. 

 

Er... spoilers para El Señor de los Anillos ... y supongo que algo de El Hobbit.

Un poema de despedida.

El arte es bello, y refleja escenas del Señor de los Anillos y del Hobbit como rememorando la vida de Bilbo.

Nota: Me encontré esto, me dan ganas de llorar al oirlo con música: Stephen Oliver - Bilbo's Last Song (from the BBC Radio adaptation of The Lord of the Rings)

Significativa es la línea:

Lands there are
to west of West,

where night is quiet
and sleep is rest.

Poor Bilbo, nigthmares probably don't allow him to rest... (the battle perhaps, and who knows what dark wisper erode his spirit for so many years).

Go to find peace.

Reseña: Big Mushy Happy Lump

+Digital copy gently provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review+

Big Mushy Happy Lump 

by  

Sarah Andersen

128 pages

Expected publication: March 7th 2017 by Andrews McMeel Publishing

ISBN:1449479618 (ISBN13: 9781449479619)

Edition Language English

Series Sarah's Scribbles

 

 

 

BLURB:  Swimsuit season is coming up! Better get beach-body ready! Work on those abs! Lift those butts!
...Um, or how about never mind to all that and just be a lump. Big Mushy Happy Lump!

Sarah Andersen's hugely popular, world-famous Sarah's Scribbles comics are for those of us who boast bookstore-ready bodies and Netflix-ready hair, who are always down for all-night reading-in-bed parties and extremely exclusive after-hour one-person music festivals. In addition to the most recent Sarah's Scribbles fan favorites and dozens of all-new comics, this volume contains illustrated personal essays on Sarah's real-life experiences with anxiety, career, relationships and other adulthood challenges that will remind readers of Allie Brosh's Hyperbole and a Half and Jenny Lawson's Let's Pretend This Never Happened. The same uniquely frank, real, yet humorous and uplifting tone that makes Sarah's Scribbles so relatable blooms beautifully in this new longer form. 

 

 

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

bookshelves:  graphic-novel, riete-de-ti-mismo, comic-strip, humor, netgalley

I'm disappointed with this book. First of all, the summer thing of the blurb is false, there is only one strip about it, the same one widely distributed. And many others are repeteaded from the first delivery.

Some things are still so true, though.

Reseña: El vino del estío

+Reto Popsugar 2016: #25: Que transcurre en el verano+

El vino del estío 

by  

Ray Bradbury

 233 pages

Published May 28th 1997 by Minotauro (first published 1957)

Original Title Dandelion Wine

ISBN 8445072331 (ISBN13: 9788445072332)

Series Green Town #1

 

 Blurb: En tres prodigiosos meses, Douglas Spaulding observa, escucha, saborea las sorpresas rituales de un verano: el descubrimiento de la vida y la muerte,

 Ray Bradbury, nos lleva de la mano hacia el sendero fantástico y, junto con Douglas, logramos dominar el arte de ver las cosas más allá de la superficie. Un juego de luciérnagas, marcando el mal. Cómo entender la muerte, si no somos capaces de comprender e interactuar más allá de lo tradicional con todo lo que nos rodea en vida. Una novela necesaria en muchos sentidos.

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

nostalgic. candid. melancolic.

a summer through children eyes. discoveries and goodbyes.

to catch 'that' special instant inside a botle of dandelion wine, the wine for every day of summer.

maybe an almost love plenty of voyages and descoveries and 'if'.

family. places in the heart. food and wonder. and some touch of darkness to enjoy life. magic.

Sí, el verano era ritos, celebrados en el momento y el sitio indicados. El rito de la limonada y el té frío, el rito del vino, los pies calzados, o descalzos, y al fin, con una silenciosa dignidad, el rito de la hamaca en el porche.

Reseña: The Return of the Thin White Duke

The Return of the Thin White Duke 

by  

Neil Gaiman

Art by Yoshitaka Amano

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

ebook, 14 pages

Published January 11th 2016 by Harper Collins (first published February 3rd 2015)

Edition Language English

A leap and it was racing through the froth and flux of Underspace: together they were tumbling through the madness between the worlds. The Duke laughed, then, where no man could hear him, as they travelled together through Underspace, travelling forever in the Undertime

It's GAIMAN.

It's FANFIC by Gaiman.

About BOWIE.

It's FANTASY/FAIRY TALE/ by Gaiman about David Bowie.

with Art-

What you are waiting for?


Free:
http://www.neilgaiman.com/Cool_Stuff/...

Reseña: Beauty Queens

+Reto Popsugar 2016: #12: Libro recomendado +

Beauty Queens 

by

 Libba Bray

396 pages

Published May 24th 2011 by Scholastic Press

ISBN: 0439895979 (ISBN13: 9780439895972)

Edition Language: English

When a plane crash strands thirteen teen beauty contestants on a mysterious island, they struggle to survive, to get along with one another, to combat the island's other diabolical occupants, and to learn their dance numbers in case they are rescued in time for the competition.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My bookshelves: teen-protagonist, contemporary-fiction, satirical, w_beauty-queens, adventure, parodia


Un avion que lleva candidatas a un concurso de belleza adolescente - Teen Dreamers - se estrella en una isla en medio de la nada, hay muertos y las reinas de belleza sobrevivientes ...

Me habian recomendado muchisimo este libro, pero no me gustó tanto como se supone que deberia. No es un mal libro, lejos de eso. Justamente lo estaba evitando esperando encontrarme en el ánimo correcto para disfrutarlo. Pero no pude conseguir la carcajada que me esperaba. Es una fuerte parodia y critica social contra el consumismo y lo que espera la sociedad de la imagen femenina, pasando por su forma de convertirnos en vender cualquier cosa, asi como la presion que se pone sobre las jovencitas y mujeres todos los dias por llegar a una imagen a una perfección a una imagen de lo que deberiamos ser que sólo existe en la cabeza con el poder suficiente para vendernos la pomada, y ¿lavarnos el cerebro?

El mensaje es entregado sin ninguna sutileza, con un humor caustico y hasta bizarro.

Reseña: This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection

+Reto Popsugar #28. Escrito por un comediante+

This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection 

by  

Carol Burnett

288 pages

Published April 6th 2010 by Crown Archetype (first published 2010)

ISBN: 0307461203 (ISBN13: 9780307461209)

Edition Language:English

BLURB: Carol Burnett is one of the most beloved and revered actresses and performers in America. The Carol Burnett Show was seen each week by millions of adoring fans and won twenty-five Emmys in its remarkable eleven-year run. Now, in This Time Together, Carol really lets her hair down and tells one funny or touching or memorable story after another – reading it feels like sitting down with an old friend who has wonderful tales to tell. 

My rating: 3 nostalgicas estrellas

I was lucky. I had the opportunity to watch old reruns of Carol Burnett 's show on tv. I don't remeber a particular thing about it, but my mom and I used to watch her, and have fond memories of her. I very much doubt that the new generations know her though. Pity. I still marvel how incredible talented were the old artists. They could act, sing, dance... amazing. To make people laugh is incredible hard. A lot of my friends are artists - musicians, dancers, but comedian? that's hard.

If you are looking for sob stories or juicy details personals details, this is not your book. It's more anecdotal than biographical. She talks about her early years, since Broadway to tv, movies, and many, many, artists, comedians, and singers, writters, and colleagues. And her friends, and some litle bits about her family and daughters.

For example, asking help from Eddie Foy Jr, dripping wet , wearing different galoshes.

Reseña: The Monarch of the Glen (American Gods #1.5)

The Monarch of the Glen (American Gods #1.5)

by  

Neil Gaiman

62 pages

Published (first published 2006)

Original Title:The Monarch of the Glen, an American Gods Novella

Edition Language:English

Series:American Gods #1.5, 

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bookshelves,fantasia-urbana, here-be-monsters, myth-and-legends, novella

"I’m not a monster,” said Shadow.
“Aye, that’s what monsters always say,” said the little man.

Set about two years after American Gods.

Shadow is just traveling backpacking, knowing places, drifting I say. And in this story ends in the north coast of Scotland when some guy offer him a job as a bouncer for the weekend in some private party.

Well, I'm aware that Gaiman is hit or miss for many. This story , to me, despite the no so big surprises in the run, is really good. Manage to evoke that sensation of timelessness, to blur , relax , the bounds between realities. I mean, when you step in some old places is easy to wonder, to imagine, to awe.

You want to believe him.

He [...] imagined time as something that pooled and puddled, wondered if there were places where time hung heavy, places where it was heaped and held—cities, he thought, must be filled with time: all the places where people congregated, where they came and brought time with them.
And if that were true, Shadow mused, then there could be other places, where the people were thin on the ground, and the land waited, bitter and granite, and a thousand years was an eyeblink to the hills—a scudding of clouds, a wavering of rushes, and nothing more, in the places where time was as thin on the ground as the people . . .

Reseña: Curse on the Land (Soulwood #2)

Curse on the Land 

by  

Faith Hunter

328 pages

Published November 1st 2016 by Roc

ISBN:0451473329 (ISBN13: 9780451473325)

Edition Language: English

Series: Soulwood 

BLURB:

Before Nell Ingram met skinwalker Jane Yellowrock, she had no one to rely on, finding strength only in in her arcane connection to the dark woods around her. But now she has friends in the newly-formed PsyLED team to keep her grounded—even if being part of the agency responsible for policing paranormals presents dangers of its own...
After training at the PsyLED academy, Nell returns home to her woods to find the land feeling sick and restless. And that sickness is spreading. With the help of her team, under the leadership of agent Rick LaFleur, Nell tries to determine the cause. But nothing can prepare them for the evil that awaits: an entity that feeds on death itself. And it wants more..

My rating: mmm... 3,5 ?

...though the church and I had parted ways, some things stay with a woman, like accent, hospitality, and a steady hand on the trigger.

Esta es la segunda entrega de una nueva serie, resultante de un spin-off de Jane Yellowrock. Nell Ingram es ex-miembro de un culto religioso de poligamia (God's Cloud), de donde 'escapó' a los doce años para casarse con un hombre con una mujer enferma. 

Una de las cosas interesantes de este personaje es su lucha por sacarse de encima muchos prejuicios y su lucha por 'modernizarse', aunque francamente espero que no sea demasiado. Pero, aparte de eso, Nell es reclutada por el servicio PsyLed, una agencia de seguridad nacional que investiga casos que involucran paranormales (vampiros, brujas, etc), debido a su don especial: ella puede 'comulgar' con la tierra y tiene una conexión muy especial con Soulwood el bosque donde su ubica su propiedad. Ni siquiera Nell sabe lo que es ella, y esta todavia conociendo sus limites y explorando sus poderes.

En este libro, Nell llega de regreso a Knoxville después del entrenamiento básico, como agente. Espera resolver un 'pequeño' problema en su tierra, algo que ocurrió en el libro anterior, pero se ve metida de lleno en una investigación en que debe emplear todo lo aprendido cuando un suceso paranormal en un estanque con gansos posiblemente radioctivos [estoy mirando a Jessica aqui, alzando las cejas], que resulta en algo tremendamente destructivo con consecuencias.

Reseña: Saga, Volumen 6 (issues 31-36)

Saga, Volume 6 (collected issues 31 a 36)

by 

Brian K. Vaughan  

Fiona Staples (Art)

152 pages

Published July 5th 2016 by Image Comics (first published June 29th 2016)

ISBN: 163215711X (ISBN13: 9781632157119)

Edition Language:English

URL: https://imagecomics.com/comics/releases/saga-vol.-6-tp

Series: Saga

SINOPSIS; After a dramatic time jump, the three-time Eisner Award winner for Best Continuing Series continues to evolve, as Hazel begins the most exciting adventure of her life: kindergarten. Meanwhile, her starcrossed family learns hard lessons of their own.

My rating: 2.75 soap-opera stars

Boring in parts, hope it improve the next volumen.

I've found that cultures offen clash for the same reasons that people do.
It's not because we're so different from each other...
...it's because we're all so goddamn alike.

Reseña: The Year of the Garden (Anna Wang 0,5)

+DigitalArc gently provided by Netgalley and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Editors in exchange for an honest review+

The Year of the Garden (Anna Wang 0,5)

by 

Andrea Cheng

 Patrice Barton (Illustrator)

128 pages

Expected publication: April 11th 2017 by HMH Books for Young Readers 

ISBN: 0544664442 (ISBN13: 9780544664449)

Edition Language:English

Series:Anna Wang 0.5

Interest level: 2nd–6th grade

 SINOPSIS:

When Anna is gifted a copy of The Secret Garden, it inspires her to follow her dreams—maybe she can plant ivy and purple crocuses and the birds will come.  Or maybe what grows from her dream of a garden is even better: friendship. And friendship, like a garden, often has a mind of its own.     

 In this prequel to Year of the Book, join Anna in a year of discovery, new beginnings, friendships, and growth. 

My rating: 3.5 seed stars

 My bookshelves:  children-protagonist, art-illustrated, for-kids

Note: Spoilers for The Secret Garden, and other minor spoilers for Sarah, Plain and Tall

Anna Wang is 8 y.o. and she moved with her family to other house.

New starts. New friendship. New things.

And the painful need to 'fit-in'.

For book-lovers and garden-lovers

Reseña: Extracted (The Lost Imperials #1)

+Digital copy gently provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review+

Extracted (The Lost Imperials #1)

by  

Sherry D. Ficklin & Tyler Jolley

323 pages

Published August 15th 2016 by Clean Teen Publishing (first published November 12th 2013)

Edition Language:English

Series: The Lost Imperials

Sinopsis:

The Tesla Institute is a premier academy that trains young time travelers called Rifters. Created by Nicola Tesla, the Institute seeks special individuals who can help preserve the time stream against those who try to alter it.

The Hollows is a rogue band of Rifters who tear through time with little care for the consequences. Armed with their own group of lost teens--their only desire to find Tesla and put an end to his corruption of the time stream.

Torn between them are Lex and Ember, two Rifters with no memories of their life before joining the time war.

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
My bookshelves: adventure, netgalley, steam-punk, teen-protagonist, time-jumpers, time-travel, time-war

Even though I love the steampunk-art style, to tell the truth, I am not a big fan of steampunk novels. But, the 'time-travel' thing get my attention in this case.

“The time stream is a very unique organism. Every time that exists in the past, present, and future, and every event in it, has a unique frequency.”

This book contain many action scenes, between two groups. The goal? Ah, that's the problem: I have no clue. Basically, is a war between the Tesla Institute and the Hollows. A time war.

Through the eyes of two protagonist from either side: Ember (from Tesla), and Lex (from the Hollows), and their POVs, we follow this strange race between the groups.

Reseña: Wild Card (issue 1-6) Novela Grafica original Harry Dresden

+Digital copy gently provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review+

Wild Card (issues 1 to 6)

by  

Jim Butcher

Mark Powers, Carlos Gómez (Illustrator)

Hardcover, Signed Limited Edition, 144 pages

Published October 25th 2016 by Dynamite Entertainment

Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files saga continues in this original and in-continuity graphic novel, featuring a never-before-told story set after the bestselling novel White Night and graphic novel Down Town! A bizarre double murder draws the interest of Chicago's only wizard-for-hire. But as Harry Dresden begins his investigation, the clues lead to troubling conclusions about the possible perpetrator, and set him on a path that will place him in the middle of a conflict between the city's three most powerful factions -- a conflict that could engulf all of Chicago

My rating:  3.5 psychopathic stars

It was a pretty generic story , for Dresden. A big baddie, an almost war, and the usual suspects. But I can't determine the exact timing for this story among the novels.

Some entity is causing trouble in Chicago, and people blame each other.

We find working together again Harry and Thomas . Molly is there, too. And Murphy shows a bit of her past.
(Li'l Karrin+dad)

Reseña: The Promise Kitchen

+Digital copy gently providead by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review+

The Promise Kitchen 

by 

Peggy Lampman

382 pages

Expected publication: September 27th 2016 by Lake Union Publishing (first published June 25th 2015)

Original Title: Simmer and Smoke

ISBN:1503938840 (ISBN13: 9781503938847)

Literary Awards:IBPA Benjamin Franklin Awards for Best First Book Fiction - Silver (2016)

SINOPSIS: 

Shelby Preston, a young single mother, is at a crossroads. She feels suffocated by her hardscrabble life in rural Georgia and dreams of becoming a professional chef. Lord knows her family could use a pot of something good. In Atlanta, Mallory Lakes is reeling from a bad breakup. The newspaper food columnist is also bracing for major changes at work that could put her job at risk. Determined to find the perfect recipe for how to reinvent herself, she gets involved in the growing farm-to-table movement. But an emotional setback threatens to derail everything she’s worked for. Shelby and Mallory couldn’t be more different. But through their shared passion for food, they form an unlikely friendship—a bond that just might be their salvation.

This heartwarming and lyrical tale reminds us that family isn’t necessarily whom you’re related to—it’s whom you invite to your table.

This is a new release of a previously published edition titled Simmer and Smoke; it contains twenty delightful recipes.

2.8 overcooked stars

As a child, at my aunt's, bored during the siesta, I use to read some old "Vanidades" -a fashion magazine-, where a catch-phrase get my attention: "Less is More"; meaning, before you leave your house dressed up look at you in the mirror and remove something. Well, this novel didn't follow that advise; instead, is like putting too many ingredients inside a pot. Prejudice, racism, classism, all themes that could be treated maybe with more finesse because are always in everyday background. Relationships, job problems, ethics... too many things are introduced in the mix.

Reseña: Undertow (SoulShares #7)

+Digital copy gently provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review +

Undertow (SoulShares #7)

by  

Rory Ni Coileain

 285 pages

Published July 19th 2016 by Riverdale Avenue Books

ASIN B01I62LA3E

Edition Language English

SINOPSIS:

Rhoann Callte, Rhoann Half-Royal, is an impossible Fae. As a shape-shifter, he carries the blood of Fae water elementals and has a once-in-a-generation healing gift. Which is his blessing, or his curse, depending on how you look at it – his gift is needed among the exiled Fae of the Demesne of Purgatory, and he’s coerced from his beloved solitude and sent on a one-way trip to the human world.
Vietnam veteran Mac McAllan has been through hell in the last few months, and not just because his new C-leg isn’t performing up to spec. He and his partner of 34 years, stocky bald muscle bear Lucien de Winter, were working at Purgatory when what the owner said was a gas explosion collapsed the building – and put Lucien into a coma back in August. Now it’s October, and an impossibly handsome stranger says he can heal Lucien. But there’s always a price…

2.5 aquatic stars

I chose this book at random, because reminded me nostalgically of other collections.

Not a bad story, but fail to get me emotionally involved.

Mac and Lucien have been through a lot in their years together; and when Lucien is injured after an explosion that left him comatose, Mac feel afraid and lost. He didn't know that they get entangled in an ancient war between fae and their enemies. But help is in the way.

Rhoann is solitary and is pushed in a strange world with other rules.

Reseña: The Trouble with Women

+Digital copy gently provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review+

The Trouble with Women 

by 

Jacky Fleming

128 pages

Expected publication: September 20th 2016 by Andrews McMeel Publishing (first published February 18th 2016)

ISBN 1449479766 (ISBN13: 9781449479763)

Edition Language English

SINOPSIS  Perfect for fans of Kate Beaton, Lena Dunham, and Caitlin Moran, The Trouble with Women is a feminist's brilliant, tongue-in-cheek, hysterical look at women's "issues," "frailties," and "failures" in our not-so-distant history.

Ever noticed that women don't feature much in history books, and wondered why? Then this is the book for you. In The Trouble with Women, feminist artist Jacky Fleming illustrates how the opinions of supposed male geniuses, such as Charles Darwin (who believed that women have smaller brains than men) and John Ruskin (who believed that women's main function was to praise men), have shaped the fate of women through history, confining them to a life of domesticity and very little else.

My rating: 4 tars

My feeble tiny spongy brain feel like fainting and a bit histerical after reading this enlightening book about the historical vision of women from many ejem 'well knowing' men.

Reseña: Juana and Lucas

+Digital copy gently provided by Netgalley in exchange for a honest review+

Juana and Lucas 

by  

Juana Medina

96 pages

Expected publication: September 27th 2016 by Candlewick Press

ISBN

0763672084 (ISBN13: 9780763672089)

Edition Language English

My rating: 3 stars

I wanted to read something fluffy after my last book, so I grab this. A children book. Cute drawings, btw.

Juana lives in Bogota, Colombia, goes to school, has a dog (Lucas), and talks about her dailies activities , plus likes and dislikes as every child. 

I'm not really sure, but the story seems directed to bilingual children, there are spanish words in some points (kind of spanglish), and that confused me a bit. Then the ejem big conflict in the book is because she didn't understand why she has to learn The English.

Reseña: El poder y la gloria

El poder y la gloria 

by  

Graham Greene

Original Title: The Power and the Glory

(The whisky priest)

247 pags.

settin gMexico

Literary Awards:Hawthornden Prize (1941)

 

 SINOPSIS El poder y la gloria es sin duda una de las novelas máximas de nuestro siglo. Obsesionado por el problema del mal como tema en torno al cual gira toda su obra narrativa, el autor lleva a cabo en este libro una exploración implacable de los misterios del Bien y del Mal. Esta es la historia del padre José, un sacerdote atormentado por su conciencia que se debate entre el servicio a su comunidad y los remordimientos por su sentimiento de pecador, pues es padre de una joven. Pero además la acción transcurre durante la época en que en México el catolicismo fue perseguido, en los años veinte, y la suya es la historia de una huida de las autoridades. A partir de ella construye Greene una impresionante novela sobre el pecado y el fracaso moral. Igualmente logrados están los personajes secundarios: una joven demasiado madura para su corta edad, un teniente cruel que persigue de un modo implacable al sacerdote o el coro que forman los habitantes de los pueblos mexicanos. Hay quienes consideran ésta novela en la que mejor planteó Greene los debates internos de sus personajes.

Resulta demasiado fácil morir por lo bueno o hermoso, por el hogar o los hijos o la civilización: fue necesario un Dios que muriese por los hombres mezquinos y corrompidos.

Este libro figura entre los 100 mejores libros desde los años 20's al presente según la revista Time. A mi me dejó marcando ocupado (de ahi la falta de estrellas, pues aun lo estoy pensando)

La historia situada en México de los años 20's cuando el gobernador de Tabasco (Partido Socialista Radical), entre otras medidas, prohibe el alcohol y declara ilegal la Iglesia Católica y todas sus representaciones: sacerdotes, iglesias y hasta las cruces en las tumbas.

Si Dios fuera igual a un sapo, uno podría librar de ellos al mundo; pero ya que Dios era como uno mismo, no servía de nada estropear las figuras de piedra: sería preciso suicidarse entre las sepulturas.

Reseña : Devolution (comic)

-Digital copy gently provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review-

Devolution 

by  

Rick Remender 

SKU: C1524100285
Rating: Mature
Cover: Jae Lee
Writer: Rick Remender
Art: Jonathan Wayshak

  144 pages

Expected publication: August 23rd 2016 by Dynamite Entertainment

ISBN:1524100285 (ISBN13: 9781524100285)

 SINOPSIS: Every living creature on Earth has been devolved - the evolutionary clock turned back, reverting all life to odd mutations and prehistoric incarnations. The cities of man are little more than bloody territories ruthlessly dominated by tribal Neanderthals ruling from the backs of mammoths, packs of saber-toothed tigers, and giant man-eating insects. Raja, one of the few remaining "Still Sapien" humans, heads to San Francisco to find the antidote for the world-changing DVO-8 viral agent. But to cross the wasteland, she'll have to convince the last pocket of humanity to join her quest... and survive the Nazi hillbillies that rule them through fear! 

Rick Remender, the acclaimed writer of Black Science, Low, and Deadly Class, unleashes a high-octane dystopian masterpiece on the world, featuring the brilliant artistry of Jonathan Wayshak!

 

My rating: 1,5 shocking stars

bookshelves: netgalley, post-apocalyptic, graphic-novel, adult-mature, bloody-and-gory, comics,

What a mess. A virus invented to erase the religion from humans ...wha?? (yes, a really farfetched premise for a story full of cliches who you could encounter in a midnight "z-movie") transformed the humanity in mad neardenthals , and mutating the rest of biosphere into jurassic park. Yeah, pseudoscience evading all idea of logic. As if neanderthals won't be able to invent some kind of myth and rites (religion) :roll eyes::.

 

Reseña: Razzle Dazzle Unicorn: Another Phoebe and Her Unicorn Adventure

Razzle Dazzle Unicorn: Another Phoebe and Her Unicorn Adventure (Heavenly Nostrils #4)

by  

Dana Simpson

184 pages

Expected publication: September 20th 2016 by Andrews McMeel Publishing

ISBN 1449477917 (ISBN13: 9781449477912)

Edition Language: English

Series:Heavenly Nostrils

 Sinopsis: 

Phoebe and Her Unicorn is back with more sparkles than ever! In this fourth volume, join in the adventure as Phoebe and Marigold confront messy rooms, trouble at school, and a nasty case of “Sparkle Fever.” Follow the pair back to Camp Wolfgang, where their old pals Sue (a.k.a. “Monster Girl”) and Ringo, the lake creature, remind them that being weird is WAY more fun than being normal.

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Age Range: 8 to 12

Cute and Fluffy. Another day-a-day kind of story about a girl and her best friend: Unicorn!

Reseña: Cross of Blood (Alien Nation #8)

Cross of Blood 

by  

K.W. Jeter

308 pages

Published July 1st 1995 by Pocket Books

ISBN:0671871846 (ISBN13: 9780671871840)

Edition Language:English

 Sinopsis: The pregnancy of Newcomer Cathy Frankel by her human boyfriend, Matt Sikes, ignites tensions city-wide as extremist groups who fear the implications of the birth of the first half-human/half-Newcomer child threaten Cathy's safety. The danger escalates when the medical facility treating Cathy is attacked, forcing her into seclusion. Meanwhile, George Francisco is drawn into a Newcomer cult headed by a mysterious messianic figure. Obsessed with the cult, George quits the police force to devote all his time to his new religion. Now with his partner gone, Sikes must defend his newborn baby from a hostile band of criminals determined to destroy anyone who's different-- even an innocent child

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Fui una fan de la serie, que trataba de que ocurriria si una nave de alienigenas caia cerca de Los Angeles y terminaban viviendo entre la poblacion humana. Para que esto funcionara, las diferencias no debian ser demasiadas, cuando menos por fuera, pero la cultura y otras cosas fisiologicas diferian, desde cuestiones de apareamiento hasta el hecho de que el hombre lleva a término la gestación de su especie. Sip, canon MPREG, casi.

Reseña: The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn (Novella)

Novella nominada al nebula 2015. Puede leerse aqui

The Pauper Prince and the Eucalyptus Jinn 

by

Usman T. Malik

About a disenchanted young Pakistani professor who grew up and lives in the United States, but is haunted by the magical, mystical tales his grandfather told him of a princess and a Jinn who lived in Lahore when the grandfather was a boy.

This novella was acquired and edited for Tor.com by consulting editor Ellen Datlow.

Cover art by Victo Ngai

 60 pages

Published April 22nd 2015 by tor.com

Edition Language:English

URL:http://www.tor.com/stories/2015/04/the-pauper-prince-and-the-eucalyptus-jinn-usman-malik

 

My rating: 2.5 stars

La relación de un niño paquistani con su abuelo, una anécdota de su pasado transformado en un cuento de una princesa que vende té bajo alero de un eucalipto, inserto en un ambiente de transplantados humildes en el llamado pais de las oportunidades, años más tarde termina convirtiéndose en un relato de busqueda de raices , y la fantasia termina entremezclándose con la realidad en una forma dificil de seguir para los lectores.

Reseña: Ironskin (Ironskin #1)

Ironskin 

by 

Tina Connolly

 304 pages

Published October 2nd 2012 by Tor Books

ISBN:0765330598 (ISBN13: 9780765330598)

Edition Language:English

URL:http://www.tinaconnolly.com/novels.html

Series: Ironskin #1

Literary Awards:

Nebula Award Nominee for Best Novel (2012), Romantic Times Reviewers' Choice Award (RT Award) Nominee for Fantasy Novel (2012)

Blurb: Jane Eliot wears an iron mask. It’s the only way to contain the fey curse that scars her cheek. The Great War is five years gone, but its scattered victims remain—the ironskin. When a carefully worded listing appears for a governess to assist with a "delicate situation"—a child born during the Great War—Jane is certain the child is fey-cursed, and that she can help. 

My rating: 2.7 unwrinkle stars

Género:  historical-paranormal-fiction. Fey, Fantasia Histórica.

Aqui tenemos una suerte de mash-up de Jane Eyre, en donde se conserva el aire gótico de una casona en los páramos, con gárgolas y recovecos, un viudo con una niña mimada, más unos secretos que esta vez tienen que ver más con la post guerra con los fey.

Reseña: Stand Still, Stay Silent: Book 1 (Novela Gráfica)

  

Stand Still, Stay Silent: Book 1 

 by  

Minna Sundberg

First Edition, 329 pages

Published 2015 by Hiveworks (first published November 1st 2013)

Edition Language:English

URL

http://www.sssscomic.com

 

Literary Awards

Reuben Award 2015 - Online Comics – Long Form (2015)

 Blurb:

90 Years Has Passed since the great illness, and most of the old world has been forgotten and left to the mercy of trolls, beasts and giants. A small Nordic team of explorers heads out on the first official research mission.

A light-hearted journey of friendship and camaraderie, with elements of Nordic mythology and some horror.

 

My rating: 3.7 nordic felines stars

"The First Rule for survival outside of the safe areas: If you come across a Beast, a Troll or a Giant, do not run or call for help but stand still and stay silent. It might go away."
—Stand Still, Stay Silent

Where the Nordic Countries will be probably contain the last of human population after the apocalypse or After the Rash plague.

 

Reseña: Señales en el Camino

Popsugar Challenge 2016: (#36) Un viaje por carretera.

Señales en el Camino 

by  

Roger Zelazny

 210 pages

  (first published October 1979)

Original Title:Roadmarks

ISBN13:9788485963133

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Caminante no hay camino
se hace camino al andar
(Antonio Machado)