The good old research randomizer form has given me the winner of The Lost Men book giveaway. Thanks to all those who entered, I had great participation. I promise we’ll do this again relatively soon as I already have another book picked out for the next contest. Without further ado, the winner is…

Michele D.

I have already emailed Michele so I’ll get that book out soon. Thanks again!

I have now written the first draft of my review for The Lost Men and discovered that my rating really should have been a 4.5.  So now those participating in the giveaway can look forward to (possibly) winning an even better book than originally indicated!  I’ve had a good turn out on the giveaway so far, which is unfortunate for those participating because for each person that enters the chances of winning become worse.  Sorry about that…

That’s right, time for the first A Variety of Words book giveaway. I am giving away a copy of The Lost Men in hardcover. If you haven’t read my previous post about this book it is the true story of a group of men who traveled to Antarctica in 1914 to lay depots of supplies for Ernest Shackleton’s trek across the entire continent. Lets just say that things didn’t go all that well with the expedition. I will be reviewing this book for Curled Up and have given it a 8.0 or 4 stars.

Here’s what you do, email me at the address you see to the right there. Use the title of the book, The Lost Men, as the subject and include your name. I will randomly draw a name and then email that person for their address. The deadline is Friday, January 25 at 9:00 p.m. PST. I will be mailing the book media rate to save a bit on costs. But hey, you’re getting the book for free so that’s okay right? Good luck!

I have just posted notes from the last chapter of Under the Black Flag on A Variety of Notes.  Next I will be posting my notes from The Fabric of the Cosmos.  Hopefully they will make sense, they did to me at the time, but I am afraid that they may be difficult to decipher outside of the context of the book.  Might take a bit more work on my part.

I have also finished reading both Half of a Yellow Sun and The Lost Men.  I’m still unsure of how I feel about Half of a Yellow Sun.  I don’t understand why the author chose to relate events in the order she did.  You’ll know what I’m talking about if you’ve read it.  I felt it was ultimately unnecessary to it the way she chose.  In fact, ultimately it ended up bothering me.

Next up will be The Ministry of Special Cases (from Curled Up, no idea what to expect) and The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat.

I’ve recently finished two very good books, The Fabric of the Cosmos by Brian Greene and Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson. I’ll give a short review for each as I seem to be falling behind in the review department as of late and that will makes things a bit easier.

If you don’t know, The Fabric of the Cosmos is a book physics by a well known theoretical physicist. In it Brian Greene explains in fairly understandable language they physics and particles that make up the universe. He covers everything from Einstein’s general relativity to superstring theory. Although many of the concepts are quite difficult with complex mathematical underpinnings, Greene does a good job of explaining concepts in fun and digestible terms. That doesn’t mean the book is a breeze however, unless you are already familiar with many of the theories contained in the book. It required more concentration on my part than most books I read. This just made it more rewarding when I came away from a reading session knowing I had a decent grasp on the text. If you have an interest in the laws that are believed to explain the universe and are not afraid to tackle a somewhat difficult book, I highly recommend The Fabric of the Cosmos. The Elegant Universe, Greene’s previous book, is supposedly more complex and goes into more detail. Those looking for additional insight might want to look there.

Rating: 9.0

As I mentioned in an earlier post, Gardens of the Moon is the first in a 10 book fantasy series. It is a time of war, the Malazan Empire is struggling to capture the last few remaining free cities. But there are other forces in play, some with more power than the Empire understands. There are conspiracies within the army, the ruling class and the enemy. Assassins rule the rooftops at night and mages wage battles. This all may sound like typical corny fantasy but believe me it isn’t. This is a very good beginning to what I hope will be a fantastic series. The beginning is a bit overwhelming as the author does not take the time to explain unfamiliar terms and events, but once you get past that and dig into the story it is a fun ride. There are also several characters to keep track of but this also becomes easier as you get into the meat of the story. Highly recommended to those who enjoy fantasy and aren’t afraid of a long series.

Rating: 8.5

*******

You likely noticed that I changed my rating scale if you read the above reviews. I am now rating books on a 10 point scale. This gives me a little more flexibility. I will try to have a revised guide to my ratings up in the next couple of days but if you’d like you can just cut the scores in half and have yourself the old five point scale.