The Weight of a Soul by Elizabeth Tammi

Meh. I'm just not invested in the characters... It feels like I'm reading a history book
320 Pages

The Islands of the Blessed by Nancy Farmer

This book has taken me forever to finish. So I switched to an audiobook halfway through because yeah.....
It was just less adventure-y than the first one, and like....sigh. But I really loved the Norse mythology. And I will still die for Thorgil.
496 Pages

The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

The first book of the "The Chronicles of Prydain" series
....Yeah I'm reading it because of Disney's The Black Cauldron....
I love the sassy harp.
All of the wisdom mic drops.
I love Eilonwy; she is so fierce.
Hen Wen!

224 Pages

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: Book 3: The Ship of the Dead by Rick Riordan

...So banana boat, anyone?
Alex is so sassy and exasperating (but in an 'are you kidding me' way)
Go Sam. I love her. I love her so much. I love that she believes in God, and she's fasting and she's fierce.
Loki reminds me of a mixture of Envy and Kimblee from Fullmetal Alchemist.
464 Pages

The Land of Silver Apples by Nancy Farmer

I didn't know what to expect from this book, and honestly it was amazing.
I loved the introduction of new characters and new lore.
Jack is growing up and I'm fine.
496 Pages

Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer

 So I read this back in like sixth grade, and I've known for a while that it's a series, but I'm just now getting around to reading it, and I'm so excited to read it... It was one of those times where you could remember the cover and the basic premise and parts of the title... I might have actually remembered the title, and tracking it down was fun.
I love a writer who includes a list of sources and research in their books... That's my kind of writer doing their homework.
Soooo  I forgot some things happened....and that 12 year-olds are basically miniature teenagers with feelings....it's been ten years since I was 12, ok? I can barely remember last month..
459 Pages

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: Book 2: The Hammer of Thor by Rick Riordan

I do love when one character is exasperated by the ridiculousness of the characters and situations around them... And there was a knitting shout-out...so I feel acknowledged.

Magnus, you are stupid and oblivious..But you're protective and it's adorable. I love getting to know more about how his powers work.

Sam I love you. Never. Ever. Change She must be protected at all costs.

Did I hear a Catholic reference..Yes. Yes I did... Am I living. Yes I am.

496 Pages

Magnus Chase and the Gods of Asgard: Book 1: The Sword of Summer by Rick Riordan

So I've been trying to read this book for like three years....so it was kind of hard for me to get through it....but once I sat down and listened to it, it went by pretty fast... maybe I'm just not in the right head-space for it.... Maybe it's because it's not Percy. *shrug emoji* I'm tired.

544 Pages

Scourged (The Iron Druid Chronicles #9)

 Scourged (The Iron Druid Chronicles #9)
by Kevin Hearne

In this finale to the Iron Druid Chronicles, Atticus and his friends and some foes, must team up for a battle royale against the Norse gods of Asgard. 

Decisions that Atticus made in the past have caught up with him and the rest of the world. Loki and Hel are ready for Ragnarok. There is now a global battle to see if the world can be saved or if it will literally be Hel on Earth.

Granuaile joins the fight in Taiwan and learns a lot about herself in the process including what she wants from her life if she survives. Archdruid Owen is traveling the world literally putting out fires and healing the Earth.

I've enjoyed this series a lot and I like the way Owen's story was wrapped up and some of the other details too, but I did not like the way things ended for Atticus and Granuaile and their canine companions.

Shattered (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #7)

Shattered (The Iron Druid Chronicles, #7) 
by Kevin Hearne
Pages: 352
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Atticus O'Sullivan the last surviving Druid now has company. His apprentice Granuaile is now a full-fledged Druid and his mentor has been rescued from an island frozen in time. But Owen has been there For nearly two thousand years and basics of every day modern life are shocking too him.

While Atticus is trying to help Owen acclimate, Granuaile is called to India to face an evil spirit that his possessing her archaeologist father. Assisted by the witch Laska Granuaile may be able to vanquish the spirit but will her father survive the process?

And we get to meet Yeti. They love Bacon!

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a pretty solid read on Norse mythology, which just happens to be a topic I've been studying. There's still something about Gaiman's writing that doesn't quite click with me (yes, I know, I'm the only human alive who feels this disconnect), so I struggled at first.

In the end, I stuck with it, because I wanted a good overview of Norse mythology and knew this was going to provide it. Somewhere around 1/3 of the way in, I started to get comfortable with the style and began to really enjoy this from a storytelling perspective and not just as research. There's definitely some good stuff here.

Book 162 read in 2018

Pages: 304

MORE VIKINGS: SORRY, PEOPLE

Vikings by Valerie Bodden
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The content is minimal but okay. Basic and simple, which is probably to be expected at this level.

However, the format isn't great. Text running different directions is annoying, and I found reading the spiral to be especially aggravating, though perhaps a child more patient than I would do so.

I also don't love the pastels, and very few of the pictures have captions, which I found to be frustrating. Don't show me something and then fail to tell me what it is. Argh!

Overall, not bad for a starter book on vikings. Could be better. Could be worse.

Book 146 read in 2018

Pages: 32

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Viking Raiders by Anne Civardi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Okay, this is by far one of my favorite Viking reference books (out of the 12-ish that I've read so far), even though it's written for kids (probably because of that). It provides so much straightforward information about the Vikings in a format that is very easy to peruse and consume. It's both informative and fun to look at.

This text has a bit of a graphic novel feel about it, because it uses pictures and explanations to help explain Viking life, with big sprawling two page scenes full of descriptions for what's going on in the pictures. It did a great job of helping me better understand what a Viking village might have looked like, what the inside of a Viking longhouse might have looked liked, and all the different parts of ships and ship building.

I really love this one so much that I may see if it's possible to buy a copy.

Pages: 36

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Vikings by Kenneth W. Harl
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an interesting course, with 36 different lectures on the Vikings. I found it to be engaging, and while some of the lectures were more interesting to me and my research than others, this was overall an excellent series.

The professor really knows his information, and if you are looking on a reliable and more in-depth resource on Vikings that is still captivating, then this may be for you.

For the lectures that were really of interest to me, I was all in and hanging on every word. If there are lectures that are less interesting to you, then you may be able to skip some of them. However, you never know when information might tie across from one lecture to the next, so I went through all 36. I just took a bit more out of some than others, depending on the topic, my interest, and how relevant it was to the specific research I was doing.

Since I enjoyed this so much, I may check out courses on other topics the next time a research bug hits me. Also, I suspect once I complete my research, I may go back and listen to specific lectures from this series that really bring a topic full circle, to make sure I got the whole picture correct.

Pages: 421

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Vikings: A Guide to the Terrifying Conquerors by Sean McCollum
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a great, basic resource. I really liked the format and the way the information was divided up. It was easy to consume, and it had a good combination of pictures to text for the targeted age range. While it would be a great resource for kids, it's also handy for adults. It covered some information about basic Viking life that I have wanted but didn't find in other longer resources. I'm a fan of this straightforward and easy to read approach.

Book 158 read in 3028

Pages: 48

Hunted (The Iron Druid Chronicles #6)

 Hunted (The Iron Druid Chronicles #6)
by Kevin Hearne
Pages: 384
Stars: 4 out of 5

Atticus O’Sullivan, his apprentice Granuaile and wolfhound Oberon are racing across modern-day Europe to seek the help of a friend, Tuatha De Danann. They are being chased by two goddesses of the hunt, Artemis and Diana. The goddesses are seeking revenge and other gods and powerful beings are getting in on the action. Some to aid Atticus and some to aid the goddesses. Still others just for their own amusement. Atticus's usual magical druid option of shifting to another plane is blocked so now all they can do is run and hope to reach safety. Then Loki decides to get in on the fun. Killing Atticus is the only loose end he needs to tie up before unleashing Ragnarok and the end of the world. This series is full of Celtic, Norse, Greek and other ancient mythology as well as plenty of adventure, but my favorite part is Oberon who Atticus can communicate with magically. Seeing all of the adventure and chaos happen through the eyes of a loyal dog companion just adds to the fun.

Two Ravens and One Crow (The Iron Druid Chronicles #4.5)

 Two Ravens and One Crow (The Iron Druid Chronicles #4.5)
by Kevin Hearne
Pages:
Stars: 4 out of 5

In this novella Atticus's training of Granuaile is interupted by the Morrigan, the Celtic Chooser of the Slain. She insists he leave with her at once if he wants to save his and Granuaile's lives. What choice does he have but to follow her.

Originally released as an ebook, this story if now available in print.

Viking Research: Starter Collection

All About: Venturesome Vikings by P.S. Quick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm planning to dive into a bit of research on Vikings, so while I wait for heftier texts to arrive, I checked out a few available resources on audiobook. I wanted to develop a better basic understanding of Vikings, so that it makes it easier to approach potentially heavier and denser texts.

This book would be great for that 8-12 age range, but it's also handy for adults. It gave me a good basic overview of some things I should be aware of and potentially investigate further, in regards to Vikings. If I had just needed to learn a few basics, this book would have covered it. It was also engaging, and I'm happy that I read it.

Book 139 read in 2018

Pages: 93

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The Norsemen: Understanding Vikings and Their Culture by Michael D.C. Drout
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a highly engaging, well-researched collection of lectures on the Norsemen, including Viking history, culture, mythology, and religion. I love it, because it reminds me of a favorite college professor who really broke things down and explained what parts of beliefs are true and what parts of those beliefs are missing which would help further explain the full truth of a culture, people, or incident.

Anyway, I’m preparing to do a bit of heavy Viking research, for. . . reasons. So I tackled this as a warm-up to get me interested in the topic and start developing a base layer of knowledge and understanding. This was excellent for that, and I may go back and listen to it again after I finish my research, as there are some really interesting thoughts and ideas here that I’d probably like to consider/reconsider after I do a bit more research.

Book 140 read in 2018

Pages: (See note in chart)

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Asgard Stories: Tales from Norse Mythology by Mary H. Foster
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

These stories are okay, and it helped me gain a somewhat better understanding of the Gods of Norse religions, though I question if personal biases were in play here that make this a less than valid source. However, I didn’t read this for specifics, so much as just to get a baseline for some of the Norse mythology before doing further and more in-depth research into the matter. For that purpose, this was somewhat useful.

The presentation isn’t as engaging as it could be, as although the information is shared in a story format, it’s a bit flowery (lots of adjectives that are often redundant and aren’t helping the stories along). Seriously, it feels like almost every noun has an adjective to describe it, which just makes me think they should have used better verbs and nouns, so that so many adjectives wouldn’t be necessary.

Anyway, why that is annoying is because there tends to be too much telling, with a lot of passive sentences in some sections, and we all know that when it comes to engaging stories, active sentences and showing are almost always preferred over passive and telling.

Basically, this crosses the weird divide in the land of nonfiction, as it’s not presented in a textbook/ report/ essay/ lecture based nonfiction format, but it also doesn’t read easily like fiction does. In the end, it’s less engaging than fiction, which means I might have actually preferred a more clinical approach in this instance.

Book 141 read in 2018

Pages: 99 pages

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Tales from the Norse Legends by Edward Ferrie
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I definitely do not recommend the audio version of this book, as it is very poorly recorded and cued. It’s almost impossible to hear the story at even the loudest volume. To make it worse, they added in really loud background music, which makes it even more difficult to actually hear the story.

I supposed they did that for dramatic effect, but the reader is good and could have pulled it off much better without background noise. When I can barely hear a story, and it’s interrupted again and again by loud music that completely covers the reader, that makes it even more difficult to connect to the work.

Honestly, this isn’t bad. It’s better than the last book I read on stories of Norse mythology. It is probably even better in print, but I doubt I will revisit it in another format, as I suspect I can find better collections. Something more in-depth would probably suit me better at this point, but if you want a quick glimpse, this might work for you.

Book 142 read in 2018

Pages: 67

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The Vikings by Frank R. Donovan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I've been doing some research on Vikings, and as a result, I've been reading different resources related to the topic. I really liked this one. It's easy to read and comprehend, and it hits you with straightforward information, without feeling boring or dry. I used this list to help make a list of ideas and topics that I want to research further.

This focused a lot on the travels, conquering, and spreading of the Vikings and elements of their culture across continents and time. That was great for me, because I've already read two books on Norse mythology and stories of Asgard, as well as a couple of other really brief and general books about the Vikings.

I listened to the audiobook, which was good and engaging.

Book 143 read in 2018

Pages: 109

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The Sea Wolves: A History of the Vikings by Lars Brownworth
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

There's some really great information here, and at first, I was really enjoying this one. I previously had read some very flowery renditions of Norse mythology that hadn't sat quite as well with me, so the straightforward, no nonsense approach of this text really appealed to me.

Then it all became a bit textbook heavy and dense, and I started to lose focus. It would probably be best not to attempt to get through this in one sitting, but that's what I did. Now my brain is exhausted, but not in a pleasant way. I have to confess that the longer I read, the less I truly absorbed the information.

I listened to this on audio, which I think helped me stay focused and on track, but there's so much to take in that I sometimes wished I could just see the text. It's definitely more of a research resource, which is actually why I read this. I'm getting ready to dive into some Viking research and thought this would help get my brain in the right mode. I'm hoping I absorbed some useful information so that when my heftier texts arrive, it will be easier for me to read those.

Book 144 read in 2018

Pages: 302

View all my reviews

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman

Neil Gaiman presents a bravura rendition of the Norse gods and their world from their origin though their upheaval in Ragnarok. In Norse Mythology, Gaiman stays true to the myths in envisioning the major Norse pantheon: Odin, the highest of the high, wise, daring, and cunning; Thor, Odin’s son, incredibly strong yet not the wisest of gods; and Loki, son of a giant, blood brother to Odin, and a trickster and unsurpassable manipulator.

-I have never really delved into the Norse pantheon and I'm glad I did. Thor has got to be one of my favorite gods just in the fact that he's so dense and Loki is such a little snake that I both love and hate at the same time. 

Pages: 304

5 out of 5 stars would re-read