Wednesday, November 29, 2017

Short/Sweet Review and My Favorite Quotes/Lines - Humans Wanted

5 out of 5 gnomes

This anthology was extremely well done. If you're looking for something positive to read and want to feel good about what humans are capable of then check this book out ASAP. It's full of strong stories that will make you laugh, cry and almost everything in between. There's something to like about each story as they show how weird yet vital humans can be to the world.


These are my favorite quotes and I think they encapsulate the whole anthology very well.

“Humans are tough.”


“Sure it's weird when they talk sympathetically to broken spaceships or try to pet every lifeform that scans as non-toxic.”


“Oh, well, a sidekick’s job is to keep the hero amused, carry the bags, and express admiration when the hero does something very clever and saves the day.”


“We all got the directive.”


“Humans bond with their machines emotionally. When the machines stop working, Humans will pet the machine and feel sad for it.”


“This is the most vital lesson of all: the hug. It is said that Humans hug frequently. It may even be necessary for their survival as a species. For certain, it is how they seal their pack bonds.”


“They’re so curious, some of them dedicate their lives trying to learn what happened to people dead for centuries.”


“It’s odd, I’ll admit. But if a human gets attached to you? There is no companion who will do more or care more for you, than a human who considers you their friend. Even a human who considers you an acquaintance is a powerful ally.”


“Humans grow attached, and so did I.”


“Irrelevant, Captain. Humans have been observed to name their toasters.”


“And by the sound of it, it’ll proceed to hug it to death,” the captain growled.”


“I closed my eyes. It was too much. I was injured, probably delirious, and the human got more and more bizarre the more time I spent with him.”


“Maybe it was a normal human reaction, though. The universe’s orphans, that’s what they called them in school, remember? Always so willing to adopt anyone into their “family.”


“Please don’t leave me alone.”


“How very strange, that he could hold me so gently after being so brutal.”


“I don’t know if I learned a lesson or not, but I did gain a friend.”


“Racism is literally losing a war for them.”


“What an unlikely gift. In a mad world, only the insane could thrive.”


“Oh, humans always find time for the things they enjoy. They will gain great satisfaction from squeezing in such an altruistic project, as it were, in the margins.”


“Amity is not a concern. Humans are capable of competing with one another and cheering each other on at the same time.”


“Five moonstrobes might as well be five hundred, for humans are simply ill equipped to feel the immediacy of an event until it is staring them in the face.”


“The humans pulled, what I believe is called, an all-nighter.”


“Procrastination. The ultimate human trademark.”


“Does your culture consider your excrement holy?” Valeri questioned politely. “I’d never heard that before.”

“Always remember your heart, my dearest.”

Tuesday, November 21, 2017

What Book Are You Reading Right Now/Really Liking?

I’m just about all the way through this book. It’s quite an awesome read because all of these short stories look at humans from an alien perspective. This unique perspective always finds the good in humanity/what makes humanity interesting. So if you want a book to cheer you up in these crazy making times then check out this great story collection.

Thursday, November 9, 2017

Review - The Glass Spare

The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano

4 gnomes out of 5 gnomes
 
If you’ve read any of this author’s previous books then you already know that you should prepare to have your heart torn out and stomped on a little. The love and heartbreak kind of jumps off the page at you at times. Saying that though I am really glad that I picked this book up and read it. It’s unique and a world I can’t wait to go back to.

You have a plethora of courtly politics and then you throw in things like curses and mysterious illnesses. This equals one jewel of a book.

This fantasy world makes you care right away. The sibling relationships especially are pretty well done. Then there are the romantic relationships including a rather unique take on the love triangle. The use of multiple points of view really helps too though I wish there had been more of her brother’s point of view.

Overall, a book well worth checking out.

Wednesday, November 8, 2017

My Favorite Quotes/Lines - The Glass Spare

The Glass Spare by Lauren DeStefano

* Spoilers are highlighted like so :)

“Death itself is no match for you. The day you were born, it shrank away in fear.”

“Only instigate a fight you can win.”

“This was the way it had always been between them. The world tried to destroy them, but they kept each other alive.”

“The world was at once frightening and fierce and so beautiful she couldn’t stand it.”

“Story of my life,” she muttered, and began again. If she left her upbringing entirely to her instructors, her life would be nothing but poise and billowing skirts, her brain puddling in her skull.”

“Now, stepping forward onto foreign land, Wil was born for the second time in her life, a different sort of monster. Or perhaps, the monster she was always destined to become.”

“Hope is not a weapon.”

“Has it ever been suggested to you that you have a problem controlling your impulses?”

“I’m all copper and hinges, and you’re that indestructible glass. When we fall apart we know how to put ourselves back together. No one else will do it.”