Ok so major fail on the 2016 reviews, it July 2017 and I am just now finishing them up. I didn’t even manage to read 35 books last year, but well it was an awful year. The good news is that I read a lot of things I really loved.
The Rating System:
Loved It – 13
Liked It A lot – 9
Liked It – 3
It Was Okay – 4
Kinda Bad- 0
Bad – 0
It Stunk – 0
Total = 29 Goal =35
Goals
Re-Read A Book: none
Greek Mythology or Tragedy: The Seven Against Thebes
Poetry: none
Book of the Year
I knew, as soon as I finished reading it, that Rags and Ruins would be my pick for book of the year. It turns so many fantasy troupes on their heads and I just feel in love with the characters. From my review: “Bob Dixon can weave a tale. Rags and Ruins is a masterpiece, a must read for fantasy fans.“ “My bottom line: I loved it! From the first page to the last, I thought this book was adorable and the characters truly likable.”
Rags leads an idyllic life for a goblin child—he spends his days playing in the landfill with his gargoyle friend Ladin, going fishing with his father Hargo in the river, and developing his love of music. His parents love him intensely, and his mother Calin is fiercely protective of him. How could he ask for anything more as he lives an enchanted life on the reservation on the outskirts of the “civilized” world, surrounded by mystical creatures and magic? Little does Rags realize that he is not a goblin but instead a human who was abandoned shortly after his birth and left in the landfill to be raised by the goblins as a way to fulfill an ancient prophecy of good and evil, twin brothers separated at birth and reunited in the thirteenth year of their life, one to unleash an ancient evil, the other the only hope to stop it from happening. A powerful tale of magic, music, and danger, Rags and Ruins is sure to thrill readers of all ages with its mix of adventure, intrigue, and humor—and if it doesn’t, they’ll have to answer to a furious goblin mother.
“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.” ― William Styron