Month: April 2015

Review – Sockology

Posted April 30, 2015 by in Reviews / 5 Comments

Cover of Sockology by Brenna MaloneySockology, Brenna Maloney

I read this on Scribd after browsing through the craft books (where’s the crochet hiding?!). It’s a fun sort of book, with patterns and ideas about how to cut up and reuse socks to make various creatures. I didn’t always find the results attractive, but the patterns could be fairly easily altered. As soon as you figure out how to look at a sock for how you can cut it up and change it, instead of as a sock, you’ve got it.

Not something I’m going to get into, I think — I never seem to have enough socks anyway. But I have a friend or two who might enjoy it…

Rating: 3/5

Tags: , , ,

Divider

Review – Mammoths of the Great Plains

Posted April 29, 2015 by in Reviews / 2 Comments

Cover of Mammoths of the Great Plains by Eleanor ArnasonMammoths of the Great Plains, Eleanor Arnason

I still need to read A Woman of the Iron People, which is the main work I’ve been recommended by Arnason. But I thought I’d read this on Scribd, since it was available and I find the Outspoken Authors series generally interesting. I was less interested in the interview and essay, though it’s interesting to know where Arnason comes from (in many senses!) and what her preoccupations are. I’m not sure how much general interest the essay has; certainly, if you’re not fond of non-fiction, I can’t imagine you’ll appreciate it.

The story itself is interesting: it’s alternate history, where mammoths survived into the last couple of centuries, and where humans drove them to extinction with hunting and tourism. The background of the Native American characters and customs was particularly cool, especially given the educated and successful Native American women at the heart of the story.

The contemplative tone is a bit Ursula Le Guin-ish, which I think Arnason says herself — and the structure, too, with the story within a story. It’s quite a slow narrative: not about things happening, so much as things that have happened, about the power humans have for good and bad (but usually bad) over our environment. I don’t know enough about Native American culture and belief to judge that aspect of the story: to me the ecological, intimate link with nature stuff seemed a little like an idealisation, more of the ‘noble savage’ persuasion than realism, but it doesn’t do so in a negative way and, like I said, I don’t know enough to judge.

Rating: 3/5

Tags: , , ,

Divider

Review – Third Time Lucky

Posted April 28, 2015 by in Reviews / 2 Comments

24965354Third Time Lucky, Tanya Huff

I’ve wanted to get this collection since it came out, so no surprises that I read it as soon as I got chance. I love Huff’s collections of short stories: they’re bite-sized, sure, but there’s enough there to get your teeth into. Especially in this collection, which is a group of stories about the same character/world: Magdalene, the most powerful wizard in the world. I loved that she is literally the most powerful wizard, and that Huff chose to deal with that not by making her less powerful, but by making her essentially her own worst enemy. (Which is particularly true in the last story.)

I like that Magdalene is lazy, indolent, sensual, sexual — and none of this is particularly judged by the stories in any kind of “teach her a lesson” way. She still does what needs to be done, she still cares about the people around her, and she doesn’t care to boast about her. That would take effort.

In fact, arguably the only “lesson” in these stories is that she must accept herself, whole and entire, the good with the bad. Not a bad message at all, if there’s going to be one.

Rating: 4/5

Tags: , , , ,

Divider

Top Ten Tuesday

Posted April 28, 2015 by in General / 10 Comments

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday is “Top Ten Books Which Feature Characters Who _____”. So, because I’m predictable like that, let’s have my top ten characters who love books!

  1. Matilda, from Roald Dahl’s MatildaI don’t know about anyone else, but I used to sit and stare at things and wish I could have powers like Matilda. But even better would’ve been to read as fast as her.
  2. Mori, from Jo Walton’s Among OthersI think this one is extra-specially predictable. Shush.
  3. Hermione Granger, from J.K. Rowling’s Harry PotterI’m in the middle of my rereads of these books and remembering just how much I loved Hermione — I was that know-it-all who sucked up to the teachers, though I didn’t have such good and loyal friends as Harry and Ron surrounding me. And unfortunately, I still didn’t have powers.
  4. Cath, from Rainbow Rowell’s FangirlWhy is this list so populated with people like me…?
  5. Harriet Vane, from Dorothy L. Sayers’ Wimsey mysteries. Well, she’s more of a writer and we don’t see her reading much, but we do see her engaging with literature, and practically sparring with Peter via quotations from books.
  6. Beauty, in Robin McKinley’s BeautyGimme the Beast’s library, please.
  7. Alec, from Ellen Kushner’s Swordspoint. I suddenly remembered a scene with Richard bringing Alec a book and the hunger Alec seemed to feel about it…
  8. Jean, from Scott Lynch’s The Lies of Locke Lamora. Jean!
  9. Memer, from Ursula Le Guin’s VoicesI need to reread this one now I’ve remembered about it!
  10. Jo March, from Louisa May Alcott’s Little WomenI think I actually came across Jo and Matilda not that far apart in time. Both of them lived in a world of books that only encouraged me to read more!

That was actually harder than I anticipated. Huh. Looking forward to seeing what themes other people are going with!

Tags: , , , , , , ,

Divider

Review – Traitor's Blade

Posted April 27, 2015 by in Reviews / 4 Comments

Cover of Traitor's Blade by Sebastien de CastellTraitor’s Blade, Sebastien de Castell

Halfway through this one, I went on Netgalley and requested an ARC of the second one. It was just so easy to read. It’s definitely a fantasy world sort of Three Musketeers story, with plenty of historic and cultural background to the story to make it interesting.

The characters worked well for me, too: okay, I’m not so fond of the womanising Brasti most of the time (especially not when he wants to loot corpses, which is totally against the Greatcoats’ customs), but the relationship between him and the others was still important. My favourite was probably Kest, though. The relationship (in flashbacks) between Falcio and his king is also an important one, and at the heart of the emotional part of the story. The group also has a bantering Gentleman Bastards flavour, if you’re a Scott Lynch fan.

In terms of plot, I called pretty much all of the twists a bit before they happened, but I looked forward to seeing exactly how it played out, so I didn’t mind. I’m interested to see what comes next, particularly with the characters who gained in importance toward the end of the book: Valiana and Aline.

One thing jarred a bit. There are powerful women, female Greatcoats, etc, and yet “you hit like a girl” is still a joke. Buh? Granted, the first time it’s used someone points out it’s idiotic, but really, is that where we need to get our humour from? Do we have to impose the gender norms of our world on fantasy ones? Sigh.

Rating: 4/5

Tags: , ,

Divider

Review – Howl's Moving Castle

Posted April 26, 2015 by in Reviews / 9 Comments

Cover of Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne JonesHowl’s Moving Castle, Diana Wynne Jones

I don’t know how many times I’ve read this now, but it’s probably my favourite of Diana Wynne Jones’ work. I actually saw the Studio Ghibli adaptation first: it’s very different in some ways, but it still captures some of the ideas and tone. The thing I really loved, though, coming to the book after the film, was discovering all the Welsh background. The ‘saucepan song’, Howl’s family, his Welsh Rugby shirt, even some of the things he says — “there’s a welcome in the valleys”! As well as the Welsh background, there’s just a lot more in the book: Sophie’s sisters, her aunt Fanny, a different view of Howl…

And Sophie is a fun protagonist: capable, pretty, not stuck up, capable of making mistakes, admitting she’s wrong, and being really ratty about it. She’s not perfect, by any means — which is fortunate, because neither is Howl. Both of them have a lot to put up with, in fact! And yet it doesn’t go too far, either: most people have something redeeming about them. For a while we think of Sophie’s Aunt Fanny as rather exploitative and unfair; a wicked stepmother, in fact. But there’s another side to the story, and Jones makes sure we know it.

Then of course there’s the tone. It’s light, silly, and yet you come to care about the characters easily because they make you smile, and because sometimes you can see right through them to their real motivations. Like people, really. I love all the references to traditional folk tale structures, too, like Sophie thinking she’ll never come to much because she’s the eldest of three.

Rating: 5/5

Tags: , , ,

Divider

Readathon Progress

Posted April 25, 2015 by in General / 28 Comments

Okay, so there’s no progress yet, because there’s still about two hours to go. But this is where I will put all updates on my progress, responses to mini-challenges, etc. My stack is here, but really I’ll be choosing anything from my vast backlog. I’ll start with finishing off Voyage of the Basilisk, by Marie Brennan, and The Secret Museum, by Molly Oldfield, since that will get me off to a flying start and I didn’t quite manage to finish them up yesterday. Reviews will go into the queue, which means you won’t see them until a few weeks into May… sorry!

Looking forward to it! Here’s me and my Captain America bear, still in our jammies for now…

Me and my Captain America teddy bear, both in PJs

13.45: Nearly finished with my first book, The Secret Museum. Here’s the opening meme:

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? Cardiff, Wales.
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? All of them? Maybe A Darker Shade of Magic (V.E. Schwab). I’ve wanted to read it for months.
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? My sweet n’ salt popcorn!
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! I’m 25, and I can’t literally ‘breathe books’, but close enough.
5) If you participated in the last read-a-thon, what’s one thing you’ll do different today? If this is your first read-a-thon, what are you most looking forward to? I’m planning to be pretty relaxed about it. Rather than forcing myself to stay awake to read, I’ll just read; if I get too tired, I’ll sleep. But I’ve always found that when I purposefully stay awake to read, I can’t, and when I just pick a book up and get absorbed, I don’t get sleepy at all. We’ll see how it goes!

14.08: First book finished. I’m going to jot down my initial thoughts for a review, and then go see a couple of blogs to say hi!

15.01: I seem to have developed one of my headaches just as soon as it knew it’d be inconvenient for me. Sigh. Anyway, I’m now reading Voyage of the Basilisk; my reading tracker estimates it’ll take me another hour to finish it. I love it.

Oh, and me and Steve-bear are suited up now, including one of my book necklaces (made by Paper Fury!). Do you recognise that cover?

Me and my Captain America bear, suited up

16.40: Just finished Voyage of the Basilisk. Not sure what to go with next — maybe Batgirl, for a change of pace?

17.33: Owww, my head. But I just finished Batgirl: Death of the Family! Crap, I forgot how dark DC comics are.

19.24: Headache somewhat better now. Currently rereading Touch Not The Cat (Mary Stewart), because I felt the need for something familiar. I’ve forgotten the resolution of the mystery entirely…

20.10: ReadMore reckons I’ve got about an hour and a half to go with Touch Not The Cat, and whether it was my anti-anxiety meds or the paracetamol finally kicking in, my headache has abated. Now I’m gonna go check out some blogs again for a little break.

21:44: Still working on Touch Not The Cat, though I have remembered pretty much all the resolution now. 25% to go. I’m pondering having a bath once my partner’s gone to bed and isn’t about to keep me awake anymore.

22.16: Definitely going to bath. Once I’ve finished Touch Not The Cat, I think it’ll be Shades of Milk and Honey (Mary Robinette Kowal) or The Winter Sea (Susanna Kearsley). But we’ll see how my whimsy takes me (which now makes me think I might just read Strong Poison). 

00.54: Bath done! Wow, was I that long in there? Oops. I finished Touch Not the Cat and read all of Shades of Milk and Honey. Not sure what’s next, but I think perhaps Jo Walton’s The Just City while I’m still awake enough to appreciate it.

01.11: Now I’ve caught up on some blogs and stuff, I think I’ll get back to reading, though I am yawning ominously. First, though, the mid-event meme:

1. What are you reading right now? I’ve just finished everything I had on the go, actually.
2. How many books have you read so far? Five.
3. What book are you most looking forward to for the second half of the Read-a-thon? I’m keeping my options open, really. Perhaps The Winter Sea (Susanna Kearsley).
4. Have you had many interruptions? How did you deal with those? I have, but I just took them in my stride. I’ve learnt it’s no use fretting about them, and I certainly get enough read anyway!
5. What surprises you most about the Read-a-thon, so far? Nothing, really; I’m an old hand. Perhaps the sheer number of people this time!

02.25: I did start The Just City. I’m a little surprised; I thought it would be a quick read, but ReadMore reckons I’ve got three and a half hours left with it. Oh well; three and a half hours in company with Jo Walton is no bad thing.

03.20: ReadMore is being a little more optimistic now about how long it’ll take me to finish The Just City. But I might get sleepy now; I’m cold, so I’m going to cwtch up in bed with my electric blanket on. I might play a bit of chess too, to keep my brain awake!

04:07: Did play some chess, but kind of zoned out too — I haven’t read anything since my last update. I’m going to get some sleep and try to get up at my usual time (08.30) so I can finish The Just City and also read The Buried Life before the end of the ‘thon. That’ll be just four hours sleep, so it’s a compromise between knowing how much my mental health depends on sleep and how much I want to read!

09.15: I’m now up and I’ve had breakfast, so hopefully I can settle down to read again once I’ve caught up with comments and posts!

09.45: I’m not feeling the reading, so I’m going to do a bit of impromptu cheering and write up my reviews for the five books I did finish. Not bad, even if my brain isn’t cooperating this morning!

11.00: Still writing reviews, wow. Apparently I have lots of thoughts to share!

11.24: There, reviews done. Going to wander through some blogs now and try to say hi/encourage people still going. Or encourage people who need sleep to go ahead and sleep; I’m not so fond of the people urging other people to stay awake when they’re past their tolerance. Social pressure is no fun.

12.36: Time for the end of event meme!

  1. Which hour was most daunting for you? None, really. I took it fairly easy this year.
  2. Could you list a few high-interest books that you think could keep a Reader engaged for next year? I like having a good mixture, with contrasts between the books; that’s the key for me, rather than a specific book. I enjoy Mary Stewart and Susanna Kearsley’s work when I’m tired and in need of something unchallenging and fun.
  3. Do you have any suggestions for how to improve the Read-a-thon next year? No.
  4. What do you think worked really well in this year’s Read-a-thon? I liked the cheerleading a lot more this time; it seemed more substantive and I saw the same people a few times.
  5. How many books did you read? Five.
  6. What were the names of the books you read? Let’s see: Voyage of the Basilisk, The Secret Museum, Batgirl: Death of the Family, Touch Not The Cat and Shades of Milk & Honey.
  7. Which book did you enjoy most? Probably Voyage of the Basilisk, it’s the only one I five-starred.
  8. Which did you enjoy least? Probably Batgirl; it was a bit too dark for me.
  9. If you were a Cheerleader, do you have any advice for next year’s Cheerleaders? I wasn’t. I just randomly wandered and said hi. But my advice is always to engage with the post, rather than just copy/pasting something pre-prepared.
  10. How likely are you to participate in the Read-a-thon again? What role would you be likely to take next time? I will, and most likely I’ll be a reader, maybe a mini-challenge host, and an informal cheerleader.

Tags: ,

Divider

Stacking the Shelves

Posted April 25, 2015 by in General / 32 Comments

I’ve behaved myself shockingly well this week — no new books, no comics, and just a couple of library trips. Which is really odd, considering the readathon starts later today and normally I like stocking up… Hoping to pick up Crown of Midnight (Sarah J. Maas) from the library today, but it’s not open yet.

Cover of The Witch's Daughter by Paula Brackston Cover of Thunder on the Right by Mary Stewart Cover of Thornyhold by Mary Stewart

Cover of The Secret Museum by Molly Oldfield Cover of The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas Cover of A Dance in Blood Velvet by Freda Warrington

The Mary Stewart books are rereads, which I might revisit during the readathon… although I think Touch Not the Cat is the Stewart book I’ve read least recently, and I’m pretty sure I have a copy around here somewhere. The Secret Museum is one I’ve nearly finished; a fascinating exploration of all kinds of things too precious or difficult to display in traditional museums.

Oh, and I do have a review copy to be joyful over. Frances Hardinge’s latest!

Cover of The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge

Pretty excited about that one, even though I really need to stop requesting ARCs if I ever want to reach my goal of 80% ratio on Netgalley by the end of the year…

How’s everyone else been this week? Acquired anything shiny and interesting?

Tags: , , , ,

Divider

Readathon!

Posted April 24, 2015 by in General / 10 Comments

Yep, it’s that time again and for some reason I hadn’t got round to properly signing up, offering to run a mini-challenge, or even arranging a stack. Terrible, ain’t it? I’m in the middle of a month where I’m reading female authors only, so I’m assembling a quick list to give me something to grab no matter what — though goodness knows, I’ll grab anything from my backlog if that’s what I happen to be in the mood for.

I don’t know if I’m going to make it the full 24 hours this time; my anxiety tends to spike when I’m tired, I’ve been having a lot of headaches, and I’m just not that great at staying up all night anymore. But we’ll see how it goes.

Reading apparatus: iPad Mini for books on Blloon/Scribd; Kobo Mini for ebooks; dead tree books aplenty. As usual, I’m gonna divide my stack up into a couple of categories and try to read at least one thing from each category.

Backlog:
A Darker Shade of Magic, V.E. Schwab
Touch, Claire North
Batgirl, Gail Simone
Persepolis, Marjane Satrapi
The Buried Life, Carrie Patel

Rereads:
Shades of Milk & Honey, Mary Robinette Kowal
Magic Study, Maria V. Snyder
Graceling, Kristin Cashore
Touch Not the Cat, Mary Stewart
Gifts, Ursula Le Guin

Library:
Guardian of the Dead, Karen Healey
Alif the Unseen, G. Willow Wilson
Karen Memory, Elizabeth Bear
Curtsies and Conspiracies, Gail Carriger
The Winter Sea, Susanna Kearsley

ARCs:
The Lie Tree, Frances Hardinge
The Burning Land, Victoria Strauss
The Just City, Jo Walton
Dark Triumph, Robin LaFevers
A Court of Thorns & Roses, Sarah J. Maas

Some of these I need to refresh my memory on because oh, how I owe a review.

For this evening, I’m going to play enough Assassin’s Creed III to sate my current obsession with replaying the games, load my ereader, and try to finish Voyage of the Basilisk (Marie Brennan), so I have a fresh slate for tomorrow. I’ll put up a progress post tomorrow afternoon before we start, in lieu of my usual review post. Any regulars on the blog taking part?

Tags: ,

Divider

Review – A Natural History of Dragons

Posted April 24, 2015 by in Reviews / 11 Comments

Cover of A Natural History of Dragons by Marie BrennanA Natural History of Dragons, Marie Brennan
Review from April 12th, 2013

It took me a while to get round to finishing reading this, even once I was a decent way into it and knew I wanted to finish it. It’s a slow sort of book, one I suspect you will either get on with or not based on the narrator and setting. The idea is of a Victorian-era analogue in which dragons exist, and in which one young woman has the opportunity of a lifetime to go and study dragons scientifically after having obsessed over them all her life. The conceit is that it’s narrated by her in the form of memoirs, in a very Victorian sort of style.

It’s fascinating in its attempts to place a female character realistically in a society that is a Victorian analogue and have her still free enough to have this sort of story happen to her without it sounding far fetched — it mostly works, I think. Unfortunately it’s also pretty slow, and relatively uneventful when compared to so many other dragon books. I did get into it (or rather, back into it) eventually, but I can see it won’t be to everyone’s taste. I did, after all, also love Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell.

The illustrations are, by the way, perfect. I spent quite a while examining each one in detail. And the world built up around this story is both frustrating in its close and quite naked similarities to ours and tantalising in details that aren’t comparable, or at least instantly placeable.

Rating: 3/5

Tags: , , , ,

Divider