Author: Nicky

Behind the Screen Tag

Posted March 1, 2018 by Nicky in General / 2 Comments

This book tag was originally from here, and when I saw it on Chuckles’ blog, I had to nab it. If you want to do it too, consider yourself tagged.

1) When did you start blogging and what was your first review?

Soon after I visited Angry Robot for the day, so back in 2013! My first review posted here was Captain Marvel: In Pursuit of Flight, though I’d been writing reviews on Goodreads for a long time before that.

2) Who/What inspired you to start blogging?

Leah at Uncorked Thoughts! She was interning with Angry Robot at the time I visited, and she urged me to get a blog. She also urged me to read Laura Lam’s Pantomime, which I was a lot slower about… Sorry!

3) What is a blog related goal that you have?

I just want to enjoy it. I don’t really care how many people visit (though it can be nice to know people appreciate my reviews). Maybe I should make a goal of finishing all the books on my TBR and getting the reviews up on here…

4) What is the one thing that you wish someone told you about blogging?

You’ll get dozens of comments on the most throwaway posts, and absolutely nothing on posts you spend hours on.

5) What is your biggest blog-related accomplishment?

I’m still updating it after four and change years?

6) What types of posts do you enjoy writing?

Sometimes, all my posts feel like a slog. But when I’m in the right mood, I like doing all of them.

7) Where do you usually blog? What does your set up look like?

Wherever I can set up my laptop, really. Generally I have it on a fold-up desk and sit in my armchair, since I don’t have a proper desk here.

8) What was your last 5 star read?

My reread of Kushiel’s Dart, I expect.

9) What was your last 1 star read?

None yet in 2018! May it remain that way.

10) What are three words that make you pick up a book?

Queer, mythology, magic. Combine all three and I am there.

11) What is your Hogwarts House?

I… uh, I don’t like Harry Potter much, actually. But Ravenclaw/Gryffindor, depending on the test/my mood/time of day/phase of the moon.

12) What is your favourite reading environment?

Anywhere! I like reading in bed with a hot water bottle under my back, though. You know it’s a good book when I find I’ve burnt myself the next day… Other than that, I also like reading on trains; it just feels like a nice insulated environment set apart from all the stuff I have to do.

13) What advice would you give to new bloggers?

Don’t do it for fame and fortune. You won’t get either, and in fact you’ll barely make anything even if you have affiliate links (and ads just tend to annoy people). Do it because you love books and want to connect with others who also love books… or don’t bother, because it’ll only be disappointing.

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WWW Wednesday

Posted February 28, 2018 by Nicky in General / 4 Comments

The three ‘W’s are what are you reading now, what have you recently finished reading, and what are you going to read next, and you can find this week’s post at the host’s blog here if you want to check out other posts.

What are you currently reading?

Cover of Experiment Eleven by Peter PringleThere are currently only two books on my currently reading pile, and they’ve only been there a day each! I know, it’s shocking. One is Laura Lam’s Masquerade, the final book of the trilogy — I just had to start on it right away, ’cause, you know. Must know what’s next. And the other book is Experiment Eleven, by Peter Pringle, about the discovery of streptomycin. I’d hoped for more about its efficacy against TB, but it’s mostly just about the struggle for intellectual ownership rights over streptomycin.

What have you recently finished reading?

Cover of Masquerade by Laura LamI think the last thing I finished must have been Shadowplay, the second book in Laura Lam’s trilogy. I ate that up in no time, and I am now totally in love with Micah and Drystan. And Cyan, to be honest. Okay, with all of it.

What will you be reading next?

Cover of Crooked Kingdom by Leigh BardugoCrooked Kingdom, by Leigh Bardugo, I think: I should’ve read it in February because it was a book club choice, and it’ll finish another series on my rather-too-long list of series I’m partway through! Plus, I do really want to know what happens next.

What are you currently reading?

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Review – The Stone of Farewell

Posted February 27, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 3 Comments

Cover of Stone of Farewell by Tad WilliamsThe Stone of Farewell, Tad Williams

There are many things about this series which are just rather typical. You can predict a lot of the narrative beats and tropes, because it’s drawing from the same well of story as a lot of other epic fantasy. However, if you made it through the first book (a feat in itself just because of how long it is), you’re probably aware of that and on board for the characters. And I’m pleased to note that they don’t disappoint: Simon gets less annoying, Rachel the Dragon continues to play her part, Binabik’s background is explored somewhat, there’s more of Jiriki… and most importantly to me, remembering that he was my favourite character before, there’s more of Josua. Although, on this read-through, I might actually be preferring Deornoth…

In any case, the story barrels along at a reasonable pace, and though there are one or two sticking points, it never slows up as much as the first half to two-thirds of the first book. I remembered somewhat why I’d found a particular character so annoying, which was a little disappointing after rather enjoying their part (such as it was) in the first book.

Pryrates remains an excellent villain of the cackling evil laugh sort, doing evil things with little remorse. Elias is a little more grey-shaded, but really not much: this series up to this point has a pretty black-and-white view of morality, with the Sithi perhaps being the most subtle element.

I’m enjoying it very much for what it is: very much drawn from fantasy tropes, but with a solid cast of characters who don’t fall too easily into stereotypes.

Rating: 4/5

Buy this book: Amazon UK | Amazon US | The Book Depository
The above affiliate links, at no extra cost to you, provide a small commission for me if you purchase something.

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Review – Camelot’s Blood

Posted February 26, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Camelot's Blood by Sarah ZettelCamelot’s Blood, Sarah Zettel

When I first read this series, I mostly dismissed it as romance — back when I felt pretty dismissive of romance in general, I’ll admit. Reading it now, I’ve been impressed all over again by the work Zettel did to bring together different Arthurian threads and weave them all into a cohesive story. Reading the end of this book, I kind of want to read her version of how the story plays out.

On the other, I really don’t, because this is a good ending to the story of the four brothers from Gododdin, which lets you imagine they stay happy. And maybe they could, in this version… after all, who could stand against Rhian, Elen, Lynet and Laurel? Forget the men: they’re really the stars of these stories.

In terms of this book alone, I adore how Zettel humanises Agravain, after the rather unflattering portrait of him we get in the other books (apart from the odd moment where his concern and love for his brothers really shows through). And I love the insight on how Arthur and Gawain are both devoted to their whole kingdom, while Agravain only cares about his own land — and that’s why he makes a good king of it.

All in all, a worthwhile series, though if you’re not a fan of romance you probably won’t enjoy them as that is the main thread.

Rating: 4/5

Buy this book: Amazon UK | Amazon US
The above affiliate links, at no extra cost to you, provide a small commission for me if you purchase something.

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Review – Virus X

Posted February 25, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Virus X by Frank RyanVirus X, Frank Ryan

This is a bit out of date now, in that there are emerging viruses it doesn’t touch on and scientific advances in studying them that it doesn’t include, but it’s still a fascinating glimpse into some of the emerging diseases of the last century or so, how the outbreaks were handled and what they mean. If you’re read David Quammen’s Spillover, it’s somewhat along the same lines, discussing many of the same diseases; it’s been a while since I read Spillover, so I found this a good refresher on the diseases mentioned and the early stages of their emergence.

If you find this whole subject a little stressful, this won’t exactly be reassuring; it does show that the world simply doesn’t have the infrastructure to deal with the kind of pandemics that are coming our way. We’ve been lucky so far — I’m honestly shocked there’s been nothing worse since this book was published.

Rating: 4/5

Buy this book: Amazon UK | Amazon US | The Book Depository
The above affiliate links, at no extra cost to you, provide a small commission for me if you purchase something.

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Unstacking the Shelves

Posted February 24, 2018 by Nicky in General / 18 Comments

Good morning, folks! It’s been a good week for me — it doesn’t look like I read that much, but actually, The Stone of Farewell and Kushiel’s Dart are rather long, so I think this is pretty monumental.

Read this week:

Cover of Stone of Farewell by Tad Williams Cover of The Wanderer in Unknown Realms by John Connolly Cover of Camelot's Blood by Sarah Zettel

Cover of The Master Magician by Charlie N Holmberg Cover of Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey Cover of Unnatural Vice by K.J. Charles

Perhaps I’ll read just as much in the coming week, since I have suddenly got no books at all on my currently reading list, for the first time in many, many moons.

(Seriously, many.)

Reviews posted this week:

–Ars Historica, by Marie Brennan. This is a great collection, written with Brennan’s usual skill, and made me really want to pick her Onyx Court novels back up (though you don’t need to have read them to appreciate the stories). 5/5 stars
–The Laws of Medicine, by Siddartha Mukherjee. Short, but worthwhile; Mukherjee uses his experience as a doctor to posit some basic rules that govern how he practices. 4/5 stars
–Five Red Herrings, by Dorothy L. Sayers. Not a favourite Wimsey story, but nonetheless it’s clever as heck. 4/5 stars
–Libraries in the Ancient World, by Lionel Casson. Engagingly written, though most of the history wasn’t new to me. 3/5 stars
–The Wanderer in Unknown Realms, by John Connolly. Kind of tailed off without using the background it had built up to the sort of effect I’d like to see. Creepy, though, with a good atmosphere. 3/5 stars

Other posts:

–WWW Wednesday: The usual update on what I’ve been reading in the last week.

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Review – The Wanderer in Unknown Realms

Posted February 23, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Cover of The Wanderer in Unknown Realms by John ConnollyThe Wanderer in Unknown Realms, John Connolly

I don’t quite know what to make of this book. It starts off well, and throughout it’s atmospheric and leaves me curious. The bit about the power of books is creepily powerful, and there’s some great description in the most uncanny bits. The main character is handled well, too, in my opinion: he has a past which he never has to elaborate on, but which nonetheless colours everything he does and says. But then you get to the end of the book and it suddenly… stops. As my wife pointed out to me, the ending is pretty classic horror stuff, with no closure, but… Then you’ve got the narrator, telling his story. To whom? How? Why? That aspect all rather broke my engagement with the story, because I like there to be a reason.

If you’re a fan of John Connolly or of creepy crustaceans in horror novellas, this might be your thing, but I don’t think I’d recommend it in general.

Rating: 3/5

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Review – Libraries in the Ancient World

Posted February 22, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 6 Comments

Cover of Libraries in the Ancient World by Lionel CassenLibraries in the Ancient World, Lionel Casson

Libraries in the Ancient World contains a not too surprising round of historical libraries, including of course the Palace of Ashurbanipal and the Library of Alexandria, but nonetheless I found it interesting to read about exactly who libraries were for and how they worked in various societies. Casson’s style is engaging, and I found it just overall the kind of relaxing read about a thing I love that fills an excellent gap without being wildly exciting or revelatory.

I know that seems like faint praise, but I really can’t think of anything else to say! If you want to look at the history of libraries, this makes a good start.

Rating: 3/5

Buy this book: Amazon UK | Amazon US | The Book Depository
The above affiliate links, at no extra cost to you, provide a small commission for me if you purchase something.

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WWW Wednesday

Posted February 21, 2018 by Nicky in General / 4 Comments

The three ‘W’s are what are you reading now, what have you recently finished reading, and what are you going to read next, and you can find this week’s post at the host’s blog here if you want to check out other posts.

What are you currently reading?

Cover of Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline CareyKushiel’s Dart and Camelot’s Blood are still on my currently reading pile, but I haven’t touched them this week. Oops? I really need to dig back into both; it’s not that I don’t want to, even, it’s just that I’m reading them in paperback part of the time and it’s sometimes easier to just read something else in bed (and thus on my ereader).

What have you recently finished reading?

Cover of Stone of Farewell by Tad WilliamsThe Stone of Farewell, by Tad Williams! I thought it would take me forever, because it looks so long and daunting, but I read faster than I think and I ate it up in about 3-4 days. It’s funny how little of it I remember now, considering I found it so predictable when I first read it! (Which is not to say not enjoyable — I enjoyed it very much, or I wouldn’t be rereading it now.)

What will you be reading next?

To Green Angel Tower: Siege, most likely, though goodness only knows where my grasshopper mind will go next, sometimes.

What are you reading?

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Review – Five Red Herrings

Posted February 20, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Cover of Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. SayersFive Red Herrings, Dorothy L. Sayers

Five Red Herrings does a couple of things that really annoy me, like having a long section of people positing obviously wrong ways the crime unfolded, and the whole “the reader will of course know what the missing object was” bit — no, I don’t! I’m not a painter, I don’t have that education, and I don’t know how common it would’ve been in Sayers’ time, but knowing that fact has not lasted.

In any case, reading it this time, I did enjoy Five Red Herrings more than I did last time, perhaps. The introduction in the new edition drew my attention to the fantastic sense of place and character, and to appreciate again the way that Peter is embedded in the mystery, caring about the people involved. Plot-wise, it’s very clever again, literally written according to train timetables and precise distances between places. It might not be my favourite, but I can appreciate all the work that went into it. Sayers may not have thought her detective novels terribly literary or worthwhile, but hindsight says they are.

Rating: 4/5

Buy this book: Amazon UK | Amazon US | The Book Depository
The above affiliate links, at no extra cost to you, provide a small commission for me if you purchase something.

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