Posted March 15, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
The Ghost Map, Steven Johnson
This is a really good account of the outbreak of cholera that led to John Snow’s famous map, showing that a particular water pump was the culprit. He traces the history of how London dealt with sewage and how it became such a big issue, and also examines some of the main characters in the drama of trying to stop the outbreak — and trying to challenge miasma theory, which was so much the paradigm at the time. There isn’t a lot of specific science stuff here, but Johnson makes clear why the cholera pathogen is so deadly in a very accessible way.
The only weird part is in the conclusion/afterword to the book, where Johnson talks more generally about the risks to city life and starts discussing nuclear war and terrorism. It seems very much a non-sequitur, and adds nothing to the book to my mind.
Rating: 4/5
Tags: book reviews, books, history, non-fiction, science
Posted March 14, 2018 by Nicky in General / 2 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?
Most actively, I’m reading The Ghost Map, which is about the cholera outbreak in London which began in Broad Street and resulted in John Snow figuring out where the contagion was coming from (and removing the pump handle). I also have Masquerade and An Accident of Stars still on the go.
What have you recently finished reading?
The Gene, by Siddhartha Mukherjee. I was enjoying it a lot, but I wasn’t so sure of his genetic determinism in the sections about gender and identity — I think it’s a bit off for him to be declaring that the genders of intersex people are all determined by one particular genetic switch and there’s no variation. It doesn’t ring true from people I actually know. But for the most part he’s a fascinating writer.
What will you be reading next?
I’ll probably focus on finishing An Accident of Stars, and then I want to start on Cibola Burn, after taking a bit of a break from reading the Expanse books. It’s right there! And I’d like to read it soon! But who knows…
What are you reading?
Tags: books, WWW Wednesday
Posted March 13, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments
The Master Magician, Charlie N. Holmberg
The Master Magician makes a good end to the series, bringing Ceony to the end of her apprenticeship, and her relationship with Emery to a satisfying point. If you found everything a bit too fluffy and light, and Ceony’s abilities a bit too good to be true, then this book will probably tier up with that — she’s now able to do pretty much anything she wants, and does, having mastered all other kinds of magic in the meantime.
I don’t think it was the best written trilogy ever, but I enjoyed it, particularly when I wanted something pretty easy and fast to read. There are some horrific bits (i.e. when Ceony faces psychopathic magicians), but for the most part… yeah, just a really easy read.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: book reviews, books, romance, SF/F
Posted March 12, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments
An Unnatural Vice, K.J. Charles
This is probably my least favourite of the trilogy, though it’s partly down to personal taste: I didn’t enjoy the characters or their dynamic as much. Nathaniel is pretty awesome in his unthinking protectiveness and willingness to help others, but Justin mostly just ticked me off. He does have some redeeming features (particularly his relationship with the kids he looks after), but I still didn’t quite get that relationship.
It’s useful for piecing together the full story begun in An Unseen Attraction (or An Unsuitable Heir if you started with that, like I did!) but it’s not necessary, and personally, I wouldn’t have minded giving it a miss. It’s not a bad story, and there certainly is intensity between the main couple, but they just weren’t the type of characters I really root for.
Rating: 3/5
Tags: book reviews, books, mystery, queer fic, romance
Posted March 11, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 6 Comments
Kushiel’s Dart, Jacqueline Carey
I’m not quite sure why it took me so long to get through my reread of this book, because I still find it incredibly rich and rewarding. It’s true that it can be problematic in some ways — it exoticises various cultures pretty much as a part of the plot, and it’s practically text that white French people are the best in the world (the most beautiful, the most talented, the most educated) because they’re descended from the equivalent of Jesus. And if you’re not into sex, well, there’s several extensive scenes that include plot-necessary information, and even if you don’t mind the occasional sex scene, S&M might be rather less your thing.
Nonetheless, there’s a deep feeling in the novel and it packs in a lot of action. Sometimes reading it I feel like it could be a trilogy all on its own in the hands of another writer. There’s so much going on with the politics and relationships between people, and the sense of history between nations as well. It’s not just about the kinky sex: there’s a whole complex plot here revealed partly through those scenes.
I still love it, though maybe I’m side-eyeing the exotic Celt and Roma analogues rather more this time.
Rating: 5/5
Tags: book reviews, books, Jacqueline Carey, SF/F
Posted March 10, 2018 by Nicky in General / 10 Comments
Hey all! It’s been a quiet week for me again, but my hand is finally on the mend. Actually, the quiet is pretty much just because I’ve been beavering away at some crochet projects. Since I don’t have much to show off this week, book-wise, I thought I’d start with a few of those…
That’s the tiny, tiny crochet… but something else has been growing much faster.
From humble beginnings… to whoa. It’s not quite finished yet, but it’s pretty close!
Books received to review:
Just one, but it’s one I’m ridiculously excited for!
Books read this week:
I know, it’s not like me. I blame crochet!
Reviews posted this week:
–Shadowplay, by Laura Lam. I read this in two massive gulps, and loved it. And I’m aboard the Drystan and Micah ship now. 4/5 stars
–Wonderful Life, by Stephen Jay Gould. Fascinated by fossils, and the weird life of the Cambrian Explosion? This is your book. 4/5 stars
Other posts:
–WWW Wednesday: The weekly update on what I’m currently reading, etc.
So how’s everyone else doing? Getting in more reading than me, I hope!
Tags: books, crochet, Stacking the Shelves
Posted March 7, 2018 by Nicky in General / 6 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?
I’m about 50 pages into Masquerade by Laura Lam (paused because I can see an issue coming and I dunwanna) and 100 pages into An Accident of Stars, which I’m enjoying more than I expected for something that’s so far fairly typical portal fantasy in many ways (although it features queer people so that aspect is more unexpected).
What have you recently finished reading?
The Golden Age of Murder, by Martin Edwards, which is about the Golden Age crime writers who were part of the Detection Club. A lot of things I didn’t know in snippets here and there, or things I didn’t know much about — like Sayers’ illegitimate son. It made me want to read more of Christie’s work, along with some of the other authors mentioned — but also it makes me want to reread Jo Walton’s Farthing.
What will you be reading next?
Well, I just got an eARC of Yoon Ha Lee’s Revenant Gun, so I’m very tempted to jump straight into that. If not, then the next book in one of the series I’m re/reading: maybe Kushiel’s Chosen.
What are you reading?
Tags: books, WWW Wednesday
Posted March 6, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 7 Comments
Wonderful Life, Stephen Jay Gould
Wonderful Life is pretty, well, wonderful. If your curiosity about the Burgess Shale or the weird and wonderful beings of the Cambrian period needs sating, this book should more than do it. It is quite dense — Gould may have been a popular science writer, but he didn’t dumb it down — but it’s worth the time investment.
It’s true that some of the reconstructions of these beings have been challenged since Gould wrote, but it’s still worth reading for his overall theory about the development of life, and much important (and correct) detail about the Burgess Shale.
Rating: /5
Tags: book reviews, books, non-fiction, science
Posted March 5, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 4 Comments
Shadowplay, Laura Lam
Really, I don’t know why I took so long to get around to reading this trilogy. As with every other book by Lam I’ve read, the pace is great and tempts me to just sit down and read it in one go… which is more or less what I did with Shadowplay, once I picked it up. I greatly enjoyed the development of Micah and Drystan’s characters in this book, and now I’m fully on board the ship, ready to go down with all hands if necessary. The new characters introduced are fun too, and so is the fact that now they go into stage magic.
The best bit, of course, is that the fantasy setting is expanded by the addition of a character with powers, and some explanations of the Phantom Damselfly’s appearances. Doctor Pozzi makes an appearance, apparently sincere and eager to help Micah, and at the same time we get a this-book-only plot of a duel between magicians (with suitably high stakes of said magicians’ careers, of course).
I’m looking forward to how all this wraps up — the background is starting to become clear, and now I just need to know what happens to Micah in the end…
Rating: 4/5
Tags: book reviews, books, Laura Lam, queer fic, SF/F
Posted March 3, 2018 by Nicky in General / 16 Comments
Good morning, folks! I have a lot this week, because I have a backlog of approved books on Netgalley that I didn’t get emails for somehow. It’s been a quietish week reading-wise, though, because I’ve picked crochet back up…
Received to review:
Oof. Quite a haul, right?
Bought:
Quite an odd mix, I’ll admit.
Read this week:
Reviews posted this week:
–Virus X, by Frank Ryan. A bit out of date now, but fascinating stuff. 4/5 stars
–Camelot’s Blood, by Sarah Zettel. I love what Zettel does with the Arthurian story, and this might be my second favourite of the series because of how it humanises Agravain and shows how much he really cares. 4/5 stars
–The Stone of Farewell, by Tad Williams. It remains pretty typical fantasy, but I think this book is stronger and better paced than the first. 4/5 stars
Other posts:
–WWW Wednesday: The weekly update.
–Behind the Screen Tag: A little bit about the me behind the blog.
How’s everyone doing? I haven’t been posting/commenting as much as I’d like because I’ve injured my hand in a stupid way, and it makes typing quite painful after a while (while crochet only really requires dexterity from one hand). I’m hoping to pick things back up more by Monday!
Tags: books, Stacking the Shelves, weekly roundup
