Review – Grave Importance

Posted May 2, 2020 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Cover of Grave Importance by Vivian ShawGrave Importance, Vivian Shaw

Grave Importance is the final book of this trilogy, in which Greta Helsing finds herself invited to become the interim medical director of an exclusive facility in France: Oasis Natrun, the spa-and-clinic location for a particularly exclusive sort of customer… mummies! She needs to deal with delicate operations, treat ancient TB infections, and deal with pesky infestations in somebody’s mummy wrappings. Oh, and her patients are frequently experiencing a weird draining, something that makes them woozy and lacking in strength. Nope, no one has any idea.

Of course, it’s not just a medical mystery: Ruthven and Grisaille meet two strange beings in Rome, and a certain amateur enthusiast collector of Egyptian antiquities is getting younger all the time. Fass isn’t having a good time of it dealing with the Monitoring and Evaluation department… And of course, you guessed it, all these things are somehow linked.

I couldn’t believe I took so long to pick this up; once I did, it was everything I wanted. The romance between Greta and Varney remains adorable, Grisaille is the best unsuitable boyfriend, Ruthven is still everything, and I love the entire found family they’ve built up… and all the weird little touches like the fact that screaming skulls are a real thing, but they’re mostly not a problem, and a young screaming skull mostly just squeaks.

I just. I love it. I love the idea of treating medicine for monsters seriously; I love Greta’s dedication to her work; I love her bizarre found family’s shenanigans, including a heist.

Now, I didn’t quite jive with it all. I was a bit put off by the ending; I don’t want to spoiler it for anyone, but I felt like the solution to all the problems was a little… pat. In a sense, it’s been foreshadowed in the first book, if I remember rightly… but it just didn’t quite come off, for me. I like Varney, but it was all A Bit Much.

That said, I love 95% of this book, even the bits that hurt, like Greta trying to doctor angels in a makeshift demonic clinic. I could honestly start rereading this trilogy again right now and I’d be entirely happy to steam through it all in one go, without stopping. There’s something profoundly comforting in the love and caring of these books, something profoundly hopeful. Awful shit happens and people still care. Gah. It’s the best.

Rating: 4/5

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Wyrd and Wonder: A TBR

Posted May 1, 2020 by Nicky in General / 17 Comments

IMAGE CREDIT: Flaming phoenix by Sujono Sujono

It’s time for Wyrd and Wonder! I’ve taken a while to firm up my plans for it… and honestly, they’re still not very firm. I’m still firmly in the school of “as my whimsy takes me” with reading (and if you get that reference and you’re into fantasy, we should be friends), but sometimes it’s nice to have some ideas. So… here are some ideas!

Rereads

I really love rereading books. First off, it’s usually something that you know you’re going to enjoy, or at least get something out of. It can be such a great comfort, too. And for me, I think I get something slightly different out of it each time. Here’s what I’m hoping to reread this month!

  • The Books of Earthsea, by Ursula Le Guin. It’ll be my first time reading the illustrated edition!
  • The Midnight Queen, by Sylvia Izzo Hunter. I meant to reread it last month, but so much stuff happened and I didn’t feel much like reading.
  • The Lost Plot, by Genevieve Cogman. I’m actually partway through this already!
  • The Copper Promise, by Jen Williams. I don’t remember that much about this one, and clearly I need to in order to read the whole trilogy!

New-to-me reads

These can be divided into two groups: books I’ve already started and stalled with for whatever reason, and books I’ve never even started. Of the first group, I definitely want to tackle these:

  • A Conspiracy of Truths, by Alexandra Rowland. I suspect it’s at least six months, maybe nine, since I actually picked this up. Whooops.
  • The Ten Thousand Doors of January, by Alix E. Harrow. This has not been stalled for nearly as long, thankfully!
  • The Priory of the Orange Tree, by Samantha Shannon. I’m actually working through this at an average speed of 5 pages per day, due to reading it with my coworkers. I won’t finish it this month unless I sprint away from them, but it’ll be on my mind!
  • The Library of the Unwritten, by A.J. Hackwith. I’m sorrrryyyyy. I’m slow.

And the ones which are wholly new to me:

  • The Tethered Mage, by Melissa Caruso. I hear so many good things!
  • Hexbreaker, by Jordan L. Hawk. Or maybe the start of the Whyborne & Griffin series. I’ve been meaning to read Hawk’s work for a while, anyway!
  • The Ninth House, by Leigh Bardugo. I’m late to the party, I know.
  • The Mortal Word, by Genevieve Cogman. Also late to the party! I want to catch up with this series.
  • The Secret Chapter, by Genevieve Cogman. These books are like candy for me, after all.
  • Brightfall, by Jaime Lee Moyer. I don’t know how I’m going to feel about this from the sound of it, given my Medieval Lit background, but I’m ready to give it a try!
  • Hallowdene, by George Mann. I need to return this to the library once it opens again, so I figured I might as well include it!

Aaaaand I think that’s more than enough, and I’m unlikely to finish this many! But who knows.

What will you be reading for Wyrd and Wonder, if you’re taking part?

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WWW Wednesday

Posted April 29, 2020 by Nicky in General / 5 Comments

It’s that time again! Check out Taking On A World Of Words to chat with everyone else who has posted what they’re reading right now!

Cover of Grave Importance by Vivian ShawWhat are you currently reading?

Non-fiction: No progress since last week!

Fiction: I’m 60% of the way through Grave Importance (Vivian Shaw), and honestly, I’m mad every time I have to put it down and double mad I didn’t get to read it at all today. Maybe a liiiittle before bed? Anyway, this series is solid comfort for me: despite everything bad that goes on, Greta does her best to be a doctor, to take care of people whether she likes them or not, whether they’re even good people or not. And she has such a good found family around her, though I’m afraid Ruthven is my favourite forever and ever. And I love the little details like the baby screaming skulls and 3D printed replacement bones for mummies.

I’m also 30% of the way through Network Effect (Martha Wells). Obviously I couldn’t just say no to my wife reading it too, so I’m waiting for her to catch up. All I have to say so far is oh nooooo.

Cover of A Treacherous Curse by Deanna RaybournWhat have you recently finished?

Er. I’m not sure. It was during the readathon on the weekend, probably, so… A Treacherous Curse (Deanna Raybourn)? Always solid fun, though I can’t quite view them as proper historical fiction with everything Veronica gets up to (without even the good taste to have more money than God in order to excuse her peccadilloes).

Cover of Goldilocks by Laura LamWhat will you read next?​

Who knooooows? I probably want to finish up Goldilocks (Laura Lam) and The Ten Thousand Doors of January (Alix E. Harrow). I’m annoyed I stopped reading The Ten Thousand Doors of January, because I was inhaling it, and it’s not even that I’m not in the mood — I just got distracted.

What’re you reading?

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Review – The Steerswoman

Posted April 26, 2020 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of The Steerswoman, by Rosemary KirsteinThe Steerswoman, Rosemary Kirstein

The Steerswoman is the first book of a series, focusing on the explorations of a steerswoman. The steerswomen seek after knowledge wherever they go: learning about local customs, drawing maps, and passing on their knowledge. If a steerswoman asks you a question, you must answer; if you do not, they will place you under a ban, and no steerswoman will ever answer your questions again. Rowan has been a steerswoman long enough that it’s baked into her through and through, and she loves her work — even as it begins to get her into trouble, even though she doesn’t understand why.

This is a book you need to have patience with, because the details come to the reader slowly. I really enjoyed reading it at the same time as my wife and fitting together what we’d noticed (example: the gum-soled shoes that sailors and steerswomen wear!) but it’s still a little frustrating to watch Rowan’s slow progress. Readers have a bit of an advantage on Rowan, though, so it’s also fun to try to be ahead and figure out where things are going.

Rowan isn’t the only main character; the other is Bel, an Outskirter warrior who upends some of Rowan’s assumptions as she comes along for the ride. They complement each other well, and it’s fun to watch them play off each other. I wish we had more information about Bel and her motivations, though; I don’t doubt her interest in helping Rowan, but she’s gone to a lot of effort by now, and some of it before she really got to know Rowan. I’m hoping for more about her in the next book! (Which, since it’s called The Outskirter’s Secret, I suspect is exactly what will be served up.)

Rating: 4/5

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Review – The Silver Chair

Posted April 26, 2020 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Cover of The Silver Chair by C.S. LewisThe Silver Chair, C.S. Lewis

For whatever reason, I’ve never really liked this book. Part of it, I think, is that I often stopped with The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, as a kid — I couldn’t quite tell you why, except maybe that nothing could match up to how much I loved that book. When I try to be objective, I can see that it’s really no different in quality to the others… and Puddleglum is hilarious! But I persist in disliking Eustace and Jill, and I feel like Rillian is a complete non-entity.

It’s probably also that I really dislike Caspian being old and no longer really a part of things. Okay, the bit at the end helps with that, but still… I’m just not keen on the whole tone of this book: Eustace and Jill are always arguing, Puddleglum is always fatalistic, and Rillian starts off rather patronising and awful (albeit because of the spell). There’s not much of Aslan, and not much faith in Aslan. It feels like Jill in particular doesn’t really understand who he is and why she should obey him, and that changes things rather.

In the end, it’s quite possible I’m making excuses, but… still not one I enjoy, I’m afraid!

Rating: 2/5

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Review – A Treacherous Curse

Posted April 25, 2020 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of A Treacherous Curse by Deanna RaybournA Treacherous Curse, Deanna Raybourn

In their third outing, Veronica Speedwell and Revelstoke Templeton-Vane (better known simply as Stoker) have to unravel the mystery of a mummy’s curse, to salvage what’s left of Stoker’s reputation. That means hunting for the man who stole Stoker’s wife, dealing with said wife (who turns out to be a real piece of work, the clues about which I felt like I’d missed), and figuring out what exactly is going wrong with the exhibition of the funerary goods of an Egyptian princess. As with the previous two books, it’s a lot of fun, and I read it almost in one go.

The main draw for me is Veronica and Stoker’s relationship. They’re delightfully volatile, and yet you know it’s because they’re alike and are good for one another. Veronica’s unbelievable, of course, but taking that as read I just relax into it. Of course she can do more or less anything, and faces very little censure. Why not? Anyway, now these books are very much about the will-they-won’t-they for me, and I can’t say they made as much progress as I hoped — though at least more of Stoker’s past has been revealed!

The mystery was fun enough; I can’t resist a bit of Egyptological jiggery-pokery, I have to confess. I did work things out ahead of the reveals, in most cases, but it still worked for me. It’s not about the result, but how you get there, and Veronica and Stoker do it in style.

Rating: 4/5

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Review – The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Posted April 25, 2020 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. LewisThe Voyage of the Dawn Treader, C.S. Lewis

This is probably still my favourite book of the series. Lucy and Edmund get drawn back into Narnia, with the unfortunate addition of a rather odious cousin, Eustace. They’re delighted to find themselves on board ship with Caspian, sailing to the end of the world; Eustace is rather less delighted. There are various little episodic adventures as they face mysteries and horrors, searching for seven lost Narnian lords who were sent away by Caspian’s usurping uncle.

I think my favourite part is probably the island of Coriakin and the Monopods; not for all the stuff with the Monopods, really, but because of the book of spells Lucy has to read from. It sounds amazing and the smell from it sounds delicious… and there must be some really cool spells in there. I also enjoy that it gives Lucy a little more depth — instead of her faults being a little childishness, she almost gives way to jealousy and spite. I loved her as a kid, probably because I wanted to be her, and so it’s nice to find her a little more rounded than I remembered.

The stuff at the very end about the lamb and Aslan’s Country and so on was all a little much for me, after most of the rest (apart from the rescue from the Island Where Dreams Come True) felt just fantastical. I think that’s part of why I loved the book the most as a kid; it touched on some of the strangeness and beauty of Narnia. Dragons and sea-serpents and mysterious pools that turn anything to gold, oh my!

Rating: 4/5

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Weekly Roundup

Posted April 25, 2020 by Nicky in General / 18 Comments

Good evening, folks! It’s been a busy reading week around here, with the readathon today boosting my read count a little (okay, and short books helped there too). And I haven’t bought any books this week, though I’ve been putting together a preorder or so!

Linking up with The Sunday Post @ The Caffeinated Reviewer and Stacking the Shelves @ Reading Reality & Tynga’s Reviews.

Books read this week:

Cover of The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis Cover of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis Cover of Love Around The Corner by Sally Malcolm Cover of The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis

Cover of Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis Cover of Hither, Page by Cat Sebastian Cover of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis Cover of The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis Cover of The Steerswoman, by Rosemary Kirstein

Almost done with my Narnia reread, as you can see!

Reviews posted this week: 

–The Magician’s Nephew, by C.S. Lewis. I always read them in chronological order, so this is where I always start. Some great bits here, despite it never being a favourite. 4/5 stars
–Love Around the Corner, by Sally Malcolm. Silly stupid boys and silly stupid miscommunication, but it’s cute. 3/5 stars
–The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis. Not as beloved as it was once, perhaps, but I think it is still very moving and worth thinking about. 4/5 stars
–The Horse and His Boy, by C.S. Lewis. I used to love this adventure so much, but I have cooled on it as an adult. 3/5 stars
–Hither, Page, by Cat Sebastian. Both a romance and a mystery, I really enjoyed this one. There are some great moments of non-sexual intimacy that really made me feel for the characters. 4/5 stars
–Prince Caspian, by C.S. Lewis. I always loved Caspian the best of all the main characters… 4/5 stars

Other posts:

–WWW Wednesday. Chatting about Digging Up Armageddon and my Narnia reread!
–24-Hour Readathon. I decided to take part again on a whim. I’ve read 3.3 books so far and there’s a bunny pic at that post… *tempts*

So that’s my week! How’re you doing, folks?

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Review – Prince Caspian

Posted April 24, 2020 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Prince Caspian by C.S. LewisPrince Caspian, C.S. Lewis

Prince Caspian follows a new hero, son of the last true king of Narnia, raised by his usurping uncle… and now struggling to the throne. Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are called back from our world to help him, while Aslan is at work re-awakening dryads and bringing Old Narnia back to life. It’s always been a highlight of the series for me — perhaps because in some ways Caspian is a favourite, because he struggles to win Narnia (rather than just bringing about the victory through lion-ex-machina; alright, Peter wins a great battle, and Caspian is also ultimately aided by Aslan, but he has a difficult campaign first).

I wish Susan were treated with as much sympathy later as she is in this book; here her fears and doubts are understood, whereas in The Last Battle she’s rather dismissed. Not that I enjoy Susan, but sometimes I rather fear I would be like her: grousing and complaining while in Narnia, doubting when I’ve seen the proof before with my own eyes. Both she and Edmund are usually more believable than Peter or Lucy, who find it easy to be good and to believe in Aslan.

In any case, Prince Caspian pretty much stands up to the memories for me. The thing that’s weird to me is how full and busy these books seemed to be, whereas if I try to sketch out the timeline of each book now, woooow the resolution comes at you fast.

Rating: 4/5

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24-Hour Readathon

Posted April 24, 2020 by Nicky in General / 4 Comments

Impulsive decision! I will take part in the 24-Hour Readathon tomorrow! I will not in fact be reading for 24 hours, alas: one, I’ve learnt that my sleep is too important to lose, so that’s 7-8 hours gone already, and two, I have work. But when I’m not doing other pre-scheduled things, I will try to read.

A speculative reading pile:

  • The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (C.S. Lewis) [reread]
  • The Silver Chair (C.S. Lewis) [reread]
  • The Last Battle (C.S. Lewis) [reread]
  • The Steerswoman (Rosemary Kirstein) [reread]
  • Network Effect (Martha Wells)
  • Digging Up Armageddon (Eric Cline)
  • A Treacherous Curse (Deanna Raybourn)
  • Think of England (K.J. Charles)

Cover of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader by C.S. Lewis Cover of The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis Cover of The Steerswoman, by Rosemary Kirstein Cover of Network Effect by Martha Wells Cover of Digging Up Armageddon by Eric H. Cline

That’s probably enough to be going on with… and goodness knows I’m likely to pick whatever I feel like in the moment, which means I could end up reading almost anything.

Anyone else taking part?

Aaand it’s time:

13:37: I’m starting off with The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, with the help of one very cuddly bunny…

 

Photo of Biscuit and Nikki reading
Biscuit Bun always likes a good book!

And here’s the opening survey:

1) What fine part of the world are you reading from today? I’m in sunny(!?) South Yorkshire, UK.
2) Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to? Actually, it might be The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, because it’s so cosy and familiar. But Network Effect is pretty exciting too!
3) Which snack are you most looking forward to? I don’t particularly have snacks lined up, but dinner will be pasta carbonara and that will be tasty.
4) Tell us a little something about yourself! My hair is supposed to be bright turquoise but it always fades to this green. If anyone’s a hairdresser or very experienced with dyeing hair, feel free to advise me on how to dye over it with my natural darkish brown! (I love my turquoise hair, but I leave it to hairdressers. And I have plans for my post-lockdown hair that mean going back to my natural colour anyway.)
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’ve participated before but not for a while, because I don’t do well without sleep or with feeling obligated to sit down and read specific books. So I’m gonna be super flexible, and sleep plenty.

15:01: There, finished my first book. Not sure what next… but probably The Steerswoman, as long as Lisa doesn’t mind me getting on and finishing it without her!

16:15: I ended up reading The Silver Chair, and I’m finished with that. Now it’s work time, for around an hour!

18:07: I did an hour’s work and then I finished up The Steerswoman! I put A Treacherous Curse on today’s to-do list for the next book, so… maaaaybe that next? 2h35m reading, so far.

19:25: I’m about 30% of the way through A Treacherous Curse! Then I stopped for a stretch to admire my wife’s tidying efforts. It’s time for me to do some blog stuff now, and then probably dinner, and then back to reading as long as I still feel like it.

21:46: I’m now about 60% of the way through A Treacherous Curse, and I’ve read 3h49m in total.

22:53: It’s bedtime soon, but I did finish A Treacherous Curse! 4h35m reading in total, and four books read. Not bad, though two were short and I was already 60% of the way through The Steerswoman!

10:26: Well, I’ve slept and done my morning’s work, and now I’m going to start on Martha Wells’ Network Effect.

11:27: I read for half an hour and then got a bit fidgety — I’m only 14% of the way through the book, and I’m being so fidgety about books lately that “long” books daunt me… even when I love them. I’m going to see if I can settle for another reading stint, though!

Compared to prior readathons, this one has been really quiet in terms of interaction for me, though. It doesn’t really feel like as much of a community event. I miss that.

12:04: I got more into that reading session! 29% of the way through Network Effect now. I think I’m going to take a short break to do some of my to-do list for the day, and then rejoin for the last half hour.

12:47: I didn’t get back to it, so that leaves me at a total of four books finished, and 5h25m of reading. That’s a lot more than I’ve been managing lately, so yay!

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