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

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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

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Review – The Laws of Medicine

Posted February 19, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of The Laws of Medicine by Siddhartha MukherjeeThe Laws of Medicine, Siddhartha Mukherjee

The description of this book weirdly states that one of the laws Mukherjee proposes is that “Rumours are more important than tests.” That’s not what he suggests: instead, he’s talking about intuition and putting two and two together so that you use the right tests in the right circumstances, reducing the number of needless false positives. He gives an example of realising that one of his patients who didn’t fit the profile was actually a drug addict, leading to being able to use a test for AIDs to figure out what was wrong with him. But doing the test for AIDs makes no sense when there are no risk factors: what really made things come together in this case was a little bit of intuition.

I’m definitely a strong believer in the power of intuition as a diagnostic tool in general. You should always check when you can, of course! But from my vague medical knowledge as a doctor’s daughter and a reader, at seventeen years old, I once realised from something about the way his face looked that someone I knew a little had a serious heart problem. I described what I saw to my mother (the doctor!) and she agreed with my intuition. But when he went to the A&E, they didn’t admit him and didn’t operate. He had an aneurysm, and yes, he died. I wish I could give that moment of intuition and insight to the doctor who saw him in A&E; I’m pretty sure my mother will agree that that intuition, that ability to connect the faintest of dots, can turn an academically good doctor into a great one.

(Yes, Mum, I know. I should be a doctor, but I’m a little old to go through medical school now and maybe my intuition will serve me well in a microbiology lab, too.)

So that rule in particular struck a chord with me, and made reading this worth it just on its own. The other two laws Mukherjee mentions are interesting and important too, but that first one was what really got my interest.

Rating: 4/5

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Review – Ars Historica

Posted February 18, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Ars Historica by Marie BrennanArs Historica, Marie Brennan

Not all of these stories are related to the Onyx Court stories, but enough of them are to make me really want to pick that series back up. I love the way Brennan weaves history with fantasy in these books, and especially her self-imposed rule about not allowing faeries to be the primary cause of human historical events — that way, she avoids having anything too neat and convenient, and has to find clever ways to write her faeries in. And oh, she does.

I found pretty much all of these stories satisfying, and there were none that I felt were too long or too short; Brennan really has a feel for how to write a self-contained story, even in her more sprawling worlds like the Onyx Court.

Rating: 5/5

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Unstacking the Shelves

Posted February 17, 2018 by Nicky in General / 14 Comments

Good morning, folks! It’s been a quiet week around here, with me getting into the swing of doing more work and trying to balance things a little more. Which has not meant very much reading, alas. But here’s what I have read — no new books this week!

Books finished this week:

Cover of Virus X by Frank Ryan Cover of Ars Historica by Marie Brennan Cover of Libraries in the Ancient World by Lionel Cassen Cover of Five Red Herrings by Dorothy L. Sayers

Reviews posted this week:

–A Monstrous Commotion, by Gareth Williams. A thoroughly enjoyable historical and scientific appraisal of the Loch Ness Monster — sympathetic to those who want to believe, but realistic as well. 5/5 stars
–Ghost Talkers, by Mary Robinette Kowal. I found this difficult going emotionally because I got invested in a particular character/relationship, but I do think it’s a great read. 4/5 stars
–The Philadelphia Chromosome, by Jessica Wapner. Fascinating stuff, and really encouraging when you think about the journey to treating this type of cancer. 4/5 stars
–An Unseen Attraction, by K.J. Charles. A lovely relationship and some non-typical elements to the characters too. 4/5 stars

Other posts:

–WWW Wednesday: The latest and greatest on my TBR pile.

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Review – An Unseen Attraction

Posted February 16, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 2 Comments

Cover of An Unseen Attraction by K.J. CharlesAn Unseen Attraction, K.J. Charles

I read the last book in this series first, but it doesn’t matter too much, because they’re linked but don’t follow the exact same characters. This book features Clem and Rowley, and it’s a delight: Clem’s obvious ADHD and the way he and Rowley work with that in their relationship, and also the way that the sex scenes are not just “insert tab A into slot B”, but have feeling and thought behind them and don’t feel mechanistic at all. I’m not interested in the tab A/slot B type, but when it deepens characters’ relationships, and especially when it isn’t a mechanical write-by-numbers scene, it can still be worth reading — and such is the case here. I remember the same being true of An Unsuitable Heir.

It’s an enjoyable romance on its own, and the mystery adds a little, but I do think you might need to read all three books to really find the mystery satisfying. I need to read the middle book, and I’m honestly curious about how those two characters meet and get along, because from their appearances in this book and the third… nope!

If you’re not a fan of m/m romance at all, this won’t be for you, but if you’re looking for something in that genre which is thoughtful with rich characters, this should qualify admirably.

Rating: 4/5

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Review – The Philadelphia Chromosome

Posted February 15, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of The Philadelphia Chromosome by Jessica WapnerThe Philadelphia Chromosome, Jessica Wapner

If you’ve read The Emperor of All Maladies, you already know a little about the Philadelphia chromosome, but this book goes into more depth on it and focuses exclusively on this form of cancer, bringing in some case studies and describing the scientists and physicians who were intimately involved in the research and the long road to a treatment for the cancer caused by the Philadelphia chromosomal translocation. It’s a fascinating story and well written — actually oddly gripping, if you find research like this interesting. Like a lot of the best books describing research, it made me want to get out there and do some of my own, and maybe someday be as instrumental in saving lives as some of the scientists mentioned.

I was asked with The Emperor of All Maladies if I thought the book would be a stressful read for someone who is afraid of cancer. So the same report for The Philadelphia Chromosome: I think some of the treatments and symptoms described are pretty awful, as you’d expect, but it doesn’t tend to get deeply personal or emotional about them, and the cancer caused by this particular mutation is actually extremely treatable. You might even find it a good place to jump on with learning more about cancer to demystify and undemonise it a little for that reason.

Rating: 4/5

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WWW Wednesday

Posted February 14, 2018 by Nicky in General / 5 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 Camelot's Blood by Sarah ZettelCamelot’s Blood, by Sarah Zettel; it’s the last of Zettel’s books set in Camelot, and a reread for me. I think it’s the first time I’m rereading it since I wrote my dissertation, so it’s been a lot of fun revisiting it and seeing what I think now. I’m hoping to have finished it by the time this post goes up, but we’ll see.

What have you recently finished reading?

Cover of Virus X by Frank RyanVirus X, by Frank Ryan. It’s a little old now, and somewhat out of date, but that only adds to my feeling of wonder that human civilisation hasn’t yet been decimated by a pandemic. People list it as an irrational fear, and it really isn’t — we’ve had so many near-misses already.

What will you be reading next?

I haven’t decided! Probably fiction, though; I’m getting my non-fiction urge scratched by my dissertation research on TB. (I know, a far cry from romance novels set in Camelot.) But if I can find the book on TB I want, I might read that.

What are you reading lately?

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Review – Ghost Talkers

Posted February 13, 2018 by Nicky in Reviews / 4 Comments

Cover of Ghost Talkers by Mary Robinette KowalGhost Talkers, Mary Robinette Kowal

It took me ages to finish Ghost Talkers, and it really shouldn’t have — it’s well written and well paced, the idea is fascinating, and I wanted to know what happened… I just also came over all sulky because I (foolishly, given the setting) wanted a happier ending, and what I hoped for was quashed surprisingly early in the proceedings. Not that that surprised me, but I’d been hoping it would somehow… do something else. The book did surprise me later with one or two twists and turns, but that initial disappointment made me reluctant to get on with reading it. I imagine that should very much be filed under ‘it’s not you, it’s me’.

I enjoyed the main character, Ginger, and her relationship with her fiancé. I enjoyed the concept of mediums becoming involved in the war, and ghosts reporting in to them with their last known whereabouts, etc. It almost doesn’t need the murder mystery, though that experience does give Ginger a personal stake (as if the other circumstances weren’t enough) and gives Kowal a chance of demonstrating what the mediums in this situation would go through, experiencing the last moments of ghost after ghost. I wished there’d been more of some of the other mediums, especially Helen; her limitations in society given her ethnic origin would’ve made the story quite difficult if she was the main character, but I can’t help but wish she had been. Not that I didn’t love Ginger, but Helen would’ve been extra special.

Overall, very enjoyable; I just wish it had dodged the plot element that I immediately predicted. It’s not that it’s a bad plot or that keeping the plot very similar while constraining one of the characters in another way wouldn’t have been rather cliché, because it’s a fun story and the workaround I’m thinking of (trying not to give spoilers) would’ve been fairly predictable in itself. And certainly, that a character experiences a major loss in the context of WWII is just appropriate. But… but… I wanted different for Ginger.

Rating: 4/5

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