Review – Word Puppets

Posted December 28, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 4 Comments

Cover of Word Puppets by Mary Robinette KowalWord Puppets, Mary Robinette Kowal

Received to review via Netgalley

Word Puppets is a collection of short stories written by Mary Robinette Kowal, arranged — if we can trust the alleged Patrick Rothfuss’ introduction — in the order they were written. I always think that’s a fascinating way to read an author’s work, because you get to watch their skills develop, their interests change, etc. This particular collection comes with an introduction written by Pat Rothfuss… which is a little suspect because in a little game they had on twitter, Kowal was better at being Rothfuss than Rothfuss was.

If that confused you, don’t worry; I think it bent more than a few brains.

As a whole, in any case, it’s an entertaining collection. There were one or two weaker points, where by my personal lights the twist was just a little… I saw it coming. ‘For Solo Cello, op. 12’, for example. And looking at the list of titles, there’s some where I can’t figure out which story they were, which you can attribute either to my terrible naming or perhaps less than memorable/well-matched titles/stories. ‘For Want of a Nail’, what was that one… ah, the one with the conflicted AI.

Still, for the most part I think Word Puppets is a strong collection, solidly entertaining, and what’s also nice, it has a wide range. Fantasy, various kinds of spec-fic, different settings, older protagonists… And it’s definitely quite different to her Regency/fantasy novels (which I do enjoy, but it’s nice to see Kowal taking on other frontiers). I enjoyed most of the stories, and I think particularly ‘Chrysalis’, ‘Body Language’, ‘The Lady Astronaut of Mars’ and ‘The Consciousness Problem’. Some of them really are sticking in my head, to be thought about later — so that’s a good sign.

Rating: 4/5

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Bout of Books

Posted December 27, 2015 by Nicky in General / 2 Comments

I’ve never managed to participate in the Bout of Books readathon before, because I always seem to realise it’s going on too late. But here I am, ready for this round!
Bout of Books Readathon
The Bout of Books read-a-thon is organized by Amanda @ On a Book Bender and Kelly @ Reading the Paranormal. It is a week long read-a-thon that begins 12:01am Monday, January 4th and runs through Sunday, January 10th in whatever time zone you are in. Bout of Books is low-pressure. There are challenges, giveaways, and a grand prize, but all of these are completely optional. For all Bout of Books 15 information and updates, be sure to visit the Bout of Books blog. – From the Bout of Books team

Readathon Goals!

I’m not going to be too ambitious about this. I’d like to have one book finished per day, but life happens and I’ll be travelling during the readathon. So we’ll just have to see! I know I can read a lot if pushed, but 9th-10th will be the first couple of days spent with my partner for a while, and it’s a weekend too, so she won’t be working. On the other hand, maybe I’ll read a lot on the Eurostar… (I’m not holding out too much hope for reading on the train to London to catch the Eurostar, though. That train is always busy, and noisy too. The Eurostar is usually peaceful, though!)

If I were to be super super ambitious, I might hope for about ten books finished during the readathon, counting ones I was already partway through. If I beat that, I’ll be over the moon!

Anyway, look out for an update post at the start of the readathon — I’ll set it up on the 4th, and use it for all updates through the end of the event.

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Review – Charm

Posted December 27, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 4 Comments

Cover of Charm by Sarah PinboroughCharm, Sarah Pinborough

I liked Charm more than the first book, but I’m still somewhat wondering exactly what to think about this. There’s less of a focus on sex in this book than in Poison, and what there is ends up feeling less exploitative and like power-play. Indeed, two of the scenes include a lot of tenderness, for quite different reasons. I can appreciate the world created, in which sex isn’t a huge deal but can be a way to share joy.

It’s also an interesting set-up world-wise, with Robin Hood making an appearance and more references to Hansel and Gretel, etc. It’s all a bit too wildly promiscuous about the stories mingling for my taste — there seems little rhyme or reason behind it — but it’s kind of fun to figure the references out, anyway.

As with the first book, the narration remains fairytale-like, and the twists on the original story are quite fun. For example, the ‘ugly’ step-sisters aren’t really ugly at all, and Cinderella’s hatred of her step-mother is rather unjust… but she is lower class than them and she does work around the house, and she doesn’t go to the balls. And her sister, Rose, tries to cut off her own toes to fit the shoe… because she believes it’s what her mother would want. The characters aren’t necessarily likeable, but for me that isn’t so much an issue with the clever sort of tale chosen here. I think you’re only meant to be able to sympathise with Rose, and not so much Cinderella. It’s showing up the selfishness of pursuing a dream to others’ cost.

I’m definitely going to read the third book, Beauty; the three aren’t that closely linked together, I think, but thematically they compliment each other — and the Fairy Godmother is someone you’ll recognise if you’ve read Poison

Rating: 3/5

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Review – Greenwitch

Posted December 26, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

061329971X.01._SX450_SY635_SCLZZZZZZZ_Greenwitch, Susan Cooper

Greenwitch is the shortest book of the sequence, and yet that doesn’t mean that little happens. It’s perhaps the most densely packed with symbolism and meaning and mythology that you just can’t get a handle on: the drowned man, the ship going inland, Roger Toms, the Wild Magic… This book, to me, emphasises the aspects of this sequence which are otherworldly and quite beyond the human characters, even while the humanity of those characters plays a huge part. It is Jane’s human kindness which wins the day, in the end. But she’s meeting a world which is wild and amoral and strange to her, with rules that make no sense to her.

It’s also, once again, great on human interaction: the pettiness of Barney and Simon toward the intruder, Will, and Jane’s attempts to bridge the two worlds. More out of a sense that that’s the girl’s job, perhaps, than because she has any genuine interest in Will for himself. Jane is the most reluctant of the Six — right now I’m wondering a little if that’s because she’s the only female character. I hope not, but there are so many scenes where she’s timid, more afraid than the boys… But at the same time, she also has a different understanding of the world, and a deeper view on things. She’s the one who can see the Greenwitch for the lonely creature it is, the one who can see Will for the strange being he has become. Which might, again, be rooted in gender, but I don’t think it’s any kind of simple binary. Which is a relief.

The writing is, as with the other books, very fine: there are some excellent set-pieces, for example when Will and Merriman travel beneath the sea to meet Tethys, or Jane looking out over the harbour — even the descriptions of the caravan.

I’m probably way ahead of the TDiR Readathon now. Always happens! And it means you still have the opportunity to join in…

Rating: 5/5

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Stacking the Shelves

Posted December 26, 2015 by Nicky in General / 26 Comments

It’s Boxing Day already? Where’d the time go?! Anyway, I hope everyone had a good day yesterday, whether they celebrate Christmas or not. I always think of Christmas as a time when I get stacks and stacks and stacks of books… but luckily for my TBR, it didn’t really go that far. Dad and my aunt got me a load of Phryne Fisher books (yay!), and between my parents, my sister and my friends, I got plenty, haha.

Anyway, I also popped by the library this week, where I picked up a couple of books…

Cover of Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen Cover of Unnatural Creatures ed. Neil Gaiman Cover of The Stress of Her Regard by Tim Powers

I’ve been meaning to read all three of these for a while, so hopefully I’ll get round to them soon.

And here’s my Christmas haul!

Cover of Murder in Montparnasse by Kerry Greenwood Cover of The Castlemaine Murders by Kerry Greenwood Cover of Queen of the Flowers by Kerry Greenwood

Cover of Death by Water by Kerry Greenwood Cover of Murder in the Dark by Kerry Greenwood Cover of Murder on a Midsummer Night by Kerry Greenwood

 Cover of Dead Man's Chest by Kerry Greenwood Cover of Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo Cover of Darkwalker by E.L. Tettensor

Cover of Silver on the Road by Laura Anne Gilman Cover of Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman Cover of Black Wolves by Kate Elliott

Cover of Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen Cover of Firefight by Brandon Sanderson Cover of An Atlas of Tolkien by David Day

My sister also bought me some hard copies of Tanya Huff books that I’ve been failing to get around to on my Kindle. And since I like to show off my geekiness, here are some of my other gifts…

 Photo of my in my Star Trek jammies Wearing my Cap shield backpack

Photo of my gifts all together, including a stack of books and a shield backpack My Captain America bear, in dressing gown and bunny slippers

As you see, my Captain America bear got a dressing gown, and slippers too. And I got hedgehog slippers, and Star Trek TNG uniform pajamas. And a shield backpack, because I <3 Steve Rogers.

And most importantly, a surprise from my dad — proper library steps which convert into a chair. You may remember my surprise giraffe, from last year…

Photo of a suspiciously wrapped object, with "not a giraffe" written on it Library Chair Library Steps

So all in all, pretty awesome haul! What’s everyone else been getting? Anything special?

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No Book Buying Challenge: Progress

Posted December 25, 2015 by Nicky in General / 10 Comments

So, this is the last #ShelfLove update from me for this year!

#ShelfLove banner

The prompt is to show how you’re doing. Well, you can check out Mount TBR in the top menu on my blog. If you compare my books bought/acquired in 2015 with other years, I’ve made some serious progress in thinking before I buy. Also utilising the library, and only buying books I’m sure I want! Which is not to say I’ve had no duds this year, or that I’ve done particularly well at tackling the backlog — I still apparently have 440 books unread from 2013, for example. Eek. But I’ve dealt with some of the causes of that backlog, and learned to stick to a budget!

#ShelfLove Breakdown

  • 58/51+ already owned books read from prior to 2015 (302 books read altogether)
  • Spent: £21 out of ~£30 budget (budget is 10% of my income) for January
  • Spent: £20 out of ~£25 budget for February
  • Spent: £22 out of ~£25 budget for March
  • Spent: £15 out of ~£16 budget for April
  • Spent: £45 out of ~£30 budget for May
  • Spent: £18 out of ~£40 budget for June, plus stuck within holiday budget
  • Spent: £45 out of ~£50 budget for July
  • Spent £51 out of ~£60 for August
  • Spent £30 out of £40 for September
  • Spent £20 out of £20 for October
  • Spent £36 out of £50 for November
  • Spent £0 out of £25 for December

Here’s my more general progress on resolutions:

  • No books impulse-bought (pretty much all year, with only one or two lapses)
  • Read every day (even if it was only a page or two)
  • Bed before midnight (less great at this)
  • Up before ten every day (some struggling in December)
  • Only bought one book from a series at a time (except where I was confident I’d like it)
  • Posted to the blog every day (I missed one day through a scheduling mess-up)
  • Commented on at least one other blog every day (no days missed except when I had no internet access)
  • Tithed 10% in every month
  • Done 85 hours volunteering total (just short of the goal, not really under my control)
  • Reading/reviewing books from NG/etc (82% ratio)

So not bad at all, right?!

I’ll be taking part in this challenge next year too, so hang tight for my starting post as 2016 opens.

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Review – Tigana

Posted December 25, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Tigana by Guy Gavriel KayTigana, Guy Gavriel Kay

This week’s Flashback Friday is a bit of a special one, because it turns out I’ve written a full review for Tigana every time I’ve read it, from my first encounter with it. All of these are here, dated, in chronological order. I hope you find it as interesting as I did!

August 2008.

The very last paragraph makes me want to kill Guy Gavriel Kay. The impact was somewhat spoilt by my mum spoilering me beforehand, but… on the other hand, knowing it was coming hurt more, too.

One thing I definitely have to say is that Guy Gavriel Kay’s romance was much better in this book. I never really saw Catriana and Alessan coming, but at the same time, it was understandable and it didn’t make me come over all “…no” like Paul and Jaelle in Fionavar did. Dianora and Brandin were delightfully star-crossed. I loved the little references to Fionavar, too. The characters I got to love very, very much. Maybe not quite as much as I grew to love the characters in Fionavar. He wasn’t quite as ruthless with his characters in Tigana, though, so I didn’t test my love of the characters in tears!

Guy Gavriel Kay is one of my favourite authors right now. Really. I don’t see that changing any time soon, either.

Rating: 5/5

August 2009.

This is still such a beautiful, beautiful book. This is my first reread, but I can tell you already that it won’t be my last. The writing is gorgeous, and the imagery and the politics and the characters are all amazing. The careful laying of the plot, with the different subplots that weave in, like the Carlozzini and Dianora’s own plans, is amazing. There are so many points in the book where I found tears coming to my eyes that I don’t even know how many times it happened. It’s an amazing, amazing book.

One of the things I noticed most this time round is the backstory, the creation of a mythology that hangs around the edges of the story — provides sanctuary, or is important to one subplot or another, without taking centre stage. Backstory that both enriches the world, the worldbuilding, and serves a purpose, without being pointless or entirely utilitarian.

I also noticed the moral ambiguity that he builds up. Especially in the figure of Brandin, of course, who has done such cruel, terrible things, but has reasons and a kind of nobility of his own and can actually be liked, in some ways. But not just him. Alessan himself isn’t amazing either — although one difference between him and the tyrants is, of course, that though he does use his special power to bind someone to his cause, he does release them to their own free will and does feel a lot of remorse.

The last line of all means that Guy Gavriel Kay probably deserves to go and live in his own special circle of hell. It’s an amazing, beautiful ending, and it’s so, so cruel.

Rating: 5/5

February 2013.

I found Tigana annoying me so much this time around. Kay’s overly ornate way of writing, the way he makes even the simplest of events sound So Deeply Important by the formal way he’s writing… But it all came together for me again when I sat down and just read. I fell in awkward, torn love with Alessan, with Brandin, with Catriana, with Dianora, with Baerd. I loved the way people came together, willingly and unwillingly, against the other halves of their hearts. I love how people became whole again, or didn’t, and found healing and/or revenge, or…

It’s a complex plot, full of complex people, and I love it so much. I’m rereading all of GGK’s work in chronological order, to watch his development as a novelist (and for the sheer love of his work, of course), and up to now this has always been my favourite. Right now, I’m not sure where it ranks exactly — but oh, I do love it.

Reading Kay’s afterword and seeing what his influences were is also pretty fascinating. It doesn’t surprise me, in retrospect, that Brian Friel’s Translations influenced him, even though it seems like a leap from a literary play about language to a fantasy novel that is, on the surface, about the fight against tyranny (but then, those two don’t seem so very far apart if you think in Colonial terms).

Rating: 5/5

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Review – Shadow Memories

Posted December 24, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Shadow Memories by Nicholas ErikShadow Memories, Nicholas Erik
Received to review via Netgalley

Shadow Memories isn’t a chore to read, because it has very short chapters and constant action. Unfortunately, it has very short chapters and constant action… so it’s hard to connect to the characters, and the plot comes across as very confused. Some major stuff is just skimmed right past, while an undue amount of time is spent on a guy who thinks his wife is cheating on him.

It takes too long to get to the conspiracy/alien stuff — at least in any detail — and the main POV character is just infuriating in his complaints about sleeping on the couch like his partner owes him sex just because he exists and hasn’t actively done anything annoying that day.

So, not for me. It’s pacey enough though. Some people might enjoy it.

Rating: 1/5

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Review – Unborn

Posted December 23, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of Unborn by Amber Lynn NatuschUnborn, Amber Lynn Natusch
Received to review via Netgalley

Oh, dear. The best I can say about Unborn is that it’s really easy to read. The style, though, just drove me instantly to distraction. There’s something so lifeless about the narration, and the main character is just so completely detached — and it uses so much prior mythology, like Hades and Demeter and Ares, and then so much other stuff like Empties and Fallen and… it just felt like such a mash-up.

I’m going to be honest, I didn’t read very much of this. I knew I wasn’t going to enjoy it, and the guy going on and on about wanting to sleep with his sister (and/or other people saying he did) was just weird.

Rating: 1/5

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Review – 13 Things That Don’t Make Sense

Posted December 22, 2015 by Nicky in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of 13 Things That Don't Make Sense by Michael Brooks13 Things That Don’t Make Sense, Michael Brooks

Some of these things are sort of covered in Brooks’ other book, At the Edge of Uncertainty, while others weren’t. There’s a bunch of interesting stuff about extraterrestrial intelligence and the experiments looking for microbial life on Mars, for instance. As with the other book, Brooks gives clear explanations. In fact, reading both books illuminated more about the topics that were in both. Each topic leads to the next in a very logical way, too.

The topic selections are all interesting: life on Mars, the ‘wow’ signal, discrepancies about universal constants…  It may not all be of interest to every reader, but it’s a good selection of scientific mysteries and frontiers. It explores them quite well, without going into too much detail.

Very much a pop science book, suitable for readers of New Scientist and similar publications. Which isn’t surprising, since he was an editor for that magazine!

Rating: 3/5

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