Tag: books

Top Ten Tuesday

Posted May 5, 2015 by in General / 14 Comments

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt is “ten books I will probably never read”. That’s going to be an interesting one, because as a rule I usually try anything once…

  1. Anything by Marion Zimmer Bradley. I’ve read The Mists of Avalon because I had to, but especially given the abuse claims made against her, I don’t intend to read The Firebrand anymore — even though it’s about Cassandra of Troy, and I love her story. I didn’t like her Arthuriana, so I don’t think Bradley has a chance in general, even without having abused children.
  2. Fifty Shades Darker, E.L. James. 900% not interesting to me. I have read 50 Shades of Grey, cringingly, and I have so many problems with the whole thing I can’t even begin to express them.
  3. All Clear, Connie Willis. I just don’t get on with this author, sorry. I tried Blackout because of a book club read, but that’s as far as I go.
  4. Anything else by Chuck Palahniuk. I’ve read Fight Club, but the rest of his work really doesn’t appeal.
  5. Anything by Niall Griffiths. Sheepshagger was disgusting but also powerful, while Dreams of Max and Ronnie was gross in a way I just couldn’t abide.
  6. Anything by Phillipa Gregory. I’m sorry, I’ve tried.
  7. The Echo, by James Smythe. Read The Explorer recently and just… nah.
  8. Anything by Rosalind Miles. I think I struggled through all her Guinevere books, but abandoned the Isolde books. Definitely not my thing.
  9. The Prodigal Mage, by Karen Miller. There were things I loved about The Innocent Mage, but ultimately the cartoon villain and predictable plotline killed this world for me. I am going to try some of her other books.
  10. Anything by Virginia Woolf. Dooo noooottt get on with her stuff, I’m afraid.

Anything here you particularly want to kick me for? Anything you agree with? Share away!

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May TBR

Posted May 4, 2015 by in General / 4 Comments

I have a problem with TBR lists. I love making them. They even help, as long as I walk a very fine line between giving myself some room to manoeuvre and some freedom to have a crappy day and read Mary Stewart’s work again (or whatever it happens to be I feel most like reading). If I put something on some kind of must-read list, I quite often end up not reading it in anything like good time (sorry, Jo Walton, V.E. Schwab, Elizabeth Bear, Garth Nix… the list goes on). But if I don’t, the same might occur.

I’m contrary, I know. So this is an experiment in how flexible I’m going to need to be. For this month, since I read probably about 25 books a month at the moment, I’m going with four categories and a wildcard set. All the books will be numbered so if I’m being indecisive, I can use a random number generator and solve it.

ARCs (or Ryan will stare at me reproachfully or something; this list includes stuff I was approved for and didn’t review in time, as I actually guarantee I will read stuff anyway given enough time and a source like the library)

  1. The Lie Tree, Frances Hardinge.
  2. Peacemaker, Marianne de Pierres. (Yes, I know, this one has been out for ages. Shush.)
  3. Cities and Thrones, Carrie Patel. (I might make it on time for this one!)
  4. Dark Triumph, Robin LaFevers.
  5. A Court of Thorns and Roses, Sarah J. Maas.

Library

  1. The Winter Sea, Susanna Kearsley.
  2. Ringworld, Larry Niven. (I will read this in time for the bookclub. I will!) I did!
  3. Curtsies & Conspiracies, Gail Carriger.
  4. Crown of Midnight, Sarah J. Maas.
  5. The Deadly Sisterhood, Leonie Frieda.

Owned

  1. A Darker Shade of Magic, V.E. Schwab.
  2. Karen Memory, Elizabeth Bear.
  3. Valour & Vanity, Mary Robinette Kowal.
  4. Of Noble Family, Mary Robinette Kowal.
  5. The Hemlock Cup, Bettany Hughes.

Rereads (including books counting as owned-unread because of ebook duplicates)

  1. Lirael, Garth Nix.
  2. Gifts, Ursula Le Guin.
  3. Graceling, Kristin Cashore.
  4. Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Laini Taylor.
  5. Days of Blood and Starlight, Laini Taylor.

Wildcards

  1. The Mirror Empire, Kameron Hurley. (ARC.)
  2. Darwin’s Lost World, Martin Brasier. (Library.)
  3. Changeless, Gail Carriger. (Owned.)
  4. Blameless, Gail Carriger. (Owned.)
  5. The Supernatural Enhancements, Edgar Cantero. (ARC.)

Graphic novels don’t count in here, because I tend to read them in one sitting anyway. If I finish fifteen of the non-wildcard books and I’ve run out of wildcards, I’ll probably let myself have some more. I think it’s unlikely, but who knows? My brain might decide to cooperate.

Anyone else have an, um, complex relationship with reading lists, haha?

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Review – The Man in the Queue

Posted May 4, 2015 by in Reviews / 9 Comments

Cover of The Man in the Queue by Josephine TeyThe Man in the Queue, Josephine Tey

I expected to like this a lot. Golden Age crime fiction, I’m pretty sure my mother mentioned liking it, etc, etc. But I couldn’t get past the endless racism, and the general feeling that Josephine Tey would be a men’s rights activist now. I mean, a woman on the stage overshadows her male co-stars, and yet the whole tone is not, wow, her skill and grace and so on, but that she is secretly a conniving bitch. The whole story serves to hammer home that she’s a woman who only cares about herself — with very little actual evidence, which is funny coming from a detective story. Someone else summarised it really well, and I can only quote (warning, spoilers):

So, someone who wants to kill a woman because he can’t have her is sane. Someone who wants to kill a man to save her daughter’s life is crazy. Very, very interesting, Tey. And at the end we’re asked teasingly whether there’s a villain in the story. I strongly suspect the villain we’re meant to think of is the woman the murder victim was going to kill. If she’d been nicer, she’d have appreciated that nice young man, you see, and none of this trouble would have happened.
(From Leonie’s review on Goodreads)

The description and so on can be as clever as it likes, but I couldn’t stand one more slighting reference to “the Dago”, or commentary about the “un-English crime”, or any of that. And the mystery itself… it’s obvious from the length of the book that the inspector is after the wrong man. It’s obvious from the way the man and the people around him act, too. The only excuse for going along with the thin, motiveless explanation Grant dredges up is if you’ve got a prejudice to begin with and you’re going to stick to your theory no matter what — no matter how Tey makes a song and dance about Grant being bothered by the case.

The reason Grant is wrong, well, at least you can’t blame him there. There’s virtually no clue, and nothing tied specifically to any suspect other than the red herring one. You can’t guess it directly from the information given — not a hope.

I sound really scathing, but that’s in part because I hoped I’d really enjoy this. I read it pretty much in one go: the narration is pretty compulsive, and the narrative voice is an interesting choice too. But the pretty sentences didn’t save it from how bothered I was with the outdated stuff (reliance on reading people’s faces, reliance on “national characters”, etc). Now I’ve gone looking at reviews, I can see other people who didn’t think much of this one did like her later work, so I might still be along for the ride there if I can get it from the library.

Rating: 2/5

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Review – Tropic of Serpents

Posted May 3, 2015 by in Reviews / 2 Comments

Cover of Tropic of Serpents by Marie BrennanTropic of Serpents, Marie Brennan

It’s been ages since I read A Natural History of Dragons, which meant I was playing catch-up a little with the characters and the situation. I wouldn’t suggest reading it without reading the first book, since it’s an almost continuous narrative — but if it’s just been a while, well, you’ll probably be okay. I got there pretty quickly, once I remembered who all the characters were and how they all related to each other.

As with the first book, it’s fascinating to read this version of our own history, with a female natural historian front and centre. Given the trouble the likes of Mary Anning had, I understand the context a lot better now, though I do find myself thinking that, if anything, it’s a little too easy for Isabella to get where she wants to go. Still, I already criticised the first book for being a little slow, and there are plenty such drawbacks here as well. There’s another interesting meeting with different cultures, and some of the ways that that limits Isabella — but also one surprising way it gives her more opportunities.

I read this much quicker than I read the first book. It’s not exactly “unputdownable”, because you know that Isabella must survive to be writing the memoir, but it is compelling. I especially enjoyed the strengthening of Isabella’s relationship with Tom Wilker, and the way their characters clashed and meshed through the book. Natalie is a fun addition, too: a woman who, like Isabella, wants more than society (and her family) want to give, a woman who is in fact an engineer of some skill.

I’m having a hard time picturing Isabella’s adventures coming to an end after Voyage of the Basilisk, so I’m hoping that I’m misremembering that this is a trilogy… All in all, I’ve gotta say that these books have definitely won my heart now. I might have been doubtful about the first one, but I thoroughly enjoyed the second.

Rating: 5/5

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Review – Ms Marvel: Generation Why

Posted May 2, 2015 by in Reviews / 8 Comments

Cover of Ms Marvel: Generation Why by G. Willow WilsonMs Marvel: Generation Why, G. Willow Wilson, Adrian Alphona, Jake Wyatt

I liked this more than the first volume. It felt less like it was setting the scene, and it got down to the important stuff: superhero team-ups, more self-discovery, bigger plots, etc, etc. Kamala teams up with Wolverine and (separately) Lockjaw, sent by Queen Medusa of the Inhumans to guide her somewhat. I loved the interactions with Wolverine — fangirly, cute, funny, but also serious. He’s her mentor, teaches her some important things about her powers and how to live with them, and he relies on her to help him, even to do the bulk of the fighting.

There’s still some background with Kamala’s family, but less so. It’s reduced from being the main issue to being part of the flavour of it, so that her family saying (for example) that Lockjaw is a dog and therefore impure is just… part of who Kamala is. I liked her interactions with the leader from the mosque, too: he’s a mentor figure as well, in a way.

The art is all great. I especially liked the first few issues collected here — you’ve gotta love the scene where she jumps down into the water flailing her arms and trying to shrink as fast as possible — but all of it is awesome. And there’s no gratuitous anything, either: this ain’t the black leotarded Ms Marvel, for sure.

Rating: 5/5

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Stacking the Shelves

Posted May 2, 2015 by in General / 26 Comments

Is it Saturday again already? Whoa. I’ve been catching up on blog stuff all this week, thanks to the readathon — which is not a complaint.

Review copies

Cover of The Eye of Strife by Dave Duncan Cover of Cities and Thrones by Carrie Patel

I have finally got round to writing a review of The Buried Life, which will be up soon; Cities and Thrones is the sequel. You can still check out Carrie’s post here from her blog tour for The Buried Life, too! I got The Eye of Strife via LibraryThing; I’ve been meaning to read Dave Duncan for ages, so this should be interesting.

Won

Cover of Sword by Amy Bai Cover of Dreams of the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn

I’ve been interested in Sword for a while, so I picked it as my win in one of the readathon giveaways. <3 Dreams of the Golden Age was my pick for another win; that hasn’t arrived yet, which is probably good, because I need to reread After the Golden Age, and I think my partner has my copy.

Library

Cover of The Drowning City by Amanda Downum Cover of Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas Cover of The Splendour Falls by Susanna Kearsley

Cover of The Deadly Sisterhood by Leonie Frieda Cover of Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor

Daughter of Smoke and Bone and The Drowning City are both rereads, to get me back up to speed for the next book in the series/trilogy. Crown of Midnight is obvious, since I just read Throne of Glass (but I’m sorry, I just don’t love it as much as some of you guys seem to). I have The Deadly Sisterhood somewhere, but goodness knows where. And I just like Susanna Kearsley.

Bought

Cover of Of Noble Family by Mary Robinette Kowal Cover of Silk, Marvel comic

Quite a contrast there between the covers, heh. I reaaally need to actually read the issues of Silk I have… I’ve been tearing through Kowal’s series lately, just in time for this last book. I’m excited!

Audiobooks

Cover of Among Others audiobook Cover of Rivers of London audiobook

Cover of Epigenetics audiobook by Richard Francis

I usually prefer to listen to audiobooks I’ve already read for myself, hence Among Others and Rivers of London (the latter of which I’d like to refresh my memory on anyway); Epigenetics: How Environment Shapes Our Genes is a new one for me, which I couldn’t really resist because epigenetics! Non-fiction! Science!

How’s everyone else been doing? Behaving yourselves?

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Review – The Paladin

Posted May 1, 2015 by in Reviews / 0 Comments

Cover of The Paladin by C.J. CherryhThe Paladin, C.J. Cherryh
Review from 25th January, 2013

I forced myself to finish this one because it counts for my WWE Women of Genre Fiction challenge, but I wasn’t very happy about it. This isn’t a great introduction to C.J. Cherryh’s work, I think: it’s a standalone fantasy-ish alternate history-ish story, which would normally be right up my alley. It’s even a break from the medieval European fantasy that gluts the genre, based on Chinese culture and history (so far as I can tell). It has a strong female protagonist who becomes a swordswoman. And if she’d been the main character — or more accurately, the point of view character — I’d have loved it, I think.

I was encouraged to finish reading it, anyway, by Jo Walton’s positive review. I do like her point about turning the traditional story around — telling it from the female protagonist’s point of view would be the expected way to do it. I like the realism of it, the military training that is described in a way that makes you feel it, but without detail where it can slip from lack of research. I did enjoy the world, the training, Taizu’s determination, the details of caring for horses and sleeping on the ground and snatching sleep for fear of bandits.

But I didn’t find the “love story” Walton mentions nearly so compelling. From the start, Shoka thinly veils from himself and the reader that he wants to rape Taizu, and that he believes it won’t be his fault if he does. It’s all the male excuses for rape ever — “she tempted me just by existing”, “I haven’t had sex in so long I need it”, “what did she expect when she shacked up alone with a lonely guy?” (despite his promise to her that he’s not expecting her to have sex with him) — and, just, ugh. A certain amount of it I can put down to culture, and a certain amount I can see as part of a character’s journey, but I don’t feel like Shoka really made that journey. He did develop as a character somewhat, becoming part of the world again, but his attitudes to women didn’t change, only his attitude to a single woman.

Taizu is an amazing character in herself — dogged, intelligent, brave, and at the same time not perfect, struggling with herself and with Shoka and with her past. She does have a journey, going from being a farmer-girl bent on revenge to being a swordswoman who is, quite honestly, more suited to the “Way” Shoka talks about than he is. He worries about her dishonouring him, but she would never. All the dishonour comes from Shoka himself.

Anyway, once I got about two thirds of the way through, I began to enjoy it more. As Shoka begins to trust Taizu, he becomes that bit more likeable, the story that bit more dynamic, though I could’ve lived without him constantly calling her a fool or acting like she can’t take care of herself. Clearly, she can.

So, in summary, it’s worth reading for Taizu, if you like slow building stories about military training and eventual revenge. I think the closest comparison is to Across The Nightingale Floor (Lian Hearn), which I loved when I read it. But be warned: rapey!

Rating: 2/5

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Review – Sockology

Posted April 30, 2015 by in Reviews / 5 Comments

Cover of Sockology by Brenna MaloneySockology, Brenna Maloney

I read this on Scribd after browsing through the craft books (where’s the crochet hiding?!). It’s a fun sort of book, with patterns and ideas about how to cut up and reuse socks to make various creatures. I didn’t always find the results attractive, but the patterns could be fairly easily altered. As soon as you figure out how to look at a sock for how you can cut it up and change it, instead of as a sock, you’ve got it.

Not something I’m going to get into, I think — I never seem to have enough socks anyway. But I have a friend or two who might enjoy it…

Rating: 3/5

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Review – Mammoths of the Great Plains

Posted April 29, 2015 by in Reviews / 2 Comments

Cover of Mammoths of the Great Plains by Eleanor ArnasonMammoths of the Great Plains, Eleanor Arnason

I still need to read A Woman of the Iron People, which is the main work I’ve been recommended by Arnason. But I thought I’d read this on Scribd, since it was available and I find the Outspoken Authors series generally interesting. I was less interested in the interview and essay, though it’s interesting to know where Arnason comes from (in many senses!) and what her preoccupations are. I’m not sure how much general interest the essay has; certainly, if you’re not fond of non-fiction, I can’t imagine you’ll appreciate it.

The story itself is interesting: it’s alternate history, where mammoths survived into the last couple of centuries, and where humans drove them to extinction with hunting and tourism. The background of the Native American characters and customs was particularly cool, especially given the educated and successful Native American women at the heart of the story.

The contemplative tone is a bit Ursula Le Guin-ish, which I think Arnason says herself — and the structure, too, with the story within a story. It’s quite a slow narrative: not about things happening, so much as things that have happened, about the power humans have for good and bad (but usually bad) over our environment. I don’t know enough about Native American culture and belief to judge that aspect of the story: to me the ecological, intimate link with nature stuff seemed a little like an idealisation, more of the ‘noble savage’ persuasion than realism, but it doesn’t do so in a negative way and, like I said, I don’t know enough to judge.

Rating: 3/5

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Review – Third Time Lucky

Posted April 28, 2015 by in Reviews / 2 Comments

24965354Third Time Lucky, Tanya Huff

I’ve wanted to get this collection since it came out, so no surprises that I read it as soon as I got chance. I love Huff’s collections of short stories: they’re bite-sized, sure, but there’s enough there to get your teeth into. Especially in this collection, which is a group of stories about the same character/world: Magdalene, the most powerful wizard in the world. I loved that she is literally the most powerful wizard, and that Huff chose to deal with that not by making her less powerful, but by making her essentially her own worst enemy. (Which is particularly true in the last story.)

I like that Magdalene is lazy, indolent, sensual, sexual — and none of this is particularly judged by the stories in any kind of “teach her a lesson” way. She still does what needs to be done, she still cares about the people around her, and she doesn’t care to boast about her. That would take effort.

In fact, arguably the only “lesson” in these stories is that she must accept herself, whole and entire, the good with the bad. Not a bad message at all, if there’s going to be one.

Rating: 4/5

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