Sunday 30 October 2016

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen

I hummed and ha'ed over buying this one for a while. I have not been in the mood for YA in years, and I can't say the mood has struck recently either. But... it was on special (my kryptonite!) and it looked pretty and I was in the mood for fantasy.

Kelsea has come of age and as a result, has to take over her kingdom. But people are out to kill her and she has just barely left her sanctuary. What on earth will it be like when she gets there! And does she have the wisdom to take a country that is being bled to something better?

This was a lot of fun!

I enjoyed Kelsea as a character. I liked the way she thought, I enjoyed watching her grow, and it was a pleasant change to have a more relatable heroine, one that was not super skinny and drop dead gorgeous. Mace, her body guard, was also a fun character - although, to be honest, I found his authority to be a bit excessive to be considered realistic.

The plot kept me going. In fact, I am really looking forward to picking up the next two so that I can see how this all wraps up. It was a fairly involved plot. Early on in the book, I was wondering how on earth Kelsea was going to sort everything out. It seemed an impossible task. Did I use the past tense there? Sorry. It still definitely seems an impossible task.

There were some parts, though, where I felt that what was going on was unrealistic and put there because the author enjoyed writing that scene. These bits disappointed because it gave the book a juvenile aftertaste, and they clashed with some of the adult discussions - sex slavery etc. The language is easy to follow though, so this would be a good book for less experienced readers who enjoy more of a mental challenge.

I will be picking up the next one soon. (Right after the exams 'soon' - if not before!)

Oh! I gave this 3 stars on Goodreads and 3.5 on my own records. Unfortunately, the few scenes I mentioned above did lower the overall affect of the book.

Friday 28 October 2016

The A to Z of You and Me by James Hannah

It isn't often that I buy the wrong book - I can't remember having done it before. On this occasion I did. I can't remember which book it was that I was looking for, but the covers were similar, and, I thought this was the right one. Oh well. It wasn't the worst I have made. In fact, this seemed a bit serendipitous.

Ivo is dying. He is in a hospice, sounded by the nursing staff who are doing all they can for him to help him through his last days. One nurse suggests he plays a game, listing body parts in alphabetical order. This sends Ivo down memory lane.

This was such an enjoyable read. If it weren't for work commitments, I would have finished in a fraction of the time.

One thing I really enjoy in books in unpredictability, and this book was filled with it. For starters, I loved the non-linear approach. It worked magnificently in this. This needs a bit more explanation. The present day story is presented as though the reader is a fly on the wall. Life happens as it would happen without any explanations, no dumbing down. (I LOVED that about this.) This would naturally make me extremely curious, but I would have to wait for the flashbacks to the past (which did not come in a linear fashion) to work out what had happened - and sometimes Hannah would really make me wait to find out. Talk about reason to keep turning the pages. Oh, and did I mention that there was a love story in here too? I enjoyed the puzzle of finding out what happened there too.

Ivo was an interesting character. In real life, he would have been a guy I scorned. This book got me to see a completely different side to him. By the end I felt bad that I had labeled him an idiot-loser who 'made his bed'. But even though I felt guilty for having thought that, Ivo does not try and justify his former stupidity. He owns it. Good for him.

This was a pleasant mix of touching, heart-breaking, humorous, suspenseful and insightful. Overall a good read, and I would recommend this to folks who like contemporary novels in general. This got a well-earned 4 star rating on Goodreads, and 4.5 on my own.

Wednesday 26 October 2016

The Opposite of Fate by Amy Tan

I have enjoyed the books that I have read by Amy Tan in the past. I also think she is an interesting character, being a member of the band Stephen King is in is one of the reasons. Accidentally, in the past, I have stumbled upon non-fiction essays by Amy Tan. Finding a collection of her essays was therefore something that thrilled me. (Although one would doubt that considering it then sat on my shelf for about two years.)

I thought this was brilliant. There are so many interesting essays, lines and passages in this book, I could really see myself rereading it - with a pile of tags on hand. I also enjoy Tan's voice. She is humorous, intelligent and has such a quaint way of putting things.

Her essays, particularly the one on English speaking where she discusses the problems her mother encountered being Chinese; and the one where she speaks about the expectations on authors of colour to fit within their own minority and write about their cultures in a positive light, have given me loads to debate and contemplate.

I can see that some folks could see some aspects of this being repetitive. This is a collection of essays, speeches etc. Each entry was meant to be heard in isolation from the others - which means that some facts are repeated. Maybe it isn't the most thrilling thing to encounter in a book - but I will gladly ignore that. I am just happy that all these essays were put in one place where I could get my hands on them.

I gave this 5 stars on Goodreads.

Monday 24 October 2016

The Lighthouse by P.D. James

I am always on a quest to find more crime writers that I like. I read crime novels when I really need to relax - or at least that is what my reading stats show. Exam terms have a noticeably large number of crime novels read.

PD James' books were recommended on a Booktube channel, whose is anyone's guess. Although it was Death comes to Pemberley that was really the book that was reviewed, her other books were mentioned in general. I managed to find a decent secondhand copy of this one, (and a copy of Death comes to Pemberley, but I was too tired at the time to try and deal with, what at a glance, appeared to be Jane Austen's language). This book is the 13th book in the Adam Dalgliesh series.

This is a locked room murder, or should I say, an isolated island murder - which is becoming a thing of its own, and at least doesn't have the problem of 'how did they get into the room' added to the questions. The man who is murdered seems an unpleasant fellow, and pretty much everyone has a motive for wanting to do him in.

Interesting was the first word that came to mind. This is the first novel I have read by PD James and I am not yet sure what I make of her style or composition of a crime novel. In some ways I really enjoyed this, in other ways I felt there was far too much information about the characters - I was in it for the crime. But then, I don't object to all the character stuff in Kathy Reichs's books, so perhaps I am feeling this way because I have missed the earlier 12 books where I would have grown to care about these people and their relationships. I have a suspicion that that is probably the case. For this book, all I can say is that I didn't care about the characters at all.

For a crime novel the plot was pleasantly twisty. I have a feeling my gran might enjoy this one. Also, fans of Ruth Rendell might enjoy this too.

I gave this 3 stars on Goodreads. My favorite crime books are the forensic crime books. I like the science investigation as opposed to the plodding from door to door method. I suppose it comes down to the fact that I like learning new things about science, and I also like testing my own science knowledge (I am often amazed just how much I can pick up and use to solve crimes in books from my general knowledge.)  As a result, I will probably read more of these books, but i won't be going out of my way to find them.

Saturday 22 October 2016

Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde

I had had an eye open for Jasper Fforde for some time, so when I stumbled upon two of his books (in mint condition) in my favourite secondhand bookshop, I couldn't resist. As my luck would have it though, I managed to pick up books 3 and 4 in the Thursday Next series, which meant a hunt was on (well, actually, I just went over to my favourite bookshop and sent them on a hunt) to find books 1 and 2. A week or so later, there they were!

Because it is so damned difficult discussing books later in a series (as spoilers are a thing), I decided to lump the whole lot in here. Well, the first three. I am yet to read the 4th book. I am saving it for when the kids start exams and I have a thing called free time.

So welcome to the post where I practise being vague, and where I emphasise that this was a fun read.

The Eyre Affair


In this book, we meet Thursday Next, an investigator in the Special Operative branch of literary detection. We meet an alternate universe to the one that we know: a world where time travel is possible, where people actually REALLY care about literature, and the Crimean war is still on going.

This was a great idea. I don't think I have ever encountered a plot like this at all. It was fun, but what made this a really enjoyable read were all the literary references. I felt this book was filled with insider jokes for readers. Especially readers who have read tons of classics.

I really enjoyed Thursday. She was a feisty lead character. She was not afraid to take chances. Rochester was also fun. I liked how he was portrayed - but I can't say more on that without spoiling something.

Overall, this was a fun read. I gave it 4 stars for its original plot and chuckle factor.

 Lost in a Good Book 


This book picks up exactly where the previous one left off - hence, no synopsis. Well... ok, maybe a short synopsis. Someone has gone back in time and changed something. Oh, and Thursday might have to face some repercussions. Oh, and a whole NEW, SPECTACULAR, I WANNA GO THERE WORLD is introduced.

Another enjoyable and fun read. I think this one was only worth 3.5 stars. I enjoyed the first one a bit more. This one had a lot of waffling around in the middle - and although I enjoyed it for the literary references, I did get a bit impatient with it. Still, it is a new concept and it is done well.

It has definitely added to the puzzle that I suspect is running through these books. I am curious to know if Fforde planned all of these as one continuous series, or whether he is winging his way through them. If this is winging, I am impressed. If it isn't - dang! I will be forking out more money for the rest of the series. As it is, it doesn't look like one can just give up.

The Well of Lost Plots


And .... *drum roll* ... this book picks up exactly where the last one left off. Once again, no synopsis! I will say that we meet the Well of Lost Plots and Jasper Fforde raises the stakes.

Another fun read. Fforde is very good at blurring the lines between 'reality' and fiction. These are really stories one can live in.

I think my enjoyment of these books is based on the the number of books I have read - and the types of books I have read. Yes, this is a series for lit majors. The inside jokes are brilliant. The pacing is a bit slower than I would perhaps like, especially for the first two thirds of the book. After that, the last 100 pages flew by. But then, reading this nice and slowly is probably helping me enjoy the inside jokes more, as I am not bombarded with them in one sitting. This one also got 4 stars!

I have book 4, Something Rotten, and am really looking forward to delving into it!


Thursday 20 October 2016

Beloved by Toni Morrison

My reading stats chart showed that I was lagging both with female authors and authors who are not white. I bought this book a couple of years ago, knowing that it would not be an easy read, but that it was probably an important read. I got in the mood for something that would be a bit more challenging, and on that note, this book did not disappoint.

This story follows a former slave who is haunted by her dead child.

This is not an easy book to review. Just as it was not an easy book to read.

This is very well written. It is haunting, soul-destroying and enlightening (in a very dark way). But there is a need for this story to be told. I really struggled through it, not because it was difficult to make sense of, but because it was difficult to read.

I liked the way the book is structured. The timeline was not linear and jumped from the present to different points in the past, slowly building to a complete picture. It keeps one needing to turn the pages, to find out what had happened, and what will happen - and I think it improved the reading experience. I don't think this book would have been as powerful structured differently.

The characters were so realistic - even with the element of magical realism in it. One had to appreciate the irony of the dead baby being called Beloved. But what was more chilling was that one could completely sympathise with Sethe and her actions, both in the present timeline and the past.

This novel highlights the shocking act of slavery. It shows how humans were treated with less concern than animals. It shows how families were torn apart, how brutally people were murdered and how inhumane the whole thing was.

I gave this 4 stars. It is brilliant and definitely worthy of 5, but, shew. It is hard to like something so harsh.

Tuesday 18 October 2016

The Babes in the Wood by Ruth Rendell

The Babes in the Wood is the 19th book in the Inspector Wexford series. So far, I have had an on and off relationship with Rendell's books; 'off' with her non-Wexford books, 'on' with the only other Wexford book I have read. But as crime novels are my guilty pleasure and a sure cure for high-stressed times, I decided to give this a go.

Two teens and their 'baby sitter' have gone missing. It is up to Wexford and his team to fight the floods and find out what happened.

This was a pretty decent mystery. It definitely kept me guessing, which is an unusual occurrence. 

One thing that can be said about Rendell's writing, is that she writes well. The standard of the language in her crime novels (that I have read so far) are far superior to the more popular books in this genre. I also enjoy the fact that one needs to be paying attention to pick up all the clues.

I was very satisfied with this book. The logic was rational (which sounds silly to say, but lets be honest, it isn't always that way in books, where situations and characters are twisted 'out of character' to accommodate a plot error, or to move the plot in a direction), and the characters were believable. Although I did feel that there was a bit of a drag nearing the middle, it makes sense that a lot of footwork and waiting needs to be done.

One thing that bugged me though was the head cop who was, to put it mildly, asininely stupid in the beginning. It makes one disbelieve that he would have ever made it to that position with his head so far in the sand. (OK, so apparently I did have one problem with a character being twisted out of belief.) Oh, and I suppose I should add that my thoughts are still out on Wexford's daughter. I don't want to believe that women would put up with that level of abuse and make such accommodations for abusive men, but that does not mean it isn't a realistic (if unfortunate) occurrence. As I said, I have not made up my mind about that. I will say though, that my father would have been a lot less aware of any law had that have happened to me. Either that says a lot for Wexford's character, or a lot for my dad (who was brilliant).

Crime lovers, especially of older crime novels (the non-forensic, blood-guts-'n-gore crime books) would probably enjoy this. It was a decent puzzle to solve. I only gave this 3 stars, because, although I was satisfied with this novel, I wasn't blown away. In fact, to write this review 2 months after finishing it, I had to squiz through the synopsis on Goodreads to make sure this was the book I thought it was. (Thank Merlin I keep notes most of the time when reading so I can still write about what I have read months later.)

Sunday 16 October 2016

The Gunslinger by Stephen King

Hi! So you are still here! I admire your patience. Once again work has taken over my life. Our exams last term are followed by a mere two weeks of teaching this term before the next round of final exams start. In other words, I am cramming in the last of the syllabus, trying to revise complicated areas, prepare the kids for the final exams AND still set exam papers. Oh, and have I mentioned meetings. I seem to do nothing but attend meetings if I am not prepping lessons or setting papers. Life. I have it not. On the good note, because life has been so demanding, I have been reading quite a bit. So, how can you find time to read and not find time to update your blog, I hear you ask. Well, I read in bed - I don't compute in bed. When I wake up in the middle of the night (which is actually 3am for me) because my brain has decided to panic about how much I need to get through, I read to put myself to sleep. The last thing I want to do is have heavy thoughts, or at least thoughts which need to come across coherently and preferably grammatically. Apologies. If I do manage to do reviews for all that I have read in the past three months, I should have made up some of your waiting up to you. But look at me here, wasting time again with excuses and apologies.

I have heard about 'The Dark Tower' series for years. I think the first person who mentioned it was my brother's ex-girlfriend, and considering he and his wife have been together for 10 years now, I can honestly say it has been a while. Since then my brother's wife has read the series, my writing friend has read the series, and a colleague has read the series. So I was quite confident that this would be a series I would enjoy. As result, I had no reservation buying books 2 and 4 when I found them on a 50% closing down sale. Which meant I had to buy book 1 at full price. Hmmm. and hmmm. You will see why.

The last Gunslinger is following the man in black across what appears to be a wild west setting. From the wake of the man in black's heels, there seems little doubt that the man is evil and capable of powerful 'magic'.

I really don't know what to make of this.  I can't say that my initial reaction is enthusiastic. I also can't say that I can pinpoint exactly what didn't really work for me. I understood the story, I got all the allusions. But something was missing. Maybe it was that I didn't care at all for the Gunslinger. Perhaps it was that through this (fortunately slim novel) very little happened.

I gave this 3 stars. I really hope this series picks up. I will be continuing, even though I would have happily abandoned the series at this point had I not already been in possession of more (AHHHH! And it means I should probably buy book 3 too! AHHHHH! At full price! Double AHHHHHHH!!!). But I am taking a break before I pick it up.