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smallhobbit) wrote2017-11-17 11:40 am
smallhobbit) wrote2017-11-17 11:40 am
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Book Review Year 3 No 4
The good news, as far as I'm concerned, is that I have completed my Goodreads Reading Challenge. I have so far read 31 books this year, when I was aiming for 30.
League of Dragons by Naomi Novik
The last in the Temeraire series. I'm delighted it finished well, and the main characters all end up happy. It was easier reading than the last couple, and more of my favourite dragons and people were in the story, but I'm not sorry it's finished. I've still got Golden Age and Other Stories, which are short stories/ficlets/drabbles, which my Mum gave me for my birthday. I've read the first few and will probably read the rest over Christmas.
The Lord Bishop's Clerk/The Servant of Death
Ordeal by Fire by Sarah Hawkswood
These books were originally brought to my attention because the writer had said she used Richard Armitage as the face claim for Hugh Bradecote. Murder mysteries, set in the mid 1100s (the same time as the Cadfael books), based in and around Worcester (so local), and two main protagonists. It all sounded very promising. I thoroughly enjoyed them - there is the usual 'getting to know you' difficulties between Bradecote and Catchpoll, but both men are intelligent enough to realise the other has abilities they don't have and they learn to work together. The books aren't particularly long, and are a quick read, but for me, very enjoyable. I am waiting impatiently for the third book in the series which I have reserved at the library.
Jingo
Soul Music by Terry Pratchett
Both good fun. I enjoyed 'Soul Music' and the Death arc continues to appeal, but 'Jingo' was excellent. I really do like the City Watch arc. I've decided I'm going to finish this arc first, rather than read a selection at a time. The characters within the City Watch - all very different - all have things about them which appeal.
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
A very popular recent book, which I read because a friend doesn't like it and wondered what all the hype was about. I didn't dislike it as such, but I wouldn't rave about it. On reflection, it's not a genre which would generally appeal to me - although set in an alternate Victorian London, it feels like a modern book set in the past. The words 'magical realism' should have made be realise one of the main premises of the book wouldn't work for me, and I imagine this is one of the books where some of my flist would have a different opinion of the story. And my favourite character didn't survive :(
The Cuckoo's Calling
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
Aka J K Rowling. I had watched, and enjoyed, the Strike series on television. Friends who had read the books said they provided greater detail, so I decided I'd read them. The Cuckoo's Calling was adapted fairly accurately and the book I enjoyed more of the two. Obviously, I already knew the plot, so the suspense wasn't there, but it was still a good read. The Silkworm was different. For a start there were only two episodes in the adaption, as opposed to three for the first story. Consequently there were a significant number of points where the plot was changed, and, from my point of you, not for the better. On the other hand, there's a lot in the book which is superfluous to the plot, and by the end I was mentally yelling 'leave out the descriptions, they're not adding anything'. But then I've always found JKR over wordy. There's currently one more in the series, which I could get from the library, but will leave until the new year, since I have other books currently on my shelves. There's talk of televising the book next summer, so I could also wait until I've watched it, before I read the book.
Any of my flist read any of these? Or indeed read anything they would particularly recommend?
League of Dragons by Naomi Novik
The last in the Temeraire series. I'm delighted it finished well, and the main characters all end up happy. It was easier reading than the last couple, and more of my favourite dragons and people were in the story, but I'm not sorry it's finished. I've still got Golden Age and Other Stories, which are short stories/ficlets/drabbles, which my Mum gave me for my birthday. I've read the first few and will probably read the rest over Christmas.
The Lord Bishop's Clerk/The Servant of Death
Ordeal by Fire by Sarah Hawkswood
These books were originally brought to my attention because the writer had said she used Richard Armitage as the face claim for Hugh Bradecote. Murder mysteries, set in the mid 1100s (the same time as the Cadfael books), based in and around Worcester (so local), and two main protagonists. It all sounded very promising. I thoroughly enjoyed them - there is the usual 'getting to know you' difficulties between Bradecote and Catchpoll, but both men are intelligent enough to realise the other has abilities they don't have and they learn to work together. The books aren't particularly long, and are a quick read, but for me, very enjoyable. I am waiting impatiently for the third book in the series which I have reserved at the library.
Jingo
Soul Music by Terry Pratchett
Both good fun. I enjoyed 'Soul Music' and the Death arc continues to appeal, but 'Jingo' was excellent. I really do like the City Watch arc. I've decided I'm going to finish this arc first, rather than read a selection at a time. The characters within the City Watch - all very different - all have things about them which appeal.
The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley
A very popular recent book, which I read because a friend doesn't like it and wondered what all the hype was about. I didn't dislike it as such, but I wouldn't rave about it. On reflection, it's not a genre which would generally appeal to me - although set in an alternate Victorian London, it feels like a modern book set in the past. The words 'magical realism' should have made be realise one of the main premises of the book wouldn't work for me, and I imagine this is one of the books where some of my flist would have a different opinion of the story. And my favourite character didn't survive :(
The Cuckoo's Calling
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
Aka J K Rowling. I had watched, and enjoyed, the Strike series on television. Friends who had read the books said they provided greater detail, so I decided I'd read them. The Cuckoo's Calling was adapted fairly accurately and the book I enjoyed more of the two. Obviously, I already knew the plot, so the suspense wasn't there, but it was still a good read. The Silkworm was different. For a start there were only two episodes in the adaption, as opposed to three for the first story. Consequently there were a significant number of points where the plot was changed, and, from my point of you, not for the better. On the other hand, there's a lot in the book which is superfluous to the plot, and by the end I was mentally yelling 'leave out the descriptions, they're not adding anything'. But then I've always found JKR over wordy. There's currently one more in the series, which I could get from the library, but will leave until the new year, since I have other books currently on my shelves. There's talk of televising the book next summer, so I could also wait until I've watched it, before I read the book.
Any of my flist read any of these? Or indeed read anything they would particularly recommend?
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I really did like The Watchmaker, enough that I wrote one fic for it. Not that it was perfect, because it wasn't, but I liked the cultural exchange with Mori teaching Thaniel Japanese, and I liked that - initially, anyway - Thaniel and Grace agreed on a marriage of convenience (until, you know, it didn't work out). Mori's devices were neat, and, yes, I wept for Katsu. Also liked that both Thaniel and Mori had unusual abilities. But, hey, no book will have universal appeal, so don't feel bad if it didn't work for you.
I must confess, however, that when Thaniel first slipped out to visit Mori on his wedding night, and they first were talking, I thought, "Heh - it would be funny if they kissed now." I figured it was just the slash fangirl in me. I had to set the book aside at that point, so I was astonished when I picked it up and read a few more paragraphs to discover that they do, indeed, end up kissing! lol
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I also love Pratchett and regard him as comfort reading. I think my Pratchett books are now ash but won't know till I get some boxes back and unpacked. Meanwhile, I have quite a few in e-book format.
Recommended - Pratchett's A Slip of the Keyboard which is a collection of his speeches and articles, mostly about writing. Non-fiction and excellent.
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Thank you for your recommendation. I've added it to my 'to read' library list. If I reserve it in a couple of weeks I should be able to read it over Christmas.
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