Katherine Rundell's The Explorer
Oooh I do love a good survival novel, and this middle grade story was pretty satisfying—it centers on four children who survive a plane crash in the Amazon and have to figure out what to do—and signs suggest someone else has been in their deserted spot in the past. I liked these characters a lot, though of course wished the main POV character was one of the little girls. (Both girls are pretty awesome though, pet sloths for life.) A/A-.
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Monday, October 30, 2017
2017 book 188
Maggie Stiefvater's All the Crooked Saints
Even when I don’t love a Maggie Stiefvater book, I inevitably think it is interesting, which was the case here. And I mean, I didn't /dislike/ it, really. I am predisposed to like magical realism, especially magical realism that also has a pirate radio station, and I love stories that weave in folklore the way this one does. I did not love the narrative voice and was at times uncomfortable with a white author writing about Mexican magic and religion (an author's note at the end explains that she did consult experts and had sensitivity readers). This was good but could have been better if an editor has pushed it a little. B+.
Even when I don’t love a Maggie Stiefvater book, I inevitably think it is interesting, which was the case here. And I mean, I didn't /dislike/ it, really. I am predisposed to like magical realism, especially magical realism that also has a pirate radio station, and I love stories that weave in folklore the way this one does. I did not love the narrative voice and was at times uncomfortable with a white author writing about Mexican magic and religion (an author's note at the end explains that she did consult experts and had sensitivity readers). This was good but could have been better if an editor has pushed it a little. B+.
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
2017 book 187
Catherine Lloyd's Death Comes to the Fair
In the fourth entry in Lloyd's Kurland St Mary series, romances are progressing, but the town is up in arms due to some poor judging of vegetables at the local fair (who can’t relate to that, am I right), and when the winner of the prizes is found dead, the two protagonists wonder if it was foul play. But of course things go deeper than carrots, leading to another fairly predictable but still mostly satisfying conclusion. I like seeing the rector's daughter chase against the sexist restrictions of her time, and I like that her love interest respects her and sees her as a partner in their crime solving. I mean this series is fairly silly but I like it anyway. B/B+.
In the fourth entry in Lloyd's Kurland St Mary series, romances are progressing, but the town is up in arms due to some poor judging of vegetables at the local fair (who can’t relate to that, am I right), and when the winner of the prizes is found dead, the two protagonists wonder if it was foul play. But of course things go deeper than carrots, leading to another fairly predictable but still mostly satisfying conclusion. I like seeing the rector's daughter chase against the sexist restrictions of her time, and I like that her love interest respects her and sees her as a partner in their crime solving. I mean this series is fairly silly but I like it anyway. B/B+.
2017 book 186
Catherine Lloyd's Death Comes to Kurland Hall
The third book in the Kurland St Mary series picks up shortly after the last left off, and finds our intrepid duo trying to solve the murder of a blackmailing woman who everyone had reason to dislike. The resolution is fairly obvious, though I admit there were a couple of twists I didn't expect. The dude is a little bit more heavy-handed/slightly sexist in this one which I didn't LOVE but it was fine. I'm still going to go ahead and read the next one. B/B+.
The third book in the Kurland St Mary series picks up shortly after the last left off, and finds our intrepid duo trying to solve the murder of a blackmailing woman who everyone had reason to dislike. The resolution is fairly obvious, though I admit there were a couple of twists I didn't expect. The dude is a little bit more heavy-handed/slightly sexist in this one which I didn't LOVE but it was fine. I'm still going to go ahead and read the next one. B/B+.
Monday, October 23, 2017
Belated book review -- book 185
Agatha Christie's The Seven Dials Mystery
I actually read this back in September, but scheduled this blog post for October 23th because I was reading it for a LearnedLeague One-Day I was co-smithing and didn't want to give anything away to any of my LL friends. :) This centers on a clock-themed secret society, some murders, and the Bright Young Things (led by "it girl" Bundle Brent) who are determined to get to the bottom of things. A lot of this is very funny, though I could have done without the casual anti-Semitism. I also felt conclusion was a little silly. Entertaining, though! B/B+.
I actually read this back in September, but scheduled this blog post for October 23th because I was reading it for a LearnedLeague One-Day I was co-smithing and didn't want to give anything away to any of my LL friends. :) This centers on a clock-themed secret society, some murders, and the Bright Young Things (led by "it girl" Bundle Brent) who are determined to get to the bottom of things. A lot of this is very funny, though I could have done without the casual anti-Semitism. I also felt conclusion was a little silly. Entertaining, though! B/B+.
Sunday, October 22, 2017
2017 book 184
Catherine Lloyd's Death Comes to London
In the second book in Lloyd’s Kurland St Mary series, the two protagonists find themselves in London—she's there for the Season, trying to find a husband, and he's there to receive a baronetcy. And soon they are on the trail of a POISONER! Again, I like the characters a lot, though the resolution to the mystery was pretty obvious. I do want to see what these wacky kids get up to next. A-/B+.
In the second book in Lloyd’s Kurland St Mary series, the two protagonists find themselves in London—she's there for the Season, trying to find a husband, and he's there to receive a baronetcy. And soon they are on the trail of a POISONER! Again, I like the characters a lot, though the resolution to the mystery was pretty obvious. I do want to see what these wacky kids get up to next. A-/B+.
Saturday, October 21, 2017
2017 book 183
Catherine Lloyd's Death Comes to the Village
This is the first book of a series, historical mysteries set in a village in Regency England. In this one, the rector's eldest daughter teams up with the local lord—bedridden due to an injury at Waterloo—to look into a series of thefts and the disappearance of a housemaid. I liked the characters here a lot, and the mystery was fairly well plotted. It looks like these two might eventually have a romance, but it will be a slow building one, which I always like. I will definitely check out the next book in this series. A-/B+.
This is the first book of a series, historical mysteries set in a village in Regency England. In this one, the rector's eldest daughter teams up with the local lord—bedridden due to an injury at Waterloo—to look into a series of thefts and the disappearance of a housemaid. I liked the characters here a lot, and the mystery was fairly well plotted. It looks like these two might eventually have a romance, but it will be a slow building one, which I always like. I will definitely check out the next book in this series. A-/B+.
Friday, October 20, 2017
2017 book 182
Philip Pullman's The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage
You had better believe that I made an exception for my "white dude writers--who needs 'em?" rule when Pullman is writing a new trilogy set in the His Dark Materials Universe. Apparently this new trilogy is an "e-quel" as opposed to a sequel or prequel, as its events will unfold alongside the previous books'. This first volume centers on a boy who gets tangled up with baby Lyra--and with a young woman academic who is part of a secret liberal spy group! Pullman knows how to write a story that just grabs you--though toward the end I was like "please stop having this poor boy get distracted by puberty, there are kind of a lot of other things going on!" Anyway, this was pretty awesome and I eagerly await its follow-ups. A/A-.
You had better believe that I made an exception for my "white dude writers--who needs 'em?" rule when Pullman is writing a new trilogy set in the His Dark Materials Universe. Apparently this new trilogy is an "e-quel" as opposed to a sequel or prequel, as its events will unfold alongside the previous books'. This first volume centers on a boy who gets tangled up with baby Lyra--and with a young woman academic who is part of a secret liberal spy group! Pullman knows how to write a story that just grabs you--though toward the end I was like "please stop having this poor boy get distracted by puberty, there are kind of a lot of other things going on!" Anyway, this was pretty awesome and I eagerly await its follow-ups. A/A-.
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
2017 book 181
Ann Leckie's Provenance
I enjoyed Leckie's Imperial Radch trilogy, and so was eager to read another book set in that universe, but I found this was slightly underwhelming. The characters were all really interesting, I just wish there had been more going on in the plot. There are plans, and counter plans, and political shenanigans, and everyone is obsessed with “vestiges,” which basically seem to be historical ephemera (you would think as someone trained as a librarian, this would be up my alley! But it was just endless). The story picks up in the last third and I liked how it wrapped up a lot, it was just a bit of a slog to get to that point. B/B+.
I enjoyed Leckie's Imperial Radch trilogy, and so was eager to read another book set in that universe, but I found this was slightly underwhelming. The characters were all really interesting, I just wish there had been more going on in the plot. There are plans, and counter plans, and political shenanigans, and everyone is obsessed with “vestiges,” which basically seem to be historical ephemera (you would think as someone trained as a librarian, this would be up my alley! But it was just endless). The story picks up in the last third and I liked how it wrapped up a lot, it was just a bit of a slog to get to that point. B/B+.
Monday, October 16, 2017
2017 book 180
Carol Rifka Brunt's Tell the Wolves I'm Home
This was my first time rereading this novel since I first read it, back when it was one of my favorite books of 2012. I sometimes treat my book club as an excuse to revisit books I've loved and to make my friends talk about them with me. :) I think this held up really well--it still felt really visceral and moving, but I had forgotten how uncomfortable some parts of it are. It's set in the 80s and centers on a girl whose beloved uncle has just died of AIDS--and then the partner she never knew he had gets in touch with her. There are other interesting family dynamics at work here too. I just like this book a lot.
This was my first time rereading this novel since I first read it, back when it was one of my favorite books of 2012. I sometimes treat my book club as an excuse to revisit books I've loved and to make my friends talk about them with me. :) I think this held up really well--it still felt really visceral and moving, but I had forgotten how uncomfortable some parts of it are. It's set in the 80s and centers on a girl whose beloved uncle has just died of AIDS--and then the partner she never knew he had gets in touch with her. There are other interesting family dynamics at work here too. I just like this book a lot.
Sunday, October 15, 2017
2017 book 179
Chloe Benjamin's The Immortalists
This book centers on four Russian-Jewish siblings in 1969 New York who go to see a fortune teller who tells each of them the day they will die, and then the story follows each of them until their fateful days. I enjoyed parts of each of these stories, primarily Klara's struggles to be taken seriously as a magician, but I found both her ending and her elder brother's to be beyond implausible, and young Simon, a gay man in early 80s San Francisco, was largely a cliche. Benjamin attempts to end things on a hopeful note with eldest Varya, but I found this whole book to be kind of a bummer. Parts of it were really interesting, but I felt like it was trying too hard to be a Serious Literary Work Saying Something Profound About The Human Condition. B.
__
A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in January.
This book centers on four Russian-Jewish siblings in 1969 New York who go to see a fortune teller who tells each of them the day they will die, and then the story follows each of them until their fateful days. I enjoyed parts of each of these stories, primarily Klara's struggles to be taken seriously as a magician, but I found both her ending and her elder brother's to be beyond implausible, and young Simon, a gay man in early 80s San Francisco, was largely a cliche. Benjamin attempts to end things on a hopeful note with eldest Varya, but I found this whole book to be kind of a bummer. Parts of it were really interesting, but I felt like it was trying too hard to be a Serious Literary Work Saying Something Profound About The Human Condition. B.
__
A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in January.
Friday, October 13, 2017
2017 book 178
Leila Sales' Once Was a Time
I am always here for TIME TRAVEL FRIENDSHIP books, and this was a pretty solid one. It centers on ten year old Lottie, living in England during WWII, hanging out with her best friend Kitty, with a dad who studies TIME TRAVEL for the war effort. And one night things get a little crazy and Lottie finds herself in modern times America--all alone, and with a hefty helping of survivors' guilt for leaving Kitty behind. I will say I found parts of the first half of his book implausible--not because of the time travel, but because of some of the character elements. But all the adults in this book are great--hooray for a helpful and somewhat realistic librarian, and hooray for kind foster parents. And the back half of this book was pretty great and had me weeping just a little bit. Good stuff. Makes me want to reread Charlotte Sometimes. A-/B+.
I am always here for TIME TRAVEL FRIENDSHIP books, and this was a pretty solid one. It centers on ten year old Lottie, living in England during WWII, hanging out with her best friend Kitty, with a dad who studies TIME TRAVEL for the war effort. And one night things get a little crazy and Lottie finds herself in modern times America--all alone, and with a hefty helping of survivors' guilt for leaving Kitty behind. I will say I found parts of the first half of his book implausible--not because of the time travel, but because of some of the character elements. But all the adults in this book are great--hooray for a helpful and somewhat realistic librarian, and hooray for kind foster parents. And the back half of this book was pretty great and had me weeping just a little bit. Good stuff. Makes me want to reread Charlotte Sometimes. A-/B+.
Thursday, October 12, 2017
2017 book 177
Laurie Colwin's Happy All the Time
I saw this book mentioned here and since it only cost 78 cents, figured it was worth a shot! Sometimes you just want to read a pleasant book about pleasant people! And this was actually pretty funny. It was written in the 70s (and is VERY 70s New York) and centers on two guys, cousins and best friends, and the stubborn women they marry. I was of course partial to the cranky Jewish girl determined to hide her soft interior, but all four are very likable, even if not very fleshed out. I mean, not much happens here besides pleasant people hanging out, but that was pretty good all on its own. A-/B+.
I saw this book mentioned here and since it only cost 78 cents, figured it was worth a shot! Sometimes you just want to read a pleasant book about pleasant people! And this was actually pretty funny. It was written in the 70s (and is VERY 70s New York) and centers on two guys, cousins and best friends, and the stubborn women they marry. I was of course partial to the cranky Jewish girl determined to hide her soft interior, but all four are very likable, even if not very fleshed out. I mean, not much happens here besides pleasant people hanging out, but that was pretty good all on its own. A-/B+.
2017 book 176
Rachel Hartman's Tess of the Road
Hartman's latest is set in the same universe as Seraphina and Shadow Scale, but is not a direct sequel—instead it focuses on one of Seraphina's human half-sisters, a stubborn, troubled, irrepressible young girl who runs away from home and ends up on a quest straight out of her beloved stories. I found this book to be unexpected in a lot of ways, but really appreciated the story Hartman is telling about womanhood and family and finding—or making—a place for yourself. And I loved where it ended, and can’t wait to see what happens next. Content warning for a couple mentions of sexual assault. A/A-.
__
A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in February.
Hartman's latest is set in the same universe as Seraphina and Shadow Scale, but is not a direct sequel—instead it focuses on one of Seraphina's human half-sisters, a stubborn, troubled, irrepressible young girl who runs away from home and ends up on a quest straight out of her beloved stories. I found this book to be unexpected in a lot of ways, but really appreciated the story Hartman is telling about womanhood and family and finding—or making—a place for yourself. And I loved where it ended, and can’t wait to see what happens next. Content warning for a couple mentions of sexual assault. A/A-.
__
A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book will be released in February.
Sunday, October 08, 2017
2017 book 175
Rachel Hartman's Shadow Scale
I'm still reacquainting myself with the world of Seraphina before the new book in that universe comes out, and I forgot how intense this second volume in! A completely terrifying antagonist makes an appearance and many more political situations are afoot. I do love the world building here, and the characters are all really interesting. Total deus ex machina though, heh.
I'm still reacquainting myself with the world of Seraphina before the new book in that universe comes out, and I forgot how intense this second volume in! A completely terrifying antagonist makes an appearance and many more political situations are afoot. I do love the world building here, and the characters are all really interesting. Total deus ex machina though, heh.
Thursday, October 05, 2017
2017 book 174
Rachel Hartman's Seraphina
Hartman has a new book coming out in this universe in February, so I wanted to reread this and its companion to re-a quaint myself with the world—not that I really need an excuse to reread a book I love! And I do still love it!
Hartman has a new book coming out in this universe in February, so I wanted to reread this and its companion to re-a quaint myself with the world—not that I really need an excuse to reread a book I love! And I do still love it!
Wednesday, October 04, 2017
2017 book 173
E.K. Johnston's That Inevitable Victorian Thing
All I knew about this book going in was a) the awesome title, b) the author, who I generally like, and c) it had a cool-looking cover. So imagine how delighted I was to discover this story takes place in an alternate world where Queen Victoria was apparently like "colonialism is dumb, let's unite the empire" and married her kids and grandkids off to rulers across the empire, instead of their European cousins. (It is unclear how this affected the Russian Revolution, though the United States are no longer so united.) Also she made it so her daughter could inherit the crown instead of having it go to a son. So now it is several generations later, and three young women are preparing for their debuts (because they still have those, whatever, let's just roll with it)--and one of them is secretly the Crown Princess, undercover. There is also a whole thing with a computer genetics/matchmaking system run by the Church of England. There is no way to describe this without sounding silly, I am starting to realize, but it is super charming and kind of fluffy over a steely interior. I wish to live in a world like this one (I initially typed “love” instead of “live”—that, too). A-.
All I knew about this book going in was a) the awesome title, b) the author, who I generally like, and c) it had a cool-looking cover. So imagine how delighted I was to discover this story takes place in an alternate world where Queen Victoria was apparently like "colonialism is dumb, let's unite the empire" and married her kids and grandkids off to rulers across the empire, instead of their European cousins. (It is unclear how this affected the Russian Revolution, though the United States are no longer so united.) Also she made it so her daughter could inherit the crown instead of having it go to a son. So now it is several generations later, and three young women are preparing for their debuts (because they still have those, whatever, let's just roll with it)--and one of them is secretly the Crown Princess, undercover. There is also a whole thing with a computer genetics/matchmaking system run by the Church of England. There is no way to describe this without sounding silly, I am starting to realize, but it is super charming and kind of fluffy over a steely interior. I wish to live in a world like this one (I initially typed “love” instead of “live”—that, too). A-.
Monday, October 02, 2017
2017 book 172
JY Yang's The Red Threads of Fortune
The problem with a novella is that often the story is a little bit thin--I wished the first one had more to it just because I enjoyed it and felt like there was room for more, but this one needed more to make the story work, for me. It is just kind of all over the place and nonsensical a lot of the time. Various political plots are happening, and the prophet character just keeps changing her mind about who to trust. I was interested in her exploration of grief, less so in her stupidity. I also wished, in both this and its companion, that there had been more time for the romantic relationships to build. I think this universe is interesting, but I hope the next few stories Yang is planning are meatier. B.
__
A review copy was provided by the publisher. this book is available now.
The problem with a novella is that often the story is a little bit thin--I wished the first one had more to it just because I enjoyed it and felt like there was room for more, but this one needed more to make the story work, for me. It is just kind of all over the place and nonsensical a lot of the time. Various political plots are happening, and the prophet character just keeps changing her mind about who to trust. I was interested in her exploration of grief, less so in her stupidity. I also wished, in both this and its companion, that there had been more time for the romantic relationships to build. I think this universe is interesting, but I hope the next few stories Yang is planning are meatier. B.
__
A review copy was provided by the publisher. this book is available now.
Sunday, October 01, 2017
2017 book 171
JY Yang's The Black Tides of Heaven
This is one of a pair of novellas released on the same day—which makes sense, since the central characters are a pair of twins, children of the ruler of their empire. Their mother has promised them to the local monastery, but when one of the children turns out to be a prophet, plans change. I chose to read this one first because it explains more of the background of the characters and their world (I think the fantasy classification here is silkpunk, which so far I like way more than steampunk) but am eager to see what the other one has in store. A-.
__
A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book is available now.
This is one of a pair of novellas released on the same day—which makes sense, since the central characters are a pair of twins, children of the ruler of their empire. Their mother has promised them to the local monastery, but when one of the children turns out to be a prophet, plans change. I chose to read this one first because it explains more of the background of the characters and their world (I think the fantasy classification here is silkpunk, which so far I like way more than steampunk) but am eager to see what the other one has in store. A-.
__
A review copy was provided by the publisher. This book is available now.