Kiwiria's August Adventures
Sep. 1st, 2013 04:51 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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christianreaderAugust has been a slow month, reading-wise. I've been in a bit of a reading slump, so have recently taken to rereading books big-time, and that's bringing my reading-mood back up again fortunately.
The Perpetual Motion Club - Sue Lange, 3.5/5, 207 pages
This was a rather unusual futuristic novel in that it might actually just as well have taken place "now". It has none of the elements I'd usually associate with a novel taking place in the future. The focus was definitely on the characters and their interaction rather than on the elements that turned this into an alternative universe.
That's not necessarily a bad thing - it just stood out to me because of the way the book was marketed. As the rating indicates, I rather liked the book. It was definitely more character-driven than plot-driven, but I thought it worked quite nicely. It was a bit slow to start, but once it did move on from the initial setting of the stage, I enjoyed the various interactions. I was often infuriated by both the other members of the PMC and by Elsa's mother, but fortunately especially the latter redeemed herself nicely in the end :)
A Deadly Yarn - Maggie Sefton, 4/5, 272 pages
I was in the mood for a cozy read, and I knew that despite being a murder mystery, this series has actually fit the bill quite nicely so far, so I saw no reason why the next book should be any different.
Fortunately it delivered as expected, and I greatly enjoyed being back with Kelly, Mimi and the others. There was less actual knitting-related in this book than in the two previous ones, but that bothered me less than I would have anticipated. Even though the setup to the murders is getting increasingly ridiculous, the actual sleuthing in this one was a lot more well thought out and realistic and in the two first books. I hope Maggie Sefton can keep this up! I appreciate that Kelly isn't trying to work against the cops, but actually relates her findings to them as appropriate.
A Killer Stitch - Maggie Sefton, 3.5/5, 272 pages
Not her best work. The mystery in this one just didn't ring true to me (yeah, even less than in the earlier books) and it annoyed me that for once the story wasn't self-contained, but spilled over to the next book... not a huge fan of cliffhangers.
I'm willing to give it another chance though, so I may end up continuing with the next book in the series after all.
Plan B - Pete Wilson, 2.5/5, 222 pages
What Do You Do When God Doesn't Show Up the Way You Thought He Would?
Lots of questions, but no real answers. Basically this book gave a lot of examples of situations where people were forced into a Plan B, and then related their responses to it. But the only answer offered to the subject question is "Trust" ... and perhaps "Hope". Both true answers to be sure, but nothing I wasn't aware of already.
But to be fair, I don't exactly now what other kind of answer I was looking for... possibly just some more concrete examples of how to trust in God. Rather than just offering the platitude of "Let God be the editor of your life" (which doesn't even make much sense to me), I'd like specific instructions of how one goes about doing that. Probably impossible to give, as they're bound to differ from person to person, but in that case, just some examples of how real-life people set out to do it.
Unfortunately that's my problem with many Christian self-help books.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor, 2/5, 424 pages
I had very high hopes for this book as it came extremely highly recommended, but unfortunately it couldn't deliver. Giving it two stars is being generous, as most of the time I didn't care for it at all. It had small glimpses here and there of something better, which kept me reading, but at the end of the day it only just made it to "Okay".
The biggest problems were that apparently I'm not into paranormal novels featuring angels, and I just didn't care for Madrigal and Akiva's backstory at all - in fact, those chapters actively bored me. I liked Karou well enough and LOVED Zuzana, but that wasn't enough to keep me engaged, and despite a ridiculous cliffhanger (word to the wise - this is more like the first half of a book than the first book in a series) I'm not going to bother with the rest of the series.
Garlic and Sapphires - Ruth Reichl*, 5/5, Audiobook ~13hrs
One of the best foodie books I've read in a long time - even if I did get ridiculously hungry for good food while reading it. I do NOT recommend reading a couple of chapters and then going out to heat up left-overs :-/
The stories of a restaurant critic were fascinating to read, and the way she went about creating new characters as not to be recognized had me in stitches. I really enjoyed Ruth Reichl's writing style, and also liked the way she portrayed herself in this memoir - not arrogantly, but aware of her own mistakes and shortcomings.
Really brilliant book, even if it is perhaps a tad too old to be used as an accurate restaurant guide for NYC - more's the pity, as I'd have loved to try some of the restaurants she visited!
The Never List - Koethi Zan, 4/5, 320 pages
Very slow to start - it took me a surprisingly long time to read the first 100 pages - but once it did it took off with a vengeance. I'd find myself only being able to read a couple of pages at a time because it was just so disturbing, but at the same time, I couldn't stay away for long, because I needed to see what happened.
So many twists and turns along the way, and most of them I hadn't seen coming at all. They were still believable within the premise of the book though, so it wasn't as if the author had just pulled them out of thin air.
It's a wild ride and a terrifying read. One of the best horror stories I've read in a long time.
Un Lun Dun - China Miéville, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~13hrs
My expectations were totally off with this one. I'd heard it compared to Neverwhere so I expected a novel for grown-ups - or YA at the very least. But it's a children's novel. Not that I have a problem reading books aimed at children, and it was really well written, so definitely appropriate for grown-ups as well. It just meant that I had to do some serious mental readjustment along the way to figure out that the book was not at all what I thought it was.
That said, I really liked the book. I thought the characters fun and quirky and liked the traditional fairytale structure to the story. The plot wasn't anything special, which is probably where my mistaken expectations come into play, as there was less depth to it than I would have thought, but once I realized that and took the story for what it was, I found it a very enjoyable tale.
The Blue Castle - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, 5/5, 224 pages
With the exception of certain Anne-books I think this is probably my favourite book by LMM. The way the marriage between Valancy and Barney is depicted is probably the main reason for this. Sure, the beginning is cliché and the ending utterly unrealistic and contrived, but the middle is just delightful. Unlike most of LMM's other books, we're actually allowed a glimpse into the life of a married couple, seeing how they live together, how they interact, how they learn that silence together with somebody you're comfortable with never gets awkward. With Anne and Gilbert running a close second, I think this is the most realistic portrayal of a marriage in LMM's books.
... The end does seem like a cop-out though.
Swordfights & Lullabies - Debora Geary, 4/5, 40 pages
Matchmakers 2.0 - Debora Geary, 4/5, 70 pages
Two very sweet novellas. The first is part of "A Modern Witch" series, the second has no witches in it at all. I enjoyed both of them though... possibly the latter just a tiny bit more.
Book of the month: No terrific books this month unfortunately (apart from rereads), but I did really enjoy The Never List once I got properly started on it.
Biggest disappointment: Daughter of Smoke and Bone. It came so highly recommended, but just couldn't live up to my expectations.
The Perpetual Motion Club - Sue Lange, 3.5/5, 207 pages
This was a rather unusual futuristic novel in that it might actually just as well have taken place "now". It has none of the elements I'd usually associate with a novel taking place in the future. The focus was definitely on the characters and their interaction rather than on the elements that turned this into an alternative universe.
That's not necessarily a bad thing - it just stood out to me because of the way the book was marketed. As the rating indicates, I rather liked the book. It was definitely more character-driven than plot-driven, but I thought it worked quite nicely. It was a bit slow to start, but once it did move on from the initial setting of the stage, I enjoyed the various interactions. I was often infuriated by both the other members of the PMC and by Elsa's mother, but fortunately especially the latter redeemed herself nicely in the end :)
A Deadly Yarn - Maggie Sefton, 4/5, 272 pages
I was in the mood for a cozy read, and I knew that despite being a murder mystery, this series has actually fit the bill quite nicely so far, so I saw no reason why the next book should be any different.
Fortunately it delivered as expected, and I greatly enjoyed being back with Kelly, Mimi and the others. There was less actual knitting-related in this book than in the two previous ones, but that bothered me less than I would have anticipated. Even though the setup to the murders is getting increasingly ridiculous, the actual sleuthing in this one was a lot more well thought out and realistic and in the two first books. I hope Maggie Sefton can keep this up! I appreciate that Kelly isn't trying to work against the cops, but actually relates her findings to them as appropriate.
A Killer Stitch - Maggie Sefton, 3.5/5, 272 pages
Not her best work. The mystery in this one just didn't ring true to me (yeah, even less than in the earlier books) and it annoyed me that for once the story wasn't self-contained, but spilled over to the next book... not a huge fan of cliffhangers.
I'm willing to give it another chance though, so I may end up continuing with the next book in the series after all.
Plan B - Pete Wilson, 2.5/5, 222 pages
What Do You Do When God Doesn't Show Up the Way You Thought He Would?
Lots of questions, but no real answers. Basically this book gave a lot of examples of situations where people were forced into a Plan B, and then related their responses to it. But the only answer offered to the subject question is "Trust" ... and perhaps "Hope". Both true answers to be sure, but nothing I wasn't aware of already.
But to be fair, I don't exactly now what other kind of answer I was looking for... possibly just some more concrete examples of how to trust in God. Rather than just offering the platitude of "Let God be the editor of your life" (which doesn't even make much sense to me), I'd like specific instructions of how one goes about doing that. Probably impossible to give, as they're bound to differ from person to person, but in that case, just some examples of how real-life people set out to do it.
Unfortunately that's my problem with many Christian self-help books.
Daughter of Smoke and Bone - Laini Taylor, 2/5, 424 pages
I had very high hopes for this book as it came extremely highly recommended, but unfortunately it couldn't deliver. Giving it two stars is being generous, as most of the time I didn't care for it at all. It had small glimpses here and there of something better, which kept me reading, but at the end of the day it only just made it to "Okay".
The biggest problems were that apparently I'm not into paranormal novels featuring angels, and I just didn't care for Madrigal and Akiva's backstory at all - in fact, those chapters actively bored me. I liked Karou well enough and LOVED Zuzana, but that wasn't enough to keep me engaged, and despite a ridiculous cliffhanger (word to the wise - this is more like the first half of a book than the first book in a series) I'm not going to bother with the rest of the series.
Garlic and Sapphires - Ruth Reichl*, 5/5, Audiobook ~13hrs
One of the best foodie books I've read in a long time - even if I did get ridiculously hungry for good food while reading it. I do NOT recommend reading a couple of chapters and then going out to heat up left-overs :-/
The stories of a restaurant critic were fascinating to read, and the way she went about creating new characters as not to be recognized had me in stitches. I really enjoyed Ruth Reichl's writing style, and also liked the way she portrayed herself in this memoir - not arrogantly, but aware of her own mistakes and shortcomings.
Really brilliant book, even if it is perhaps a tad too old to be used as an accurate restaurant guide for NYC - more's the pity, as I'd have loved to try some of the restaurants she visited!
The Never List - Koethi Zan, 4/5, 320 pages
Very slow to start - it took me a surprisingly long time to read the first 100 pages - but once it did it took off with a vengeance. I'd find myself only being able to read a couple of pages at a time because it was just so disturbing, but at the same time, I couldn't stay away for long, because I needed to see what happened.
So many twists and turns along the way, and most of them I hadn't seen coming at all. They were still believable within the premise of the book though, so it wasn't as if the author had just pulled them out of thin air.
It's a wild ride and a terrifying read. One of the best horror stories I've read in a long time.
Un Lun Dun - China Miéville, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~13hrs
My expectations were totally off with this one. I'd heard it compared to Neverwhere so I expected a novel for grown-ups - or YA at the very least. But it's a children's novel. Not that I have a problem reading books aimed at children, and it was really well written, so definitely appropriate for grown-ups as well. It just meant that I had to do some serious mental readjustment along the way to figure out that the book was not at all what I thought it was.
That said, I really liked the book. I thought the characters fun and quirky and liked the traditional fairytale structure to the story. The plot wasn't anything special, which is probably where my mistaken expectations come into play, as there was less depth to it than I would have thought, but once I realized that and took the story for what it was, I found it a very enjoyable tale.
The Blue Castle - Lucy Maud Montgomery*, 5/5, 224 pages
With the exception of certain Anne-books I think this is probably my favourite book by LMM. The way the marriage between Valancy and Barney is depicted is probably the main reason for this. Sure, the beginning is cliché and the ending utterly unrealistic and contrived, but the middle is just delightful. Unlike most of LMM's other books, we're actually allowed a glimpse into the life of a married couple, seeing how they live together, how they interact, how they learn that silence together with somebody you're comfortable with never gets awkward. With Anne and Gilbert running a close second, I think this is the most realistic portrayal of a marriage in LMM's books.
... The end does seem like a cop-out though.
Swordfights & Lullabies - Debora Geary, 4/5, 40 pages
Matchmakers 2.0 - Debora Geary, 4/5, 70 pages
Two very sweet novellas. The first is part of "A Modern Witch" series, the second has no witches in it at all. I enjoyed both of them though... possibly the latter just a tiny bit more.
Book of the month: No terrific books this month unfortunately (apart from rereads), but I did really enjoy The Never List once I got properly started on it.
Biggest disappointment: Daughter of Smoke and Bone. It came so highly recommended, but just couldn't live up to my expectations.
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Date: 2013-09-01 06:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-03 07:10 am (UTC)