October Books
Nov. 1st, 2014 02:55 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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christianreaderMortal Danger by Anne Aguirre
Too creepy for me. From the summary it sounds like it'll be Faust-in-high-school, but then she throws in every creepy urban monster legend ever, and it's more horror story than paranormal romance. I really wasn't a fan of the message that beauty will solve all your social-life problems, either.
Honeymoon Hotel by Hester Browne
I wanted to love this one, but was just a little bored by it instead. It didn't seem to have quite enough story for the book to be so long, and the romance between Rosie and Joe wasn't convincing at all.
Evil Librarian by Michelle Knudsen
A little Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and a lot of fun. Michelle Knudsen is excellent at drawing out suspense; there were so many times where I thought, "Good, ___ is finally going to happen!" only to have it put off yet again, which meant I had to keep reading instead of going to bed.
Stray by Elissa Sussman
Such a weird book. The world-building is convoluted and frustrating, and the characters' actions are maddening. I couldn't figure out why, in a world where women have all the magical powers and men (usually) none, women would just meekly submit to having their powers subdued and monitored. And why the schools designed to teach them to subdue their powers don't actually teach them anything, they just punish them ridiculously for using them. It seems like the author wanted to use a fairy tale setting to make a point about feminism, but she forgot to come up with a strong story to go with it.
Winterspell by Claire Legrand
UGH, so annoying. I've been looking forward to this book for months - it's a YA re-telling of The Nutcracker ballet, for crying out loud! - but it was terrible. It's a weirdly sex-obsessed fantasy that borrows a few names from the ballet, but that's about it.
Wings of the Falcon by Barbara Michaels
One of only two Barbara Michaels books I've actually liked - apparently I like her historical mysteries more than her ghost stories (probably because they're similar to the books she wrote as Elizabeth Peters). I saw some complaints on Goodreads that there was too much Italian history included, but not knowing much about Italian history, I found it interesting rather than tiresome. Also I completely fell for the red herring, so when the Falcon's true identity was revealed I was as surprised as Francesca.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
I don't know what I can really say about this one other than LOVED. IT. You know I'm terrible at reviewing books I love! I've put off reading Outlander for years after a few negative reviews made me think it wasn't for me, but now I've finally picked it up and I'm hooked. Bring on the 7 giant sequels!
A Rose in Winter by Laura Florand
Little Red Riding Hood meets Christmas meets Laura Florand's French romances. I loved the atmosphere and the idea of Christmas in Provence, but the story was a little too short to make the romance believable. Attraction at first sight I can buy, but to be ready to commit two days later?
Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym
So depressing. I normally like Barbara Pym, but that's because her books are usually cozy and on the happier side. This one, about four single people in their mid-60s, was gloomy and, well, depressing.
Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman
I've read this about 5 times but I never get tired of it. Super-comforting, funny, a little romantic, and just an all-time favorite.
The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley
Another favorite to re-read (I've set myself a goal to re-read all the books I own instead of buying them, piling them on shelves, and forgetting about them). I love this book so much that I wrote a huge review of it on Goodreads, which I rarely do.
Love Potion Number 10 by Betsy Woodman
Book 2 in the Jana Bibi series. I didn't like this quite as much as the first book, mainly because some of my favorite characters weren't highlighted this time around, and also because the story didn't feel as settled by the end. But it's still a great cozy, very-slightly-mysterious visit to Hamara Nagar, a fictional town I'd love to visit.
The Zoya Factor by Anuja Chauhan
The third re-read of the month. I love Anuja Chauhan's zany Indian chick-lit, and this one might be my favorite. (Even though I know nothing about cricket.)
Too creepy for me. From the summary it sounds like it'll be Faust-in-high-school, but then she throws in every creepy urban monster legend ever, and it's more horror story than paranormal romance. I really wasn't a fan of the message that beauty will solve all your social-life problems, either.
Honeymoon Hotel by Hester Browne
I wanted to love this one, but was just a little bored by it instead. It didn't seem to have quite enough story for the book to be so long, and the romance between Rosie and Joe wasn't convincing at all.
Evil Librarian by Michelle Knudsen
A little Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and a lot of fun. Michelle Knudsen is excellent at drawing out suspense; there were so many times where I thought, "Good, ___ is finally going to happen!" only to have it put off yet again, which meant I had to keep reading instead of going to bed.
Stray by Elissa Sussman
Such a weird book. The world-building is convoluted and frustrating, and the characters' actions are maddening. I couldn't figure out why, in a world where women have all the magical powers and men (usually) none, women would just meekly submit to having their powers subdued and monitored. And why the schools designed to teach them to subdue their powers don't actually teach them anything, they just punish them ridiculously for using them. It seems like the author wanted to use a fairy tale setting to make a point about feminism, but she forgot to come up with a strong story to go with it.
Winterspell by Claire Legrand
UGH, so annoying. I've been looking forward to this book for months - it's a YA re-telling of The Nutcracker ballet, for crying out loud! - but it was terrible. It's a weirdly sex-obsessed fantasy that borrows a few names from the ballet, but that's about it.
Wings of the Falcon by Barbara Michaels
One of only two Barbara Michaels books I've actually liked - apparently I like her historical mysteries more than her ghost stories (probably because they're similar to the books she wrote as Elizabeth Peters). I saw some complaints on Goodreads that there was too much Italian history included, but not knowing much about Italian history, I found it interesting rather than tiresome. Also I completely fell for the red herring, so when the Falcon's true identity was revealed I was as surprised as Francesca.
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
I don't know what I can really say about this one other than LOVED. IT. You know I'm terrible at reviewing books I love! I've put off reading Outlander for years after a few negative reviews made me think it wasn't for me, but now I've finally picked it up and I'm hooked. Bring on the 7 giant sequels!
A Rose in Winter by Laura Florand
Little Red Riding Hood meets Christmas meets Laura Florand's French romances. I loved the atmosphere and the idea of Christmas in Provence, but the story was a little too short to make the romance believable. Attraction at first sight I can buy, but to be ready to commit two days later?
Quartet in Autumn by Barbara Pym
So depressing. I normally like Barbara Pym, but that's because her books are usually cozy and on the happier side. This one, about four single people in their mid-60s, was gloomy and, well, depressing.
Enthusiasm by Polly Shulman
I've read this about 5 times but I never get tired of it. Super-comforting, funny, a little romantic, and just an all-time favorite.
The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley
Another favorite to re-read (I've set myself a goal to re-read all the books I own instead of buying them, piling them on shelves, and forgetting about them). I love this book so much that I wrote a huge review of it on Goodreads, which I rarely do.
Love Potion Number 10 by Betsy Woodman
Book 2 in the Jana Bibi series. I didn't like this quite as much as the first book, mainly because some of my favorite characters weren't highlighted this time around, and also because the story didn't feel as settled by the end. But it's still a great cozy, very-slightly-mysterious visit to Hamara Nagar, a fictional town I'd love to visit.
The Zoya Factor by Anuja Chauhan
The third re-read of the month. I love Anuja Chauhan's zany Indian chick-lit, and this one might be my favorite. (Even though I know nothing about cricket.)
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