March Books
Mar. 30th, 2015 09:34 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
mainemilyhoon.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
christianreaderI was too busy at work this month to do much reading at my desk, so this is a shorter one. And what few romance novels I did skim through, I forgot to write down. I'm sorry for your loss. :-P
Web of Deception by Jane Peart
Maybe it's just because it's been 15 years since I read her books, but I remembered Jane Peart being better than this - better at romance, especially, but also better at mysteries. This one was VERY flimsy, with major plot points dangled in front of the reader's nose so that you know what's going on and have to wait for the main character to catch up, which means you get annoyed with her because she's going out of her way not to be suspicious of the person who might as well be wearing a sign saying, "I'm the bad guy". It didn't fit with what I remembered the Brides of Montclair books being like; if anything it felt like a quickly-dashed-off imitation of Victoria Holt.
Scout's Progress by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
I was told this was like "a Regency romance in space", and I guess it kind of was...but I couldn't get past all the long-winded formality and convoluted space society to find the story. (And I'm sorry, but if you expect me to read all that blah-di-blah stuff about spaceships and training modules and different modes of speech and magic trees but can't even put in one kissing scene as a reward, that's just not fair. Awkward lap-sitting doesn't count.)
Battle for Bittora by Anuja Chauhan
Anuja Chauhan's books are like a Bollywood romantic comedy - there's lots of over the top ridiculousness and plenty of swoony moments between a hero and heroine who can never quite connect until the very last minute. The only things missing are the songs, but I think this one is being made into a movie as we speak, so even that won't be a problem then! :-P (I'm not sure I like Fawad Afzal Khan as the hero, though...he's too slight and, well, pretty. I pictured Zain as someone more big and manly, like Aditya Roy Kapur. We'll see.)
Golden Afternoon by M.M. Kaye
I have mixed feelings about M.M. Kaye's autobiography. On the one hand, she writes beautifully and descriptively about the India she remembers. On the other, she seems blind to the racist aspects of the Raj and the fact that the carefree life she talks about was only possible because of the Indians who did all the work for her and her family. (I doubt the boatmen who moved their houseboat to different docks in Srinagar had as much fun as she did sitting on the roof watching the world go by, for example.) I don't love this one as much as I do the first volume of her memoirs, but it's still a fascinating story.
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
Why, why, WHY did I wait so long to read Terry Pratchett? I don't know how many times I've picked up one of his books (including this one, at least twice), flipped through the first few pages, and put it down, thinking it was "hard to get into" and "not really all that funny". I don't know what's wrong with me sometimes, because when I heard that, sadly, he'd died earlier this month, and read so many tributes to him on Twitter, I decided to finally give him a proper try. And now I do see what all the fuss is about.
The Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
I've declared this the year I will re-read the Amelia Peabody series, since it's been almost 10 years and I'm forgetting not just minor details but whole plot points. I always love this first book, which introduces Amelia and Emerson and sets the tone for their adventures in Egypt. One thing I love about Elizabeth Peters are her theatrical villains: they never just hold you at gunpoint and tell you what they want; Oh no. That would be too easy! It's much more fun to dress up as a mummy and stage several spooky late-night adventures, to keep everyone on their toes!
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
Graphic novel about a girl who goes to roller derby camp one summer while her best friend goes to ballet camp and starts hanging out with a snooty girl from their school. It was fun, a quick read, and even though I'm not into roller derby it made want to learn more.
Is It Just Me? by Miranda Hart
I feel like instead of reviewing this I should just tell you that if you haven't watched Miranda Hart's show, Miranda, on Hulu, you are seriously missing out. It's so funny I almost fell off the couch from laughing, multiple times per episode. If you like The Office or Parks and Rec, you'll like Miranda.
As for the book, it's kind of an expansion on Miranda the real person and how much of her life influenced the show - awkward moments from her real life, advice to her younger self, and a lot of encouragement to the reader to do what makes you happy instead of worrying so much about what people think or what might go wrong. It's a very uplifting book, and like her show, made me laugh so hard in places that I nearly fell off the couch.
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
I've always been vaguely scornful of this series without really knowing why. I think maybe the first time I heard about Cassandra Clare was in a blog post where someone was ranting about how she'd plagiarized her fanfiction or something. Anyway, I never really wanted to read them, assumed they were the typical "fallen angel meets normal girl" paranormal romance, and mostly ignored them. But then they cast Aidan Turner in the movie. So I watched it. And it wasn't what I'd always assumed it would be. And the first book was on my cart at work, as if it had been waiting for me...
Anyway, I read it. And, you know, Cassandra Clare isn't a Great Writer - she abuses adverbs, values witty quips over deep conversation, and seems more concerned with causing great pain to her characters so that they can comfort each other later - but it's a very enjoyable, and very readable, book.
Making Money by Terry Pratchett
The sequel to Going Postal, in which Moist Von Lipwig, having successfully fixed the Ankh Morpork post office, is asked to tackle the bank. I didn't think it was quite as good as the first one - not as funny, a little draggy at first - but once I got about a third of the way through I couldn't put it down.
Backstage Prince volume 1 by Kanoko Sakurakouji
Backstage Prince volume 2 by Kanoko Sakurakouji
Cute, sort of flimsy manga about a girl whose boyfriend is a famous kabuki actor and hangs out backstage so he can see her between scenes. And that's...pretty much it. There's some very mild drama with another actor who flirts with her, but it's basically two volumes of cuteness between the main characters and the little black cat who brought them together.
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
Still liking the series, but I'm having a hard time figuring out Valentine's (the villain's) motives/ultimate goal. This is where I think writing fan-fiction hurts Cassandra Clare's writing; she is more about the build-up and "how much pain can I cause Jace today" than about the actual action.
Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
Re-telling of Robin Hood where Will Scarlet is Maid Marian in disguise. A lot more romantic than I was expecting, and very good, if you can get past the annoying way Scarlet/Marian narrates. (It's hard to see Guy of Gisbourne as anything other than Richard "Guyliner and Leather Trousers" Armitage, though.)
Oh wait, I did read one romance novel that I remember! It was...
What a Woman Needs by Caroline Linden
"Only one man knows..." says the tagline under the title, which, combined with a blurb on the back saying "his only option was to take revenge on her through seduction", well, how could I pass that up? (I should have.) The heroine thinks the hero is a fortune hunting rake, and ruins his reputation among the hostesses of Tunbridge Wells. In response he breaks into her house and accidentally steals an emerald necklace. So she breaks into his house to get it back, and ends up tied to his bed while he molests her (but it's okay, because secretly she WANTS him to.) This is, apparently, What a Woman Needs.
That reminds me, there was also
Mad, Bad, and Dangerous in Plaid by Suzanne Enoch
(tagline: Scot rhymes with HOT) A very silly book about a very silly girl who ran away to London to get over the neighbor she'd always had a crush on, and the hot neighbor (the one who's Dangerous In Plaid) who finally notices her when she comes back to Scotland for her brother's wedding.
March Total: 16
2015 Total Books Read: 68
Web of Deception by Jane Peart
Maybe it's just because it's been 15 years since I read her books, but I remembered Jane Peart being better than this - better at romance, especially, but also better at mysteries. This one was VERY flimsy, with major plot points dangled in front of the reader's nose so that you know what's going on and have to wait for the main character to catch up, which means you get annoyed with her because she's going out of her way not to be suspicious of the person who might as well be wearing a sign saying, "I'm the bad guy". It didn't fit with what I remembered the Brides of Montclair books being like; if anything it felt like a quickly-dashed-off imitation of Victoria Holt.
Scout's Progress by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
I was told this was like "a Regency romance in space", and I guess it kind of was...but I couldn't get past all the long-winded formality and convoluted space society to find the story. (And I'm sorry, but if you expect me to read all that blah-di-blah stuff about spaceships and training modules and different modes of speech and magic trees but can't even put in one kissing scene as a reward, that's just not fair. Awkward lap-sitting doesn't count.)
Battle for Bittora by Anuja Chauhan
Anuja Chauhan's books are like a Bollywood romantic comedy - there's lots of over the top ridiculousness and plenty of swoony moments between a hero and heroine who can never quite connect until the very last minute. The only things missing are the songs, but I think this one is being made into a movie as we speak, so even that won't be a problem then! :-P (I'm not sure I like Fawad Afzal Khan as the hero, though...he's too slight and, well, pretty. I pictured Zain as someone more big and manly, like Aditya Roy Kapur. We'll see.)
Golden Afternoon by M.M. Kaye
I have mixed feelings about M.M. Kaye's autobiography. On the one hand, she writes beautifully and descriptively about the India she remembers. On the other, she seems blind to the racist aspects of the Raj and the fact that the carefree life she talks about was only possible because of the Indians who did all the work for her and her family. (I doubt the boatmen who moved their houseboat to different docks in Srinagar had as much fun as she did sitting on the roof watching the world go by, for example.) I don't love this one as much as I do the first volume of her memoirs, but it's still a fascinating story.
Going Postal by Terry Pratchett
Why, why, WHY did I wait so long to read Terry Pratchett? I don't know how many times I've picked up one of his books (including this one, at least twice), flipped through the first few pages, and put it down, thinking it was "hard to get into" and "not really all that funny". I don't know what's wrong with me sometimes, because when I heard that, sadly, he'd died earlier this month, and read so many tributes to him on Twitter, I decided to finally give him a proper try. And now I do see what all the fuss is about.
The Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters
I've declared this the year I will re-read the Amelia Peabody series, since it's been almost 10 years and I'm forgetting not just minor details but whole plot points. I always love this first book, which introduces Amelia and Emerson and sets the tone for their adventures in Egypt. One thing I love about Elizabeth Peters are her theatrical villains: they never just hold you at gunpoint and tell you what they want; Oh no. That would be too easy! It's much more fun to dress up as a mummy and stage several spooky late-night adventures, to keep everyone on their toes!
Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson
Graphic novel about a girl who goes to roller derby camp one summer while her best friend goes to ballet camp and starts hanging out with a snooty girl from their school. It was fun, a quick read, and even though I'm not into roller derby it made want to learn more.
Is It Just Me? by Miranda Hart
I feel like instead of reviewing this I should just tell you that if you haven't watched Miranda Hart's show, Miranda, on Hulu, you are seriously missing out. It's so funny I almost fell off the couch from laughing, multiple times per episode. If you like The Office or Parks and Rec, you'll like Miranda.
As for the book, it's kind of an expansion on Miranda the real person and how much of her life influenced the show - awkward moments from her real life, advice to her younger self, and a lot of encouragement to the reader to do what makes you happy instead of worrying so much about what people think or what might go wrong. It's a very uplifting book, and like her show, made me laugh so hard in places that I nearly fell off the couch.
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
I've always been vaguely scornful of this series without really knowing why. I think maybe the first time I heard about Cassandra Clare was in a blog post where someone was ranting about how she'd plagiarized her fanfiction or something. Anyway, I never really wanted to read them, assumed they were the typical "fallen angel meets normal girl" paranormal romance, and mostly ignored them. But then they cast Aidan Turner in the movie. So I watched it. And it wasn't what I'd always assumed it would be. And the first book was on my cart at work, as if it had been waiting for me...
Anyway, I read it. And, you know, Cassandra Clare isn't a Great Writer - she abuses adverbs, values witty quips over deep conversation, and seems more concerned with causing great pain to her characters so that they can comfort each other later - but it's a very enjoyable, and very readable, book.
Making Money by Terry Pratchett
The sequel to Going Postal, in which Moist Von Lipwig, having successfully fixed the Ankh Morpork post office, is asked to tackle the bank. I didn't think it was quite as good as the first one - not as funny, a little draggy at first - but once I got about a third of the way through I couldn't put it down.
Backstage Prince volume 1 by Kanoko Sakurakouji
Backstage Prince volume 2 by Kanoko Sakurakouji
Cute, sort of flimsy manga about a girl whose boyfriend is a famous kabuki actor and hangs out backstage so he can see her between scenes. And that's...pretty much it. There's some very mild drama with another actor who flirts with her, but it's basically two volumes of cuteness between the main characters and the little black cat who brought them together.
City of Ashes by Cassandra Clare
Still liking the series, but I'm having a hard time figuring out Valentine's (the villain's) motives/ultimate goal. This is where I think writing fan-fiction hurts Cassandra Clare's writing; she is more about the build-up and "how much pain can I cause Jace today" than about the actual action.
Scarlet by A.C. Gaughen
Re-telling of Robin Hood where Will Scarlet is Maid Marian in disguise. A lot more romantic than I was expecting, and very good, if you can get past the annoying way Scarlet/Marian narrates. (It's hard to see Guy of Gisbourne as anything other than Richard "Guyliner and Leather Trousers" Armitage, though.)
Oh wait, I did read one romance novel that I remember! It was...
What a Woman Needs by Caroline Linden
"Only one man knows..." says the tagline under the title, which, combined with a blurb on the back saying "his only option was to take revenge on her through seduction", well, how could I pass that up? (I should have.) The heroine thinks the hero is a fortune hunting rake, and ruins his reputation among the hostesses of Tunbridge Wells. In response he breaks into her house and accidentally steals an emerald necklace. So she breaks into his house to get it back, and ends up tied to his bed while he molests her (but it's okay, because secretly she WANTS him to.) This is, apparently, What a Woman Needs.
That reminds me, there was also
Mad, Bad, and Dangerous in Plaid by Suzanne Enoch
(tagline: Scot rhymes with HOT) A very silly book about a very silly girl who ran away to London to get over the neighbor she'd always had a crush on, and the hot neighbor (the one who's Dangerous In Plaid) who finally notices her when she comes back to Scotland for her brother's wedding.
March Total: 16
2015 Total Books Read: 68
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2015-04-01 04:28 pm (UTC)Your milage may vary!
Also, I am so happy you found some Pratchetts to love. :)
no subject
Date: 2015-04-02 03:12 am (UTC)