Kiwiria's March Mania

[kiwiria]

Duncton Wood - William Horwood*, 3.5/5, Audiobook ~24hrs
I first read this in the late 90s sometime and really enjoyed it, but hadn't reread it since then, so figured it was about time. Unfortunately I found myself having to downgrade the rating. It's in no ways a bad book, and I still think it was very well written, but it's just so SLOW!!! Page after page after page where nothing of significance happens. It's well-written, so it never gets boring - it just doesn't seem to serve much purpose either. I understand why I liked it as much as I did back in my late teens - it would have been right up my aisle back then - but I would have liked it even better if it had been condensed somehow.

Granted, part of it might be that it isn't all that appropriate for an audiobook and the slow pace might have been less blatant if I'd read it in a different format.

I didn't dislike it, but it's nicely contained, so I have no desire at all to continue on with the rest of the series.


Stray - Andrea K. Höst*, 4.5/5, 273 pages
I loved the world building and how the entire universe was set up. I adored reading about Cass' struggles with learning the language, and even found myself thinking in her disjointed sentences at times. I enjoyed seeing the friendships grow despite Cass being a 'Stray' and was totally fascinated by her coping mechanisms.

It's the first book in a series, so there's no real resolution. On the other hand, there's no real cliff-hanger either, so I thought the book nicely contained, even if the main arc wasn't resolved.

But still - with a 4.5 star rating, you can bet I logged on to Amazon right away to get hold of the rest of the series!


Lab Rat One - Andrea K. Höst*, 4/5, 232 pages
Very obviously the middle book in a trilogy - not because it was dull, but because most of it was spent figuring stuff out (about Muina mostly) and that meant there was a lot of literary 'waiting around'. I still loved Cass though, and found it interesting to read how she slowly got more and more settled in her new life.

And of course the end was very satisfying and gratifying, and meant I'll pick up the third book right away.


Caszandra - Andrea K. Höst*, 4.5/5, 357 pages
Very satisfying ending to the trilogy (although I am glad there is a "Gratuitous Epilogue" as well!). I did think the whole Powerstone issue was solved surprisingly fast, and there are a lot of unanswered questions about those and the Cruzatch still, but I'm hoping some of those answers will be given in the epilogue. I also want to know more about Cass' family.

I loved the addition of Sen, Ys and Rye and how Sen 'adopted' Cass, without her really having much say in the matter. I liked that there was a lot of character development in this book - not just for Cass, but also for those around her. I felt like I got to know the other Sentari a lot better.

Really brilliant book I couldn't put down and finished over a weekend.


Gratuitous Epilogue - Andrea K. Höst*, 5/5, 128 pages
Best gratuitous epilogue ever :) It didn't answer as many questions about the Touchstones etc. as I had hoped, but I hardly minded, because I LOVED how much to ended up focusing on Cass' family back in Australia... ever since finishing "Caszandra" I'd been slightly disappointed that we didn't get to see her Mum's reaction to the letter.

Having a diary entry per month worked out well, and allowed the epilogue to spread out over 2.5 years without seeming too drawn out. I loved the weddings and seeing the children grow... and the last chapter had me in tears.

Totally awesome ending to an excellent trilogy.


In Arcadia - Andrea K. Höst*, 4/5, 252 pages
Very satisfying follow-up to "Gratuitous Epilogue" and perfect for people who want to know more about how Cass' family adapts to a new planet.

I knew from the set-out that Cass wasn't the main character of this book, but was slightly surprised by just how little a role she played in it. At times it almost seemed like she was left out deliberately, which was a bit jarring.

But apart from that minor nitpick, I really enjoyed it. I loved hearing more about Cass' Australian family, and how they all managed the huge change to their lives. Of course the epilogue only resulted in making me want to know more! I hope Andrea Höst will revisit the universe at a later stage.


Pathfinder - Orson Scott Card*, 4/5, Audiobook ~18hrs
I really enjoyed it. It's a fun mix between Science Fiction and Fantasy, and I think the mix really works. I'd guessed some of the twists ahead of time, but not all.

Rigg was definitely my favourite character, Umbo did annoy me occasionally with his insecurity and jealousy - I still think his is the cooler of the powers, but I liked Rigg's ability to become whoever he needed to be. I often laughed out loud at people's reactions to him.

"Pathfinder" is the first book in a series, but the ending clearly leads the way to the second book, it's still nicely rounded off, so I'm not left with a frustrating feeling that the story hasn't ended yet. No annoying cliff-hangers ;)


Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo and Me - Ellen Forney*, 4/5, 256 pages
Both very well written and very well drawn. A powerful account of life with a bipolar disorder. Both the highs and the lows were described very vividly, as was the fight towards some semblance of a normal and "balanced" life.

Book Love - Debbie Tung, 5/5, 137 pages
Graphic novel about being a bookworm? Don't mind if I do!!! :-D

Quiet Girl in a Noisy World - Debbie Tung, 5/5, 177 pages
Awesome book and extremely relatable. True, Debbie Tung is a lot more introverted than I am, but there were still SO many similarities between how we would react to things, and I spent most of the book going "Yup! That's me!

Ruins - Orson Scott Card, 4/5, 544 pages
The sequel to "Pathfinder" and in many ways just as good, despite there being fewer surprises along the way. I liked reading about what happened in other wallfolds and seeing the five come together as a group, despite their issues along the way. All of them (with the possible exception of Loaf, for obvious reasons) really got on my nerves along the way, but their behaviour was realistic... even if quite insolent at times.

The ending was quite different from what I had expected, so I'm very curious to see where Orson Scott Card takes the story next.

... oh, and I'm pretty sure Orson Scott Card has read Douglas Adams... just sayin'.