Kiwiria's February Fables
Mar. 1st, 2023 11:42 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kiwiria posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
christianreaderI only managed 5 books (+ 1 novel-length fanfic) in February!! But I have been obsessed with a new TV show, so would watch that while knitting, rather than reading. I did manage two complete books while off on vacation though!
Spare - Prince Harry, 4.5/5, Audiobook ~16hrs
There are always three sides to any story - his, theirs and the truth. As this is probably the only version we'll ever hear, I have no clue how close this is to the others. With regards to the UK news media? Probably very. With regards to the rest of the royal family? Who can say.
I will say that it was very engagingly written though. I don't know if Prince Harry had a ghostwriter or if he just happens to be a good writer, but I found the book really interesting, and appreciated this look behind the scenes. But those two boys had no chance of being normal, growing up the way they did. With that kind of trauma at a young age and absolutely no follow-up in terms of being sent to therapy and learning how to deal with it - it's a wonder they managed as well as they did!
Prince Harry has had an interesting life so far, and I enjoyed reading about his education, his travels (Africa especially), his time in the army and his vain attempts at having a 'normal' life. I loved reading about his relationship with Meghan - he is so obviously crazy in love with her, and that's always wonderful to read.
The book did not come across as sensationalistic to me. In fact, the back blurb is a lot more drama-filled than the book itself is. Prince Harry didn't downplay the things he did wrong, and he didn't go out of his way to paint others in a bad light either. It seemed a very sober take on things, and didn't seem like he tried to take advantage of the fact that he's probably going to be the only one to put out his side of the story. The way the press treated him and Meghan was awful, but everybody knew that ahead of time - it's not like they were being subtle about it.
I read this as an audiobook, narrated by Prince Harry himself, which was a nice touch. I always love it when memoirs/autobiographies are narrated by the authors themselves, as I think it adds a dimension that wouldn't have been present otherwise.
Quarantine Comix - Rachael Smith*, 4/5, 224 pages
A graphic novel about 2020 - I basically bought it as a time-capsule type thing, and it captures the atmosphere quite accurately. But I'm almost surprised by how far away it seems, just these few years later.
Elder - Audrey Faye*, 4/5, 336 pages
Sentinel - Audrey Faye*, 4/5, 208 pages
Finishing up my reread now that the next book in the series has been published :-D
Tir-Nâzrals arving - Mads Schack-Lindhardt, 3.5/5, 340 pages
(The Heir to Tir-Nâzral)
The first book in a new fantasy series, sent to me by the publisher for review :-) I like the universe the author creates - a universe where books become reality could not be more appealing to a bookwork like myself, and I'm just sad we only got to explore one of the portals this time around. But hopefully more will follow in later books.
The author did sometimes try to do too much, too quickly, and it seemed obvious that it was his first book, as it would have benefitted from being tightened up a bit more. But I still really enjoyed it, and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Books Read: 18
Book of the Month: None stood out. I really enjoyed Spare but it's not the kind of book that will be a regular reread.
Spare - Prince Harry, 4.5/5, Audiobook ~16hrs
There are always three sides to any story - his, theirs and the truth. As this is probably the only version we'll ever hear, I have no clue how close this is to the others. With regards to the UK news media? Probably very. With regards to the rest of the royal family? Who can say.
I will say that it was very engagingly written though. I don't know if Prince Harry had a ghostwriter or if he just happens to be a good writer, but I found the book really interesting, and appreciated this look behind the scenes. But those two boys had no chance of being normal, growing up the way they did. With that kind of trauma at a young age and absolutely no follow-up in terms of being sent to therapy and learning how to deal with it - it's a wonder they managed as well as they did!
Prince Harry has had an interesting life so far, and I enjoyed reading about his education, his travels (Africa especially), his time in the army and his vain attempts at having a 'normal' life. I loved reading about his relationship with Meghan - he is so obviously crazy in love with her, and that's always wonderful to read.
The book did not come across as sensationalistic to me. In fact, the back blurb is a lot more drama-filled than the book itself is. Prince Harry didn't downplay the things he did wrong, and he didn't go out of his way to paint others in a bad light either. It seemed a very sober take on things, and didn't seem like he tried to take advantage of the fact that he's probably going to be the only one to put out his side of the story. The way the press treated him and Meghan was awful, but everybody knew that ahead of time - it's not like they were being subtle about it.
I read this as an audiobook, narrated by Prince Harry himself, which was a nice touch. I always love it when memoirs/autobiographies are narrated by the authors themselves, as I think it adds a dimension that wouldn't have been present otherwise.
Quarantine Comix - Rachael Smith*, 4/5, 224 pages
A graphic novel about 2020 - I basically bought it as a time-capsule type thing, and it captures the atmosphere quite accurately. But I'm almost surprised by how far away it seems, just these few years later.
Elder - Audrey Faye*, 4/5, 336 pages
Sentinel - Audrey Faye*, 4/5, 208 pages
Finishing up my reread now that the next book in the series has been published :-D
Tir-Nâzrals arving - Mads Schack-Lindhardt, 3.5/5, 340 pages
(The Heir to Tir-Nâzral)
The first book in a new fantasy series, sent to me by the publisher for review :-) I like the universe the author creates - a universe where books become reality could not be more appealing to a bookwork like myself, and I'm just sad we only got to explore one of the portals this time around. But hopefully more will follow in later books.
The author did sometimes try to do too much, too quickly, and it seemed obvious that it was his first book, as it would have benefitted from being tightened up a bit more. But I still really enjoyed it, and am looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
Books Read: 18
Book of the Month: None stood out. I really enjoyed Spare but it's not the kind of book that will be a regular reread.
