Books for July

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

Wicked - Gregory Maguire, 3/5, 454 pages
I'd heard very, very mixed reviews of this book, but absolutely loved the musical, and was intrigued by the book, so decided to give it a shot anyway. As the rating indicates, I found it fairly average - not as bad as I'd feared (low expectations always help), but not as good as I'd hoped either. The musical is definitely far superior, and they've changed the plot quite a bit, as the book is a lot darker and sadder. I still liked it through, and while I doubt I'll read more of Maguire's Oz books, I'm glad I've read this one.

The Man Who Tasted Shapes - Richard E. Cytowic, 2.5/5, 182 pages
Half interesting, half very dry and occasionally boring. Richard Cytowic is obviously very interested in synaesthesia - what causes it, how it is manifested in different people, whether or not you can track it by scanning the brain etc. - but his book isn't really meant for non-medical readers. I was fascinated by the experiments and the discoveries, but there was a LOT of medical babble that I had no interest in at all, and ended up just skimming.

A non-fiction that reads too much like a textbook for me to enjoy it as "casual reading".

84 Charing Cross Road - Helene Hanff, 5/5, 230 pages
This edition contains both 84 Charing Cross Road and The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, and I'm glad, because I don't think either would have been complete without the other.

I had this book recommended to me because I loved The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and I can definitely see how the later was probably inspired by this one, but apart from a similar start, the two books are very different in both genre and atmosphere.

The book is labelled "an unmitigated delight from cover to cover" by the Daily Telegraph, and I would have to agree, although for me the real charm came in the diary that makes up The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street rather than in the letters that make up 84 Charing Cross Road (the last four letters did bring tears to my eyes though). It was such a delight to follow Helene Hanff's pure joy in finally getting to visit London - especially since I knew many of the sites she visited.

It did surprise me how many fans she made through 84CCR though. Certainly, it is good, but I think it would be a book I'd soon forget, if it wasn't for the follow-up. I was very surprised by how short it was too! Not even 100 pages.

It's well worth reading though. Very charming and very enjoyable. I finished it in a day.

Rumo - Walter Moers, 4.5/5, 688 pages
Walter Moers is a fairly new discovery, but so far I've loved everything I've read by him. This was no exception, although it started out a lot more slowly than the other books, so took me longer to get thoroughly hooked. However, by the time Rumo made it to Wolperting, there was no looking back.

I love Walter Moers' quirky humour, and the way he lets the book medium help him tell a story and set an atmosphere. Rumo was a lot darker than the two other books, and it seemed like Walter Moers tried to combine more plotlines and tangents than he perhaps should have. The reasons for some of the digressions sometimes didn't become obvious until several hundreds of pages later.

A terrific book, and I came to care a lot for the characters and the universe both. Fortunately I still have one Zamonian book left to read.

Dystopia - Dennis Jürgensen*, 5/5, Audiobook ~18hrs
Dystopia is one of those amazing fantasy books, that - though I remember I love them - I forget from time to time just HOW good they are. I love the universe that Dennis Jürgensen creates, and the detail he puts into the description of it.

Even though I more or less know the story by heart by now, I still lose myself completely in the universe of Dystopia, and the fates of the eudaimons and the two humans. It's the age-old fight between good and evil, but with some delightful twists that make it seem new and original.

Unfortunately it's never been translated into English. It's well worth learning Danish to read it though! ;)

The Physician - Noah Gordon*, 5/5, 720 pages
I think this is the 5th or 6th time I read this, and I enjoy it every bit as much as on my first read-through. It's a long book, but there's a reason for the length, as it allows the author (and the reader!) to dwell on the atmosphere of the different places Cole visits, on the things he learn and on the people he meet. Not that it's slow-moving - quite the contrary, I have a very hard time putting it down once I've started it.

I don't know much about England or Persia in the 11th century, so I have no idea how accurate the descriptions are, but they fascinate me nonetheless, and I love reading about the life of a physician of that era.

It's one of those rare books that draw me in completely, and where I have a very hard time letting it go even after I've turned the last page.

Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader - Anne Fadiman, 4.5/5, 162 pages
I love books about books, so when a friend recommended this as one of the best of the genre, I knew I had to pick it up. And it didn't disappoint.

Ex Libris is a charming essay collection all about books, reading and the love of both. As something of a bibliophile myself, I could very easily relate to Anne Fadiman's experiences, and was delighted to see some of my own thoughts echoed in her writing.

Dragonfly - Julia Golding*, 5/5, 354 pages
A gorgeous fantasy novel with lots of humour, romance and action. I was especially intrigued by how Tashi and Ramil not only had to learn how to get along, but had to learn to accept the traditions and culture of each other's countries.

And I was totally taken in by Tashi's self-appointed protector Gordoc, who in his simple-mindedness often ended up more insightful than all of his so-called 'knowledgeable' friends.

Lies - Michael Grant, 4/5, 502 pages
A fascinating continuation to the series. This book had a very interesting twist that once again has me wondering how many books are left in the series. Also, I'm starting to think that the series will soon start to get tedious/repetative if Michael Grant lets it go on for too much longer.

Aaanyway, for now the series is still interesting and captivating. It is not a comfortable read, but I'd come to expect that, so it didn't freak me out as much as the two first books in the series. I did feel that there were some threads that were just left hanging from the earlier books. The Human Crew was such a big part of Hunger but hardly touched upon at all in this one. On the other hand, I did like seeing something of a resolution to the tensions between Sam, Astrid and the Committee.

The fourth book is coming out in 2011, and after that, there are another 2 to go.

Mistwood - Leah Cypess, 4.5/5, 300 pages
I was oddly taken with this book from the very start, and have no idea why it took me so long to read, other than that I'd keep getting sidetracked by other books.

Mistwood is a fun and more classic fairytale/fantasy novel than most common publications. It got back to the basics of the genre, and I actually found it a refreshing change. Also, I liked that it kept me guessing, and I never could figure out what was up with the Shifter.

It's a very charming story, that I was sad to leave behind me. I would like to hope that it's part of a series, but it does very much seem like a stand-alone book... which in itself is a refreshing change for the fantasy genre ;)

Hævnens gudinde - Sara Blædel, 4/5, 420 pages
(Goddess of Revenge)
Just like many of Sara Blædel's other books, Goddess of Revenge is slow to start, but once it picks up, it's well worth the effort. This one especially because I loved the secondary plot-line of Louise's issues with getting used to having a foster son.

Sara Blædel is good at introducing believable twists to the story that neither seem forced nor are spotted a mile away (not by me anyway!). Her writing is tight, and any small detail is likely to be picked up again later in the book.

The book very obviously paves the way for a 6th book in the series which would be fine by me!

The Singer of All Songs - Kate Constable, 4/5, 297 pages
A friend recommended this series to me, and I was fascinated by the idea of singing spells, and having music be part of the magic, so I immediately went out and got it out of the library. Fortunately, it did not disappoint, and had I read it as a kid, I think it could easily have become a fast favourite.

The story itself was nothing out of the ordinary, and did occasionally come across as a bit rushed, but it was charming and I really got to care for Calwyn.

Unfortunately the copy I'd gotten hold of was rather poor quality, so the map was almost illegible, which did frustrate me a bit as I tried to follow their wanderings, but really - that's nitpicking!

Dad's Book*, 5/5, 122 pages
Left unnamed so he can't find this through google ;)
I have read this book several times since I first got my hands on it, and now wanted to read the English version.

I won't claim to understand everything about hell - far from it - and there are still things that make no sense at all to me, but this book has given me a greater understanding for how the idea of a loving God can be combined with the horrors of Hell.

Babysitters Club, 1050 pages total
Only 7 this month.


Book of the month: 84 Charing Cross Road. Very charming book!
Biggest disappointment: The Man Who Tasted Shapes. I'm very interested in the topic, but was bored by the book.