Kiwiria's June Reads

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

Still busy with my knitting, but that doesn't mean I've stopped reading altogether fortunately :-)


Among the Hidden - Margaret Peterson Haddix, 4/5, 153 pages
I read about this book through a "25 Books/Series to read if you love The Hunger Games" list. It sounded fascinating, so I thought I'd give it a try.

It's... troubling. A lot darker than I had expected from a childrens book. A quick read and actually a rather thought-provoking one. In some ways it reminded me of Nancy Kress' Beggars in Spain - in atmosphere more than in plot though. I liked it very much, though I'm not sure I'll be reading the rest of the series. As far as I could tell they're more a series of companion novels than actual sequels, and I'm more interested in reading about a resolution than about other Shadow Children.

I might very well change my mind if this book ends up haunting my mind though.

Very well written and atmospheric.

Poison Study - Maria V. Snyder, 5/5, Audiobook ~10hrs
I started listening to this with no particular expectations. I'd never read a review of it, but just kept seeing it all over the place, so I figured it was about time.

I ended up LOVING it!!! One of the best books I've read in a very, very long time. It's a brilliant story that incorporates several of my favourite bookish ideas: Teaching of a craft - check. Latent magical abilities - check. Surprising romance - check. Friends among enemies - check.

Excellent book that's nicely contained.

While I Live - John Marsden, 3.5/5, 249
It took me a surprisingly long time to read this. I liked it, but never really got caught up in the book, the way I did the original series. I missed Fi - she got far too little pagetime. Fortunately Homer was there though (I never really warmed to Lee). Still, it's a fascinating insight into life after war - especially considering the great amounts of land Australia had to give up.

I'll probably eventually read the rest of the series as well, as I do love Ellie and want to hear more about how she manages, but they're not my top priority just now.

Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen*, 5/5, Audiobook ~20hrs
I can't remember how many times I've read this book, and I've seen the BBC mini-series even more times. It never fails to draw me in.

Some things struck me...
* Mrs. Bennet really is insufferable! I thought it very telling that Mr. Bennet tells Lizzie that he couldn't bear it if "she also found herself in a position where she couldn't respect her spouse". How awful.
* Mr. Bennet ends up calling Wickham his favourite son-in-law? In self-irony I hope.
* Lizzie and especially Jane really did fall in love remarkably quick.
* Austen doesn't seem very capable of writing happy married couples, does she? At least, I can't think of any.
* I need to rewatch the mini-series now!

Taken at Dusk - C.C. Hunter, 3.5/5, 380 pages
It took me a surprisingly long time to finish this book, but I think that has more to do with the fact that I haven't been in a reading mood (a shocker, I know!) than with the book itself. Last night I suddenly got in the mood again and read 200 pages in one evening, so it can't have been all bad.

I enjoyed this follow-up to the Shadow Falls series. Sure, it has its faults - Kylie is still quite the Mary Sue, and at times the plot is incredibly disjointed - but generally it's just plain fun, so I can forgive it its faults. I liked that we got a few more answers this time, and LOVED Miranda's kangaroo :D That made me laugh out loud.

I'm annoyed by both Lucas and Derek, so don't know what outcome I'm hoping for there... preferably neither, I guess.

Garden Spells - Sarah Addison Allen, 4.5/5, Audiobook ~10hrs
What a delightfully charming book! I had no clue what to expect when I picked it up, but loved it pretty much from the very first page (or audiobook equivalent ;) ). I liked the characters, I enjoyed the plot, I completely fell in love with Bay. I can't elaborate without starting to gush, but it's just one of those genuinely feel-good books.

If this is a standard representation of Sarah Addison Allen's writing, I'll definitely be reading more of her work!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - J.K. Rowling*, 5/5, 223 pages
As always, the magic drew me in completely, and I pretty much read this in one sitting :)

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card*, 5/5, Audiobook ~12hrs
Love, love, love, love this book. So much love for this book! If you haven't read it yet -- what are you waiting for? Among the top ten books I've read EVER.

Needles and Pearls - Gil McNeil, 4/5, 371 pages
Lovely feel-good novel. I loved the first book in the series, and wanted to see if the sequel(s) lived up to it. This one definitely did. There's no real plot to it, just a description of 8 months in the life of Jo Mackenzie, but between her quirky neighbours, her energetic sons, her famous TV-speaker best friend and the local Diva, life is never dull.

I want a local yarn shop like Jo's though!

The Host - Stephenie Meyer*, 5/5, 619 pages
So very different from the Twilight series. I was in a reading rut and needed something to get me kick-started again. This was just the ticket :) I still love it. Extremely well written and impossible to put down.


Most recommendable: A tie between Garden Spells and Poison Study. Very different, but both terrific.
Oh, and a shout out to Ender's Game of course. Usually I only mention new reads here, but it's just sooooo good! :-D

Comments

[moredetails.livejournal.com]

I just put a hold on Garden Spells and added Poison Study to my wish list. They both sound interesting. :)

I liked hearing your thoughts on P&P. I do feel sorry for Mr. Bennet to have such a wife, but often I feel he handles it poorly and just kind of hides out. So I feel a little bad for both of them in the marriage they have.

[dantheman23.livejournal.com]

Ender's Game is probably my favorite sci-fi book (and I'm a HUGE Heinlein fan, so that's saying a lot), and also in my Top 10 ever. Fantastic.

I'm attempting to read the Alvin Maker series by OSC right now but it's tough going. Not really because of the book but because I'm just not in a reading mood at the moment. We'll see how it goes.

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

Agreed. It's fantastic! I've never read the Bean companion novel ("Ender's Shadow" I think?), but I'm thinking about trying that out now :)

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

I think you'd really like both :-)

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

In response to the: Austen writing happily married couples: there's Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner in P&P, Catherine's parents in Northanger Abbey, Captain and Mrs. Croft in Persuasion, of the top of my head

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

I did think of the Gardiners, but I don't think they really have enough page-time for them to be suitable evidence.

I honestly don't remember the others. I've only read Northanger Abbey once, and got so bored by Persuasion when I read it last that I had to force myself to finish it.

[birdienl.livejournal.com]

You might be right, I might be going with the portrayal of Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner from the adaptations...

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

Could be - I do remember them as being very well done in the BBC mini-series... which reminds me that it's been FAR too long since I saw that one last! ;-)

[dantheman23.livejournal.com]

I never wanted to read any more Ender stuff because I figure it can't possibly be as good as Ender's Game : )

[kiwiria.livejournal.com]

That's been my feeling as well.