So much I don't/can't remember from earlier books in this series, but I'm still really, really enjoying the books and looking forward to reading more.So much I don't/can't remember from earlier books in this series, but I'm still really, really enjoying the books and looking forward to reading more....more
I really liked Bujold's "Chalion" books, now more accurately named as belonging in "The World of the Five Gods" andd I'm really pleased to have finallI really liked Bujold's "Chalion" books, now more accurately named as belonging in "The World of the Five Gods" andd I'm really pleased to have finally read this one after taking so long to get around to it.
It's a novella, so it's just a beginning, and I will go on to the next parts of the story when I have all of time, money and energy occurring at the same moment....more
REREAD #1: 21 December 2021 to 21 December 2021 (9/10)
Life is hard and I need to read some fun romanceI bought this on a whim and found it rather fun.
REREAD #1: 21 December 2021 to 21 December 2021 (9/10)
Life is hard and I need to read some fun romances. This reread fit the bill perfectly and I found I liked it even more this time. Maybe I needed it more?...more
Another enjoyable Abbey book that very nicely filled in the gap between the book I finished this morning and the one I've been hanging out for that juAnother enjoyable Abbey book that very nicely filled in the gap between the book I finished this morning and the one I've been hanging out for that just downloaded to my Kindle. (That would be Archangel's Heart and The Hanging Tree respectively for anyone who's curious.)
It was exactly the kind of story you'd expect, but a thoroughly pleasant read all the same. I need to borrow some more in the series from my friend now and I'm looking forward to doing that. ...more
I can't think of anything particularly unique to say about this book except that I gobbled it up and loved this latest story of Elena and Raphael and I can't think of anything particularly unique to say about this book except that I gobbled it up and loved this latest story of Elena and Raphael and the people around them.
We get a good, solid story with glimpses and hints about the lives of some of the previous characters. There are potentially life changing family revelations for Elena and some suitably creepy, if angelic, monks.
There are also new characters I hope we'll hear a lot more about.
Another good and enjoyable story from Paul Cornell. This is Autumn's story really, with Lizzie and Judith more on the periphery. It looks like she migAnother good and enjoyable story from Paul Cornell. This is Autumn's story really, with Lizzie and Judith more on the periphery. It looks like she might have a personal happy ending too, which I hope sticks. I'll happily buy and read another in the series....more
I was fascinated by the premise when I first heard about it, but then I saw reviews from people I trust who feOh, this book was such a disappointment.
I was fascinated by the premise when I first heard about it, but then I saw reviews from people I trust who felt let down by the book. I decided to request it from the library rather than paying for it.
Having read it, quickly with some skimming, I'm glad it didn't cost me anything (except time) and I have to completely agree with those reviewers.
There's a really good idea here and a cool mystery and I'd like to know more about what's going on and I'm even interested in finding out what happens next.
But the book itself, it's just not good. Reading it is a frustrating rather than an enjoyable experience. It's just flat. There's no depth to it, the characters are never really people and lots of hints are given about cool things and never explained or given any depth. It's all a surface show. It's just an idea with stick figures running around trying to make it more that that and failing.
It's pretty much fully told in interviews, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. So is World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War and I really enjoyed reading that. Twice. Once as a book and once as an audiobook.
Here, it takes away all personal connection. The story is totally passive, with no active voice or sense of immediacy at all. We know nothing about the nameless interviewer except that he's a manipulative bastard. We get hints there might be something in his past, but nothing is delivered. He isn't even a person, just bold letters on a page - and those bold letters are really annoying if his text is longer than a couple of lines because my eyes aren't programmed to be able to scan that and absorb the meaning easily. There's a reason we use bold text for emphasis, not for storytelling. The other characters do feel like people, but only paper thin ones.
All in all, it's just terribly, terribly disappointing. Because the idea is still a good one. It could have been brilliant and it totally wasn't. I find that I still want to know what happens next, because that idea is still captivating. But I don't want to have to read through lots and lots of flat text to find out.
I got seriously into rereading/rereading these a couple of years ago and then stopped for some reason I don't remember. I probably just got distractedI got seriously into rereading/rereading these a couple of years ago and then stopped for some reason I don't remember. I probably just got distracted.
The Beyond Reality group here on Facebook has been working their way through a series read of all the Deverry books, so I promised myself I'd pick up this books when they got to it and keep reading with them.
I'm only a few pages in and so far I'm a little hazy on what has gone before, but more came back to me as I read the prologue, so hopefully that will continue to happen. I'm into a historical (with respect to the "now" of the book) section now, so hopefully that means I won't need to remember too much.
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I gave myself plenty of time to read this, thinking it might take me a while. Instead, I raced through it in a few days and I'm sorry I didn't read it sooner. It was a great continuation of the story and a good place for a pause (this is the end of one "arc" of the story). I'm also really looking forward to carrying on with the series.
I'm happy to wait for next moth and read with the group (and that is what I will do), but I'd be equally happy to keep on going. I find myself delighted to know I have more books in the world/series ahead of me....more
I had seen Tessa Dare mentioned on a few romance websites and I've never read one of her books. We were in the main library the other day - rather thaI had seen Tessa Dare mentioned on a few romance websites and I've never read one of her books. We were in the main library the other day - rather than our smaller local branch - so I had a look on the shelves to see if any of her books where in. This was the only one I found, so I bought it home to try out.
I was rather surprised at the large size of the print, showing it actually to be a shorter story than it appears from its page count. That didn't worry me, as it was a "I wonder what it's like" kind of read rather than a serious, "I so want to read this book" one.
It turned out to be a quick, almost skimming kind of book. It was okay, but I definitely wasn't bowled over. I liked the place the hero and heroine ended up with regard to each other, but I honestly didn't care all that much. It also proved to be one of those "just get on with it and have sex already" kind of romances, which can be kind of annoying when it's clear both parties are seriously interested but it keeps getting put off for not particularly good reasons.
I'll give Tessa Dare another go if I get a really good recommendation, but I'm not rushing out to try more of her books and I'm pleased I didn't pay for this one....more
I very much enjoy checking out the Tor.com website on a regular basis, and often read articles about books or stories I don't really have any intentioI very much enjoy checking out the Tor.com website on a regular basis, and often read articles about books or stories I don't really have any intention of ever reading myself.
One such series is the current look at books that inspired or were inspired by H. P. Lovecraft's works. This is something I've never really read myself, beyond once reading At the Mountains of Madness for a book club read. It really wasn't my thing, the prose isn't my kind of writing and Lovecraft is one of those problematic people where I'm much more likely to read another author that deserves my time and money than a dead one with a huge number of attitudes I totally disagree with.
However, his work has influenced so many other works either by authors I do want to read, or that I have discovered recently. Especially, a friend (whom I hold to blame for a number of the long running series I now autobuy in hardback or the ebook equivalent, sometimes both) introduced me to Charles Stross's Laundry Files novels about a year ago and I raced through those, totally enjoying them even though I hadn't necessarily read the source material he was playing with.
So I've picked up a vague understanding of the Lovecraft mythos along the way, even if I don't really "get it" on a deeper level. Reading the latest Tor.com column, the authors mentioned that the next read for it would be this story and provided a link to it online. I clicked across out of curiousty since, as I said above, I'm definitely enjoying the Laundry Files books. I started reading and just kept going until I got to the end.
I do think I missed a certain amount due to that lack of immersion with Lovecraft and his forebears/followers, but I definitely still enjoyed the story. It helped it make more sense when I found this story here on Goodreads and found it relates to a follow up expedition to the one in In the Mountains of Madness. So yes, I missed stuff, but I shall certainly enjoy reading the column next week and seeing what further insights it may give me....more
Still a good story, but I didn't like this one quite as much as the others. I'm not really sure why, except that while the detective work was good, anStill a good story, but I didn't like this one quite as much as the others. I'm not really sure why, except that while the detective work was good, and the reveal of the murderer clever, the whole plot which set everything off seemed kind of off. I don't think it ever would have worked out as planned, even without murder getting in the way....more
My binge read of Ann Cleeve's Shetland series continues.
I did like the way Perez's response to the events of Blue Lightning, and felt that it was a suMy binge read of Ann Cleeve's Shetland series continues.
I did like the way Perez's response to the events of Blue Lightning, and felt that it was a suitable and realistic portrayal.
A good mystery, a good introduction to a new recurring character (Willow) and an enjoyable deepening of Perez's relationship with Cassie. All good, all round....more
A very nice story, that I enjoyed very much. But don't read it if you haven't read or been spoiled for Blue Lightning. It's quite simply written, whicA very nice story, that I enjoyed very much. But don't read it if you haven't read or been spoiled for Blue Lightning. It's quite simply written, which I think may have been part of the brief for the "Quick Reads" series of which it is part. It's a good bridge between the end of the "colour" quartet and the start of the "elements" one....more
I nice collection of short stories about people, many of whom who turn out to be surprisingly horrible upon reading. Not our heroes you understand, buI nice collection of short stories about people, many of whom who turn out to be surprisingly horrible upon reading. Not our heroes you understand, but the people they meet in the course of each tale....more
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