http://www.goodreads.com/review/list_rss/321673 en-US Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:15:22 -0700 60 http://www.goodreads.com/ 200 41 http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_logo.gif 28272249 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:15:22 -0700
author: Marion Zimmer Bradley
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1983
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 07/25/08
shelves: traditional-fantasy
review:

]]> 28271967 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:13:11 -0700
author: Isaac Asimov
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1950
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 07/25/08
shelves: science-fiction
review:

]]> 28271376 Fri, 25 Jul 2008 11:08:10 -0700
author: Isaac Asimov
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.89
book published: 1990
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 07/25/08
shelves: science-fiction
review:
I like the Asimov short story Nightfall, but I disliked this Silverberg-extended version of it.
]]> 27794027 Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:49:42 -0700
There's no magic in this book. It's an alternate history where dragons are a normal part of warfare. The author is pretty good at making it a believable story, even if you might raise one eyebrow a little at dragons capable of carrying a dozen men or more.

I do love Regency England, especially the dialog, and I liked the main character (and his dragon) very much.

Thanks, Julie!

]]>
author: Naomi Novik
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.20
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/24/08
shelves: traditional-fantasy
review:
Horatio Hornblower meets Dragonriders of Pern. This is a really fun, light read. It's predictable - you can see plot twists coming a mile away, but that doesn't make the story any less satisfying.

There's no magic in this book. It's an alternate history where dragons are a normal part of warfare. The author is pretty good at making it a believable story, even if you might raise one eyebrow a little at dragons capable of carrying a dozen men or more.

I do love Regency England, especially the dialog, and I liked the main character (and his dragon) very much.

Thanks, Julie!


]]> 5340338 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:19:54 -0700
author: Kate Wilhelm
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.98
book published: 1976
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 07/22/08
shelves: science-fiction
review:

]]> 27126740 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 11:50:20 -0700 The Sparrow is worth reading, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book. It begins well enough but loses steam about halfway through.

I liked the second revealing look at the events which occurred at the end of The Sparrow, even though the author cheats: it turns out that something you thought happened in the first book didn't really happen. The new characters aren't as well-developed as the original set, and I thought the aliens were more interesting when they were more mysterious.

Don't expect a more realistic plot. The crew of this second Jesuit mission is even more ridiculous than the first one, and the alien society seems terribly fragile, such that a few bumbling humans can cause a planet-wide revolution.

Emilio Sandoz is at the center of the story again, and at one point I felt that the author's treatment of him was verging on emotional pornography. How many more times was she going to give the man a glimpse of peace and then snatch it away? But I needn't have worried. The intensity faded pretty rapidly once the second mission arrived on Rakhat.
]]>
author: Mary Doria Russell
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1998
rating: 3
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/22/08
shelves: science-fiction
review:
This sequel to The Sparrow is worth reading, but I didn't enjoy it as much as the first book. It begins well enough but loses steam about halfway through.

I liked the second revealing look at the events which occurred at the end of The Sparrow, even though the author cheats: it turns out that something you thought happened in the first book didn't really happen. The new characters aren't as well-developed as the original set, and I thought the aliens were more interesting when they were more mysterious.

Don't expect a more realistic plot. The crew of this second Jesuit mission is even more ridiculous than the first one, and the alien society seems terribly fragile, such that a few bumbling humans can cause a planet-wide revolution.

Emilio Sandoz is at the center of the story again, and at one point I felt that the author's treatment of him was verging on emotional pornography. How many more times was she going to give the man a glimpse of peace and then snatch it away? But I needn't have worried. The intensity faded pretty rapidly once the second mission arrived on Rakhat.

]]> 26012605 Tue, 15 Jul 2008 06:42:44 -0700
I'm amused by the temple politics in this series. I remember being a little shocked the first time I realized that religious organizations have just as much squabbling and politicking among their leadership as any other human institution.
]]>
author: Harry Kemelman
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.61
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/15/08
shelves: mystery
review:
Rabbi Small goes to Israel around 1971. There's not much to the murder mystery in this one, but the description of his visit is interesting.

I'm amused by the temple politics in this series. I remember being a little shocked the first time I realized that religious organizations have just as much squabbling and politicking among their leadership as any other human institution.

]]> 25115973 Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:25:38 -0700
The story is told as a series of flashbacks, so even if you didn't read the blurb you find out in the very first chapter that the mission went badly awry. There is almost too much foreshadowing as a team of interrogators slowly elicit an account from the mission's devastated sole survivor. It's designed to lead up to a shocking ending, but most of it is obvious and I was annoyed at some of the ridiculous conclusions that had been drawn before the survivor's version was heard.

Still, the excellent writing goes a long way towards making up for the flaws in the plot, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.
]]>
author: Mary Doria Russell
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.05
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/12/08
shelves: science-fiction
review:
This is good, but terribly sad, and requires a herculean suspension of disbelief. I was prepared for Jesuits in Space but not the abrupt and highly unlikely way the mission is planned and carried out. The chapter where the protagonists make the precipitate decision to go visit the aliens threw me right out of the narrative, and it took several chapters for me to forgive the author and become reabsorbed in the novel. And later in the mission it's pretty hard to swallow some of the elementary mistakes that the characters make.

The story is told as a series of flashbacks, so even if you didn't read the blurb you find out in the very first chapter that the mission went badly awry. There is almost too much foreshadowing as a team of interrogators slowly elicit an account from the mission's devastated sole survivor. It's designed to lead up to a shocking ending, but most of it is obvious and I was annoyed at some of the ridiculous conclusions that had been drawn before the survivor's version was heard.

Still, the excellent writing goes a long way towards making up for the flaws in the plot, and I'm looking forward to reading the sequel.

]]> 26334761 Wed, 09 Jul 2008 07:55:35 -0700
author: Georgette Heyer
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.80
book published: 1958
rating: 5
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/09/08
shelves: romance
review:
One of my favorite Heyer novels so far, a most excellent Regency romance. Her characterizations are wonderful - in just a few pages I feel like I've known these people all of my life. I love the language she uses, and I find myself thinking in her phrases for a few days after I finish one of these books.
]]> 26548506 Mon, 07 Jul 2008 11:40:44 -0700
author: Philippa Gregory
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.39
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 07/07/08
shelves: historical-fiction
review:

]]> 12914721 Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:00:57 -0700
This is my third Michael Flynn book, and I have thoroughly enjoyed them all.]]>
author: Michael Flynn
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1996
rating: 5
read at: 07/08
date added: 07/04/08
shelves: science-fiction
review:
This is very near-future science fiction (written in 1996 so it's dated now) about a private effort to get humanity back into space, led by an extremely wealthy, space-obsessed woman. It has a vaguely Heinlein-ish philosophy and the politics are libertarian.

This is my third Michael Flynn book, and I have thoroughly enjoyed them all.
]]> 24719428 Mon, 30 Jun 2008 07:06:25 -0700
author: Janet Evanovich
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2008
rating: 2
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/30/08
shelves: mystery
review:
A below-average Stephanie Plum book. It started off pretty well (and seemed like it was going to have a lot of Ranger in it), but it lost steam about 1/3 of the way in.
]]> 25651919 Mon, 30 Jun 2008 06:59:40 -0700
author: Harry Kemelman
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/30/08
shelves: mystery
review:

]]> 21601751 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 07:04:25 -0700 Black Ships Before Troy, but still a nice version of The Odyssey to read out loud to older children. Wonderfully illustrated by Alan Lee of LOTR fame.]]>
author: Rosemary Sutcliff
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.33
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/27/08
shelves: general-fiction
review:
Not quite as good as Black Ships Before Troy, but still a nice version of The Odyssey to read out loud to older children. Wonderfully illustrated by Alan Lee of LOTR fame.
]]> 25532020 Fri, 27 Jun 2008 06:55:56 -0700
author: Harry Kemelman
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.69
book published: 1988
rating: 3
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/27/08
shelves: mystery
review:
A pleasant read. These first two books are very short, set close together in time, and have the same characters, so that they read together like one average-sized novel.
]]> 25421431 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:54:13 -0700 ]]>
author: Harry Kemelman
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/26/08
shelves: mystery
review:
A quiet little murder mystery, written in the 60's and centered around a young rabbi in a small town in New England. Rather obviously written with an eye toward educating the average Gentile mystery reader about the Jewish religion. A light, pleasant read.

]]> 23770235 Wed, 25 Jun 2008 09:26:45 -0700
But the book is also beautiful, a nearly perfect narrative despite my immature preference for happy endings.]]>
author: Mary Doria Russell
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/25/08
shelves: historical-fiction
review:
An amazing book. But, obviously, the story is beyond depressing. I was angry at the end of it, and a little nauseous, and I considering docking it a star for the sheer misery of the ending. Let's just say that if the author flipped a coin to determine the fate of her characters, as the reader's guide suggests, I'm thinking the Nazis rigged her coin. And the coda was like a getting a kick after you're down.

But the book is also beautiful, a nearly perfect narrative despite my immature preference for happy endings.
]]> 23293652 Fri, 20 Jun 2008 11:09:49 -0700
author: Jack Campbell
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2006
rating: 2
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/20/08
shelves: science-fiction
review:
The fleet should stay lost.
]]> 23440647 Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:04:19 -0700
author: Charlie Huston
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.17
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/17/08
shelves: general-fiction
review:
Not quite as good as the first book in the trilogy, but the writing is still fascinating. Don't start with this one.
]]> 21599668 Fri, 13 Jun 2008 06:33:50 -0700
I think Weber has introduced a Lady Barbara for his Horatio: Honor has fallen in love with the Earl of White Haven. I've been careful to avoid spoilers on this series, but if I had to guess, things don't look good for White Haven's wife.]]>
author: David Weber
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.02
book published: 1998
rating: 3
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/13/08
shelves: science-fiction
review:
Not one of the best of this series. It takes even longer than usual for anything to happen, about 200 pages. The situation that puts Honor in a position to be captured seems contrived, as does the whole escape scenario.

I think Weber has introduced a Lady Barbara for his Horatio: Honor has fallen in love with the Earl of White Haven. I've been careful to avoid spoilers on this series, but if I had to guess, things don't look good for White Haven's wife.
]]> 23998270 Tue, 10 Jun 2008 18:47:58 -0700
This is my first Feynman book, and I'm thinking I should have read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman first. The writing style seemed very awkward to me, but I bet that it reads better once you get interested in his personality.]]>
author: Richard P. Feynman
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/10/08
shelves: general-nonfiction
review:
The first part of this book is a seemingly random collection of anecdotes, along with the sad story of Feynman's first wife, who died young. The second part is about Feynman's participation in the investigation of the Challenger accident, which was very interesting.

This is my first Feynman book, and I'm thinking I should have read Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman first. The writing style seemed very awkward to me, but I bet that it reads better once you get interested in his personality.
]]> 14184947 Sun, 08 Jun 2008 12:41:15 -0700
This series is light military sci-fi. By "light" I mean there's a lot of humor and it doesn't get bogged down in technical details or complex space battles. The protagonist is a sergeant in a Marine Corps composed of humans and two other warrior species who do all of the fighting for a bunch of aliens known as the Elder races, who are entirely too civilized to fight for themselves.]]>
author: Tanya Huff
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/08/08
shelves: science-fiction
review:
Another very entertaining entry in this series, even if I was a little disappointed in the ending. It had a final note to it, so this might be the last of the Valor books.

This series is light military sci-fi. By "light" I mean there's a lot of humor and it doesn't get bogged down in technical details or complex space battles. The protagonist is a sergeant in a Marine Corps composed of humans and two other warrior species who do all of the fighting for a bunch of aliens known as the Elder races, who are entirely too civilized to fight for themselves.
]]> 22920113 Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:04:49 -0700
It's a interesting premise, and I enjoyed the book, but it has some serious flaws. The police organization run by the "nons" seems illogical. They serve a critical function in this society, yet they're poorly paid, foolishly restricted in their methods and dangerously untrained. But incongruently, they have an amazing amount of power over any "lyco" who has broken the law, or who they even suspect to have broken the law. They're able and willing to imprison them indefinitely without legal advice while torturing them for information. It's a strange mix of oppression and power.

The writing is awkward in some places and quite good in others. At the fifty page mark I was underwhelmed, but the story improved when Paul the social worker was introduced, and it got downright riveting as the book progressed.

A little technical detail in the right places can really add to the realism of a book, and I think the author skimped on her research. Most of the discourse on what causes someone to be born a "non" is weak, as is the scene where the protagonist asks a friend to examine a car that she suspects has been sabotaged.
]]>
author: Kit Whitfield
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.62
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/05/08
shelves: urban-fantasy
review:
This book supposes a world where more than 99% of the population are lycanthropes, who transform into wild, unthinking beasts for a single night every month. The tiny minority of non-lycanthropes are drafted into an organization that polices the rest of the population. The "nons" spend that night hunting down those who violate the law by not locking themselves safely away. The protagonist is a "non", and the book is not so much about werewolves as it is about her life experience as a member of this minority group.

It's a interesting premise, and I enjoyed the book, but it has some serious flaws. The police organization run by the "nons" seems illogical. They serve a critical function in this society, yet they're poorly paid, foolishly restricted in their methods and dangerously untrained. But incongruently, they have an amazing amount of power over any "lyco" who has broken the law, or who they even suspect to have broken the law. They're able and willing to imprison them indefinitely without legal advice while torturing them for information. It's a strange mix of oppression and power.

The writing is awkward in some places and quite good in others. At the fifty page mark I was underwhelmed, but the story improved when Paul the social worker was introduced, and it got downright riveting as the book progressed.

A little technical detail in the right places can really add to the realism of a book, and I think the author skimped on her research. Most of the discourse on what causes someone to be born a "non" is weak, as is the scene where the protagonist asks a friend to examine a car that she suspects has been sabotaged.

]]> 23459104 Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:28:51 -0700
I liked Prudence and Sir Anthony, though.

]]>
author: Georgette Heyer
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1928
rating: 3
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/04/08
shelves: romance
review:
I liked this one, but it's a little odd. I never understood the point of the masquerade. The brother and sister are in hiding because of their involvement in the Jacobite uprising. So they go to England - disguised as a brother and sister of the opposite gender. How does the cross-dressing contribute to their safety, exactly? I know that's not really the point of the story, but it bugged me anyway.

I liked Prudence and Sir Anthony, though.


]]> 15069938 Mon, 02 Jun 2008 06:47:04 -0700
author: Homer
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.17
book published: 600
rating: 5
read at: 06/08
date added: 06/02/08
shelves: general-fiction
review:

]]> 16317817 Sun, 01 Jun 2008 14:47:08 -0700
author: C.E. Murphy
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2005
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 06/01/08
shelves:
review:

]]> 20399306 Sun, 01 Jun 2008 09:23:17 -0700 Die Hard movie.

Huston's books are written in first person, present tense, and his dialog is written without quotes. The non-standard dialog formatting really threw me the first time I started one of his books, but once I got used to his style, I really liked it. His characters have such a distinctive voice that there is never any doubt as to who is talking.



]]>
author: Charlie Huston
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at: 05/08
date added: 06/01/08
shelves: general-fiction
review:
This is not my usual cup of tea: it's very dark, with a Tarantino level of violence. But I absolutely love the way Charlie Huston writes, so I will grit my teeth and read through the rest of this trilogy. I highly recommend this author if you can stomach the violence. The body count is high and the protagonist endures more than Bruce Willis in a Die Hard movie.

Huston's books are written in first person, present tense, and his dialog is written without quotes. The non-standard dialog formatting really threw me the first time I started one of his books, but once I got used to his style, I really liked it. His characters have such a distinctive voice that there is never any doubt as to who is talking.




]]> 16711482 Sat, 31 May 2008 16:15:15 -0700
author: Steven Saylor
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/31/08
shelves: historical-fiction, mystery
review:

]]> 14184845 Fri, 30 May 2008 07:02:13 -0700
I cannot believe she brought Richard in yet again to enact the exact same little drama as in the last 6 or 7 books. It's gotten to where I roll my eyes every time Richard shows up. It's the same scene, over and over again.

And she rehashes the "What if I'm pregnant?" consternation of a couple of books ago. We've been there and done that, why again?

Very little Jean-Claude in this one, which always disappoints me.
]]>
author: Laurell K. Hamilton
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2008
rating: 2
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/30/08
shelves: urban-fantasy
review:
More of the same, and the writing quality has gone downhill. I have enjoyed even the later (patently ridiculous) Anita Blake books, but this one was disappointing. It would have been better left as the novella she originally intended. There's not much story here.

I cannot believe she brought Richard in yet again to enact the exact same little drama as in the last 6 or 7 books. It's gotten to where I roll my eyes every time Richard shows up. It's the same scene, over and over again.

And she rehashes the "What if I'm pregnant?" consternation of a couple of books ago. We've been there and done that, why again?

Very little Jean-Claude in this one, which always disappoints me.

]]> 22919452 Tue, 27 May 2008 07:14:33 -0700
The plot has to do with drug running, and I couldn't be less interested in that, but I loved the details about life in the advertising business, and I enjoyed the scenes with Charles and Lady Mary. Peter in disguise at the wild party was just weird.

If I'm going to keep reading these British books, one day I have got to sit down and read up on how cricket is played. There's a 4 or 5 page cricket game towards the end of this book, and I hadn't the faintest idea of what was going on.

Previously written:
My copy of this book is in a volume with three other Sayers novels, including Gaudy Night, so when I picked it up yesterday I wasted a couple of hours re-reading my favorite scenes in Gaudy Night before I could get settled down with this one. But so far it's very good.]]>
author: Dorothy L. Sayers
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.17
book published: 1933
rating: 4
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/27/08
shelves: mystery
review:
I enjoyed this very much, but these intricately plotted murder mysteries are wasted on me, because I'm not reading the book for the mystery. I'm reading it for the characters, the setting, and particularly in Sayers' case, the wonderful writing. In two weeks I won't be able to remember whodunnit.

The plot has to do with drug running, and I couldn't be less interested in that, but I loved the details about life in the advertising business, and I enjoyed the scenes with Charles and Lady Mary. Peter in disguise at the wild party was just weird.

If I'm going to keep reading these British books, one day I have got to sit down and read up on how cricket is played. There's a 4 or 5 page cricket game towards the end of this book, and I hadn't the faintest idea of what was going on.

Previously written:
My copy of this book is in a volume with three other Sayers novels, including Gaudy Night, so when I picked it up yesterday I wasted a couple of hours re-reading my favorite scenes in Gaudy Night before I could get settled down with this one. But so far it's very good.
]]> 21601821 Sun, 25 May 2008 09:10:22 -0700
author: Georgette Heyer
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1956
rating: 3
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/25/08
shelves: romance
review:
Not bad, but not one of my favorite Heyers. Not nearly as funny as most of her books. I was disappointed at so much time spent with the young and irritating Amanda instead of with Hester and Gareth. And irritating or not, I didn't like seeing the feisty, independent Amanda practically falling at the feet of her soon-to-be husband.
]]> 11896080 Fri, 23 May 2008 06:23:10 -0700
author: Jim Butcher
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/23/08
shelves: urban-fantasy
review:
The best Dresden Files book in a few years. It's essentially a 400-page battle scene, and it's great fun. Even with all the Sidhe in it (my least favorite paranormal entities).
]]> 14184894 Wed, 21 May 2008 07:42:56 -0700
Maybe it's that Sookie's inner voice is starting to sound like that of Harper Connelly, the protagonist of Harris' other paranormal series, and that's not a good thing. Like Harper, Sookie seems detached, reacting to events without really feeling anything. The shallow writing style also makes it seem as if Sookie isn't very bright. (Her Southern dialect is much more pronounced in this book. I remember smiling at the occasional Southern-style phrasing in the earlier books, but now it's really thick.)

Maybe it's that every scene seems incomplete, and every conversation gets cut off before any real discussion takes place - especially any conversation with Bill or Eric, who drop in for 15-second sound bites and then disappear. It's very unsatisfying.

The author includes a lot of mundane details about Sookie's life. She paints her toenails, goes grocery shopping, and cleans up at the bar. I like these kind of details, I really do, but this book isn't long enough to support them. It feels like the author has padded out a short story into a novel.

And on a final whinging note, this book is a full-sized hardback, which means it doesn't match the rest of my set.
]]>
author: Charlaine Harris
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2008
rating: 3
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/21/08
shelves: urban-fantasy
review:
The book was entertaining, but something is beginning to bother me about the writing as I continue with this series, although I can't quite put my finger on it.

Maybe it's that Sookie's inner voice is starting to sound like that of Harper Connelly, the protagonist of Harris' other paranormal series, and that's not a good thing. Like Harper, Sookie seems detached, reacting to events without really feeling anything. The shallow writing style also makes it seem as if Sookie isn't very bright. (Her Southern dialect is much more pronounced in this book. I remember smiling at the occasional Southern-style phrasing in the earlier books, but now it's really thick.)

Maybe it's that every scene seems incomplete, and every conversation gets cut off before any real discussion takes place - especially any conversation with Bill or Eric, who drop in for 15-second sound bites and then disappear. It's very unsatisfying.

The author includes a lot of mundane details about Sookie's life. She paints her toenails, goes grocery shopping, and cleans up at the bar. I like these kind of details, I really do, but this book isn't long enough to support them. It feels like the author has padded out a short story into a novel.

And on a final whinging note, this book is a full-sized hardback, which means it doesn't match the rest of my set.

]]> 20522652 Tue, 20 May 2008 06:41:28 -0700
I do want to mention that the book is hilarious in places, because I didn't pick up on that from any of the reviews I read.

My favorite characters were Lawrence Waterhouse, the WWII cryptographer, and Bobby Shaftoe the marine, but Randy Waterhouse of the 1990's won me over with his description of his trip into the jungle, and with his solution to the squabbling over the distribution of his grandmother's furniture.

]]>
author: Neal Stephenson
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.26
book published: 1999
rating: 5
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/20/08
shelves: historical-fiction, science-fiction
review:
There are plenty of reviews here already, so I'll just say that I loved this book. The prose is chatty and meanders around for 900 pages, only occasionally brushing up against the plot, but I enjoyed every little pointless digression. The chapters are short, which means that I kept reading just one more when I really ought to have been closing the book and going to sleep.

I do want to mention that the book is hilarious in places, because I didn't pick up on that from any of the reviews I read.

My favorite characters were Lawrence Waterhouse, the WWII cryptographer, and Bobby Shaftoe the marine, but Randy Waterhouse of the 1990's won me over with his description of his trip into the jungle, and with his solution to the squabbling over the distribution of his grandmother's furniture.


]]> 15420667 Sun, 04 May 2008 19:25:06 -0700 The Iliad for reading out loud. Illustrated by Alan Lee, famous for his illustrations of The Lord of the Rings books. The prose retains some recognizable elements of the original (there's the occasional simile about lions hunting their prey) while being obviously much more succinct (she takes only two or three sentences to describe the Shield of Achilles.)

This version encompasses more of the story than The Iliad: it begins with the quarrel between godesses that led to Paris absconding with Helen, includes the death of Achilles and the Trojan Horse, and ends with the fall of Troy.

]]>
author: Rosemary Sutcliff
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.50
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/04/08
shelves: general-fiction
review:
Excellent version of The Iliad for reading out loud. Illustrated by Alan Lee, famous for his illustrations of The Lord of the Rings books. The prose retains some recognizable elements of the original (there's the occasional simile about lions hunting their prey) while being obviously much more succinct (she takes only two or three sentences to describe the Shield of Achilles.)

This version encompasses more of the story than The Iliad: it begins with the quarrel between godesses that led to Paris absconding with Helen, includes the death of Achilles and the Trojan Horse, and ends with the fall of Troy.


]]> 21144375 Sun, 04 May 2008 19:02:35 -0700
]]>
author: David Weber
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.01
book published: 1997
rating: 4
read at: 05/08
date added: 05/04/08
shelves: science-fiction
review:
Another entertaining entry in this series, but good grief at the body count. This episode is Honor vs. Space Pirates, who have been attacking Manticore merchant ships while the RMN is distracted by the war. The pirates turn out to be much nastier than the Peeps, who are the honorable enemies referred to by the title.


]]> 19999800 Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:33:37 -0700
author: P.G. Wodehouse
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.33
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at: 04/08
date added: 04/27/08
shelves: general-fiction
review:

]]> 21116888 Sun, 27 Apr 2008 14:32:59 -0700
author: Georgette Heyer
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 04/08
date added: 04/27/08
shelves: romance
review:

]]> 20781509 Wed, 23 Apr 2008 07:25:37 -0700
The Honor-worship does get a little thick sometimes, particularly in the early part of this book. While she is not as morose as Horatio Hornblower, from whom her character is derived, once in a while Honor does become consumed with grief and self-doubt. All those people she couldn't save, you know. When this happens we have to sit through a few pages of heartfelt speeches from various people declaiming on how brave and fierce and honorable she is.

While the big bad of the series, the People's Republic of Haven, is a complex and interesting adversary, Honor's personal enemies are uniformly venom-spewing, misogynistic nutcases. Well, they'd have to be in order to despise Honor Harrington, right?]]>
author: David Weber
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.03
book published: 1995
rating: 4
read at: 04/08
date added: 04/23/08
shelves: science-fiction
review:
This is really enjoyable space opera. There's never any doubt that Honor will win the battle and destroy her enemies, but the climax is no less enjoyable for that certainty. The body count is always high and the author isn't afraid to kill off characters you've become attached to, so there is a nice amount of tension concerning who will survive each round.

The Honor-worship does get a little thick sometimes, particularly in the early part of this book. While she is not as morose as Horatio Hornblower, from whom her character is derived, once in a while Honor does become consumed with grief and self-doubt. All those people she couldn't save, you know. When this happens we have to sit through a few pages of heartfelt speeches from various people declaiming on how brave and fierce and honorable she is.

While the big bad of the series, the People's Republic of Haven, is a complex and interesting adversary, Honor's personal enemies are uniformly venom-spewing, misogynistic nutcases. Well, they'd have to be in order to despise Honor Harrington, right?
]]> 16711357 Thu, 17 Apr 2008 07:17:17 -0700
author: Steven Saylor
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2000
rating: 3
read at: 04/08
date added: 04/17/08
shelves: historical-fiction, mystery
review:

]]> 19783707 Wed, 16 Apr 2008 11:51:00 -0700
Horatia isn't my favorite heroine (she has the pluck of The Grand Sophy but hardly any of her "commonsense") but I liked Rule very much.]]>
author: Georgette Heyer
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.64
book published: 1934
rating: 4
read at: 04/08
date added: 04/16/08
shelves: romance
review:
Another very good Heyer Regency romance, with the interesting variation of having the couple married (but not in love) at the beginning of the book. This one had a slightly more serious tone than her usual, but was still hilarious in spots.

Horatia isn't my favorite heroine (she has the pluck of The Grand Sophy but hardly any of her "commonsense") but I liked Rule very much.
]]> 20231158 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 12:04:27 -0700
author: Janet Evanovich
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at: 01/05
date added: 04/15/08
shelves: romance
review:

]]> 16182477 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 07:31:45 -0700
author: Mary Roach
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.11
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at: 04/08
date added: 04/15/08
shelves: general-nonfiction
review:
This was a great read, informative and funny. It was a little squicky in places but not really disturbing, except for the stories about experiments on living animals in one of the later chapters. I liked the author's conclusion, about what she plans for her own remains.
]]> 18201100 Sat, 12 Apr 2008 15:17:13 -0700
I learned a fair amount, not only about the Catiline conspiracy but also about various customs of the time such as the October Horse race and the manner of a truly decadent Roman feast. But the fact that I learned so much is the weakness of the book: it reads more like a dramatized history lesson than a novel. There is a lot of exposition, and the important terminology is italicized, as if to remind you that there will be a vocabulary quiz at the end of the book.

Still, while the prose doesn't have much heart, it's not really bad, and I do value the information I picked up, so I will probably continue with the series.
]]>
author: John Maddox Roberts
name: Eleanor
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2001
rating: 3
read at: 04/08
date added: 04/12/08
shelves: historical-fiction
review:
Whoever wrote the blurb for this book didn't read the same story I did. "The streets were flooded with the blood of murdered citizens," it says. I counted five murders, each carried out in a fairly circumspect fashion. A city who could still remember the proscriptions of Sulla hardly blinked an eye at five mundane murders. The blurb is actually the most dramatic part of this book.

I learned a fair amount, not only about the Catiline conspiracy but also about various customs of the time such as the October Horse race and the manner of a truly decadent Roman feast. But the fact that I learned so much is the weakness of the book: it reads more like a dramatized history lesson than a novel. There is a lot of exposition, and the important terminology is italicized, as if to remind you that there will be a vocabulary quiz at the end of the book.

Still, while the prose doesn't have much heart, it's not really bad, and I do value the information I picked up, so I will probably continue with the series.

]]> 19575083 Tue, 08 Apr 2008 11:23:52 -0700
This one has less focus on the romance than the other Heyer novels I've read so far. And while usually the hero is haughty and disagreeable (like Mr. Darcy in the first half of Pride & Prejudice) in this story he's affable from the beginning, with a sharper sense of humor than the heroine. It's a nice variation.

There's more of the servants' perspective in this book than in the others I've read. We get a glimpse of the ambitions and tribulations of valets and second footmen.

The farcical scene that serves as a climax is laugh-out-loud funny.


]]>
author: Georgette Heyer
name: Eleanor
average rating: 4.00
book published: 1959
rating: 5
read at: 04/08
date added: 04/08/08
shelves: romance
review:
It's hard to believe that a book with so many exclamation points in the dialog can be such a pleasure to read.

This one has less focus on the romance than the other Heyer novels I've read so far. And while usually the hero is haughty and disagreeable (like Mr. Darcy in the first half of Pride & Prejudice) in this story he's affable from the beginning, with a sharper sense of humor than the heroine. It's a nice variation.

There's more of the servants' perspective in this book than in the others I've read. We get a glimpse of the ambitions and tribulations of valets and second footmen.

The farcical scene that serves as a climax is laugh-out-loud funny.



]]> 18668373 Sun, 06 Apr 2008 09:59:13 -0700