false 18 55 37 true 5636482 read 7 true 4963142 currently-reading 11 true 4963141 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78950204 Blackout (Hardcover) by Connie Willis
bookshelves: to-read
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78070075 Patrick's review of Mortal Engines (The Hungry City Chronicles)
by Philip Reeve

Well, I gave up the first time I tried it, but I'm liking it more this time, so we'll see... :) ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78070075 Mortal Engines (The Hungry City Chronicles) by Philip Reeve
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78069975 to: The Battle of the Labyrinth (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #4) by Rick Riordan
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77470468 to: The Titan's Curse (Percy Jackson and the Olympians, #3) by Rick Riordan
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76918877 to: The Many-Coloured Land (Saga of Pliocene Exile, #1) by Julian May
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76137058 Kai-ro (Paperback) by Graham Marks
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/75599770 to: Unseen Academicals (Discworld, #32) by Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett's adult Discworld novels follow a fairly predictable formula, but it's an extremely good one. This book is no exception. This time, though, we're introduced to a whole new cast of characters, while the more familiar ones feature only as support. Pratchett's new characters are as compelling and creatives as his old ones. As usual, they are the few sane, rational individuals in a chaotic world, struggling to make sense of it and to avert catastrophe.

Discworld has evolved a lot over the years to become much more of a satirical version of our world, and I will admit to some nostalgia for that old, more fantasical Discworld. But that doesn't detract from another extremely good book from Terry Pratchett. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72087963 Transition (Hardcover) by Iain M. Banks
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/72087610 to: Murder Must Advertise (Lord Peter Wimsey Mystery) by Dorothy L. Sayers
I've been dithering about whether I want to give this book 3 or 4 stars. On the one hand, it's fun and energetic, with a light touch to the writing. On the other, it does tend to ramble and it lacks focus. The mystery, too, isn't much of a mystery.

It can also take a modern reader aback. It manages to be racist, sexist and classist, sometimes all on the same page. Of course, it would be ridiculous to judge a book written in the 1930s by the same standards as one would a contemporary book. By the standards of the time, this certainly wouldn't be considered unusual.

So, I'm giving this four stars. It is a good, compelling, fun read. Just be aware that some of it can be distinctly uncomfortable. ]]>