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WI 15-16 RwS Completed Tasks - Winter 15/16
20.4 Elfriede Jelinek (2004)The Paris Lawyer by Sylvie Granotier
Another new to me author.
Review:
This is the first book translated into English for this author but not the first book she has written. Sylvie Granotier has over 14 books to her credit and has been translated into several other languages.
This is the story of a young Paris lawyer who takes a pro bono case for a charity and finds that the setting for the case stimulates memories in her own life regarding the murder of her mother. As the story progresses, she and the reader come to suspect several of the current men in her life of being her mother's murderer or at least of knowing something key about it. The twist at the end was a bit surprising on one hand and on the other...well, it made sense.
This book won a French award, and the GR author page notes that "Sylvie Granotier is a major crime fiction author in France". I do not know if this book is a part of a French series or not. However, if other books get translated for this author, I will definitely read them.
+20 task
+10 review
+5 combo (10.9 = 3.38)
Task points: 35
Grand Total Points: 405
15.7 - DominoesMiddlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
+15 task (born in 1960s, same as 15.6 - post 295)
+10 bonus
Task total: 25
RwS Total: 295
Dominoes Total: 125
Grand Total: 420
15.8 - DominoesThe Blazing World by Siri Hustvedt
+15 task (born in USA, same as 15.7 - post 870)
+10 bonus
Task total: 25
RwS Total: 295
Dominoes Total: 150
Grand Total: 445
20.6 Svetlana AlexievichHeart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov
OK... I knew this was a parable of the Russian Revolution when I started but I think most of the references were lost on me. I understood that the dog being transformed into a man was a criticism of the naive communist belief that transforming mankind was easy and desirable... but, frankly, I had to consult Wikipedia to learn about the rest of the satirical references. There I learned that indeed, a non-Russian would not be familiar, most-likely, with the satirical names used in the novel. The book was banned in the Soviet Union. The plot has a doctor rescue a mongrel...only to conduct an operation which begins to turn the dog into a human...a human with awful traits. The experiment is a gigantic failure. The puzzling part for me is that in the novel... the doctor recognizes his failure.... but did Bulgakov intend to suggest that the Soviets in 1925 had also recognized their failures?
Task +20
Review +10
combo +5 (20.9) (Does Bulgakov count for 10.8? He was born in Kiev which at the time was part of the Soviet Union.)
Oldie +10 (1925)
total = 45
grand total = 780
10.7 Cozy HolidaysAunt Dimity's Death by Nancy Atherton
Review:
When Lori was a child, her mother told her bedtime stories about Aunt Dimity. Lori thought she was a fictional character until she received notice that she had received an inheritance from Aunt Dimity. Accompanied by the younger lawyer in the firm Willis & Willis, Lori journeys to Aunt Dimity's cottage in the Cotswolds. This is a cute story with a cozy mystery, a light romance, some improbable events, and a friendly ghost (no, not Casper). It was a nice change of pace after reading some heavy books lately. So brew a pot of tea and enjoy a trip to the English countryside.
+10 task (118 users called it a cozy mystery)
+10 combo (10.2 Noel, Noel, 10.9 Realistic Rating of 3.93)
+ 5 series (#1 of series)
+10 review
Task total: 35
Grand total: 655
10.9 Realistic RatingsMansfield Park by Jane Austen - rating 3.81
After listening to two Brontes this was a nice break from the more maudlin stories that they write. You know with Austen that not all of the characters are serious, the light-hearted characters with little commonsense will come undone one way or another, and that the serious, steady characters will triumph in their search for love. All very predictable, but enjoyable enough.
Not as light as some of Austen's work, but full of the same themes and character types. Perhaps closer to Persuasion than any of the other works that I can remember. And, I think that finishes off all of Austen's major works for me!
+10 task
+5 jumbo
+15 oldies
+10 review
+5 comb (10.4)
Task Total = 45
Grand Total = 655
20.10 Leap Year Elizabeth (Alaska)'s Task:The Castrofax by Jenna Van Vleet
thE cAsTRofaX
The magic system was based on familiar themes - elemental forces, hands being important, existence of controlling artifacts - but was still fresh. The good guys and bad guys are clearly pointed out, or at least it seems that way. There's a set-up for a significant conflict and the set-up is interesting to read. I especially enjoyed reading the main villain.
What surprised me the most was how much ambiguity there was in the second half of the book. There's a prisoner who's somewhat freely roaming around and a captor who is being strongly opposed to his face but it's defiant words that don't bring a direct fight. It's like life is just going on around politics even though the politics involve blood and magic.
I am considering continuing the series but will probably wait until the final book is published to decide. The series has promise.
+20 task
+10 review
+5 series
Task total: 35
Grand total: 1585
10.1 Create Your Own Task-Read a book with fantasy on the goodreads pageThe Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey
Review
This is the first book in the series. I have read "Sleeping Beauty" before this and I wish I read this book first. It explains the Tradition which is how the fairy tales are supposed to go according to plan. This story is about Elena which is supposed to be Cinderella but she missed her chance to marry her prince so she becomes the Fairy Godmother instead by becoming an apprentice to the current fairy godmother. Then she takes over. I liked this story because it mentions some of the traditional fairy tales only they are renamed. I also liked that Elena does get a happily ever after and she does find her prince but not in the traditional way. I liked her prince. He mended his ways and managed to become part of the tradition after a failed quest. He becomes Elena's champion and beloved. They both save the day their kingdom together fulfilling a few traditions unknowingly. I am just glad Elena got her happily ever after.
Task +10
Review +10
Combo +10 (10.5 favorite author, 10.9 realistic ratings 3.96)
+5 series
Task Total: 35
Grand Total: 170
15.9 - DominoesDeadly Sexy by Beverly Jenkins
+15 task (same pub. decade as 15.8)
+15 bonus
Task total: 30 points
Grand total: 550 points
10.1 Design Your Own TaskThe Blue Guitar by John Banville
+10 (10.1 Design Your Own Task)
+5 combo (10.9 Realistic Ratings (3.48 at time of writing))
+10 Review
Task total: 25
Grand Total for Winter: 200
This is a pure 3.5-star review, despite its appearance.
I loved this book, but it was difficult. Not difficult in the reading, the way some works of Joyce are...but rather, difficult in the understanding. I've walked away with a feeling like I have just been staring at a painted masterpiece that is dark or disturbing. I appreciate that I am looking at a technical masterpiece, but am just not sure I like what I am looking at. And that, to my eyes, was truly part of the point of this novel.
Banville creates a protagonist (a semi-famous, or at least commercially viable, painter) who is more difficult than your typical unreliable narrator. He is not a sympathetic character, and yet my curiosity about him was piqued. There is a wonderful quotation early on in the novel regarding the fear of death, the character notes that beyond the obvious (pain, uncertainty, etc) he fears death because the world would be devoid of his representation of the world. Pure ego, but purely intriguing. especially in the context of an artist. The plot is relatively thin, again to my mind about the same amount of plot that you would see in a painting, and probably secondary to the character and the setting. Through this peek at the time of the life of the f(l)ailing artist (and hobbyist thief) Banville is able to explore a multitude of themes including relationships, art, theft, need, and many more. The narrative has a habit of seeming to take self-indulgent trips into tangents. To some who cannot get past the negative aspects of the protagonist, I imagine these will seem a distraction and will add to a frustrating reading experience. But the almost-diary-like narrative puts this squarely in the character's voice and makes it understandable (if it isn't clear from the above, he is clearly an egoist).
On many levels the artistry of Banville's work is self-evident. His word choice (and vocabulary) is absolutely inspiring for a lover of the written word. The setting is at one time vague and another way completely vivid. Perhaps I don't know my Irish and English geography well enough, but I could point at the region (but not the specific place) where the novel takes place. However, the specific isn't the point...instead, Banville makes the image so vivid through his adjectives, analogies and constant comparisons to specific artists' styles and typical oil paint colors. All of this adds up to a novel which gives the reader a sense of place not common in many novels. The reader understands the sky and the wind as it they experience it...not only in the physical, but the impact on the 'place' in the story/character the setting provides as well. Banville is keen to report on scents as well to create the image, adding to the readers sensual experience. The many references to artists' signature styles often added a layer of texture as well. I am only slightly more than a typical luddite when it comes to art history/knowledge...so many references were probably lost on me (or would have been enhanced with some strategic internet searching).
In the end, I recognize that this novel is not for everyone...but if you are a lover of words and do not need a very active plot to enjoy a work...this might just be for you. Again, just like the disturbing masterpiece, you might not like what you see, but you appreciate every stroke.
15.9 Book DominoesThe Book on the Bookshelf by Henry Petroski
Petroski was born in the 40s and so was Joe Haldeman who wrote my 15.8 The Forever War
Task total: 30
Grand total: 1615
And bonus review:
I never thought about about how important light would be in arranging a library. It's obvious, once I think about it, considering how light that wouldn't burn books has only been available for a century or so. It was really interesting to see the gradual evolution of what was needed to keep books and read books and how that influenced what we do today. I was very intrigued that the original part of the Library of Congress had grated floors so that sunlight could filter through them to the lower stacks. The book did drag more towards the end, but overall it was a good exploration for any bibliophile, written in the orderly and readable style I've always liked about Petroski.
15.6 - DominoesBricks and Mortar by Helen Ashton
+15 task (same first name, Helen)
+10 bonus for books 6-8
Task total: 25
Grand Total: 1255
15.4 - DominoesThe Lover by Marguerite Duras-
(published same decade as #3 - 1983 & 1984)
task= +15
grand total = 795
10.5 Australia DayMilk and Honey by Elizabeth Jolley
Winner New South Wales Premiers literary Awards : Christina Stead Prize for Fiction - 1985
I came to this book knowing nothing about it, and I have put it down feeling very much the same. Apart from being set in Australia, ( the characters Madge and Norman come across as a very Australian, unlike every other character in the book), there is no reference to where it might be taking place, or when. I am presuming perhaps the 1960s or 1970s, but I really did not get a sense of time from the text, other than it was after WWII.
The story follows Jacob, a young musician, moving from the family home to a boarding house with his new music teacher and his family of two sisters, daughter and son. From here on, it gets confusing and muddled for me. Jacob is obviously being manipulated by the family, but for whose benefit ? He becomes withdrawn from the world, but this seems to suit him.
The story follows him through to adulthood, where he is involved both with Madge, a married woman from the orchestra he plays with, as well as Louise, the daughter of his music teacher.
Once more, I am confused. I couldn't seem to grasp what anyone's motives were and which characters were driving events, and what was real and what, perhaps might be unreal. Even the ending, in my mind, is open to interpretation, did Jacob really get a job, or is there perhaps another reason for him being where he has ended up ( to tell you where would perhaps be spoiling it).
I don't think that any of the confusion is a fault of the text. I think Jolley is being deliberately ambiguous in her writing, blurring a lot of the lines to give a sense of the very self-involved and sheltered lives these characters lead, how withdrawn they are from the world and how this effects their perspectives and actions, and perhaps stability.
I don't know that this was an enjoyable read, but it was certainly an intriguing one.
+10 task
+10 review
+5 oldies
+5 combo ( 3.46 rating)
Task Total = 30
Grand Total = 685
20.5 Alice Munro (2013)Runaway by Alice Munro
Scotiabank Giller Prize winner 2004
Review:
I was looking for a book for this task, when I discovered this one in my local library by the woman for which this task is named. I decided to give her writing a try.
I am not a big fan of short stories. That said, each of these was constructed in such a way that I not only enjoyed the story but was delighted to find several of them connecting with each other.
For the most part, this collection of stories were about people dreaming of escaping their ordinary lives. I suppose that is a common human theme. We all at some point daydream about leaving out life and creating a new one...usually when under some negative stress or boredom.
I do not know if I will seek out her writings again; but, she is a good storyteller, so I just might do so.
+20 task
+10 review
+5 combo (10.9 = 3.99 at time of posting)
Task points = 35
Grand Total Points: 440
10.2 Noel NoelNot a Creature was Stirring by Jane Haddam
+10 task
+5 combo (10.9 - 3.82)
+5 oldie (p.1990)
+5 series
Task total 25
Grand total 330
10.4 Valentine's DayWives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell
+10 task
+ 15 oldie (p. 1865)
+10 jumbo (720 pp.)
Task total 35
Grand total 365
10.5 Favorite AuthorsDodger by Terry Pratchett
+10 task
+15 combo (10.2, 10.3, 10.9 - 3.89)
Task total 25
Grand total 390
15.10 Book DominoesGentleman Jole and the Red Queen by Lois McMaster Bujold
Bujold was born in the 40s, same decade as Henry Petroski from 10.9
Task total: 30
Bonus for completing dominoes: 100
Grand total: 1745
Bonus review:
This is a lovely, quiet romance, a book of new beginnings after the part of your life you looked forward to when you were younger has been completed. They were choices that came relatively easy to one character, and with considerable thought to another. It just happens to be science fiction. And I'm not sure how much it would appeal if you weren't already familiar with the world and the characters, despite the reminders and quick summaries that are inserted. There's no intrigue. No big deal. Just people relating.
Task 10.2 Noel, Noel Read a book with NO "L" in the title and NO "L" in the author name.
Gateway (2009) by Sharon Shinn (Hardcover, 280 pages)
Lexile 870L
+10 Task
+05 (Combo #10.9: realistic ratings)
Task Total: 10 + 05 = 15
Grand Total: 390 + 15 = 405
20.7 FeminismThe Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
Lexile 920
+20 task
+15 combo (20.3, 20.1, 10.9 Realistic Rating of 3.97)
+ 5 oldie (pub 1970)
Task total: 40
Grand total: 695
20.9 Winnie-the-PoohA Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Review:
OK. So everyone seemed to rave about this book, but I had a hard time getting started with it. I think part of my difficulty was that I really did not connect with Francie. Her character lacked something to make me sympathize, so that I did not care about her rough experiences at the start.
Somewhere about halfway or two-thirds through the book, it started to come together for me and the characters began to take shape. By the end, I was engaged and enjoying this coming-of-age story of Francie.
Although Betty Smith did a good job of describing the times and settings in which Francie grew up, I do not know if I will seek out any of her other books.
+20 task
+10 review
+5 oldie (1943)
Task points: 35
10.3 - Science Fiction Day The Heart Goes Last by Margaret Atwood
Review:
Atwood's latest novel is a dystopia/science fiction/satire/(bizarre) comedy. The beginning introduces a young married couple, Stan and Charmaine, who are living in their car. There has been a major financial collapse in the country and there are few jobs; most people have lost everything. Roving gangs terrorize the population. The couple has to move their car every few hours (or minutes) because the gangs are out to assault women and steal what they can. Charmaine hears about a place that offers refuge, but it requires a lifetime permanent commitment. In exchange for guaranteed food, shelter, and safety, people alternate living one month in a 1950's-style home, and one month in a prison. Another couple lives in their home while they are serving their month in prison, then they switch off. Thus everyone is housed/fed/employed all the time. This sounds crazy enough, but it is nothing compared to the weirdness and craziness that follows. There is much of Atwood's wry humor, feminism, and satire of cultural inanities such as celebrity worship. There is plenty of bizarre sex and foul language, so this book is not going to be for everyone. I'm not sure I would have gotten through it if it had been written by anyone but Atwood.
+10 task
+10 combo (10.8; 10.9 - 3.39 rating)
+10 review
+ 5 series
Task total=35
Grand total=625
20.1-Grazia DeleddaFinders Keepers by Stephen King
Review:
The story is about a reader whose appreciation of an author gets totally out of hand. A crime is committed, and several years later a teenaged boy named Pete is faced with a real dilemma. King did a good job of getting inside Pete's mind. One thing I liked is that King let Pete deal with the situation using his wits, and some timely assistance from Bill Hodges and friends. For some reason I found Bill Hodges irritating in this book, and I remember feeling much more sympathetic to him in the first book. There is a lot of suspense that kept me on edge. This is a very enjoyable continuation of the series which started with Mr. Mercedes. It could be read and enjoyed even by someone who hasn't read the first volume, because King fills in enough details of that story.
+20 task (post 147)
+10 combo (10.2; 10.3)
+10 review
Task total=40
Grand total=665
15.7 - DominoesThe Happy Tree by Rosalind Murray
+15 task (born 1890s)
+10 bonus for books 6-8
Task total: 25
Grand Total: 1280
20.5 - ALice MunroA Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
An amazing book but my goodness, terrible things happen in it. Set in India during the 1970s when the Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared a "state of emergency" that amounted to a dictatorship and began doing things like having beggars physically taken from the streets and moved to work camps where they were treated like slaves or prisoners, and incentivised and later forced sterilisation of the poor.
In the novel we follow Dina Dalal, a young widow who sets up a home-based business, two tailors she employs (Ishvar and Om, an uncle and nephew with a tragic family history), and Maneck, the student son of a friend who comes to board with her. Ishvar and Om go from one crisis to another and the other two are drawn into their lives.
Amazingly, the novel manages not to be unremittingly depressing and is often humorous, mostly I think because so many of the characters accept whatever happens to them - like Shankar the disabled beggar, who is grateful to the 'beggarmaster' who takes a cut of his takings in return for protection - and the fact that even the exploitative characters have some good in them. (view spoiler)
+20 task (Scotiabank Giller)
+10 review
+ 5 combo (20.1 https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/... )
+ 5 jumbo
Task total: 40
Grand Total: 1320
20.9 Winnie the PoohMarion Fay by Anthony Trollope
The book description attached to this edition is about as perfect a description of this novel as could be written. It does indeed involve two love affairs - romance would be a better term - each between a noble and a commoner and treats the subject with as much humor as one can expect from Trollope. He's often amusing with the occasional paragraph that elicits a good loud guffaw. I admit that I spent a few moments looking at the definition of the word "burlesque" because in my mind the connotation would be bawdy or risque, and Trollope is certainly neither. There is, however, a bit of caricature about it all, much more than is common for Trollope. Good characterization - rather than caricature - is one of his strengths.
In addition to the noble/commoner romances, there are a couple of other romances, both providing high comedy. Trollope has his usual fun with names. Lord LLdwddythlw, the heir to a Welsh dukedom, is engaged to Lady Amaldina Persiflage. He makes a point of Lldwddythlw being difficult to pronounce and never does Lldwddythlw get a nickname. The other romance, or perhaps romances, involves the young (?) Clara Demijohn, who is the gossip on Paradise Row, flitting from house to house to try to determine what is actually going on at both #11 and at #17, where the two noble/commoner romances center. Fickle Clara has had her string of "gentlemen" callers and only wants the one which will be to her best advantage.
This novel drew me in immediately. I love Trollope's prose. But I admit that this is too long and that he went on and on page after page about things he might have spoken about more briefly. I began to want to know less about some characters, and to know more about others. I have now read enough of Trollope to know that this is in his "second tier" of novels, but it might be near the top of those. It is quite good, but only 4 stars good.
+20 Task (pub 1882)
+ 5 Combo (10.9 - 3.74)
+10 Review
+10 Oldies
+15 Jumbo (880 pgs)
Task Total = 60
Grand Total = 495
From Post 838Joy wrote: "10.8 Winter Solstice
Morning in the Burned House by Margaret Atwood
Born in Canada
Review: I wanted to start reading more poetry, but was intimated about where to start..."
Sorry, Joy, task 10.5 cannot be claimed for combo.
Ed wrote: "20.6 Svetlana AlexievichHeart of a Dog by Mikhail Bulgakov
(Does Bulgakov count for 10.8? He was born in Kiev which at the time was part of the Soviet Union.)"
Sorry, no he does not qualify for 10.8.
20.10 Leap YearSixth Grave on the Edge by Darynda Jones
EXTRA letters found in title: ERA in grave, XT in sixth
Review:
I love this series! It has that forbidden sexual relationship and a bit of a bumbling grim reaper who not only doesn't know her job or capabilities but who is also some alien important being who is very powerful in her own right. Although I am not a big Romance genre fan, I do so like these Paranormal Romance books.
I must admit that it reminds me a bit of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series but this one has MORE...I don't really know what. The sex is steamier...without being so carnal, if you know what I mean. The forbidden relationship seems more dangerous and yet...
I am really pulling for Charley to be a grim reaper for the good and to pull Reyes from evil to good...but I do not think it will be simple. Charley does seem to have a heart for those downtrodden souls who are suffering. She finds herself trying to help them before they pass over.
And, then there are the living people around her who are impacted by what she does. Some like her father, her best friend, and her uncle are aware of her other vocation; others do not know or may only suspect. Trying to balance that in the real world while operating in the spiritual world can sometimes be a real challenge.
And, then there are the ghosts she can see - some of whom help her.
A really fun and intriguing story line. I will keep going on this series.
+20 task
+10 review
+5 combo (10.2)
+5 series (Charley Davidson #6)
Task points = 40
Grand Total Points: 515
From Post 874Amanda wrote: "10.9 Realistic Ratings
Mansfield Park by Jane Austen - rating 3.81
After listening to two Brontes this was a nice break from the more maudlin stories that they write...."
+5 Combo 20.1
10.6 Australia DayTrue History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey
+10 task
+5 combo (10.9- 3.79)
Task total 15
Grand total 405
10.9 Realistic RatingPrecious Blood by Jane Haddam
+10 task
+5 oldie (p. 1991)
+10 series (with 10.2)
Task total 25
Grand total 430
20.4 Elfriede JelinekThe Mother by Grazia Deledda
+20 task
+10 combo (20.1,20.9)
+10 oldie (p. 1920)
Task total 40
Grand total 470
20.10 Leap YearThree Moments of an Explosion: Stories by China Miéville
+20 task
+15 combo (10.3, 10,9 - 3.64, 20.8)
Task total 35
Grand total 505
Task 10.3 – Science Fiction DayJanuary 2 is National Science Fiction Day. Read one of the top Science Fiction authors listed on Ranker.com
February 05, 2016: #110
Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang (1976) by Kate Wilhelm (Hardcover, 1st, 251 pages)
Hugo Award for Best Novel (1977)
Nebula Award Nominee for Best Novel (1976)
Locus Award for Best Novel (1977)
Jupiter Award for Best Novel (1977)
John W. Campbell Memorial Award Nominee for Best Science Fiction Novel (1977)
+10 Task
+05 Combo(#10.9 realistic ratings)
+05 Oldies -25 to 75 years old: (1941-1991)
Task Total: 10 + 05 + 05 = 20
Grand Total: 405 + 20 = 425
10.2 - Noel, NoelIn the Forest of Forgetting - Theodora Goss
Like with most short story collections, this book had a few great stories, a few not so great ones, and a lot that just kind of fell in the middle. While I enjoyed Goss' writing and the variety of settings she used in her stories (particularly the Eastern European ones), I can't say that any of the stories really stood out as being memorable, except for the title story: a beautiful, surreal journey through a magical land, through the eyes of a woman with no memory who is clearly battling cancer. I'm glad to have read this collection if only because it meant I got to experience this story. The title story is absolutely beautiful and just about as perfect as a short story can be, which unfortunately only served to make the other stories in the collection pale in comparison
I did like the vague connections between some of the stories, like the couple that featured Emma and Rose. Then there's the various Miss Grays, or are they all one Miss Gray? The collection is very well put together, and the characters are all fleshed-out, emotional beings, which is something that's often lacking in shorter pieces of fiction. But unfortunately, a lot of the stories were just a little bit too surreal for me. The blend of reality and fantasy was too fine in some stories.
I really do feel like this is a case of the genre just not really being my style, though. Goss' writing really is fantastic, and I connected with the characters far more than I would have expected to in such a short number of pages. The stories themselves just didn't wow me as much as I'd hoped. I'll definitely be keeping my eyes out for more of her writing though, because she is clearly a very, very talented author!
+10 task
+10 review
+5 combo (10.9)
Post total: 25
Grand total: 25
10.3 - Science Fiction DayA Storm of Swords - George R.R. Martin
This is basically a 1177-page massacre. I don't even understand how there can still be (eventually) 4 books in the series because I'm pretty sure at this point there are about 5 people total still alive in all of Westeros. After about page 700, just about every chapter kills off at least one major character, it's insanity! And I loved every bit.
This book is packed with action, war, dragons, feuds, betrayal, ransoms, snow zombies...What more can a girl ask for? It did take me a while to get through this one, compared with the first two books in the series, but part of that is because I started reading it in June, and decided that it just wasn't a summery book, so I put it down until winter (a choice which I feel the Starks would have supported). That did impact my enjoyment a little bit when I did pick it back up, because I'd forgotten some of the smaller details from the first 300+ pages. Even then though, Martin does a pretty good job of refreshing your memory on the important stuff, so I don't feel like I missed out.
Can't wait to get started on book 4, especially to see what happens with the bomb Martin drops in the epilogue of this one!
+10 task
+10 review
+5 series
+ 25 jumbo
+5 combo (10.2)
Post total: 55
Grand total: 80
10.4 - Favorite AuthorsThe Stupidest Angel: A Heartwarming Tale of Christmas Terror - Christopher Moore
It's been a few years since I've really read anything by Christopher Moore, so I was a little worried that I'd outgrown his writing style. But, I figured it was Christmas, I needed a Christmas-y book, and this one had been on my shelves for way too long, so I grabbed it! And luckily for me, Moore's silly, immature humor still appeals! At least in short bursts.
This book is all over the place, and completely ridiculous. It barely has a plot, and the title angel isn't even really a main player. However, it's just so fun and stupid that the lack of plot doesn't even matter. I also really love that he tends to reuse characters from his other books, so even though it's been a while (almost a decade, in some cases) since I'd read his other books, I still remembered the characters and their quirks, like Molly the psychotic ex-actress, and Theo the pot-smoking cop. Plus, who doesn't love Christmas zombies?!
I know that I'll likely barely remember that I read this book in a couple of weeks, but I still had a lot of fun while I was reading it!
+10 task
+10 review
+5 combo (10.9)
Post total: 25
Grand total: 105
10.8 - Winter SolsticeStation Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel
I have a terrible track record for grabbing a random book when I'm sick, and having it turn out to be about the flu that wiped out humanity. I don't know how I manage, but this is the second time it's happened now!
Apart from the issue of the book convincing me I was probably going to die from my head cold, I really loved it! The story and characters all revolve around an actor named Arthur, who dies before the meat of the story even begins. I loved how intricately the author wove the different characters together with Arthur as a common element, but still without taking away the suspense and mystery of how they fit into the post-apocalyptic portion of the plot. I really liked how, despite being central to all the characters, there's only one chapter near the end that's actually ABOUT Arthur himself.
The story goes back and forth between the time leading up to the flu epidemic that wipes out most of humanity, and the years after. It was interesting to get to see snapshots of how the characters grew as their situation changed, without actually following any one character for the full 20+ years that the book covers. Everything about this novel is so well plotted out, it's just perfectly pieced together to make you want to keep turning the pages to find out what happens. I really enjoyed it!
+10 task
+10 review
Post total: 20
Grand total: 125
10.10 - Group ReadsThe Farm - Tom Rob Smith
This is a good novel to pick up, read in one or two sittings, and immediately forget you've ever read it. It was a compelling enough plot that I wanted to keep reading to find out what would happen next, but not anything that will stick with me.
The characters are all but non-existent in this novel. They have names and the barest of personalities, but that's about it. The plot is presented in a very matter-of-fact, almost sterile manner. In some ways, this works to make it more of a page turner, but it also hinders because I felt absolutely no connection to the story at all. Even the few facts you do get about the characters (Daniel is gay and afraid to come out to his parents, Chris is poor and apparently smokes a lot of weed) don't really add anything to the plot. They feel like they were thrown in as a very poor attempt at adding personality to the characters, but it didn't work at all.
The "twist" is also not very well handled. So much time is spent on the repetitive, in-depth presentation of Tilde's evidence, that when Daniel starts actually piecing things together, it feels rushed. I think there are only four chapters (granted, one is considerably longer than any of the other 80+ chapters in the book) devoted to not only wrapping up Tilde's story, but also Daniel's investigation of her evidence. Things don't quite fit together right. It's like the author was in a rush to finish up and not exceed a certain number of pages, so he just jammed any two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle together and called it a day. It just wasn't satisfying.
It was an okay quick weekend read, but nothing that stood out in any way.
+10 task
+10 review
+15 combo (10.2; 10.9; 20.1)
Post total: 35
Grand total: 160
15.2 - Book DominoesThe Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight - Jennifer E. Smith
(same first name as 15.1)
+15 task
Post total: 15
Grand total: 190
15.3 - Book DominoesThe Library at Mount Char - Scott Hawkins
(same publication decade as 15.2)
+15 task
Post total: 15
Grand total: 205
20.6 - Svetlana AlexievichCancer Ward - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
While I feel like some of the subtleties of this novel were lost on me due to not having a lot of background knowledge on the history of the soviet union, the themes were universal, much like the disease at the centre of the novel.
In the cancer ward, it doesn't matter if you're an exile like Oleg, a well-to-do man like Pavel, or even a doctor. The disease doesn't discriminate. The treatment is awful regardless of how well-connected you are.
However, for a book about cancer patients in 1955 Uzbekistan, it had some surprisingly tender moments. Oleg's interactions with Vera especially were some of my favorites. They're subtle and respectful, but with such an understated longing for that connection. Although the novel as a whole was excellent, those are the parts that I think will stick with me.
The book does get a little dense at times (and again, I probably felt this way mostly due to my own lack of knowledge about the events surrounding the novel) but it was absolutely worth pushing through for the stories of the individual characters.
+20 task
+10 review
+5 jumbo
+5 oldie
Post total: 40
Grand total: 245
20.8 Best of 2015Golden Age by Jane Smiley
+20 Task
+5 Series
+10 Combo (20.1, 10.9)
Post Total: 35
Season Total: 1500
20.7 - FeminismFried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe - Fannie Flagg
This book deals with serious topics without taking itself seriously at all. I absolutely loved that aspect of it. There are race issues, LGBT issues, women's issues, all sprinkled in, but without making it a novel ABOUT issues. It's very much a feminist novel with lots of strong female characters, without beating you over the head with RAH RAH GIRL POWER! It hits that fine balance of being an entertaining, downright FUN novel while still making you think.
The relationships between the characters are all fantastic. Evelyn and Ninny in particular were a lot of fun, and I loved watching how having Ninny in her life influenced Evelyn's growth throughout the novel. All of the characters had unique voices and personalities, another impressive feat by the author given how many characters there were and how intricately their stories wove together. The only character I felt that I didn't really get that sense from was Ruth. Apart from the chapters about her marriage, she's only ever really spoken about in relation to Idgie, which feels like a bit of a disservice to her given how central their relationship is to the plot.
I did find the jumping around between dates a little confusing at times though. Evelyn and Ninny's story is easy to follow, but Idgie's was pulling forwards and backwards a lot a times which made it a little tough to line up what happened when. There also were a few times where the timelines just didn't add up at all, and I'm not sure if it was intentional or not, but it kind of pulled me out of the story a bit.
+20 task
+10 review
+5 oldie
+5 combo (10.4)
Post total: 40
Grand total: 285
10.7 Cozy MysteryChocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke
+10 Task
+5 Series
+5 Combo (10.9)
Post Total: 20
Season total: 1520
20.10 - Leap YearThe Book of Atrix Wolfe - Patricia A. McKillip
There is a LOT going on here for such a tiny novel. But nothing is going on in an obvious way. It's all very convoluted and unclear. I get that the author was going for a dreamlike feel, but it just wasn't successful. Things ended up feeling very jumbled and shoddily forced together. I didn't buy the romance (if you can even call it that...infatuation might be a better word) between Talis and the Queen, and the abrupt switch in his interests near the end made it even less convincing.
I also found the writing to be very repetitive and weak. Similes like "her hands clutched the iron cauldron like iron," are common. If I never see the word restively again, I'll be a happy woman (which shouldn't be too hard, seeing as I think this is the first time I've come across it, but I think she used up everyone else's restivelies in this one). Everyone sits, stands, talks, walks, eats, sleeps, restively. Not to mention that with all the stuff going on in less than 250 pages, probably about 25 pages (if not more) were dedicated to describing meringue swans and roast venison and braided breads. There's hardly any unique detail anywhere else in this world, but the details surrounding the castle kitchen seemed to be neverending.
But the biggest issue was I just didn't care. I didn't connect with any of the characters, the plot was dull, and it was a slog to keep turning pages. I might still pick up another book by this author, since I've heard a lot of good things, but this one was a complete dud for me.
+20 task
+10 review
+5 combo ( 10.9)
Post total: 35
Grand total: 320
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OH! Wow! I did not understand that at all! Off to claim some combos!