Monthly Group Reads: JUNE 2012 (Group Read 2): Inquisition by Alfredo Colitto

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Okay. Mine is a library book. Which is fairly new and smells like, well, like a book, however...if I flick the pages really fast and breath in close, I do on occasion pick up a faint poo smell. :D
But I think it is psycho semantic. My mind playing tricks on me. lol.

[Tasha]

This is pretty funny, sniffing books for peculiar smells! Interesting though.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

haha. :)

When do you start, Tasha?

[Tasha]

Probably right after I get back from new Orleans. I'd rather read inquisition at home because of, well, the um, smell. ;)

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

That's so funny. :D

[Dawn]

Mine is in transit, I'll let you know when I get it.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

I'll be interested to see what you think of it, Dawn. You didn't like Dissolution and I feel some similarity with ambiance between these two books. Should be interesting how you respond to it.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

If anyone didn't get their invite to vote on the July Group read, go here;
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/9...
I had a whoopsie and some people didn't get their invites.

(I'll put this same message on The Emperor's Spy thread too)

[Simona]

I gave the book three stars because most of all I didn't like the explanation of the transformation in iron...I've been reading the next two book these days and I liked them better. The characters (Mondino and the Templar, his friend) are the same, but they are better developed. I felt that in Cuore di Ferro they were a bit monodimensional.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

We forgive first books in a series though don't we. We kind of expect them to be the practice run for the author and can be more lenient.
3 stars is still a good rating. Means it was not a complete loss for you. :)

[Silver]

Terri wrote: "We forgive first books in a series though don't we. We kind of expect them to be the practice run for the author and can be more lenient.
3 stars is still a good rating. Means it was not a complete..."

Funny, for me, kind of like with movies I often find the first are always better than the others.

[Dawn]

Terri wrote: "I'll be interested to see what you think of it, Dawn. You didn't like Dissolution and I feel some similarity with ambiance between these two books. Should be interesting how you respond to it."

Hmmm, we'll see.....we were 2 stars apart in Dissolution. I think for me it was the pace, so if the story is as good but faster paced it might still be okay.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Time will tell. Look forward to it. :)

[Simona]

Of course we do. It was just a bit too dark for me in this moment. You know: sometimes I like sushi, sometimes I just want a good old pizza...

[Simona]

I think there's a balance of sort. Sometimes first books are the practice run, and if the author has a series of books in mind the following ones can be better. Sometimes the first book, or movie, is the mother ore and the author just produces other similar ones to fulfill the requests of his readers/fans - and to continue to make good money.
I loves series, they satisfy my inner question "What happens AFTER?" (they never tell you in Snow White and the Seven Dwarves), but I think that authors always arrive to THAT point in the balance.
It happened with George Martin, it happened with Gabaldon. It didn't happen until the third book with Colitto, I'll surely read the fourth.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

I wonder how many of the Colitto series are translated. I never looked. In truth, I didn't even know it was a series. lol. :)

[Anne]

Terri wrote: "No to both. Most of the HF I read are battle books, and I have no prob with a Jerusalem setting.
My problem with the Templar style I spoke of is that they have been done to death. The majority of ..."

I just finished "The Merica Portal" a freebie from Amazon-no Terri it is not on GR yet- and it is a different type of Templar book based in 1300's Scotland and Canada and America about how the Jarl of Orkney organized a fleet of ships to travel on a discovery voyage to lands west of Greenland. I liked it a lot.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Hey. I didn't say anything. :-)

[Dawn]

The Merica Portal

Okay Anne, it's on now, so you can rate and/or review it.....

[Anne]

Dawn wrote: "The Merica Portal

Okay Anne, it's on now, so you can rate and/or review it....."

Thanks, Dawn. It must have just been in the last couple of days. Are you reading it?

[Dawn]

I added it for you yesterday. :)

I don't read ebooks yet as I find it too cumbersome on the laptop and I don't have any kind of tablet. Someday....

[Silver]

Well there are some benifits about living prior to fingerprint testing. Being able to search dead bodies without being detected for one things.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Silver wrote: "Well there are some benifits about living prior to fingerprint testing. Being able to search dead bodies without being detected for one things."

Lol! This is true.
I have often thought as I am reading Inquisition that they can get away with so much then.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

I'm nearly finished. Cheated and read some of our other group read last night too, which prevented me from finishing Inquisition.

I am still going to give it 4 stars. Although I actually want to give it 3.5. It isn't quite good enough for 4 and yet I enjoyed it too much to downgrade it to 3.

[Dawn]

Inquisition has come in at the library, I'll be picking it up tomorrow, then I can see if it smells. :)

[Tasha]

Dawn wrote: "Inquisition has come in at the library, I'll be picking it up tomorrow, then I can see if it smells. :)"

Hahaha!! :)

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Hehehehe! :-)

[Tasha]

See what I started?! ;D

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

I must say, I spent a few moments sniffing my 'new' book for the other group read last night as I was walking to the bedroom with it. I love the smell of brand new books, but this time I was thinking about you guys' smelly Inquisition.

[Tasha]

Funny :)

[Dawn]

It's a new trend. We will start every new group read with 'What does your book smell like?' :)

[Tasha]

Too funny. :)

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

I'll be pushing books at hubby saying "here, smell this book. What is that? What does it smell like? Eau de what? Is it poo do you think?"

[Dawn]

lol

[Tasha]

OMG! he's going to think we are nuts!

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Nah. You know what he's like. He'll roll with it. :)

[Tasha]

I know, I was joking. :) I just think it's hysterical that we're all sniffing books. Who would have thought?!

[Marty]

Just got my copy. Sniffed it. Smells like old paper/used bookstore. (Love that smell.)

I'm just a few pages in and I'm already interested. I prefer books that get the action started right away. So far, so good.

[Tasha]

Glad yours smell fine. :)

[Simona]

Sooo...I don't think there's someone else from Italy who's partecipating to the "Inquisition" reading, but if while I'm walking around Milan I see a person sniffing his/her copy of the book...

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

lol. You'll know who started it. :)

[Tasha]

:)

[Jarrod]

Just finished the book and I gave it three stars; it was good enough to keep me reading but not so good that I couldn't put it down. The characters were a little too stereotypical for my taste.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

I'd have to agree with that first part, Jarrod, for sure.
For me too, it was good enough to keep me reading, but not good enough to keep me from putting it down. I gave it 4 , but my real score is 3.5. For much of the start I didn't want to put it down, and then it got a bit less addictive further in.

[Marty]

I just finished the book yesterday. I have mixed feelings as I said in my review. I agree with Terri and Jarrod, good enough to keeping reading, not good enough to absorb my interest entirely. In fact some parts of it were a bit of a chore to read - the pace was off, too much build up to the climax.

Without spoiling the ending for those who are still reading, was anyone else a little disappointed with who ended up being the culprit? I was, a little. I could think of a couple of different options that would have been much more satisfying. My $.02.

[Jarrod]

Marty wrote: "Without spoiling the ending for those who are still reading, was anyone else a little disappointed with who ended up being the culprit?"

I was; it almost felt as though Colito couldn't quite figure out who he wanted to pin the murders on. I wasn't completely sold on their motivation to commit the murders or their ability to do so.

[Simona]

I was, Marty. It seemed that Colitto built a mighty suspence and then he didn't know how to close the threads he started.

[Bobby]

But he pointed out the scar early on. I think he planned it well.

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

Remember your spoilers everyone!
When we speak of the ending don't give anything away.

Here's how to do a spoiler.
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/7...

[Terri, Wyrd bið ful aræd]

The ending
(view spoiler)[
I don't know. I can understand what you all are saying about the ending. It did feel a little anti climactic. I was okay with it though. I felt the whole book was just that wee bit flat and felt the ending matched that.

In fact, you know how sometimes you shouldn't rate a book straight away. The rating sometimes feels wrong and then you sit on it for a while and you start to change your mind? That is how I am feeling about Inquisition.

As mentioned. I gave it 4 stars because I felt it was better than 3. And yet not quite good enough for 4 so I unofficially gave it 3 1/2 stars.

In hindsight, I am thinking of kicking it back to 3 stars. I just don't feel the after effects of Inquisition have impressed enough on me in the long term to give it 4 stars. I give some very good books 4 stars.
(hide spoiler)]