Ms. Smartarse > Recent Status Updates

Things are getting exciting... but characterization is still nonexistent. Meaning mostly that I couldn't care less about any of the main characters... except gor the bird? That's cute.

No funny onliners so far, but there's the interesting promise of a mysterious/magical civilization in late XIXth century Peru. Let's hope my attention-span lasts...?

"A marvellous classic screen series."
"What?"
"The Walking Dead. Have you seen it?"

I see what you did there Ms. Roberts. Not a bad pun...

Screw this! I'm done...

Kind of repetitive at this point... but I feel bad for dropping yet another book. So I guess I'll soldier on?

10-year-olds' summer diaries be like:
But poor [daddy] couldn't have known that [mommy]'d be coming home right then, otherwise he'd have shot up a warning rocket, to signal that everything was fine. Hearing this, [mommy] started killing [daddy] with looks...."

"Guess what I found inside [the microwave]?"
"Roast chicken? Mutton chops?" he was looking for a logical continuation, but the young landlady cut him off, annoyed
"What mutton chops are you dreaming of? I found a dried up old cake, and what do you think was within it? You will never guess: a pair of panties!"

"One can see the irony when two volumes of the Regal Foundations Magazine are put side by side; the first one from June 1940 honors [King] Carol II; the second from August-September 1941 honors [army general] Ion Antonescu. Often times bearing the same byline."

"Truth be told, he was very likable, even cute. Of course, he wasn't Razvan, who had just signed a modelling contract, along with some TV ads, for jeans and cell phones. The ad for the jeans was megasuperfuckinsexy."



Yuck! Cheesy YA sounds evenworse in Romanian.

1. These days, people are more likely to refer to a specific city/town, rather than just vaguely indicate their location within a 40 sq mile historical area (eg. I'm off to Transylvania ).

2. What kind if sheltered lower middle-class kid hasn't seen a village, in a country where 45% of the population lives un rural areas?!

I need a time machine... or maybe just a reading holiday. Damn you real life! *gnaws teeth in excitement*

"But if there's magic involved, it could be dangerous."
"Then what are we dawdling here for man?" [Christine] exclaimed. "We must get to the library and find out if this will revive my career, or kill us all in the process!"

"Archaeology: an awesome hobby, where rummaging and messing around is explicitly allowed. My childhood dream."

"I do however love any art of compliments and gallantry. Should you require any help in this regard...", she opened her handbag, took out an e-reader and held it up. "Jam-full of Jane Austen. English edition."

... as funny as you are Pippa, that's a measly excuse of an e-reader, if 7 novels (8 if we count Sanditon) neef to be 'jammed' in there.

The reviewing process: behind the scenes

There is something "weirdly" attractive about this book. I couldn't point it out exactly what, but it's there lurking in the back of my mind. Even though I can't see myself marking this book as a favorite any time soon... but I definitely want to know more about this world, Roland's backstory, etc. etc.

P.S. This is not a license for anyone post spoilers :P

"Hello, Simon", I say, "Gosh, you look well", which compared to two years ago he does.
"Do I?" he says, "Well, that's terminal cancer for you. As a matter of fact I'm dying. That was my last cricket match. Well, there we are. Goodbye!"

... and now picture all that recited in Stephen Fry's sexy British voice. *melts into a puddle*

I'm really not fond of the lengthy descriptive passages, but I want to know what happens, what it's all about. Also... given the trailer for the movie, I want to see if Roland's actually black. Can't seem to remember any indication regarding his skin color... so far.
Or maybe I just missed it again.

Hm... I really like the two introductions, but not so much the flashback in a flashback type of narration.

I missed a good mystery! Also, I severely overestimated my reading speed, in the company of an hyperactive kitten.

...adjusted page count cause I fail at Maths. *hides in a hole*/strong>

Ooooh, how I MISSED the feeling of being so immersed in a book. I predict a considerable Whyborne and Griffin binging period in my near future. :-P

... and I believe that was it for my masochistic tendencies. This book is still painfully dull after the half-way mark.

Two things:
1) I could happily listen to Stephen Fry recite the telephone book.
2) I'm fairly certain he went to school to Hogwarts (he was in the house of Otters).

Is it just me, or has the narrator started to do a literary analysis of the actual book... as part of the story? And here I thought I had finally figured what the book was supposed to be all about...

And to think I bought all 3 books. *breaks down crying miserably*

Right, so that was kind of it for reasonable character development, I guess. FTR a spoiled brat does not equal early onset feminism.
*exasperated sigh*

Right, so I got to the infamous scene that has every other reviewer here scream in outrage... and it was actually best written scene in the entire book (so far at least. I'm still only halfway done).

So as controversial books go, this is nowhere near pearl-clutching territory. I'm actually more bothered by the narration style: it would be nice if it didn't switch perspectives every 10 seconds or so...

In these updates, I would normally add various quotes from the book, but this is just not that kind of book. Instead it's the kind where you just keep listening... only to realize that 3 hours had flown by, even though it seemed more like 10 minutes.