Books 22-30
May. 27th, 2008 09:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
deenseHi, My name is deense and I have been crap at my bookblog this year. Actually, I've been crap at reading overall, but considering I've watched most of the west wing two times over since the beginning of August, I think I know why.
22. The Court of the Air, Stephen Hunt. This is honestly the epitome of a novel gone wrong. Steampunk, which means it's something I love. About Orphans on the run, which, again means I'm predisposed to like it, and all sorts of characters that normally I'd find endearing for all of their quirks. Only there were too many of them. Too many characters, too many sub-plots, it's a book that got lost in it's own cleverness. I honestly think this would have been better as three books in a series, as some storylines never got wrapped up, and others were rushed. So much potential, and in the end, nada.
23. & 24. Blaze of Glory & Heart of Gold by Michael Pryor. Wow, so I went to hunt around for his books on the net, and found that he is in fact Australian, and three of his books have been CBC notable books, and those (not these ones) are about the only ones you can find on Amazon. Anyway, everything bad I had to say about Court of the Air I have GOOD to say about these two books. Steampunk, young adult and wow. The sort of book that carries you through to the end and then made me go buy the second one the next day. The third is not out yet, but the second, Heart of Gold has been shortlisted for 2 Aurealis awards, Best Fantasy Novel, and Best Young Adult Fantasy. Srsly. CJ, I think these might come your way next package. Honestly, they are everything about YA Fiction done RIGHT.
25. Escape, Carolyn Jessop with Laura Palmer. With the FLDS in the news these days, this book was amazingly topical. Honestly it was also just great. Seriously. Carolyn's story of being married to a fifty year old man with three wives already at eighteen. She had eight kids over seventeen years with him, and she was the first to escape with her children and keep custody of them. It's the sort of book that could easily be over sentimental but it isn't. I couldn't put it down, and immediately foisted it off on Anna to read who also couldn't put it down.
26. For a Few Demons More, Kim Harrison (re-read). Fifth in the Hollows series. I love these books, and if the often crappy Urban Fantasy genre I find Harrison, Jim Butcher and Kelley Armstrong consistently put out very readable plot centric books with characters I like (and ones I hate). This one made me cry. Again.
27. jPod, Douglas Coupland. I was HUGELY disappointed by this book. Two problems really. I waited over a year to read it, and Microserfs is one of my favourite books. This book felt trite and try hard. I liked it, it just wasn't great. I expected great. I got gimmicky and over the top. I do want to see the tv series though.
28. The Gum Thief, Douglas Coupland. From one Coupland straight into another. This book was utterly different, and I honestly think it's one of his best. A combination of epistolary and excerpts from a novella one of the characters has been writing, and it's that sort of book that makes you cringe because you've been there. You've had that moment. But it's well written and put together and I found myself invested in the three characters and their lives as they unfolded.
29. & 30. Prince Caspian and Voyage of the Dawn Treader, CS Lewis. (re-reads). PC is still one of my least favourite of the series, and DT is still my favourite. Do I have to say more?
I've also read quite a few copies of the New Scientist (![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
auntyyolly this is your fault), the first two volumes of Order of the Stick, all of Runaways so far, and a metric crapload of XFactor and XMen comics. So um, yes.
the rest of what I've read this year
22. The Court of the Air, Stephen Hunt. This is honestly the epitome of a novel gone wrong. Steampunk, which means it's something I love. About Orphans on the run, which, again means I'm predisposed to like it, and all sorts of characters that normally I'd find endearing for all of their quirks. Only there were too many of them. Too many characters, too many sub-plots, it's a book that got lost in it's own cleverness. I honestly think this would have been better as three books in a series, as some storylines never got wrapped up, and others were rushed. So much potential, and in the end, nada.
23. & 24. Blaze of Glory & Heart of Gold by Michael Pryor. Wow, so I went to hunt around for his books on the net, and found that he is in fact Australian, and three of his books have been CBC notable books, and those (not these ones) are about the only ones you can find on Amazon. Anyway, everything bad I had to say about Court of the Air I have GOOD to say about these two books. Steampunk, young adult and wow. The sort of book that carries you through to the end and then made me go buy the second one the next day. The third is not out yet, but the second, Heart of Gold has been shortlisted for 2 Aurealis awards, Best Fantasy Novel, and Best Young Adult Fantasy. Srsly. CJ, I think these might come your way next package. Honestly, they are everything about YA Fiction done RIGHT.
25. Escape, Carolyn Jessop with Laura Palmer. With the FLDS in the news these days, this book was amazingly topical. Honestly it was also just great. Seriously. Carolyn's story of being married to a fifty year old man with three wives already at eighteen. She had eight kids over seventeen years with him, and she was the first to escape with her children and keep custody of them. It's the sort of book that could easily be over sentimental but it isn't. I couldn't put it down, and immediately foisted it off on Anna to read who also couldn't put it down.
26. For a Few Demons More, Kim Harrison (re-read). Fifth in the Hollows series. I love these books, and if the often crappy Urban Fantasy genre I find Harrison, Jim Butcher and Kelley Armstrong consistently put out very readable plot centric books with characters I like (and ones I hate). This one made me cry. Again.
27. jPod, Douglas Coupland. I was HUGELY disappointed by this book. Two problems really. I waited over a year to read it, and Microserfs is one of my favourite books. This book felt trite and try hard. I liked it, it just wasn't great. I expected great. I got gimmicky and over the top. I do want to see the tv series though.
28. The Gum Thief, Douglas Coupland. From one Coupland straight into another. This book was utterly different, and I honestly think it's one of his best. A combination of epistolary and excerpts from a novella one of the characters has been writing, and it's that sort of book that makes you cringe because you've been there. You've had that moment. But it's well written and put together and I found myself invested in the three characters and their lives as they unfolded.
29. & 30. Prince Caspian and Voyage of the Dawn Treader, CS Lewis. (re-reads). PC is still one of my least favourite of the series, and DT is still my favourite. Do I have to say more?
I've also read quite a few copies of the New Scientist (
auntyyolly this is your fault), the first two volumes of Order of the Stick, all of Runaways so far, and a metric crapload of XFactor and XMen comics. So um, yes.the rest of what I've read this year
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no subject
Date: 2008-05-27 10:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-28 01:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-05-28 02:04 am (UTC)And I shall either get my butt over to yours for a visit, or postem.