Happy New Year! This was my least favourite of the novels so far. While this novel was still fine to read and not as boring as some other books I've read this year, it was not as interesting as the others in the series. Most of the book was spent in the wilds of Australia. Frankly, it was boring reading about the excursion. I do not enjoy reading about going thirsty in deserts. Usually, the…
Tag: 2015 books
My friend told me that this book dragged a bit for her. This book departed from the usual pattern of the first four books. There was less widespread international travel, and after the half way mark, the book continued to become more grim. Before, the novels would work closer to their climax. While that happened here, the buildup was a decidedly grim one. This novel was quite bleak and dark times. This novel's war reached…
An interesting and engaging graphic novel about an artist and art. It started with a depressing and self-pitifying protagonist. There lots of lows, but as it reached the end, there were some wonderfully rendered and expressive moments in this novel. I particularly enjoyed David's relationship with Harry. I liked those moments the most. While I liked Meg, I found that the author - as did David - treat her more as a muse rather than…
I am halfway through this series now. It's been a long time since I've read a series this long. Even with taking breaks with other books and taking my time, this has been a long experience. My usual issues with the series and Novik's writings continues: Laurence is still stuffy, plot picks up much faster after half way point, and not enough female characters. However, this novel made up for it by being much more…
Happy Holidays! In brief, I liked Joyce's prose right away. There is something so simple yet good in how he puts words together. However, the plot, the dialogue, and the character left me a bit wanting. I did like it in the beginning, but not much actually happens in terms of plot. You really have to relate to Stephen to enjoy it. I am not male or religious enough to have done so. This book…
Book #3 in this series, and I’m still not in love with Will Laurence. The pacing in this novel is better than the last one’s long sea journey. I found the overland trip interesting and the novel covered Central Asia, Turkey, Austria, and Prussia. However, reading the Napoleonic Wars for three books is making me tired. It feels longer than War & Peace at this point. I do enjoy this series, but I am finding…
This series is distracting because I want to read it all in one go. I even stayed up past my bed time and lost sleep reading the ending. As hinted by the end of the last book and this title, Termeraire and Laurence go to China in this novel. The first half of this book dragged for me as they spent all of on the long sea voyage. When they finally got to China, it…
This was fun. I actually had to stop myself from starting the next book in the series right away. I knew if I started, I would have trouble with the other seven books in the series. My friend Kathrin recommended this series to me after I lamented the Song of Fire & Ice series did not have enough dragons. This series definitely has dragons. This book is like the Master & Commander, Horatio Hornblower books…
This is a collection of stories from the same town of characters. I had hoped it would be like Gaskell's Cranford, but it was a bit more like Faulkner and Stoner by John Williams. Faulkner and Hemingway were allegedly inspired by Anderson. He is definitely a good writer and there definite moments of powerful prose and characterizations. "Like a thousand other strong men who have come into the world here in America in these later…
This took me way too long to read. In fact, two months! I read other things in the meantime. I am the type of reader who prefers reading books in a couple of sittings because spreading it out will result in me being distracted by other things. The book's narrative did not help. The narratives switch between three characters and certain sections of the story are non-linear. None of the characters meet until the end…
I wish I could write like Marilynne Robinson. Robinson's works are internal. Not just in terms of the character's inner lives and thoughts, but the setting. Gilead is the internal, spiritual workings of one man. Housekeeping has this surreal setting of home life and Home continues that setting. All of them have this focus on home life, house life, and the mind of the characters. She somehow captures what it is to be like an…
This was my first time reading Kinsella's young adult work. I did not know that when I requested this book from the library. It took me awhile to get use to because I kept expecting Kinsella's adult chicklit and romantic comedy style. However, I gradually began to warm to the characters and the writing. There is definitely a cuteness to the dialogue and the romance that is typical of Kinsella's style. I think she also…