Two short-n-cranky reviews: Julia is a weak, easily-led heiress (always a good combo) who falls under Magnus’s spell, marries him, and endures a semi-abusive marriage for about 10 years. They both love their daughter, who dies tragically, leaving Julia to run away from the shambles of her life. She buys a house that’s haunted by the spirit of a little girl, and bad things start happening. Magnus’s family is terrible – his brother and sister try to stay on Julia’s good side to stay close to […]
Pointless
I picked this up at a library book sale because I’d seen Connie Willis on several recommended reading lists, but I won’t be reading another any time soon. I was not a fan of this one. Jeff is a researcher, working for an author who writes about the Civil War. Richard is his old college roommate, now a doctor at a sleep institute. Annie is a cardboard cutout, only given a name and hair color (pale blonde), who only exists to let the male characters […]
How Guy Gavriel Kay and Logan Echolls make me feel old
I have been watching Veronica Mars with my sweetie – my second time, his first. During the original airings, I thought Logan was totally swoon-worthy. So angsty and adorable! This time around, I think he fits Veronica’s ‘psychotic jackass’ description amazingly well. And the sweetie keeps asking “when am I supposed to start liking this guy?” A good friend of mine says this means I’ve matured. Hmm. I’m wondering if Guy Gavriel Kay books fit into this pattern. I read and fell in love with Tigana my […]
Economics + sexism = bored AND annoyed
I didn’t like this old-school sci-fi book as I was reading it, and as I’ve been thinking about it in preparation for writing this review, I like it even less. Pull one or two plotlines and the whole thing unravels. Rod McBan is 16, and lives on North Australia (Norstrilia), a phenomenally wealthy planet (due to the discovery of a drug that extends life indefinitely). The people on the planet like their quiet, simple, rural lifestyle, so they take drastic measures to make sure their […]
Lots of threads, no tapestry…yet
In books I read spookily close together, two authors I love (Mike Carey and China Mieville) both happened to mention being influenced by Mervyn Peake (one in a post-book interview, one actually dedicated the book to Peake). I had never heard of this interestingly-named person, but I figured the universe was giving me a sign. I inter-library-loaned an intimidatingly large book that turned out to be three novels in one: The Gormenghast trilogy. It’s easy to see why Mike and China like the writing, which is […]
Three bad guys, no waiting
I read Leviathan Wakes after reading thewheelbarrow’s review last year, loved it, and just finished devouring the sequel. It’s also terrific, if not quiiiite as good as the first one. The alien goo that nearly destroyed everything in the first book is now camped out on Venus, doing mysterious things and scaring the hell out of all the scientists trying to keep tabs on it. When a small experimental attack finally comes, humanity handles it about as well as you’d expect. Rather than band together […]
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