It has been months since I last reviewed a book! Shock, horror. Partly, it’s the fault of the PhD–I’ve had some busy deadlines for my thesis, as well as the teaching that comes with it. (Marking 80 essays in essentially 2 weeks is not recommended, nor is it conducive to a happy, relaxed mindset for reading.) I also am happy to report that I finished (the first draft) of a novel myself in that time (don’t try writing a novel while writing a PhD, peoples; […]
In which I learn I am definitely over the YA love triangle
“There are lots of stories about the children of gods. But what about those cursed by the gods, and their descendants…” This line is catnip. This is story I definitely want to read. This is not quite the story Descendants tells. The set-up: El has lived a safe, if sheltered life, raised with her grandparents in a country cottage. Her grandparents keep her away from others because El has a gift: she has powers of persuasion she cannot control. She works part-time as a docent at […]
Magical deliciousness
I received this book for Christmas from my mom; she went to the local bookstore and just happened to pick something that I would love without me providing a detailed list of titles and authors. A Christmas miracle! 🙂 In this book, our magical hero Kell lives in London at a time where different worlds are layered on top of each other. The geography of each London is the same, but everything else is drastically different (including the magical abilities of the residents). He is only […]
Did you know that wolves and vampires don’t like cottage cheese? It is neither cheesy nor tasty.
This was the fifth (and final?) book in the Others series, and I’m not sure how I feel about it. There were some nice developments — mostly about what it means to be a family, which I liked. But. But. But. Things that didn’t bother me in the previous books — constant repetition of non-important details and sexism, mostly — really, really, really bugged the hell out of me this time. This book had at least four separate discussions about cottage cheese. I nearly couldn’t […]
The Bear and the Nightingale – a Russian fairytale
One of my favorite booksellers raved about “The Bear and the Nightingale” and chose it to be the featured for the month of January at my local independent bookstore. The high praise moved it up on my TBR pile. At the time of reading I was thoroughly captivated by this charming Russian fairytale but now that two weeks have passed and I’m sitting down to review, I find there isn’t much to say. The Bear and the Nightingale feels like a reimagining of an old […]
“Wherever you go, you take yourself with you.”
I’m slowly working my way through Neil Gaiman’s works. I’ve tackled Neverwhere, American Gods, The Ocean at the End of the Lane (favorite!) , and his short story collections The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains, and M is for Magic. Each has been its own experience, and all generally favorable. As I go on, I find that the full cast audios are my favorite way to experience Gaiman’s world. I listened to American Gods, and later went back and read Neverwhere after listening […]