Category Archives: Words
Heartless by Gail Carriger
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Oh, goodreads, why do you let a few people keep the rest of us from having half stars. By rights, Heartless should get 3.5/5 or 6/10 stars. As it is, because I like the series & goodreads is lame, I’m giving it 4. In this latest addition, we see a lot more of the same. The primary plot is nowhere near as interesting as some of the things we learn about our primary and supporting characters. Some of them have pasts much deeper and more complicated than we previously knew. We also learn more about Alexia’s father. Naturally, these are the tamer aspects, but, you know…spoilers! Regardless of the ways this book went flat, I definitely am looking forward to the release in March of the next in the series.
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Leave a comment | tags: 3.5 stars, aristocracy, book review, books, drinkers of blood, fantasy, gail carriger, heartless, infant inconveniences, london town, never-ending tea time, parasol protectorate, review, romance, steampunk, sweet sweet luuurve, that is not natural, too stubborn for their own good, wolves of the were persuasion, xposted to OSgA reviews | posted in Words
Blameless by Gail Carriger
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
I don’t know quite how I would explain why I love Gail Carriger‘s Parasol Protectorate series so much, but I really do. While not so good as the others, Blameless has that same mixture of wit and “d’aww” reaction that I enjoyed in the previous books. As always, Alexia is involved in crazy adventures and Conall rages about wildly. Well, that isn’t all, but it does take up a fair amount. Basically, I continue to recommend these books to those who like Regency romances, even though these are set in Victorian times, as well as those who like light urban fantasy. There’s a little something for everyone here. For me, it’s on to Heartless! (Oh yes, ladybugs and pesto both play major roles in this. What’s not to love?)
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Leave a comment | tags: 3.5 stars, aristocracy, blameless, book review, books, boozy, drinkers of blood, fantasy, france, gail carriger, infant inconveniences, italy, london town, never-ending tea time, parasol protectorate, review, romance, steampunk, sweet sweet luuurve, that is not natural, the fuck is this the fuck was that, too stubborn for their own good, wolves of the were persuasion, xposted to OSgA reviews | posted in Words
Changeless by Gail Carriger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
While not quite as good as Soulless, Changeless was a delightful read and exactly what I needed to cleanse my brain after reading American Psycho. Gail Carriger writes good, funny yarns. There is a definite amount of repetition, but it can be forgiven. I can’t bring myself to say that her stories and characters are original, but there is a certain freshness to her stories. Perhaps it is the way her points of view are written or the very, very mild inclusion of a few steampunk elements. Regardless, I look forward to continuing the series. I mean, how often are Victorian romances & fantasy mixed without being tedious? Not often enough, I say.
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Leave a comment | tags: 3.5 stars, aristocracy, book review, books, changeless, country houses, drinkers of blood, fantasy, gail carriger, london town, never-ending tea time, parasol protectorate, review, romance, steampunk, sweet sweet luuurve, that is not natural, the fuck is this the fuck was that, too stubborn for their own good, wolves of the were persuasion, xposted to OSgA reviews | posted in Words
American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Well, I have now read American Psycho. I now feel completely justified in my previous suspicion that Bret Easton Ellis is not the author for me. Oh, when it isn’t taking itself seriously, the book is very well-written. Even the originally incredibly irritating repetitive detailing of brand names and prices and food became a part of the rhythm of the book in a way I was not expecting. Patrick Bateman is certainly a psychopath, whether his crimes are only in his head or real. With all of these things though, I would still love to give this one star. The reason it gets three is because of the way a consistent crawling horror was maintained. There was no respite, even in the seemingly innocuous sections. This takes talent. I still found it anything but enjoyable, and towards the end became annoyed when Ellis tried to make it somehow meaningful in a greater sense. Oh, and it’s certainly gory in every sense of the word, in case there was someone who missed that. I need a stiff drink now.
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Leave a comment | tags: 3 stars, american psycho, beautiful people, book review, books, boozy, brett eason ellis, felt dirty, fiction, fooooood, gotham, horror, not for weak stomachs, review, skeptical, the fuck is this the fuck was that, up to no good | posted in Words
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Incredible. Parts of “How to Tell a True War Story” come to mind regularly. I love Tim O’Brien‘s writing. Those were the three things I had to say about The Things They Carried when I initially “reviewed” this book. I hold to all of those. This is my third reading and I found the book even better than it was eleven years ago. “How to Tell a True War Story” has probably influenced my views on writing and literature more than anything else I have ever read. There is a beautiful clarity and painful honesty that permeates this book. I can’t say enough good things about it.
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Leave a comment | tags: 5 stars, book review, books, favorites, fiction, historical fiction, history, jungles & swamps, military, non-fiction, re-read potential, read multiple times, recommended by a friend, review, the things they carried, tim o'brien, vietnam, war, xposted to OSgA reviews | posted in Words
Dearly, Departed by Lia Habel
My rating: 1 of 5 stars
Yeah…this was definitely not my thing. Both facepalmed and hoity-toity should not be in the same book. “Extra sparkly unicorn fart kind of special” also made an appearance. I use these to illustrate one of the most annoying aspects of the book; the bizarre swings between quasi-Victorian language and contemporary youthful slang. I also found the characters flat and, honestly, the basic premise of girl on zombie kind of grossed me out. I think I can quite definitely say that I will not be reading anything additional by Lia Habel. (Oh yes, did I mention that the series is named Gone With the Respiration. Seriously.)
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Leave a comment | tags: 0.5 star, awful, bad, book review, books, braaaains, dearly departed, godawful, gone with the respiration, horror, lia habel, losers unite!, post apocalyptic wastelands, review, romance, skeptical, steampunk, sweet sweet luuurve, that is not natural, the fuck is this the fuck was that, worst books read in 2011 | posted in Words
The Unit by Ninni Holmqvist
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
The Unit is the saddest piece of dystopian fiction I have ever read. Normally the genre leaves me angry or frightened or feeling the need for a good shower, but this made me feel heartbroken. The Unit is a place where women who have reached the age of 50 and men who have reached the age of 60 without having children are sent to live in order to participate in “humane” experiments and act as organ donors for the so-called needed. These people are known as dispensable.
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Leave a comment | tags: 4.5 stars, book review, books, dystopia, eccentric old ladies, eccentric old men, everybody dies, infant inconveniences, intriguing review, ninni holmqvist, re-read potential, review, science fiction, science gone wrong, the unit, xposted to OSgA reviews | posted in Words
People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
People of the Book is a stunningly beautiful book about another stunningly beautiful book. It fictionalizes the true story of the Sarajevo Haggadah, a unique, 500-year old version of a book read at Jewish Passover Seders. It illustrates the story of how and why Passover came to be. People of the Book looks at the fascinating story of the Haggadah’s travels through the years and creates a story from them. All of the characters are fictional and some of the chapters are admittedly entirely fiction while others contain more factual information. While reading I did not care at all which was which and I am not certain I do now. Geraldine Brooks.ostensibly tells the story of a book, but as the title hints, what she really tells is the story of a people.
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Leave a comment | tags: 4.5 stars, best books read in 2011, bibliophilia, book review, books, contemporary fiction, fiction, geraldine brooks, historical fiction, holocaust, i hear you like books in your books, libraries are awesome, nazis, people of the book, pleasant surprise, racial tension, review | posted in Words
Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain by Oliver Sacks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I cannot remember a time in my life when I have not loved music and loved to sing. I was raised in an environment where singing, and singing in front of others was pervasive. That being said, other than voice lessons, I have very little formal knowledge of what music is. I do not play an instrument or read music easily, and I most certainly have never been taught how music impacts the brain. Fortunately for me, in Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain Oliver Sacks addresses the latter, and does so in his beautiful flowing style. Somethings I’ve suspected were confirmed. Other pipe dreams, like that I could someday acquire perfect pitch, were dashed, but that is fine because of how fascinating the book was. I highly recommend this for anyone interested in any facet of music or the workings of the human brain.
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Leave a comment | tags: 4 stars, book review, books, brain, brainworm, earworm, hard sciences, little grey cells, music, musicophilia, neuroscience, non-fiction, oliver sacks, review, the arts | posted in Words
Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West by Dorothy Wickenden
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
Let me say up front, I did not finish this book. Why am I reviewing it then? Well, because I might return to it at some point. From the first section, I feel comfortable saying that it is a well written story about a relatively interesting pair of women. Why did I abandon it if that’s the case? Well, I have well over 2000 books I want to read and the subject of this one just isn’t one that interested me enough to continue reading. I’ve decided I don’t have enough reading time to finish books solely because it is my habit to do so if I don’t have another compelling reason. In this case, I don’t. Maybe I will return to it another day when I am more interested in the days of the frontier.
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Leave a comment | tags: 2.5 stars, book review, books, did not finish, disappointing, great frontier, may try again, non-fiction, review | posted in Words