Tag Archives: disappointing
Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James
My rating: 1.5 of 5 stars
P.D. James, I loved The Children of Men. I even bought a copy of it to write a paper comparing it to another book for no other reason than that I found it that fascinating and intriguing. I’ve enjoyed the other books of yours I read. You are, or sadly were, an author for whom I have great respect. I just want to know, what happened with Death Comes to Pemberley?
I think I could have liked this book. I found the premise interesting and I have a long-running adoration of Pride and Prejudice. This though? This was tawdry. It went for sensationalism in a way Austen would find anathema. The characters were shadows, the plot was both weak and made me sad, and the book left me feeling irritable for days. Months later the primary thought I have about this is, “Damn authors, get off my lawn!” I even created a shelf with that name.
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Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
I have had pretty good luck with the recipes I have tried from Vegetarian Times. This, however, was a dud. My poor boyfriend had the worst of it, since he fixed them. It was a time consuming process, in addition to the hour and a half bake time. The results weren’t worth it. They were remarkably bland. There was no cohesion within the peppers. As for what it was like when I reheated it the next day? Not a pleasant experience. I will not be making this again.
Leave a comment | tags: 2 stars, disappointing, peppers, quinoa, recipe, recipe review, review, vegetarian | posted in Food
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows was better than Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Coming from me, that pretty much falls into the “damning with faint praise” category. There were some parts of this book I really enjoyed, especially some of the character development with the Weasley kids. Overall though…well, if you don’t mind obscenities or spoilers, my complete thoughts are in the rant below.
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Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling
*jaw-cracking yawn*
I was seriously disappointed by Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Nothing happened. Well, until the very end, but even then, it wasn’t enough to save my overall impression of the book from being primarily that it was boring. They get a new professor, Dumbledore is all cagey with Harry, Snape is an asshole, Harry is an idiot, blah, blah, blah. Yes, I know there actually was a lot that took place in the book, but it still felt largely like it wasn’t there for anything other than setting up the last book.
Did I mention that it was boring?
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3 comments | tags: 0.5 star, adrian dawson, book review, books, boozy, bourbon coffee & smokes, disappointing, fiction, godawful, intriguing review, precocious kiddos, random discovery, review, science fiction, science gone wrong, sequence, so much math, TARDIS recommended, the fuck is this the fuck was that, time travel, worst books read in 2011 | posted in Lists, Words, Worst Books Read in 2011
Worst Books Read in 2011
8. The Black Company by Glen Cook
As I suspected at the time, The Black Company proved utterly forgettable. I also hated the naming convention and it felt like I was reading an idea for a book rather than the book itself.
Also, the big, bad wizard people had flying carpets. Seriously. Shame on you, Glen Cook. Shame on you.
Original Review
9. A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
10. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher by Kate Summerscale
8 comments | tags: 1.5 stars, black company, book review, books, boozy, disappointing, fantasy, felt dirty, fiction, glen cook, godawful, questionable motives, review, the fuck is this the fuck was that, up to no good, witches & wizards, worst books read in 2011 | posted in Lists, Words, Worst Books Read in 2011
Worst Books Read in 2011
10. The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher: A Shocking Murder and the Undoing of a Great Victorian Detective by Kate Summerscale
I first encountered The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher in a review a few years ago and loved the idea. Unfortunately, came nowhere near living up to its potential. While the underlying story was fascinating, its telling was dull, had polemic tendencies, and overall fell far short of the English fiction it is said to have inspired.
Original Review
9 comments | tags: 1.5 stars, book review, books, country houses, crime, criminals, disappointing, intriguing review, kate summerscale, non-fiction, review, suspicions of mr whicher, worst books read in 2011 | posted in Lists, Words, Worst Books Read in 2011
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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The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett
My rating: 2.5 of 5 stars
I began reading The Maltese Falcon with every expectation that I would enjoy it. I have heard so many comparisons of Dashiell Hammett to Raymond Chandler that anything else seemed impossible. Unfortunately, this was not the case. Try as hard as I can, I cannot see where the brilliance supposedly lies. All of the ingredients are there: beautiful, lying and tragic woman; hard-boiled detective; copious amounts of booze and coffee; evil men slapping the beautiful women in the face. (Seriously, what is up with all the slapping in noir?) Somehow, despite everything, it came off less compelling than a third-rate Alistair MacLean. What’s up with that?
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Leave a comment | tags: 2.5 stars, book review, books, bourbon coffee & smokes, crime, criminals, disappointing, noir, questionable motives, review, the fuck is this the fuck was that, up to no good | posted in Words
