Reading List 2009: # 1 - 10
Mar. 20th, 2009 10:18 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jedibuttercupI've been pretty lax in my reading so far this year: only ten books to my credit in the last eleven weeks. Ah, well. Considering I now spend half my evenings out of the house and I've also added an exercise program and a geocaching hobby to my schedule, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised.
Anyway, a mixed bag this time: two mysteries, two near future scifi, one historical fiction, two fantasy, and three graphic novels. Only six out of ten keepers.
1. An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris. Paperback, 280pp. 3rd Harper Connelly mystery. Darker than the previous two; also, a little romance-heavy. I liked the step-sibling relationship they had going in the previous books, darn it, and there was zero suspense once they both noticed each other noticing, which was refreshing in one way but really boring in another. Seriously, I wanted more of the mystery storyline! All that said, I continue to enjoy the mildly supernatural but generally quite normal framework of this universe, and the main characters themselves, and will definitely buy the next one whenever it arrives.
2. Martian Knightlife by James P. Hogan. Paperback, 378pp. *scratching head* This was more like a pair of novellas glued together than an entire novel; also, the James Bond Fantasy aspects of it entirely drowned out the occasional, actually interesting elements of the science fiction backdrop. Probably not keeping this one.
3. The Last Centurion by John Ringo. Hardback, 439pp. Not quite as "Oh John Ringo No" as some of his other work, but guaranteed to be offensive in other ways. I really don't know why I keep buying his books. Maybe because he's such a perfect example of the Angry White Conservative Male, I can use him as a grounding anchor at the low end of my reading spectrum? Maybe because he's actually a ripping good writer, if only he'd stop using his books as a mouthpiece for his own political opinions? He's like a train wreck; I can't stop checking to see if he's really as jaw-dropping as I remember him to be. And-- yep, he is. Couldn't stop reading; but wouldn't recommend.
4. Sharpe's Rifles by Bernard Cornwell. Paperback, 304pp. Part of a series. I've been meaning to read this one ever since a friend introduced me to Sean Bean as Sharpe, discs one through fifteen. The book brought the movies back very vividly, colored up with more dirt, language and blood; it was a quick, engrossing read. I'll have to pick up some more of these; I know there are a lot more of the novels than ever got filmed.
5. Real Murders by Charlaine Harris. Paperback, 290pp. 1st Aurora Teagarden mystery. In style much like her Harper Connelly series but without the supernatural elements; the star of this series is a librarian who's part of a historical murders club, rather than a dead-body-detecting consultant. I can already tell that the romantic subplots in the series are going to make me roll my eyes, but it was otherwise a quick, fun, and not too obvious read. I'll probably pick up the rest of the series eventually, for "comfort reading" material.
6. Wolves at the Gate by Drew Goddard, Georges Jeanty, and Joss Whedon. Graphic novel, 136pp. B:tVS s8:v3. Seriously. Seriously? I don't know whose character development horrified me more in this collection of issues; the Dracula/Xander interaction probably sticks out the most, though, just as the Buffy/Faith dynamic aggravated me worst in the last one. Also: Dawnzilla, OMG! These are not my characters any more.
7. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. Paperback, 534pp. 1st of a series. A really slow read for me, mostly due to the fact that I'd already seen the movie and there was thus very little suspense; I should have read it beforehand! Other than that, I thought it was very, very good for a youth fantasy novel; I liked it for its own sake (as opposed to Rowling's work, which I love mainly for its potential). It has texture, depth, likeable characters, and some really interesting worldbuilding elements (though non-bibliophiles might not identify with it as strongly as I did). I'll probably pick up the next one sooner or later.
8. Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Graphic novel, 416pp. What can I say that hasn't already been said about Watchmen? Brilliant, deep, layered, dark; memorable. My first experience with a non-Whedon graphic novel, and wow, am I glad I started with this one. I'm not blind to the sexism and racism embedded in the story; but as a tale of just exactly how screwed up superheroes would be were they real, and what they could do to the world they lived in, it was amazing. And the writing had so many layers; when that famous Nietzsche quote showed up in it I had to laugh, because reading this story felt like looking into an abyss, to me. Not the kind of thing I'd enjoy reading all the time, but I can definitely see why it's such a landmark of the format.
9. Duainfey by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. Paperback, 436pp. 1st of a series. I picked this one up because it appeared to be Regency+Fantasy, rather than the standard Medieval+Fantasy, and I am a big fan of the Age of Sail in general. The setup for how the heroine first gets drawn into the Fey world was interesting, and the secondary main character (who incidentally never meets her) was also interesting. However, those bright notes were entirely drowned out by the extremely negative events that happen to the heroine, including: dub-con, enslavement, emotional and physical abuse, entirely gratuitous rape and gang-rape (supposedly meant to further the political goals of her "patron"), attempted suicide, and a "conclusion" in which she finally escapes (with help) only to end up under another Fey's control. Oh, and something else that wouldn't have registered before RaceFail: a description of Rebecca being "brown" without any attempt at giving her a discernable cultural background. I will not keep this book, nor will I ever touch the impending sequel.
10. Hellblazer: Original Sins by Jamie Delano. Graphic novel, 256pp. A bit of a letdown after Watchmen. There were moments where I was really drawn into the writing, but more moments where I wasn't, and I wasn't terribly impressed by the artwork. (I did recognize some of the scene-sets from what ended up in the Constantine movie, though). I realize this was the very beginning of the series, however, and that it probably gets better; so I'll have to read further before I can decide whether I like the series or not.
Next book: Storm Front, what else? It's that time of year again.
~
Anyway, a mixed bag this time: two mysteries, two near future scifi, one historical fiction, two fantasy, and three graphic novels. Only six out of ten keepers.
1. An Ice Cold Grave by Charlaine Harris. Paperback, 280pp. 3rd Harper Connelly mystery. Darker than the previous two; also, a little romance-heavy. I liked the step-sibling relationship they had going in the previous books, darn it, and there was zero suspense once they both noticed each other noticing, which was refreshing in one way but really boring in another. Seriously, I wanted more of the mystery storyline! All that said, I continue to enjoy the mildly supernatural but generally quite normal framework of this universe, and the main characters themselves, and will definitely buy the next one whenever it arrives.
2. Martian Knightlife by James P. Hogan. Paperback, 378pp. *scratching head* This was more like a pair of novellas glued together than an entire novel; also, the James Bond Fantasy aspects of it entirely drowned out the occasional, actually interesting elements of the science fiction backdrop. Probably not keeping this one.
3. The Last Centurion by John Ringo. Hardback, 439pp. Not quite as "Oh John Ringo No" as some of his other work, but guaranteed to be offensive in other ways. I really don't know why I keep buying his books. Maybe because he's such a perfect example of the Angry White Conservative Male, I can use him as a grounding anchor at the low end of my reading spectrum? Maybe because he's actually a ripping good writer, if only he'd stop using his books as a mouthpiece for his own political opinions? He's like a train wreck; I can't stop checking to see if he's really as jaw-dropping as I remember him to be. And-- yep, he is. Couldn't stop reading; but wouldn't recommend.
4. Sharpe's Rifles by Bernard Cornwell. Paperback, 304pp. Part of a series. I've been meaning to read this one ever since a friend introduced me to Sean Bean as Sharpe, discs one through fifteen. The book brought the movies back very vividly, colored up with more dirt, language and blood; it was a quick, engrossing read. I'll have to pick up some more of these; I know there are a lot more of the novels than ever got filmed.
5. Real Murders by Charlaine Harris. Paperback, 290pp. 1st Aurora Teagarden mystery. In style much like her Harper Connelly series but without the supernatural elements; the star of this series is a librarian who's part of a historical murders club, rather than a dead-body-detecting consultant. I can already tell that the romantic subplots in the series are going to make me roll my eyes, but it was otherwise a quick, fun, and not too obvious read. I'll probably pick up the rest of the series eventually, for "comfort reading" material.
6. Wolves at the Gate by Drew Goddard, Georges Jeanty, and Joss Whedon. Graphic novel, 136pp. B:tVS s8:v3. Seriously. Seriously? I don't know whose character development horrified me more in this collection of issues; the Dracula/Xander interaction probably sticks out the most, though, just as the Buffy/Faith dynamic aggravated me worst in the last one. Also: Dawnzilla, OMG! These are not my characters any more.
7. Inkheart by Cornelia Funke. Paperback, 534pp. 1st of a series. A really slow read for me, mostly due to the fact that I'd already seen the movie and there was thus very little suspense; I should have read it beforehand! Other than that, I thought it was very, very good for a youth fantasy novel; I liked it for its own sake (as opposed to Rowling's work, which I love mainly for its potential). It has texture, depth, likeable characters, and some really interesting worldbuilding elements (though non-bibliophiles might not identify with it as strongly as I did). I'll probably pick up the next one sooner or later.
8. Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. Graphic novel, 416pp. What can I say that hasn't already been said about Watchmen? Brilliant, deep, layered, dark; memorable. My first experience with a non-Whedon graphic novel, and wow, am I glad I started with this one. I'm not blind to the sexism and racism embedded in the story; but as a tale of just exactly how screwed up superheroes would be were they real, and what they could do to the world they lived in, it was amazing. And the writing had so many layers; when that famous Nietzsche quote showed up in it I had to laugh, because reading this story felt like looking into an abyss, to me. Not the kind of thing I'd enjoy reading all the time, but I can definitely see why it's such a landmark of the format.
9. Duainfey by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller. Paperback, 436pp. 1st of a series. I picked this one up because it appeared to be Regency+Fantasy, rather than the standard Medieval+Fantasy, and I am a big fan of the Age of Sail in general. The setup for how the heroine first gets drawn into the Fey world was interesting, and the secondary main character (who incidentally never meets her) was also interesting. However, those bright notes were entirely drowned out by the extremely negative events that happen to the heroine, including: dub-con, enslavement, emotional and physical abuse, entirely gratuitous rape and gang-rape (supposedly meant to further the political goals of her "patron"), attempted suicide, and a "conclusion" in which she finally escapes (with help) only to end up under another Fey's control. Oh, and something else that wouldn't have registered before RaceFail: a description of Rebecca being "brown" without any attempt at giving her a discernable cultural background. I will not keep this book, nor will I ever touch the impending sequel.
10. Hellblazer: Original Sins by Jamie Delano. Graphic novel, 256pp. A bit of a letdown after Watchmen. There were moments where I was really drawn into the writing, but more moments where I wasn't, and I wasn't terribly impressed by the artwork. (I did recognize some of the scene-sets from what ended up in the Constantine movie, though). I realize this was the very beginning of the series, however, and that it probably gets better; so I'll have to read further before I can decide whether I like the series or not.
Next book: Storm Front, what else? It's that time of year again.
~
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Date: 2009-03-21 08:39 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-27 12:01 am (UTC)I'll keep picking the collected volumes up as I have time and cash to; probably sometime mid-next month for the next batch. I'm still interested, just not enthralled yet. =)