Once again, I'm nodding my head along with intense science discussions, which I barely understand, and which I'm hoping I will not be tested on later.Once again, I'm nodding my head along with intense science discussions, which I barely understand, and which I'm hoping I will not be tested on later.
What I am here for is the madcap adventures of the main characters. Like Half-cocked Jack in The Baroque Cycle, or Raz in Anathem. Here we have Dawn/Avrora/Aurora, shunted back and forth between her cowgirl mother in Depression Era Western America and her intense Communist father in Russia and D. C. Dawn is probably, of all Stephenson's characters, the most Dickensian. This is David Copperfield with Communists. Like all of Stephenson's books, it also takes a while to get going, and I'm glad that this is just the first installment. I feel that we were just getting to really know Dawn, and her past and present were finally sort of coming together into a full picture, when it ended. So I'm very excited to see what happens next!...more
Beautiful and bittersweet. At first I was like, I dislike all the men, and I need all these women to ovary up.
And then later I was like, I LOATHE ALLBeautiful and bittersweet. At first I was like, I dislike all the men, and I need all these women to ovary up.
And then later I was like, I LOATHE ALL THE MEN AND THESE WOMEN ARE MY PRECIOUS WITCHES AND I WILL DIE FOR THEM.
I stayed up late to finish this, and I'm under doctor's orders to get more sleep! That's how much I needed to keep listening! (And btw: the audiobook has three narrators and they were all amazing!)
I rarely have patience with books where there's a lot of discussion of, you know, "womanly issues," but here it made sense. ...more
A bright little jewel of a book. I feel like Lowry has transitioned from writing "a year in the life" books like Anastasia Krupnik or Taking Care of TA bright little jewel of a book. I feel like Lowry has transitioned from writing "a year in the life" books like Anastasia Krupnik or Taking Care of Terrific, which did always have one big event they were building to, but did it slowly, to these sort of hyper-focused single event books.
Here we have Sophie, a bright young girl, who is facing an immediate challenge with her best friend Sophie, an elderly woman. That weekend Sophie the Elder's son is coming to take her to a doctor for a dementia assessment. Sophie needs to help Sophie pass the test, so things can stay just as they are. In trying to coach Sophie the Elder, Sophie the Younger tries to get her to remember three simple words, which the older woman does, but only by telling three beautiful, heartbreaking stories about her childhood in Poland, on the eve of World War Two.
This slender book packs so much in! History! Friendship! Contemporary issues! Aging relatives! Popularity! So, you know, classic Lowry!
It's every author's worst fear: Dying in the middle of a passion project.
While I knew that Heyer had struggled with having to pay the bills or fulfilIt's every author's worst fear: Dying in the middle of a passion project.
While I knew that Heyer had struggled with having to pay the bills or fulfill contracts by writing so many historical romances when she was ready to move on to other projects, I had no idea that her true passion project was writing history of the Lancasters and the birth of the War of the Roses! WHAT. According to the note at the beginning, written by her husband, she studied so long and so hard that she could read the English of the 15th century as easily as the 20th! She made discoveries, and helped to translate or preserve original writings and works. I mean . . . WHAT?!
No clue! Honestly thought this was going to be one of her medieval romances, like Beauvallet or something! And honestly? It was a little dry, and it moved a little too quickly, but it was not at all bad, which just made me feel sadder. This is clearly a first draft, and one that she was probably even rushing, in order to get it down, and it cuts off MID-SENTENCE.
Sorry, just had to get that off my chest. That was . . . such a weird thing to discover looking at the auTHIS GUY WROTE AND SANG THE PIÑA COLADA SONG.
Sorry, just had to get that off my chest. That was . . . such a weird thing to discover looking at the author bio.
But this book! So fun! Very dark humor, but so twisty and sort of . . . madcap. Yes, let's use the word "madcap" here. The school, the faculty, the three students we follow in their quest to complete their "theses." Madcap! At first I was like, Well, the cover's great, but what is happening? And also, THIS GUY WROTE THE PIÑA COLADA SONG?! Sorry. Sorry! Anyway. I was soon gripped, GRIPPED I SAY! And I'm very excited for the second one, Murder Your Mate! ...more
Fascinating look at medicine in the Middle Ages. It's been twenty years (more than!) since I read it but I remember it so clearly! Fascinating look at medicine in the Middle Ages. It's been twenty years (more than!) since I read it but I remember it so clearly! ...more
Adorable! This cute chapter book for young readers about a Viking girl who hates wearing skirts and eating fish was just precious and funny, and the iAdorable! This cute chapter book for young readers about a Viking girl who hates wearing skirts and eating fish was just precious and funny, and the illustrations are darling! ...more
Gorgeously heartbreaking. It reminded me of The Grapes of Wrath, in a way, but it didn't seem like anything was ugly or sad just for the sake of beingGorgeously heartbreaking. It reminded me of The Grapes of Wrath, in a way, but it didn't seem like anything was ugly or sad just for the sake of being ugly or sad. It just seemed so real, and yet had a fairy tale quality as well. I want to cry, thinking about some of the characters, bur others make me smile when I think of them. I'm going to be thinking about this book for a long time. ...more
I don't like unofficial sequels. A year or so ago I read a Pride & Prejudice sequel about one of the other sisters so bad that I won't even tell you wI don't like unofficial sequels. A year or so ago I read a Pride & Prejudice sequel about one of the other sisters so bad that I won't even tell you what it was. It was just . . . so bad. My real problem is that too often I go in thinking, Surely if they wrote about about Pride & Prejudice/Little Women/Alice in Wonderland, it's because they love the story so much they want to add to it and make it even better! But alas, it seems like all too often these people really want to correct what they see as flaws, picking holes until they've ruined the fabric.
That is most definitely not the case here!
I picked this up because it casts Lydia (poor, foolish girl!) as a witch, which I thought was interesting and I'm reading a lot of witch books right now. But I was wary. Very wary. Then I happened to look at the author bio before I started, and realized that I know Taub's work and she is HILARIOUS. I started reading eagerly, and I was justly rewarded! This is someone who knows and loves not just P&P, but all of Austen's work. She brings Sanditon into it! SANDITON! I know, right? The way she plays with the characters of Lydia and Kitty, Georgiana Darcy, Wickham, and others beyond just Lizzy and Jane is marvelous! I really felt like this was something Lydia would write. And the plot wasn't just, while Lizzy was over here at the Meryton ball, I was over here doing this thing. It had a lot going on that was new and very creative.
In short: if you are looking for a straight up companion book for Pride & Prejudice, this is not for you. But if you like clever fantasy that has been lovingly braided into Austen's world, this is FABULOUS. ...more
I've NEVER reviewed this book?! I was freaking OBSESSED with this book in junior high! I could probably recite it from memory!
It's a lush historical I've NEVER reviewed this book?! I was freaking OBSESSED with this book in junior high! I could probably recite it from memory!
It's a lush historical tale, and just . . . sometimes I think of the cup with the nightingale under the lid and the words, "Is that the little god's name?" and just . . . chills. ...more
Thoroughly enjoyable, my first foray into the Sharpe novels, and Bernard Cornwell's books, waaaay back when I just wanted to know what the fuss was abThoroughly enjoyable, my first foray into the Sharpe novels, and Bernard Cornwell's books, waaaay back when I just wanted to know what the fuss was about with the BBC series. ...more
A beautiful and tragic story, from a piece of history and the point of view of a people that are often overlooked: the Saami who found themselves and A beautiful and tragic story, from a piece of history and the point of view of a people that are often overlooked: the Saami who found themselves and their reindeer being packed into smaller and smaller spaces by the Swedish settlers. I kept finding parallels between this story and the story of the Native Americans: accusations of drunkeness from the people selling them the liquor, who are themselves drinkers. The taking away of language, the forcing of religion, and the setting down, and enforcing, of boundaries on a people who have roamed those lands for thousands of years.
This was fascinating, and I highly recommend the audiobook, which has both a male and female reader for the alternating Nena/Néstor chapters. I wantedThis was fascinating, and I highly recommend the audiobook, which has both a male and female reader for the alternating Nena/Néstor chapters. I wanted MORE, though! Starts with a bang, ends very satisfyingly, but I just somehow wanted . . . a bit more. More vampires. More kissing. MORE, I SAY! ...more
Books within books! Editors! Vicars! British people! Murder! Tiny villages torn apart scandal! Just. So. Much. Scandal. And also: So. Much. Murder.
ThBooks within books! Editors! Vicars! British people! Murder! Tiny villages torn apart scandal! Just. So. Much. Scandal. And also: So. Much. Murder.
This was really fun, and I was very tense in the parts with the editor, Susan, mostly because I was worried that she was going to screw up her life. But aside from her flat looking like a tip, she was not the hot mess she originally appeared to be! And the ending of both storylines surprised me a great deal! ...more
Charming! I immediately fell in love with Fossi, and cheered her for her throughout! Daniel was also great, but oh, Fossi! You sweetie! I want to set Charming! I immediately fell in love with Fossi, and cheered her for her throughout! Daniel was also great, but oh, Fossi! You sweetie! I want to set your crap family on fire!
Loved the perfect mixture of historical romance and light sci fi, great banter, great kissing scenes!...more
I'll forgive the fact that this book gave me the flu.
No, seriously: as soon as Laura developed fever, chills, body aches . . . SO DID I! And unfortunaI'll forgive the fact that this book gave me the flu.
No, seriously: as soon as Laura developed fever, chills, body aches . . . SO DID I! And unfortunately what passed in a few pages for her has lasted several days for me!
But ignoring that, this book was fabulous. Both a ghost story and a very real, very gritty look at the horrors of the often overlooked World War I, the afterward alone is worth the read/listen. The "grainy footage of men in funny hats sitting in trenches" was in reality a new kind of hell, the closest we ever came to a steampunk society IRL, and the event that catapulted the Western world into the future. I almost want Arden to expand her afterward into a longer dissertation on this topic.
I did feel like this book almost skipped ahead at times, because I was sick I kept thinking I was missing bits, and rewinding, because it would suddenly jump forward a month or more, but no, it really did that, because the story wasn't about each day in the life, but the overall story of how Laura . . . nevermind, no spoilers here! ...more
I feel like this built up so slowly, and then was over too soon! The writing was so lush: the descriptions of the fabrics alone almost had me droolingI feel like this built up so slowly, and then was over too soon! The writing was so lush: the descriptions of the fabrics alone almost had me drooling! I wasn't sure I liked the characters at first, but by the end I was cheering for (most) of them. And booing others, as it should be!...more
Many years ago, a dear bookish friend gave me a very beautiful old book, tied with a brown velvet ribbon as a Christmas present. The cover the book waMany years ago, a dear bookish friend gave me a very beautiful old book, tied with a brown velvet ribbon as a Christmas present. The cover the book was dull orange, the Gothic letters of the title, the same brown as the ribbon. She had found it and thought it was just a neat looking old book. I happily agreed, and placed it lovingly on the bookcase in my bedroom, where it went very well with the heavy brown brocade reading chair. A couple of years ago, for whatever reason, I realized that the author of the book (whose name does not appear on the cover) was SIR ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE. But . . . but . . . this was not a Sherlock Holmes story! Nor was it a treatise on how to care for your garden fairies or contact spirits! What the what? So, at last, when I was offered a free audiobook (from audiobooks.com) of Sir Nigel, I decided to listen/read to it, and see what it was about.
If I had managed to read this without ever knowing the author, and then you had tried to tell me that it was written by Conan Doyle, I would have laughed in your face. The writing style is so completely different! I kept saying to my husband, THIS BOOK WAS WRITTEN BY THE GUY WHO WROTE SHERLOCK HOLMES! just to make sure I had a witness. If you had had me guess the author, I would have said that maybe, MAYBE it was Dumas. It's so perfectly a portrait of a young squire, on his journey to knighthood, through a bleak, plague-ravaged England. The language is formal and romantic, the events of the story remind me of stories about Robin Hood or King Arthur. I shouldn't be surprised, because anyone who could write all those vivid stories, and even more vivid characters in his later stories has to be incredibly clever, but I didn't know that Conan Doyle could really alter his style in this way. Now I have to go read The White Company . . . ...more
Beautifully illustrated, a very poignant way to tell this story, although it did feel rushed. Reading the notes at the end, and realizing that they haBeautifully illustrated, a very poignant way to tell this story, although it did feel rushed. Reading the notes at the end, and realizing that they had condensed a four hundred page novel into a graphic novel a third of the length, I feel like they did a good job of getting the meat of the story onto the page. ...more
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