I'm amazed at Brust's ability to to write in such different styles. This book broke each chapter down into multiple parts. One part dealt with the proI'm amazed at Brust's ability to to write in such different styles. This book broke each chapter down into multiple parts. One part dealt with the protagonists history with the artists around him, one dealt with what was currently going on with those relationships, one dealt with his actual work on the painting, one dealt with a Hungarian folk tale, and one dealt with philosophical insights into everything else. There was some overlap of course, but generally each section told its own part of the story. Despite the breakup, things flowed. Even the folk tale with different characters.
I was invested in the story the entire time. I enjoyed watching the painting unfold, and I was caught up in the drama of the studio. I really enjoyed reading the "Art Theory" and listen to the characters break down what was and wasn't art. What was good and what wasn't. The read was fast and I liked almost all of it.
Three stars though. Why? Well as much as I enjoyed the process, the final product felt a little lacking. I felt like Brust told me to look at things, told me they were tied together, and then ended it. I felt like the plot needed more shoring up at the end. I wanted to know if the monster was well received, I wanted to know how the show went, I want to know a lot that I just didn't get to find out about. I realize the story wasn't actually about the characters and that they were just there as vehicles to carry the art, but I still cared and felt a little let down at the end.
Also, I think it's not fair that Brust made me think about Vlad the whole time. I mean the shaman is called a Taltos...I would have liked to have known that when I picked up the Vlad series. Even in the epilogue Brust is citing some historian or something named Teckla. How can Teckla be someones name? I feel like I got a peek behind the curtain or something. (Not that this is good or bad, I'm just saying.)...more
I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this book. I was even more surprised at how much I found myself agreeing with the author.
When I think of I'm surprised at how much I enjoyed reading this book. I was even more surprised at how much I found myself agreeing with the author.
When I think of Frank Luntz I think of a soldier in the army of conservative republican media pundits. I think of a friend of G W Bush and I think of a guy whose every word I would question.
The book however, although certainly political at times, was more of what I would expect from a true social scientist. Most of it was pretty uncontroversial. Women respond better to ads that promise more time in their day. The best time to advertise shaving cream is in the morning. Luntz had tons of data on advertising and how we spend our time, and the way he applied this data was almost always good.
There were some politics in there of course. I was surprised however at the occasional praise of Obama and criticism of the GOP. While his conservative politics were evident, it wasn't propaganda writing like I expected. It was served with a grain of salt of course, but I didn't need a salt factory. ...more
Once again I feel this series is just good enough. I finished the book yesterday and I'm already starting to lose it. For some reason the story just dOnce again I feel this series is just good enough. I finished the book yesterday and I'm already starting to lose it. For some reason the story just doesn't stay with me.
I love Perrin's story. The whole wolf thing is great. That is it's great except that he keeps refusing to accept it. I feel like sentences and concepts were recycled over and over every time it was mentioned.
Mat's story was a lot more fun in this book even if it didn't make sense. For some reason he was suddenly a different character. Instead of just doing things, of seeing a joke or an adventure and running with it, he wants to think things though. Great. It makes me like him more. Not that the change makes sense, and that's a little irritating, but I do enjoy reading him more.
I was a bit upset about how little Rand was in the story this time. I mean he was in the story, but always in the background. Rarely was the story told from his perspective. I could of used a little more of him.
Three books in, not super impressed. I'm going to other books now. I'm not sure if I plan to come back to the series or not. We'll see. ...more
Once again I wasn't impressed, but I wasn't let down either. The second book in the Wheel of Time series was just good enough to move me through the sOnce again I wasn't impressed, but I wasn't let down either. The second book in the Wheel of Time series was just good enough to move me through the series but not quite good enough to really stick with me.
I really enjoyed some aspects of the plot. The way the invading army used women who could channel and the impact that had on the story was great. Other aspects of the book were not so great. The constant men do things this way isn't that silly; I mean women always do this aren't they impossible to understand stuff is really annoying. Also the slow growth of the characters is a bit annoying. They've all been though more than they could even imagine and they're still looking at each other in pre-adventure roles. ...more
I've always wondered about Lady Teldra and I was happy to finally get some answers. About the only thing I want to say about this is that it was the fI've always wondered about Lady Teldra and I was happy to finally get some answers. About the only thing I want to say about this is that it was the first time I have honestly believed a romantic relationship in the series. Not that it was a romance by any means, but Vlad and Cawti always seemed more convenient than real. This time I believed the attraction and was very much rooting for it the entire book. ...more
I'm very torn on this book. On the one had the story was great. Vlad finds himself in the territory of an old enemy who knows he's there. Or rather, sI'm very torn on this book. On the one had the story was great. Vlad finds himself in the territory of an old enemy who knows he's there. Or rather, some new character finds Vlad in a territory where Vlad's old enemy is going after him. The book deviates from the series in that it's the first where the narration isn't by Vlad (presumably to the little box). The switch to third person limited some of the strongest points of the story, most significantly the dialog between Vlad and Loiosh.
The story, like I said, is great. Brust also comes through with more social commentary. This time is was very much on the nature of life and choices that we make that define us as individuals. Fortunately, unlike in Teckla, it's not only interesting but relatively light. While there are a significant number of conversations about philosophy, they're a relatively natural part of the dialogue, and even a part of advancing the setting in general. Many of the conversations focus on what magic is and how it's used defines the individual. I liked that it added depth to the world while at the same time making some points about life.
This was by far my least favorite stylistically. I missed the banter, and I really missed being in on Vlad's plans. We're left in the dark about a lot of what was going on with the characters I was actually invested in. Vlad gathers information, and our narrator is asked to leave so we don't get to know what's going on. This happens at least twice. The only slightly redeeming factor about the style is that we get some insight into Loiosh's mate's mind. It wasn't especially compelling; it wasn't super fun to read; this wasn't my preferred way to do it, but in the end it was interesting enough to be worthwhile.
The book as a whole wouldn't have been anything I'd have recommended if it hadn't been part of a series. It also wouldn't have been something I'd have put down halfway, or scathed at utter trash either. All in all it was perfectly average. ...more
I really admire the way Brust uses the time-line of Vlad's world. While this book is chronologically earlier than some of the others, it fills in someI really admire the way Brust uses the time-line of Vlad's world. While this book is chronologically earlier than some of the others, it fills in some of the "But that's another story" moments from earlier in the series.
In the book Vlad is more noticeably talking to the strange box than in some of the other stories, and his narration is great. The chapters all start shortly before the climax of the story and seamlessly go back to the events leading to the decisive battle. The effect, at least for me, was some of the most enjoyable page turning reading I've had in a long time. Sitting on the precipice of resolution at the start of every chapter gave each beginning the pulse race that accompanies the end of a good story. At halfway through I was excited and invested I had to keep going until I ended.
I admired how easily the shift from climax to set up were as well. There were no big paragraph breaks or marks of a shift in time, just a transition that was often more of an explanation about some small detail that took us back. There were interludes set apart where the resolution was introduced, but they didn't quite have the natural story telling feel that the main chapters had. I really felt as if I was listening to someone telling a story who kept backtracking. On one hand I was anxious to see how things turned out, but I couldn't help be be more distracted by the rich fabric of story.
While not my favorite in the series so far, it is the best named. I don't know that any other book gave me as much insight into the houses as Dragon did. One of the central themes is how much better Vlad gets to understand what Dragon's are about, and as a read I certainly did too. The book really was about Dragons and Vlad was just the storyteller. I still want to know more about them of course; the book didn't answer all of my questions. ...more
I feel that a book needs to meet three criteria to be a great book. First it has to be enjoyable to read. Second it needs to tell a story as clearly aI feel that a book needs to meet three criteria to be a great book. First it has to be enjoyable to read. Second it needs to tell a story as clearly as possible. Finally it has to say something.
The Handmaid's Tale was definitely an enjoyable read. The story is set in an alternate world where zealotry is government. The society is rigidly religious. One of the effects of this takeover is the creation of handmaids. Handmaids are women who are assigned to married men who have wives who cannot conceive. The handmaid's duty is to have his child. While the story of Offred (Of Fred) may be interesting to read at any point in the history of this dystopia, it is most interesting because the story is set at the very beginning. Offred remembers being a normal 80's girl. She went to college, had a punked out friend, and even got married and pursued some typical 80's job at a bank or something. We follow her as she tries to adapt to the new world order, think about rebellion, think about not rebelling, talk about how horrible things are, and talk about how much better things are. All the while she's learning that her Commander, his wife, and the rest of the household aren't really as by the book as she had expected them to be. The story is about her, and it's easy to follow, interesting to read, and entirely enjoyable.
Part of the reason it is enjoyable is because the author doesn't weigh the reader down with cumbersome prose. The writing is to the point and easily accessible. Atwood isn't trying to impress us with her vocabulary, wow us by not using punctuation, or prove how hip she is by writing upside down (Not that I always mind that Mr. Danielewski.) The result is writing that doesn't get in the way of the story. A mark of a book that will endure in my opinion.
And if it wasn't clearly obvious from the setup, the Handmaid's Tale has something to say. It is book that puts a mirror to our world and asks "What's up with this?" One of the reasons that handmaids exist is that conceiving a child is much more difficult due to radiation. Score one for don't mess up the environment. But more than that it's a book about woman's rights. I mean that covering all of them, not just the right to choose issue. I will admit to not being sure what she has to say on that one though. There is plenty of "I can't believe people used to have their tubes tied/have abortions" type of stuff, but plenty counter as well. There's a lot to think about in this book, and I've been pleasantly surprised to see how often it's been used in high school classes.
Handmaid's Tale meets all 3 of my major criteria not just for a 5 star book, but for a book that I think is truly a great book. I would recommend this to anyone. ...more
I feel that I may be alone when I say this was probably my favorite book so far. I admire the way Brust's stories are not all boiler plate. Each storyI feel that I may be alone when I say this was probably my favorite book so far. I admire the way Brust's stories are not all boiler plate. Each story is new, exciting, and above all different from those previous.
The first change in this book is the point of view. Orca is not narrated simply by Vlad, but rather by Vlad and Kiera. Each chapter is first person from either one or the other. It gets a little turned around from time to time since I'm so used to the "I" in the story being Vlad, but the confusion was never due to writing, only my mind's refusal to read what was written instead of what it was used to reading.
The second, and superior, difference was in the plot. The book is not about Vlad killing someone, or stealing some money, or advancing in the organization, but rather about him trying to help some little old lady. Granted, in trying to help her he stumbles upon a ponzi scheme that would have made Bernie Madoff proud. The "passing the buck" story line, where vlad tries to figure out who's responsible and also where all the money goes, is great. It's an example of Brust's politics coming through again (he's definitely in favor of government and regulation) and also very current. I literally flipped to the publication date to check to see if it was in the last few years. With the way things were written I expected it to be published in 99 during the first subprime collapse and was prepared to call Brust a genius for seeing the exact flaw that caused the the recent recession. Not that you have to understand finances to read the book, it's all explained very well.
There's a lot more to the story than just money. There is plenty of action. I mean even if Vlad didn't intend to kill anyone you know he didn't make it through a book without getting into a scuffle or two. And of course I said it was co-narrated by Kiera so there's all that thieving stuff too. There was plenty of action in the book to keep things from getting dull, and it was sparse enough to keep me from going "uhh, Vlad's in a fight against the odds that he's going to prevail in AGAIN?"
A lot comes to light about the relationship between Kiera and Vlad in this book as well. I was privileged enough to be intentionally misled about some of the things that occur making the ending a pleasant surprise. ...more
Artemis Fowl is a fast paced, fun read. Artemis is the son of a long established family who amassed their fortune largely though crime. After his fathArtemis Fowl is a fast paced, fun read. Artemis is the son of a long established family who amassed their fortune largely though crime. After his father disappeared in the Arctic and his mother went a bit crazy, Artemis is left to manage to family business. Best way to do this? Extort some Fairies.
Colfer is funny. I don't mean like I giggled a little funny, I mean like I understand why this is the dude who did the last hitchhikers kind of funny. It's a kid's book, so some of it is a little immature, but immature in that funny way.
There is a bit of heavy handedness in the messages he's trying to get across, but hey, when you write a kid's book about a master criminal who commits a crime, and *spoiler* gets away with it, gets the money, and totally avoids any negative repercussions, you kind of need a bit of heavy handed goodness in there to balance things out. My only complaint on the message was the pollution one. I understand that people pollute, but fairies are using nuclear batteries to power EVERYthing. Where/how are they disposing of the nuclear byproducts? That and after bitching about our pollutants, Holly goes and straps on a gasoline powered set of wings. Yeah fairies, you're polluters too. So get off your high horse.
The back jacked of this book promised me it was "Funnier than Psycho" and "Shorter than War and Peace." Now, I thought that these were jokes. I assumeThe back jacked of this book promised me it was "Funnier than Psycho" and "Shorter than War and Peace." Now, I thought that these were jokes. I assumed that that tag was cute and that it would be quite funny. In fact, funnier than Psycho is about as good as the humor was. It was there, but rarely very funny and generally simply kinda cute. It was in fact shorter than War and Peace.
I didn't expect much for plot. It is a Douglas Adams book after all, but I had hoped for decent characters. Unfortunately there is so much going on that none of the characters has a real chance to develop. The shifting character perspective didn't help either. The book was quite short, and chapters told from multiple character points of view don't really have enough room to let the characters grow, just paint the bare bones plot.
The ending was just bad. Not that what happened was bad, but it seemed that Adams' editors told him he needed to cut 50 pages, and he subsequently decided to cut 50 of the last 55. The action was jammed together, not fleshed out, and a little hard to follow. For as mediocre as the rest of the book was, the ending was a let down.
I don't think I'd recommend the book to anyone except the most devoted Adams fan. Unless your reading goal includes being able to say "Yeah, I've read ALL of his books," I don't see any reason why you should pick this up. ...more
When I started this book I didn't know there was a Cromwell other than Oliver, the Lord Protector of England. I know some rhymes about Henry VIII, andWhen I started this book I didn't know there was a Cromwell other than Oliver, the Lord Protector of England. I know some rhymes about Henry VIII, and the extent of my knowledge about the Boylen's is that there was a popular book (also a movie?) called The Other Boylen Girl. Despite my appalling lack of knowledge about the era, I still loved the book.
Thomas Cromwell was a great character, and since this is a book driven more by character than by plot that's a very important point. He is portrayed as loyal, cunning, and incredibly intelligent. He is sometimes harsh, sometimes loving, sometimes funny, and always interesting to read.
The writing was also quite interesting. The cast of characters is large and this was the first novel in a long time that gave me any issue with keeping up with who was who. It didn't help that a solid 80% of the characters are either Henry or Thomas, but I can't hold that against the author since they were historical figures. The action was occasionally hard to follow early on because of the way Mantel uses her pronouns. I won't say that it's unclear, but it's a part of her style that takes a bit of getting used to. Once I got into her rhythm, the book flowed fairly easily, but it's a bit of an unusual rhythm that's easy to fall out of.
After reading the book I am excited to actually read actual history of the time. Some of the ancillary characters obviously have historical significance and I feel behind the curve for not knowing. However, with a view of them in mind, I think it will be fun to go through and meet them in nonfiction. Obviously I'll have a bit of bias as to how she portrayed them in my mind, but the compare and contrast promises to be entertaining. ...more
Bryson is an American expat who after 20 years of living across the pond, comes back to the states. I was most interested in seeing what aspects of AmBryson is an American expat who after 20 years of living across the pond, comes back to the states. I was most interested in seeing what aspects of American life struck Mr. Bryson as being most different from English life. However, while there were some glimpses of the cultural divide, I felt they were generally lacking in insight, and most of the magazine articles were merely cute and/or interesting. Note: By no means were they BAD, just not what I was promised.
By the far the best part of the book was that it was often funny. Not just make me smile, but laugh out loud funny. It would have been the perfect book to read on the can...just not in public. Badly stifled giggles from the stall next door would probably be odd. ...more
This is the first book I'd read by Martinez, and I wasn't disappointed. Divine Misfortune is about a young couple and their search for a new god. The This is the first book I'd read by Martinez, and I wasn't disappointed. Divine Misfortune is about a young couple and their search for a new god. The gods are everywhere, and they affect everything.
The book is cute. I think I only laughed out loud once, but I was grinning at the wit and humor the whole time. It was a fast read; I picked it up after work and had it done when I went to bed. Great if you're just looking for something to kill a few hours with.
As to the reviews that keep invoking Gaiman....stop! The books are not similar, the writing is not similar, the stories are not similar, and the themes are not similar. The only similarity is that they both deal with large array of gods, though in vastly different ways. ...more
I loved the premise of this book. Three people are working together to try and decipher an historic and cryptic text. Though they are a varied lot, thI loved the premise of this book. Three people are working together to try and decipher an historic and cryptic text. Though they are a varied lot, the astronomer, the Jesuit priest, and the, well we'll call her an other since she's math/computer science/law/just all around amazing, the trio makes sense since all fields seem pretty necessary in figuring out the manuscript.
It is a decent read, but decent is about where I'd stop. It's quick, and if religion (especially Catholic history) or astronomy are your things it should get some bonus points. In the end though, it's worth reading only if you have the special interest, a day to kill, or nothing else to read.
Almost immediately I felt like I had started the DaVinci Code. There was mystery, history, and enough suspense to keep me turning the pages. I felt bad for thinking this since I hate the DaVinci Code, but I thought it. Almost as soon as the thought entered my head, the author not only bashed the book, but the publishing company for even putting it out. That made me feel better, and laugh.
The first half of the book was a solid 3 stars as a novel and edging towards a 4 star simply because his history is so good. There are lots of stories about Kepler and Brahe, as well as others in their time in science and politics. Like I said, the history was good. A little slow sometimes, but good.
As the main characters got more into the mystery however, things started to fall flat. I can accept a convenient coincidence or two, but things started to pile up. I'm not very familiar with the Voynich manuscript, but it also seemed that some of their "discoveries" were a little too easy for a text that had the been object of study for centuries. Then there was the dialogue. It wasn't all of the dialogue, just the "A HA!" moments which were more and more frequent toward the end. Person 1 "I figured something out." Person 2 "What?" Person 1 "Don't you see it?" Person 2 "No, tell me!" Person 3 "AHH I see it now, it's like this." Person 2 "Ahhh." It was the same every time. A character never comes out and says it, everything is presented in a follow-my-logic type scenario. While it was bearable early on when they were simply tossing around ideas, as things got tight (as in we only have X amount of time before we have to leave Rome) I wondered why they were wasting the time and getting to the point.
***Minor Spoiler, I'm talking about the end, which I rather obvious...***
So I was a bit disappointed by the ending, but I expected to be. We don't know what the manuscript means, and any attempt by the author to decipher it would have fallen flat. While initially upsetting, it's the right choice. It's not a cliffhanger, it's just the result of basing a book on a real thing that nobody understands. What really did upset me about the end however were the loose ends. In the last 3 chapters of the book a number of new characters are introduced that just get brushed aside. The there's Hector's job offer. Where in the world did that come from? Totally out of the blue. How did the Argentinian astronomer get the book? While we can probably assume it somehow made its way from the former prior, we don't know. How is John taking Juana's death? The ending felt unnatural and very rushed. ...more
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