book log
Time for another sporadic book log! Vague spoilers ahoy.
[A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray]
So this is that one book I always have in these logs that I can't really remember because I read it so long ago. I really enjoyed it, though. One of my favorite things was that the characters really felt and spoke like teenage girls, with teenage girl concerns. The ending suffered from the same thing that lots of books about magic do: the magical climax was sort of hard to picture and underwhelming, but would probably look really cool on screen. Anyways, I really enjoyed it and will probably seek out the rest of the trilogy at some point.
[Timeless - Gail Carriger]
Timeless is the last of the Parasol Protectorate books, or the last one about Alexia. There's a new series starting in the next year or so about Prudence once she's grown and, with the things that were set up in Timeless, I'm really looking forward to it. This book, like the other Parasol Protectorate books, suffered from fuzzy motivation, rather opaque action sequences, convenient coincidences, and weird time scales. However, it was still a very fun read. The story was entertaining, the characters are delightful, and I really enjoy the world that Carriger has created. This was a strong addition to the series (I think Changeless is still the low point), and I found it easy to ignore the failings and just enjoy the ride. My favorite part was probably how much the secondary characters got a chance to shine; all I'm going to say is BIFFY! I loved the first major development in his storyline, and am really looking forward to seeing how the second major development plays out. Also, I totally ship it.
[Ready Player One - Ernest Cline]
Basically: Second Life meets Dungeons and Dragons meets the eighties. This book is a nerd's fantasy. It reminds me a lot of the gamer films of the eighties--random video game nerd gets to go on adventures and save the world through his gaming abilities. At the same time, this book feels very contemporary--the antagonist is a largefaceless corporation that wants to take over the internet-equivalent and monetize it through fees and advertisements. Because of both these things, I don't think it will date particularly well--it feels written specifically to Gen X's preoccupations and concerns. The writing's not amazing either--the story is predictable and the writing is serviceable rather than amazing (the dialogue particularly is stilted and at times the story veers a bit too much into showing off the author's/Wade's arcane knowledge). I didn't connect with it as much as some will--I was born in 83 and much of my video game (etc) knowledge is through my husband, dad or brother rather than first-hand experience.
One disappointment: gender and race are still a big deal, even in a world primarily lived through a virtual reality. I'm not sure if it's another reflection of today's gaming culture or just a lack of imagination on the part of the author. And I was really unimpressed with the reason for Art3mis's hesitation--I totally get her argument, but the reveal at the end was annoying and patronizing. Overall, though, it was a very fun book, and I'll totally see the movie. It will be interesting to see if they'll be able to get the rights to everything!
[An Acceptable Time - Madeleine L'Engle]
I am sad to say that I've found a Madeleine L'Engle book that I really did not like. So many of her other books have interesting stories, relatable characters, and deal beautifully with life and love and the universe. This one . . . dragged. It was strange and problematic (sorry): Polly goes back in time and finds that some Celts have landed in North America and are teaching the native population how to heal and such. She's in danger of being sacrificed because they need rain. Sigh. Plus, modern people are teaching themselves to speak with the ancient Native Americans through ogham carvings that were left behind? I don't know. It was weird and annoying and I'm sad about it.
[Out of the Silent Planet - C. S. Lewis]
I found Lewis's sci-fi trilogy in 1960s editions at the local sci-fi bookstore and picked them up awhile back and finally got around to reading the first. I enjoyed it quite a bit, particularly because the main character is a philologist and spends his time trying to learn the language of the aliens he encounters on Mars--I could identify with him quite a bit : ) I found the religious message a bit heavy-handed when it started to pick up at the end, but the rest of the book was charming enough that I'll continue with the trilogy. I think the book is much more fantasy in a sci-fi setting than straight-up sci-fi, but unlike certain people I know, I'm not a sci-fi purist. I was more interested in all the rest (philosophical discussions of poetry, for example) than the trappings : )
[A Storm of Swords - George R. R. Martin]
I'm not sure I have anything to say about this book that I haven't said already. Pretty much: AAAAAHHHHHHHH. I liked this better than Clash of Kings: it rips your heart out and punches you in the gut and moves the story forward in lots of interesting ways. I liked Tyrion/Sansa, the Dornishmen, Jaime & Brienne, Jon & Ygritte, Sansa as ever, and everything that happened in the last 100 pages or so (Jaime's return, Jon's election, the Eyrie stuff holy crap, etc). I'm probably forgetting a lot, but this book is overwhelming, in a good way. And ultimately, I'm glad I was spoiled for the Red Wedding. I think the world will be in collective shock when that airs in the show.
[Chindi - Jack McDevitt]
I really enjoyed this. Straight-up sci-fi, about a commercial voyage that goes off in search of aliens and finds more and less than they wanted. I like the image of the near-future that is posited: humans have found a couple of other civilizations, but most are dead or disappeared or radically different. I found the concept of a museum vessel neat, too--it reminded me a bit of the Star Trek episode "The Squire of Gothos." The only thing that I didn't really like was the depiction of the female characters; the ship's captain Priscilla was cool but there's a bit too much "girls are like this" sort of stuff--it felt like the book should have been written 27 years ago rather than just 7. Aside from that, though, I found it an interesting and entertaining read.
[The Host - Stephenie Meyer]
Yup. I read this. A friend of mine gave me his copy and told me to read it, that it wasn't as bad as Twilight and so, because of my damnable curiosity, I did. He was right--I think it is much better than the vampire novels, and also much more nuanced. It's not good, but it was an enjoyable read. It does suffer from many of the same problems as Twilight: the plot is minimal, the female protagonist is extremely passive, and so much of it boils down to (suspect) relationships with men. It's also clear that Stephenie Meyer has very little clue about survivalism: I doubt people who live by raiding would go for boxes of Cheetos and granola bars rather than, say, grains and legumes. And does no one in that compound know how to cure meat? Also, soap is alkali, not acidic. So, a lot of the book is silly. But there are some interesting ideas, and some really lovely moments when the main (alien) character is contemplating what it means to be human. Perfectly fine for a summer read.
Oh, and I read The Book of Deacon for my bookclub, and it was . . . not good. I think with a few rounds of workshopping and significant revisions it could be decent mainstream fantasy, but as it is, it's barely readable--one of the handful of books I wasn't actually able to finish.
[A Great and Terrible Beauty - Libba Bray]
So this is that one book I always have in these logs that I can't really remember because I read it so long ago. I really enjoyed it, though. One of my favorite things was that the characters really felt and spoke like teenage girls, with teenage girl concerns. The ending suffered from the same thing that lots of books about magic do: the magical climax was sort of hard to picture and underwhelming, but would probably look really cool on screen. Anyways, I really enjoyed it and will probably seek out the rest of the trilogy at some point.
[Timeless - Gail Carriger]
Timeless is the last of the Parasol Protectorate books, or the last one about Alexia. There's a new series starting in the next year or so about Prudence once she's grown and, with the things that were set up in Timeless, I'm really looking forward to it. This book, like the other Parasol Protectorate books, suffered from fuzzy motivation, rather opaque action sequences, convenient coincidences, and weird time scales. However, it was still a very fun read. The story was entertaining, the characters are delightful, and I really enjoy the world that Carriger has created. This was a strong addition to the series (I think Changeless is still the low point), and I found it easy to ignore the failings and just enjoy the ride. My favorite part was probably how much the secondary characters got a chance to shine; all I'm going to say is BIFFY! I loved the first major development in his storyline, and am really looking forward to seeing how the second major development plays out. Also, I totally ship it.
[Ready Player One - Ernest Cline]
Basically: Second Life meets Dungeons and Dragons meets the eighties. This book is a nerd's fantasy. It reminds me a lot of the gamer films of the eighties--random video game nerd gets to go on adventures and save the world through his gaming abilities. At the same time, this book feels very contemporary--the antagonist is a largefaceless corporation that wants to take over the internet-equivalent and monetize it through fees and advertisements. Because of both these things, I don't think it will date particularly well--it feels written specifically to Gen X's preoccupations and concerns. The writing's not amazing either--the story is predictable and the writing is serviceable rather than amazing (the dialogue particularly is stilted and at times the story veers a bit too much into showing off the author's/Wade's arcane knowledge). I didn't connect with it as much as some will--I was born in 83 and much of my video game (etc) knowledge is through my husband, dad or brother rather than first-hand experience.
One disappointment: gender and race are still a big deal, even in a world primarily lived through a virtual reality. I'm not sure if it's another reflection of today's gaming culture or just a lack of imagination on the part of the author. And I was really unimpressed with the reason for Art3mis's hesitation--I totally get her argument, but the reveal at the end was annoying and patronizing. Overall, though, it was a very fun book, and I'll totally see the movie. It will be interesting to see if they'll be able to get the rights to everything!
[An Acceptable Time - Madeleine L'Engle]
I am sad to say that I've found a Madeleine L'Engle book that I really did not like. So many of her other books have interesting stories, relatable characters, and deal beautifully with life and love and the universe. This one . . . dragged. It was strange and problematic (sorry): Polly goes back in time and finds that some Celts have landed in North America and are teaching the native population how to heal and such. She's in danger of being sacrificed because they need rain. Sigh. Plus, modern people are teaching themselves to speak with the ancient Native Americans through ogham carvings that were left behind? I don't know. It was weird and annoying and I'm sad about it.
[Out of the Silent Planet - C. S. Lewis]
I found Lewis's sci-fi trilogy in 1960s editions at the local sci-fi bookstore and picked them up awhile back and finally got around to reading the first. I enjoyed it quite a bit, particularly because the main character is a philologist and spends his time trying to learn the language of the aliens he encounters on Mars--I could identify with him quite a bit : ) I found the religious message a bit heavy-handed when it started to pick up at the end, but the rest of the book was charming enough that I'll continue with the trilogy. I think the book is much more fantasy in a sci-fi setting than straight-up sci-fi, but unlike certain people I know, I'm not a sci-fi purist. I was more interested in all the rest (philosophical discussions of poetry, for example) than the trappings : )
[A Storm of Swords - George R. R. Martin]
I'm not sure I have anything to say about this book that I haven't said already. Pretty much: AAAAAHHHHHHHH. I liked this better than Clash of Kings: it rips your heart out and punches you in the gut and moves the story forward in lots of interesting ways. I liked Tyrion/Sansa, the Dornishmen, Jaime & Brienne, Jon & Ygritte, Sansa as ever, and everything that happened in the last 100 pages or so (Jaime's return, Jon's election, the Eyrie stuff holy crap, etc). I'm probably forgetting a lot, but this book is overwhelming, in a good way. And ultimately, I'm glad I was spoiled for the Red Wedding. I think the world will be in collective shock when that airs in the show.
[Chindi - Jack McDevitt]
I really enjoyed this. Straight-up sci-fi, about a commercial voyage that goes off in search of aliens and finds more and less than they wanted. I like the image of the near-future that is posited: humans have found a couple of other civilizations, but most are dead or disappeared or radically different. I found the concept of a museum vessel neat, too--it reminded me a bit of the Star Trek episode "The Squire of Gothos." The only thing that I didn't really like was the depiction of the female characters; the ship's captain Priscilla was cool but there's a bit too much "girls are like this" sort of stuff--it felt like the book should have been written 27 years ago rather than just 7. Aside from that, though, I found it an interesting and entertaining read.
[The Host - Stephenie Meyer]
Yup. I read this. A friend of mine gave me his copy and told me to read it, that it wasn't as bad as Twilight and so, because of my damnable curiosity, I did. He was right--I think it is much better than the vampire novels, and also much more nuanced. It's not good, but it was an enjoyable read. It does suffer from many of the same problems as Twilight: the plot is minimal, the female protagonist is extremely passive, and so much of it boils down to (suspect) relationships with men. It's also clear that Stephenie Meyer has very little clue about survivalism: I doubt people who live by raiding would go for boxes of Cheetos and granola bars rather than, say, grains and legumes. And does no one in that compound know how to cure meat? Also, soap is alkali, not acidic. So, a lot of the book is silly. But there are some interesting ideas, and some really lovely moments when the main (alien) character is contemplating what it means to be human. Perfectly fine for a summer read.
Oh, and I read The Book of Deacon for my bookclub, and it was . . . not good. I think with a few rounds of workshopping and significant revisions it could be decent mainstream fantasy, but as it is, it's barely readable--one of the handful of books I wasn't actually able to finish.