Books
I haven't actually mentioned any books I've read March... I don't even recall half of the books I read by now, but I'll try a quick list:
4. Never let me go by Kazuro Ishiguro: The guy who wrote "Remains of the Day", which was also made into an excellent movie. This is a strange little book. It plays in the future, but starts of normally enough in boarding school. Thing is, the kids there are all clones, waiting to be harvested when the need arises. The main character is working as carer for those who have their organs removed one by one bidding time until it's her turn. Her story is told mostly in flashbacks but also slowly moving on in the current time. I thought it was an amazing read. The characters are difficult to like, but feel so very real. The whole mood of the book invokes a dark forest with mist coming in every evening, but also sunny spots here and there. 4 1/2 out of 5*
5. Beautiful Chaos by Gary Russel (Doctor Who): Wilf remembers an adventure he had together with the Doctor and Donna. This is a fan favourite and I did enjoy it. This book could actually be an important puzzle piece for the RTD area :) 3 1/2* of 5
6. The Stealers of Dreams by Steve Lyons (Doctor Who): In the future The Doctor, Rose and Jack end up on a planet where fiction is forbidden and whoever lies is on a steady path to madness. What looks like a dictatorship arisen from a need in the past, turns out to hide a very real danger. I really, really liked this! I didn't think I'd enjoy these Doctor Who tie-ins, but this was a good story on it's own and even if it's shorter than my usual reading material it does not feel hurried. Definitely one of my favourite Who books so far. 4* out of 5.
7. The Price of Paradise by Colin Brake (Doctor Who): The Doctor and Rose find themselves on a planet that should be Paradise but something makes it turn on itself. Together with a group of adventurers who were looking for this planet, they try to unveil its secret while staying alive. It's a nice adventure romp, with some sweet scenes in it. Enjoyable but not remarkable. 3* out of 5.
8. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss: This is the story of Kvothe and how he became one of the most powerful and most dreaded people in the world. It sounds like the usual fare at first, but the prose and the POV that stays mostly fixed on Kvothe, who's telling his own story, makes this refreshing. I think more than the story I actually liked the prose, it feels so fresh and fitting. There are quite a few things that seemed a bit rushed or even like fanfiction, but as this is the first novel, I definitely won't judge the author on them. I'm looking forward to the next part, which seems to be way overdue already. 4* out of 5.
9. In Tasmania: At the End of the World by Nicholas Shakespeare: This book gives a fantastic insight in the early years of Tasmania's colonization. The author, who himself moved to Tasmania, traces the history of his predecessors and through their involvement shows us the colonization of Tasmania. It's insightful, split into interesting chapters, but ultimately lacking a stronger red thread. It's jumping quite a bit, repeating points in different chapters and a bit undecided if it wants to be a biography of any kind or not. Still, if you want to know more about Tasmania, this is an excellent book to start as, through everything that happens, the love of the author for this island at the end of the world really shines through. 3 1/2* of 5
10. Bevor Sie aus der Haus fahren by Karin Mager: A book I found. It tells you how to manage conflicts. It had some interesting points, but nothing world changing. Still, not too bad a read. 2 1/2* of 5.
4. Never let me go by Kazuro Ishiguro: The guy who wrote "Remains of the Day", which was also made into an excellent movie. This is a strange little book. It plays in the future, but starts of normally enough in boarding school. Thing is, the kids there are all clones, waiting to be harvested when the need arises. The main character is working as carer for those who have their organs removed one by one bidding time until it's her turn. Her story is told mostly in flashbacks but also slowly moving on in the current time. I thought it was an amazing read. The characters are difficult to like, but feel so very real. The whole mood of the book invokes a dark forest with mist coming in every evening, but also sunny spots here and there. 4 1/2 out of 5*
5. Beautiful Chaos by Gary Russel (Doctor Who): Wilf remembers an adventure he had together with the Doctor and Donna. This is a fan favourite and I did enjoy it. This book could actually be an important puzzle piece for the RTD area :) 3 1/2* of 5
6. The Stealers of Dreams by Steve Lyons (Doctor Who): In the future The Doctor, Rose and Jack end up on a planet where fiction is forbidden and whoever lies is on a steady path to madness. What looks like a dictatorship arisen from a need in the past, turns out to hide a very real danger. I really, really liked this! I didn't think I'd enjoy these Doctor Who tie-ins, but this was a good story on it's own and even if it's shorter than my usual reading material it does not feel hurried. Definitely one of my favourite Who books so far. 4* out of 5.
7. The Price of Paradise by Colin Brake (Doctor Who): The Doctor and Rose find themselves on a planet that should be Paradise but something makes it turn on itself. Together with a group of adventurers who were looking for this planet, they try to unveil its secret while staying alive. It's a nice adventure romp, with some sweet scenes in it. Enjoyable but not remarkable. 3* out of 5.
8. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss: This is the story of Kvothe and how he became one of the most powerful and most dreaded people in the world. It sounds like the usual fare at first, but the prose and the POV that stays mostly fixed on Kvothe, who's telling his own story, makes this refreshing. I think more than the story I actually liked the prose, it feels so fresh and fitting. There are quite a few things that seemed a bit rushed or even like fanfiction, but as this is the first novel, I definitely won't judge the author on them. I'm looking forward to the next part, which seems to be way overdue already. 4* out of 5.
9. In Tasmania: At the End of the World by Nicholas Shakespeare: This book gives a fantastic insight in the early years of Tasmania's colonization. The author, who himself moved to Tasmania, traces the history of his predecessors and through their involvement shows us the colonization of Tasmania. It's insightful, split into interesting chapters, but ultimately lacking a stronger red thread. It's jumping quite a bit, repeating points in different chapters and a bit undecided if it wants to be a biography of any kind or not. Still, if you want to know more about Tasmania, this is an excellent book to start as, through everything that happens, the love of the author for this island at the end of the world really shines through. 3 1/2* of 5
10. Bevor Sie aus der Haus fahren by Karin Mager: A book I found. It tells you how to manage conflicts. It had some interesting points, but nothing world changing. Still, not too bad a read. 2 1/2* of 5.