Reading roundup of catching up
I haven't done a reading roundup in so long, and I think it's because I hit a patch where I don't want to talk about books at proper length, with quotes and stuff -- this happens to me occasionally. So, an abridged version, but I'm happy to talk about any of these with you in more detail -- more than happy!
35. D.M.Cornish, Factotum -- This is such a weird series for me. Sometimes I'll read a fantasy book where the story is founded on paper-thin worldbuilding (Graceling, I'm looking at you, with your kingoms named after the cardinal directions and cities named after kings). And then there's this series, where the worldbuilding goes miles deep (the books have got appendices to rival LotR), but the story is like a sandcastle on all this bedrock. I couldn't even tell if this was meant to be the end of a trilogy (the author seems to be planning more stories with the characters, based on stuff in his blog, but not, it sounds like, right away), because so little feels resolved. Also, I must say that I just don't care much about Rossamund. I do like Europe a lot, and was glad to see her back and present for most of the action. In fact, I would much rather have read a bildungsroman about her, as I find her a LOT more interesting than him. I also can't say I care much about any of the monsters, which, you know, is kind of the point of the series, I feel like. Also, I found the "explicarium" really limited this time. I kept flipping back to confirm my recollection of terms in previous books (the last one was a very long time ago), and not finding them there. Instead, there was a lot of epic history that didn't even seem relevant to the action in this book -- seemed like backstory Cornish didn't have a chance to explore more fully, so he just stuck it back there. Furstrating! And yet, I still enjoyed reading the explicarium more than the story, which is not the way it should go... According to Wikipedia, it sounds like Cornish made up the world first and then, in a hurry, wrote a story to sit in it, and I do think that shows... Ah well.
36. Adam Rex, Cold Cereal -- O actually found this at the library, and I got all excited when I saw that it was by the author of Smekday. It's not as good as Smekday, I think, and none of the characters appealed to me as much as Tip, but I liked the book. I liked Scott and the way his real name plays a part in the plot. And I loved him coming up with "Ex Caliber" as the far superior sword-based name for a gun. And he was just fun -- just the right mix of snarky and good kid; I liked him a lot. The intermissions of GoodCo history and commercials reminded me of the similar bits in Libba Bray's Beauty Queen (only less heavy-handed). One thing I didn't realize is that this wasn't a stand-alone but the beginning of a series. I'll read the rest as they come out, but I didn't love it as much as I did Smekday. Still pretty good, though!
37. Elizabet Bear and Sarah Monette, The Tempering of Men -- I liked it, though not as much as A Companion to Wolves. Spoilers! Here, the narration is shared between Vethulf and Skjaldwulf, Isolfr's wolfjarls, both of whom I like well enough, and I was happy enough to see them get together, and Brokkolfr, who was also fairly pleasant. I especially liked his wolf Amma, who really felt like a real animal. One thing I found neat about this book is the way adopted family roles keep coming up in it -- Fargrimr the sworn-son, of course (and a great quote there, "Skjaldwulf wondered for a moment what it was like to bake to being a man as a profession, rather than an accident of birth"), and Antimony the mother by-honor, and Skjaldwulf adopts Otter -- it's a neat theme. I liked the svartalfar practicing anathema arts. I liked the Rheans, too. I'm not sure how I feel about them being the main threat now, but I do like it that they have something to offer -- civilization, long life -- and that the way the Iskyrners are seen by other people (Brythons, e.g.) is also shown for the first time. The election of Isolfr's father as king at the end felt a bit random to me, but I'm looking forward to the conclusion of the trilogy.
38. Jane Austen,Northanger Abbey -- One of the Jane Austens I have never read, I picked it up because sarahtales had given it the m15m treatment (and it sounded fun in that rendition) and even more because ikel89 had started reading it. Peer pressure! Spoilery, I guess? It was a fun read, but I guess I'm not surprised to learn from lunasariel that this was the first novel Austen had written, though it was not published until much later (and probably revised in the meantime). The fourth-wall-breaking asides on novels definitely seem the work of a mature and confident novelist, but a lot of the rest does seem like a journeyman effort (of a very talented writer, of course). The characters are rather broader caricatures than they tend to be in her later works, including Catherine (who is nevertheless quite likeable, for all her naivite and fangirly flailing -- I did quite like her innate goodness and determination to believe the best of people), and the plot is... a bit uneven. Like, the whole thing where Emily's suitor comes out of nowhere in the end and the happy event is what convinces General Tilney to allow Henry to marry Catherine... that was just a tad random/rushed XD
My favorite characters were General Tilney (I feel compelled to quote myself: Jane Austen wrote me Regency Tywin, now with 100% less gangrape and dying on the can) and Isabella -- which is about par for the course, really. I found General Tilney's passive-aggressive bullying quite amusing to read about, as well as his pride in his gardens and obsession with food, and also his really subtle matchmaking. As for Isabella, I just found her fun and difficult to censure overmuch, but also believable the odious John Thorpe's sister, as a lot of their negative traits they do share, although they display them in different ways. I was kind of bummed that there was not any kind of resolution/redemption arc for her, because I didn't think she deserved to be entirely ditched, even if she was flighty and gold-digging. I actually kind of liked her friendship with Catherine. I also liked Eleanor Tilney, poor sweet and lonely thing. Henry, actually, didn't do as much for me, and I was side-eyeing him a bit for being all ironical with a seventeen-year-old, but once I saw Henry, Eleanor, and Catherine together, I realized he wasn't being high-handed and condescending with his teasing, that's just the way he was, and warmed up to him, though he still doesn't do a whole lot for me (sorry, ikel89, but more Henry for you ;P).
So, fun book, and I'm glad I finally read it. And then, buoyed by this success, I decided to attempt Emma, which is the other Austen I never read, and I don't think I'll be addressing that gap any time soon, because it just wasn't working for me...
39. Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights -- So, I'd actually kind of been avoiding this novel like the plague because it existed in my consciousness in the shape in which, I think, it sort of inhabits public consciousness these days, which is as a tragic romance of sorts, and I didn't want to read that. Then somebody (angerfish, maybe?) mentioned that it was not actually like that at all (I think it was in the context of Littlefinger discussion), and got me intrigued. Spoilers
Having read it, I must admit myself frankly baffled by anyone who is able to see the story as a romance and Heathcliff as a Byronic hero. I did find him sympathetic during the very virst part of Ellen Dean's story, when he's a boy persecuted by Hindley Earnshaw. Then, during the Edgar Linton, Cathy, and Heathcliff triangle, I did read it with a kind of gree, because at that point it's the story of awful people being awful at each other, and it's a bit cathartic to read about that. But as soon as Heathcliff (I keep trying to write "Littlefinger", I swear XD) got to the point where he was systematically destroying the lives of children who were entirely blameless of any mistreatment of him, it stopped being fun and became painful. But, really -- there are people who think Heathcliff is romantic? The man who hung a spaniel, abused his wife, turned one child into an illitarate thug and another into an invalid (and eventually a corpse), kept a teenage girl from seeing her dying father and smacked her about, and, when he is feeling particularly romantic, exhumes graves... Really? I generally have no trouble being intrigued by characters that most sane fans recoil from, like Tywin and Frey, but I have a hard time seeing anything remotely attractive in Heathcliff...
I did find Cathy Earnshaw a bit more sympathetic, even though she's a pretty awful person, too, in her treatment of Edgar and Isabella. Like Cersei, she doesn't have nearly as many avenues open to her as a man; while her conversation with Ellen about reasons for marrying Edgar is pretty chilling, it's also kind of understandable, since she doesn't have very many other options.
The only people I actually liked were were Ellen Dean and Cathy Linton (the daughter), and I found Edgar and Hareton fairly sympathetic (and was relieved that the novel got a happy(ish) ending at least, with Cathy and Hareton reconciling and getting married, and Ellen happy to see it. I also found Lockwood hilarious, which is another thing I did not expect from this novel. Poor Lockwood, blundering about and putting his foot in his mouth continuously. XP
40. Brave New Love, edited by Paua Guran -- short stories riding the wave of YA dystopia polularity, which is a bit transparent, but there were some good stories here. Individual stories, with occasional spoilers!
"Hidden Ribbon", by John Shirley -- I have no idea why this story was chosen to headline the book, as I think it was the weakest of the lot. Unimaginative dystopia, trying-to-be-realistic-but-actually-lame dialogue, and leaning real heavily on foreordained love. No thanks.
"The Salt Sea and the Sky", by Elizabeth Bear -- my favorite in the collection. Damn, Bear is a really good short story writer. The dystopia here was my favorite -- most believable, I thought, and all the more chilling for that -- not Hunger Games-esque where everything sucks, but rather the quiet dystopia of surplus people who live on government handouts with kibbutz-like sharing of property, luxuries like travel (and hobbies) are the things that have been eliminated, and unhappiness is adjusted away with meds, and how dreary it all is, and how stifling. It's also the story with the least romance in it -- there's an established couple (lesbian, which is normal, and even encouraged, because it doesn't contribute to overpopulation), and what love has to triumph over is routine, and not getting to choose your partner because you're boxed into the place you were born. This one made me tear up, and think, and pause to admire the writing and worldbuilding. Really, really good.
"In the Clearing", by Kiera Cass -- not bad at all, but suffered a bit by following such a strong story. It's another mind-control dystopia where everybody is drugged happy, except for the rebels living outside the city -- it reminded me a bit of Uglies that way. Not bad, but not a standout.
"Otherwise", by Nisi Shawl -- I didn't much care for the dystopia, but I liked the writing, and it was neat to have a story in a YA romance collection which starts off with a lesbian relationship (and the narrator is emphatically not a conventionally pretty, white girl, to boot) and ends with the promise of a triad.
"Now Purple with Love's Wound", by Carrie Vaughn -- post-apocalyptic medievalish something or other, where love is induced and the girl tries to prove to the guy that she loves him not just because... or whatever. One of the weaker ones for my money. I didn't care about either the world or the characters, and it just felt like a bit of fanfic rather than serious work.
"Berserker Eyes", by Maria V. Snyder -- another story I quite liked, because while there's romance, it's highly secondary to what else is going on -- the berserker dystopia, and the hints of what had happened and what's to come.
"Arose from Poetry", by Steve Berman -- very odd story. I liked some of it, the weird communist propaganda feel + robots, and the dual narrators, but ultimately it left me going "huh?" too much for me to enjoy it.
"Red", by Amanda Downum -- goregously written, and I liked it for that, even though the topic, post-zombie apocalypse and all, is really not my thing.
"Foundlings", by Diana Peterfreund -- interesting idea for a dystopia, with child protection and abstinence education taken beyond the limit, and I liked that it featured twins, but ultimately I'd been hoping for something more interesting from the author.
"Seekers in the City", by Jeanne DuPrau -- really pretty lame. A boy and a girl glimpse each other across a crowded bus, then spend ages looking to track down each other, making other people's lives better in the process. Then they finally meat and it turns out that they had a common friend all along (which I had totally seen coming). Yes, just as predictable and unoriginal as it sounds.
"The Up", by Nina Kiriki Hoffman -- the other standout story for me (and possibly not unrelated to the fact that the romance is barely even hinted at here). The dystopia is scary but also believeable, to me, the story really gets the sense of its setting across, and the different morals of its protagonists, and I liked the characters and did not see the twist coming.
"The Dream Eater", by Carrie Ryan -- something like "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" (I imagine; I've read about the story, but not the story itself) as YA romance. Weird, and I liked the stunt writing, but can't say the story worked for me overall.
"357", by Jesse Karp -- the oddest "love story" in the bunch, and I kind of respect it for that, even if the character, worldbuilding, and writing didn't do much for me.
"Eric and Pan", by William Sleator -- not a bad story, but I felt like it was too Issue-y. Now, I happen to agree with the issues -- gay right and immigrant education -- but I still don't like heavy-handed issue-y stories. :/
"The Empty Pocket", by Seth Cadin -- I freely admit I have no idea what the hell even went on in this story. I'm pretty sure I only finished it because it was the last one.
To summarize: really loved EBear's "The Salt Sea and the Sky" and Nina Kiriki Hoffman's "The Up". Quite liked Maria V Snyder's "Berserker Eyes" and Amanda Downum's "Red" and Nisi Shawl's "Otherwise". The others were not really my thing, or I'd been expecting better from the authors.
41. Beth Fantaskey, Jessica Rules the Dark Side -- this was the book that had me ranting about "can't live without you" tropes. I had picked up the first book that this is a sequel to because I was hoping for anti-Twilight. It wasn't, alas, but I was in too deep to quit when I realized that. I picked up this one because I wanted to see where the series would go. Not anywhere very interesting. Spoilers! Jessica -- who had at least been independent and had her own areas of competence -- has become weak and clueless and isn't even trying. It's justified as she never wanted to be a vampire princess, she just wanted to be with Lucius, but that's lame-ass justification for someone not even bothering to buy a book on learning Romanian when she lives in a castle where she can't speak the language. And then she does decide she wants to be a vampire princess and starts actually doing things and impressing people -- but still talks about how, if Lucius does not survive, she will kill herself too because she can't live without him, waaah. Ugh!
I saw the bad guys reveal coming from a mile off, and it bugged me, too, because I actually kind of liked the way one of the vampires was not a bloodthirsty thug -- but, of course, it's because he's a traitorous coward. *sigh*
I do like Lucius, who manages to be a brooding vampire prince and also retain some sense of humour and seem like a decent guy, which is not a given, sadly, and I liked Raniero, the surfer dude vegetarian vampire, too. And while I still think this series is needlessly mean to Mindy, Jessica's best friend, at least she got her turn to shine here, which was nice.
42. Tamora Pierce, Mastiff -- That was fun! I can now say that I really enjoyed the Beka Cooper series, though Kel's remains my favorite. This last book surprised me in a number of ways, most of them good. Spoiler! First, let's get the less-good one out of the way: I didn't really buy Tunstall's betrayal. He just didn't strike me as the type to make a deal with the bad guys, especially when it meant betraying a partner and sabotaging a mission that the woman he loved, and was supposedly doing everything for, was also on. I thought it was a neat step, showing a good guy going bad, and someone so close to Bekka, and the fight between them, and Beka's conflicted reactions to him after and at his death, all of that was well handled, but I just couldn't buy the central premise.
Now, the good surprises. I hadn't expected the book to skip several years ahead, or to find Beka with a dead fiance she wasn't really mourning. I thought the way that whole line was handled was really good -- I readily believed that someone like Beka could end up in a situation like that, and react just as she did, seeking solace in work and feeling guilty for how little she misses him. (And kudos, too, for making Beka someone who, despite being shy and straight-arrow, enjoys sex, and misses that when she doesn't miss the person.) Master Farmer was another pleasant surprise. Like just about everyone, I think, I figured that Beka's dead-end relationships so far were leading up to her finally giving in and giving Rosto a chance, and Beka/Rosto being the endgame pairing. I was happy to be proven wrong, because it's really refreshing to see the guy with a crush just having to continue to be resigned that it's not going to happen, and also I like goofy Farmer (who is a bit like Achoo in this respect, where his "silliness" is probably a result of him being extra clever) more than I like Rosto, even if a lot of his techniques were rather "CSI: Tortall" and stretched my disbelief a bit. I did think they were moving a little fast there, and I can't say that I like too much the way Beka immediately starts thinking about Farmer as "my man", but, OK, whatever floats her boat.
One thing that really struck me about this book was how focused on bodily fluids and excretions it was. Achoo tracking specifically by the scent of piss, vomit, and "scummer", and then there's Farmer secreting his magic away by swallowing and then excreting it, and the conversation about how they didn't get cavity searched. That was... interesting.
And it was neat to get George's first glimpse at "Alan" from his point of view there at the end.
43. Tess Gerritsen, Silent Girl -- After I finished Mastiff, I found I just wanted to read a regular mystery, so I picked up this book which had been languishing in my to-read pile for months, and it proved to be just the thing. Spoilers! major spoilers for everything, including the whodunit! This book was Jane-heavy, which is a big positive in my book, because I liked Jane a lot more than I like Maura. The mystery was interesting enough, even though I guess a lot of the twists up front -- well, sort of. I guessed that Mark (the step-brother) was the killer, but not that Patrick (the father) had been in on it. It's pretty clear that Bella is Wu Weimin's daughter, and I also guessed that Detective Tam was his son from the first wife, mentioned offhand. About the only thing I didn't guess, except around the same time Jane did, was that Charlotte had run away, and the fact that she was hiding in Maine I didn't guess up front at all.
There were a number of lines that struck me as kinda orientalist, you know, "inscrutable black eyes like reflective stones", that sort of thing. But, I dunno, Gerritsen is Chinese-American herself, and I'm probably not the right person to judge. (I think this was also the first edition I read which had an author picture on it, or at least one so prominently displayed, so that one could see the author is Asian. But that might be just coincidence in the editions I have come across.)
Anyway, this was a fast read -- I finished it in like two days -- and exactly what I was looking for, so, yay.
44. Connie Willis, All About Emily -- very cute, even though all the Hollywood and Broadway references were loast on me. I liked the narrator, and I liked Emily, and I generally like the way Connie Willis writes, even if it is a bit more optimistic about humanity than I am. I... don't really have much more to say about this novella. It was cute, though!
Currently reading: EBear, Range of Ghosts, and poking through a bunch of genre short story collections.
35. D.M.Cornish, Factotum -- This is such a weird series for me. Sometimes I'll read a fantasy book where the story is founded on paper-thin worldbuilding (Graceling, I'm looking at you, with your kingoms named after the cardinal directions and cities named after kings). And then there's this series, where the worldbuilding goes miles deep (the books have got appendices to rival LotR), but the story is like a sandcastle on all this bedrock. I couldn't even tell if this was meant to be the end of a trilogy (the author seems to be planning more stories with the characters, based on stuff in his blog, but not, it sounds like, right away), because so little feels resolved. Also, I must say that I just don't care much about Rossamund. I do like Europe a lot, and was glad to see her back and present for most of the action. In fact, I would much rather have read a bildungsroman about her, as I find her a LOT more interesting than him. I also can't say I care much about any of the monsters, which, you know, is kind of the point of the series, I feel like. Also, I found the "explicarium" really limited this time. I kept flipping back to confirm my recollection of terms in previous books (the last one was a very long time ago), and not finding them there. Instead, there was a lot of epic history that didn't even seem relevant to the action in this book -- seemed like backstory Cornish didn't have a chance to explore more fully, so he just stuck it back there. Furstrating! And yet, I still enjoyed reading the explicarium more than the story, which is not the way it should go... According to Wikipedia, it sounds like Cornish made up the world first and then, in a hurry, wrote a story to sit in it, and I do think that shows... Ah well.
36. Adam Rex, Cold Cereal -- O actually found this at the library, and I got all excited when I saw that it was by the author of Smekday. It's not as good as Smekday, I think, and none of the characters appealed to me as much as Tip, but I liked the book. I liked Scott and the way his real name plays a part in the plot. And I loved him coming up with "Ex Caliber" as the far superior sword-based name for a gun. And he was just fun -- just the right mix of snarky and good kid; I liked him a lot. The intermissions of GoodCo history and commercials reminded me of the similar bits in Libba Bray's Beauty Queen (only less heavy-handed). One thing I didn't realize is that this wasn't a stand-alone but the beginning of a series. I'll read the rest as they come out, but I didn't love it as much as I did Smekday. Still pretty good, though!
37. Elizabet Bear and Sarah Monette, The Tempering of Men -- I liked it, though not as much as A Companion to Wolves. Spoilers! Here, the narration is shared between Vethulf and Skjaldwulf, Isolfr's wolfjarls, both of whom I like well enough, and I was happy enough to see them get together, and Brokkolfr, who was also fairly pleasant. I especially liked his wolf Amma, who really felt like a real animal. One thing I found neat about this book is the way adopted family roles keep coming up in it -- Fargrimr the sworn-son, of course (and a great quote there, "Skjaldwulf wondered for a moment what it was like to bake to being a man as a profession, rather than an accident of birth"), and Antimony the mother by-honor, and Skjaldwulf adopts Otter -- it's a neat theme. I liked the svartalfar practicing anathema arts. I liked the Rheans, too. I'm not sure how I feel about them being the main threat now, but I do like it that they have something to offer -- civilization, long life -- and that the way the Iskyrners are seen by other people (Brythons, e.g.) is also shown for the first time. The election of Isolfr's father as king at the end felt a bit random to me, but I'm looking forward to the conclusion of the trilogy.
38. Jane Austen,Northanger Abbey -- One of the Jane Austens I have never read, I picked it up because sarahtales had given it the m15m treatment (and it sounded fun in that rendition) and even more because ikel89 had started reading it. Peer pressure! Spoilery, I guess? It was a fun read, but I guess I'm not surprised to learn from lunasariel that this was the first novel Austen had written, though it was not published until much later (and probably revised in the meantime). The fourth-wall-breaking asides on novels definitely seem the work of a mature and confident novelist, but a lot of the rest does seem like a journeyman effort (of a very talented writer, of course). The characters are rather broader caricatures than they tend to be in her later works, including Catherine (who is nevertheless quite likeable, for all her naivite and fangirly flailing -- I did quite like her innate goodness and determination to believe the best of people), and the plot is... a bit uneven. Like, the whole thing where Emily's suitor comes out of nowhere in the end and the happy event is what convinces General Tilney to allow Henry to marry Catherine... that was just a tad random/rushed XD
My favorite characters were General Tilney (I feel compelled to quote myself: Jane Austen wrote me Regency Tywin, now with 100% less gangrape and dying on the can) and Isabella -- which is about par for the course, really. I found General Tilney's passive-aggressive bullying quite amusing to read about, as well as his pride in his gardens and obsession with food, and also his really subtle matchmaking. As for Isabella, I just found her fun and difficult to censure overmuch, but also believable the odious John Thorpe's sister, as a lot of their negative traits they do share, although they display them in different ways. I was kind of bummed that there was not any kind of resolution/redemption arc for her, because I didn't think she deserved to be entirely ditched, even if she was flighty and gold-digging. I actually kind of liked her friendship with Catherine. I also liked Eleanor Tilney, poor sweet and lonely thing. Henry, actually, didn't do as much for me, and I was side-eyeing him a bit for being all ironical with a seventeen-year-old, but once I saw Henry, Eleanor, and Catherine together, I realized he wasn't being high-handed and condescending with his teasing, that's just the way he was, and warmed up to him, though he still doesn't do a whole lot for me (sorry, ikel89, but more Henry for you ;P).
So, fun book, and I'm glad I finally read it. And then, buoyed by this success, I decided to attempt Emma, which is the other Austen I never read, and I don't think I'll be addressing that gap any time soon, because it just wasn't working for me...
39. Emily Bronte, Wuthering Heights -- So, I'd actually kind of been avoiding this novel like the plague because it existed in my consciousness in the shape in which, I think, it sort of inhabits public consciousness these days, which is as a tragic romance of sorts, and I didn't want to read that. Then somebody (angerfish, maybe?) mentioned that it was not actually like that at all (I think it was in the context of Littlefinger discussion), and got me intrigued. Spoilers
Having read it, I must admit myself frankly baffled by anyone who is able to see the story as a romance and Heathcliff as a Byronic hero. I did find him sympathetic during the very virst part of Ellen Dean's story, when he's a boy persecuted by Hindley Earnshaw. Then, during the Edgar Linton, Cathy, and Heathcliff triangle, I did read it with a kind of gree, because at that point it's the story of awful people being awful at each other, and it's a bit cathartic to read about that. But as soon as Heathcliff (I keep trying to write "Littlefinger", I swear XD) got to the point where he was systematically destroying the lives of children who were entirely blameless of any mistreatment of him, it stopped being fun and became painful. But, really -- there are people who think Heathcliff is romantic? The man who hung a spaniel, abused his wife, turned one child into an illitarate thug and another into an invalid (and eventually a corpse), kept a teenage girl from seeing her dying father and smacked her about, and, when he is feeling particularly romantic, exhumes graves... Really? I generally have no trouble being intrigued by characters that most sane fans recoil from, like Tywin and Frey, but I have a hard time seeing anything remotely attractive in Heathcliff...
I did find Cathy Earnshaw a bit more sympathetic, even though she's a pretty awful person, too, in her treatment of Edgar and Isabella. Like Cersei, she doesn't have nearly as many avenues open to her as a man; while her conversation with Ellen about reasons for marrying Edgar is pretty chilling, it's also kind of understandable, since she doesn't have very many other options.
The only people I actually liked were were Ellen Dean and Cathy Linton (the daughter), and I found Edgar and Hareton fairly sympathetic (and was relieved that the novel got a happy(ish) ending at least, with Cathy and Hareton reconciling and getting married, and Ellen happy to see it. I also found Lockwood hilarious, which is another thing I did not expect from this novel. Poor Lockwood, blundering about and putting his foot in his mouth continuously. XP
40. Brave New Love, edited by Paua Guran -- short stories riding the wave of YA dystopia polularity, which is a bit transparent, but there were some good stories here. Individual stories, with occasional spoilers!
"Hidden Ribbon", by John Shirley -- I have no idea why this story was chosen to headline the book, as I think it was the weakest of the lot. Unimaginative dystopia, trying-to-be-realistic-but-actually-lame dialogue, and leaning real heavily on foreordained love. No thanks.
"The Salt Sea and the Sky", by Elizabeth Bear -- my favorite in the collection. Damn, Bear is a really good short story writer. The dystopia here was my favorite -- most believable, I thought, and all the more chilling for that -- not Hunger Games-esque where everything sucks, but rather the quiet dystopia of surplus people who live on government handouts with kibbutz-like sharing of property, luxuries like travel (and hobbies) are the things that have been eliminated, and unhappiness is adjusted away with meds, and how dreary it all is, and how stifling. It's also the story with the least romance in it -- there's an established couple (lesbian, which is normal, and even encouraged, because it doesn't contribute to overpopulation), and what love has to triumph over is routine, and not getting to choose your partner because you're boxed into the place you were born. This one made me tear up, and think, and pause to admire the writing and worldbuilding. Really, really good.
"In the Clearing", by Kiera Cass -- not bad at all, but suffered a bit by following such a strong story. It's another mind-control dystopia where everybody is drugged happy, except for the rebels living outside the city -- it reminded me a bit of Uglies that way. Not bad, but not a standout.
"Otherwise", by Nisi Shawl -- I didn't much care for the dystopia, but I liked the writing, and it was neat to have a story in a YA romance collection which starts off with a lesbian relationship (and the narrator is emphatically not a conventionally pretty, white girl, to boot) and ends with the promise of a triad.
"Now Purple with Love's Wound", by Carrie Vaughn -- post-apocalyptic medievalish something or other, where love is induced and the girl tries to prove to the guy that she loves him not just because... or whatever. One of the weaker ones for my money. I didn't care about either the world or the characters, and it just felt like a bit of fanfic rather than serious work.
"Berserker Eyes", by Maria V. Snyder -- another story I quite liked, because while there's romance, it's highly secondary to what else is going on -- the berserker dystopia, and the hints of what had happened and what's to come.
"Arose from Poetry", by Steve Berman -- very odd story. I liked some of it, the weird communist propaganda feel + robots, and the dual narrators, but ultimately it left me going "huh?" too much for me to enjoy it.
"Red", by Amanda Downum -- goregously written, and I liked it for that, even though the topic, post-zombie apocalypse and all, is really not my thing.
"Foundlings", by Diana Peterfreund -- interesting idea for a dystopia, with child protection and abstinence education taken beyond the limit, and I liked that it featured twins, but ultimately I'd been hoping for something more interesting from the author.
"Seekers in the City", by Jeanne DuPrau -- really pretty lame. A boy and a girl glimpse each other across a crowded bus, then spend ages looking to track down each other, making other people's lives better in the process. Then they finally meat and it turns out that they had a common friend all along (which I had totally seen coming). Yes, just as predictable and unoriginal as it sounds.
"The Up", by Nina Kiriki Hoffman -- the other standout story for me (and possibly not unrelated to the fact that the romance is barely even hinted at here). The dystopia is scary but also believeable, to me, the story really gets the sense of its setting across, and the different morals of its protagonists, and I liked the characters and did not see the twist coming.
"The Dream Eater", by Carrie Ryan -- something like "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" (I imagine; I've read about the story, but not the story itself) as YA romance. Weird, and I liked the stunt writing, but can't say the story worked for me overall.
"357", by Jesse Karp -- the oddest "love story" in the bunch, and I kind of respect it for that, even if the character, worldbuilding, and writing didn't do much for me.
"Eric and Pan", by William Sleator -- not a bad story, but I felt like it was too Issue-y. Now, I happen to agree with the issues -- gay right and immigrant education -- but I still don't like heavy-handed issue-y stories. :/
"The Empty Pocket", by Seth Cadin -- I freely admit I have no idea what the hell even went on in this story. I'm pretty sure I only finished it because it was the last one.
To summarize: really loved EBear's "The Salt Sea and the Sky" and Nina Kiriki Hoffman's "The Up". Quite liked Maria V Snyder's "Berserker Eyes" and Amanda Downum's "Red" and Nisi Shawl's "Otherwise". The others were not really my thing, or I'd been expecting better from the authors.
41. Beth Fantaskey, Jessica Rules the Dark Side -- this was the book that had me ranting about "can't live without you" tropes. I had picked up the first book that this is a sequel to because I was hoping for anti-Twilight. It wasn't, alas, but I was in too deep to quit when I realized that. I picked up this one because I wanted to see where the series would go. Not anywhere very interesting. Spoilers! Jessica -- who had at least been independent and had her own areas of competence -- has become weak and clueless and isn't even trying. It's justified as she never wanted to be a vampire princess, she just wanted to be with Lucius, but that's lame-ass justification for someone not even bothering to buy a book on learning Romanian when she lives in a castle where she can't speak the language. And then she does decide she wants to be a vampire princess and starts actually doing things and impressing people -- but still talks about how, if Lucius does not survive, she will kill herself too because she can't live without him, waaah. Ugh!
I saw the bad guys reveal coming from a mile off, and it bugged me, too, because I actually kind of liked the way one of the vampires was not a bloodthirsty thug -- but, of course, it's because he's a traitorous coward. *sigh*
I do like Lucius, who manages to be a brooding vampire prince and also retain some sense of humour and seem like a decent guy, which is not a given, sadly, and I liked Raniero, the surfer dude vegetarian vampire, too. And while I still think this series is needlessly mean to Mindy, Jessica's best friend, at least she got her turn to shine here, which was nice.
42. Tamora Pierce, Mastiff -- That was fun! I can now say that I really enjoyed the Beka Cooper series, though Kel's remains my favorite. This last book surprised me in a number of ways, most of them good. Spoiler! First, let's get the less-good one out of the way: I didn't really buy Tunstall's betrayal. He just didn't strike me as the type to make a deal with the bad guys, especially when it meant betraying a partner and sabotaging a mission that the woman he loved, and was supposedly doing everything for, was also on. I thought it was a neat step, showing a good guy going bad, and someone so close to Bekka, and the fight between them, and Beka's conflicted reactions to him after and at his death, all of that was well handled, but I just couldn't buy the central premise.
Now, the good surprises. I hadn't expected the book to skip several years ahead, or to find Beka with a dead fiance she wasn't really mourning. I thought the way that whole line was handled was really good -- I readily believed that someone like Beka could end up in a situation like that, and react just as she did, seeking solace in work and feeling guilty for how little she misses him. (And kudos, too, for making Beka someone who, despite being shy and straight-arrow, enjoys sex, and misses that when she doesn't miss the person.) Master Farmer was another pleasant surprise. Like just about everyone, I think, I figured that Beka's dead-end relationships so far were leading up to her finally giving in and giving Rosto a chance, and Beka/Rosto being the endgame pairing. I was happy to be proven wrong, because it's really refreshing to see the guy with a crush just having to continue to be resigned that it's not going to happen, and also I like goofy Farmer (who is a bit like Achoo in this respect, where his "silliness" is probably a result of him being extra clever) more than I like Rosto, even if a lot of his techniques were rather "CSI: Tortall" and stretched my disbelief a bit. I did think they were moving a little fast there, and I can't say that I like too much the way Beka immediately starts thinking about Farmer as "my man", but, OK, whatever floats her boat.
One thing that really struck me about this book was how focused on bodily fluids and excretions it was. Achoo tracking specifically by the scent of piss, vomit, and "scummer", and then there's Farmer secreting his magic away by swallowing and then excreting it, and the conversation about how they didn't get cavity searched. That was... interesting.
And it was neat to get George's first glimpse at "Alan" from his point of view there at the end.
43. Tess Gerritsen, Silent Girl -- After I finished Mastiff, I found I just wanted to read a regular mystery, so I picked up this book which had been languishing in my to-read pile for months, and it proved to be just the thing. Spoilers! major spoilers for everything, including the whodunit! This book was Jane-heavy, which is a big positive in my book, because I liked Jane a lot more than I like Maura. The mystery was interesting enough, even though I guess a lot of the twists up front -- well, sort of. I guessed that Mark (the step-brother) was the killer, but not that Patrick (the father) had been in on it. It's pretty clear that Bella is Wu Weimin's daughter, and I also guessed that Detective Tam was his son from the first wife, mentioned offhand. About the only thing I didn't guess, except around the same time Jane did, was that Charlotte had run away, and the fact that she was hiding in Maine I didn't guess up front at all.
There were a number of lines that struck me as kinda orientalist, you know, "inscrutable black eyes like reflective stones", that sort of thing. But, I dunno, Gerritsen is Chinese-American herself, and I'm probably not the right person to judge. (I think this was also the first edition I read which had an author picture on it, or at least one so prominently displayed, so that one could see the author is Asian. But that might be just coincidence in the editions I have come across.)
Anyway, this was a fast read -- I finished it in like two days -- and exactly what I was looking for, so, yay.
44. Connie Willis, All About Emily -- very cute, even though all the Hollywood and Broadway references were loast on me. I liked the narrator, and I liked Emily, and I generally like the way Connie Willis writes, even if it is a bit more optimistic about humanity than I am. I... don't really have much more to say about this novella. It was cute, though!
Currently reading: EBear, Range of Ghosts, and poking through a bunch of genre short story collections.