What I read on my hols
As usual, I took a whole pile of books away with me, but this time I read only 3. Mainly because I kept putting the first one down and had to force myself to finish it. I want to write reviews as I'm getting lazy and if I'm ever going to do a PhD, I need to keep my end up.
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
I read this for two reasons: I thought it would keep me entertained on the plane, and I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Could it really be as bad as all that?
Answer: yes.
Mind, you, unlike Moorcock's Doctor Who book, I kept reading till the end. It was so badly written, full of cliched characters and, despite the fact that it took place almost entirely in the UK and France, everyone behaved like a character in an American pulp novel. Which is essentially what this is. "Sir Leigh Teabing" is the worst kind of stereotypical English buffoon. I think it was his character that annoyed me more than anything, highlighting Brown's complete lack of knowledge or research into the British academic establishment. The French cops were bumbling idiots. The whole thing was so far-fetched it stretched credibility to the limit - and I'm prepared to accept FTL spaceships if done properly. The sad thing is, it contained some interesting concepts, including the Catholic church having written out the role of women, and the whole premise of the Grail quest had real potential. It was just all wrapped up in an idiotic, shambolic, badly-written story. Sigh.
The only good thing to come out of it was that when I posted about it on Facebook, a friend linked me to Mark Kermode's rant about the film version (including some pointed remarks about the book) which made the whole thing worthwhile. And I bought my copy at Oxfam, so at least they benefited.
Kindred by Octavia E Butler
Once I started reading this I wanted to weep for the hours of my life I'd wasted reading Dan Brown. Kindred is the story of a black woman in 1976 Los Angeles who finds herself inexplicably drawn repeatedly back in space and time to early 19th century Maryland. No explanation is ever given for her time-travel, but that is not the focus of the book; what it does is give us a first person account of what it's like to be a slave, from a 20th century person's point of view. The whole thing is so beautifully written, the characters are so real and believable, I loved every word of it. Highly recommended.
As a bonus, when I posted about this on Facebook, altariel pointed me to the SF Mistressworks blog, which provides reviews of SF by women writers. I know I'll never remember to check it, so I've made an LJ feed: sfmistressworks.
One Day by David Nicholls
You may have heard or read about this book. It starts on the day a young man and woman graduate from university, and revisits them on the same day each year for the next 20 years. It was an easy read and I more or less devoured it in one sitting on the plane & train home. Both characters are incredibly well-realised, warts and all, and it's fascinating to accompany them on their respective journeys through life. Recommended holiday reading.
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
I read this for two reasons: I thought it would keep me entertained on the plane, and I wanted to know what all the fuss was about. Could it really be as bad as all that?
Answer: yes.
Mind, you, unlike Moorcock's Doctor Who book, I kept reading till the end. It was so badly written, full of cliched characters and, despite the fact that it took place almost entirely in the UK and France, everyone behaved like a character in an American pulp novel. Which is essentially what this is. "Sir Leigh Teabing" is the worst kind of stereotypical English buffoon. I think it was his character that annoyed me more than anything, highlighting Brown's complete lack of knowledge or research into the British academic establishment. The French cops were bumbling idiots. The whole thing was so far-fetched it stretched credibility to the limit - and I'm prepared to accept FTL spaceships if done properly. The sad thing is, it contained some interesting concepts, including the Catholic church having written out the role of women, and the whole premise of the Grail quest had real potential. It was just all wrapped up in an idiotic, shambolic, badly-written story. Sigh.
The only good thing to come out of it was that when I posted about it on Facebook, a friend linked me to Mark Kermode's rant about the film version (including some pointed remarks about the book) which made the whole thing worthwhile. And I bought my copy at Oxfam, so at least they benefited.
Kindred by Octavia E Butler
Once I started reading this I wanted to weep for the hours of my life I'd wasted reading Dan Brown. Kindred is the story of a black woman in 1976 Los Angeles who finds herself inexplicably drawn repeatedly back in space and time to early 19th century Maryland. No explanation is ever given for her time-travel, but that is not the focus of the book; what it does is give us a first person account of what it's like to be a slave, from a 20th century person's point of view. The whole thing is so beautifully written, the characters are so real and believable, I loved every word of it. Highly recommended.
As a bonus, when I posted about this on Facebook, altariel pointed me to the SF Mistressworks blog, which provides reviews of SF by women writers. I know I'll never remember to check it, so I've made an LJ feed: sfmistressworks.
One Day by David Nicholls
You may have heard or read about this book. It starts on the day a young man and woman graduate from university, and revisits them on the same day each year for the next 20 years. It was an easy read and I more or less devoured it in one sitting on the plane & train home. Both characters are incredibly well-realised, warts and all, and it's fascinating to accompany them on their respective journeys through life. Recommended holiday reading.