Comments | hamsterwoman: Reading roundup

hamsterwoman

Reading roundup

May 07, 2010 18:15

21. Seanan McGuire, Rosemary and Rue -- I think this is another case where my expectations for the book were too high (mostly thanks to the extreme devotion of Toby's supporters on chickfight), and so I ended up liking it less than I would have than if I'd come to it "cold". I still liked it, and definitely plan to continue reading the series, but it didn't ( Read more... )

a: kelly link, a: seanan mcguire, discworld, ya, october daye, uglies, a: cassandra clare, a: libba bray, a: scott westerfeld, short stories, a: terry pratchett, reading, a: melissa marr, a: holly black

Comments 15

firebluespinel May 8 2010, 05:32:05 UTC

Wow! Your book reviews are even more in-depth than my film reviews! I enjoyed reading them, though, especially since I've read a couple of the ones in this post. I enjoyed Rosemary and Rue maybe slightly more than you did...I saw it as a kind of cross between the Harry Dresden and Merry Gentry stories, with several of the good points of the former and, thankfully, few of the bad points of the latter. I also just got A Local Habitation, so I will be checking that out sometime soon ( ... )

hamsterwoman May 10 2010, 04:19:03 UTC

These actually ended up a bit longer than they normally do, but I'm glad you enjoyed reading them nevertheless! (And I'll definitely read your movie reviews -- I don't watch movies much on my own, so I mostly absorb them vicariously via other people ( ... )

sheiannasherra May 11 2010, 14:13:49 UTC

I pretty much agree with you on Rosemary and Rue. I think I might have enjoyed it a bit more than you though. I found it interesting enough to read the next one but certainly not the best urban fantasy series ever. I found the night-haunts especially irritating. The were just much too convenient for my taste.

I basically enjoyed Unseen Academicals. It isn't as good as PTerry's best but it's certainly not his worst either. I've been re-reading the series and just finished up Carpe Jugulum which is probably my least favorite Discworld book and in comparison find Unseen Academicals to be the much more enjoyable of the two.

I haven't read anything by Melissa Marr. I'll have to check and see if our library has any of her stuff.

hamsterwoman May 14 2010, 19:26:25 UTC

I found the night-haunts especially irritating. The were just much too convenient for my taste.

Exactly. I mean, it's a good question -- if the denizens of Faerie rely on glamour to pass for human, what happens once they're dead? But the night-haunts explanation was not particularly believable and also rather convoluted, so I feel like she could've come up with something else that would've worked as well or better.

I haven't reread Carpe Jugulum in a while, though I recall liking it when I read it first. And I definitely *enjoyed* UA, for all that it felt slightly off to me. Hopefully it's a fluke and I will feel the next book(s) read like PTerry is supposed to read.

lunylucy July 13 2010, 05:09:28 UTC

This may be slightly creepy, but I recently read "Unseen Academicals" and remembered you reviewing it so I came back and found this post :P Anyway, I have to agree that it really wasn't as enjoyable as DW usually is. It did drag on at parts, especially in the middle. The beginning was interesting in terms of checking out the new characters, but I got bored with Nutt pretty soon I'm afraid to say, and football and the wizards weren't enough to keep my interest. Well, that's not entirely true because I did keep reading and got into it towards the end. I think it had to do with the action picking up and me warming up to Trev considerably. My favorite quote was this one.

hamsterwoman July 13 2010, 16:40:46 UTC

Not creepy at all -- or at least I do it all the time! :D

I definitely felt like the action picked up towards the end, and Trev grew on me (a bit surprisingly -- I wasn't expecting him to be the one I warmed up to -- I thought Nutt would pan out into something more interesting than he did). It did make me sad overall... I'm still looking forward to "I Shall Wear Midnight" and the planned Watch book, plus whatever may come after that.

lunylucy July 13 2010, 19:06:00 UTC

Oh, interesting, I haven't read any books from that series with the young witch. I'm assuming you liked them?

And the Watch books is still what I automatically think of when I think of DW. Probably because most of the DW books that I've read have been from that series (but also because they're great, of course xD). Heh, actually, the best parts of UN were the little mentions/appearances of Vimes and the one throwaway reference to "the Postmaster". Which is sad, yes.

hamsterwoman July 13 2010, 19:58:10 UTC

I do like the Tiffany books, although some of them a lot more than others. "Wee Free Men" is cute and funny but not, like, super-profound Pratchett. "A Hat Full of Sky," on the other hand, is really, really good *and* quite profound. But "Wintersmith" dragged on for me, though there were some nice touches. If you like the Witches books (I do, though not quite as much as the Watch), I'd recommend the Tiffany books as well (Granny and Nanny appear in them to various degrees).

I loveed the little cameo of Vimes (and people calling the Watch "the Old Sam", hee! :D) and the all-too-brief mention of Moist. I can be sad right along with you :P

Finally getting around to responding lodessa July 20 2010, 18:51:08 UTC

I hate when hype ruins things.

I do find Toby a difficult narrator, partly because she falls into the "make things difficult for no reason" trap a lot. It is interesting because I found the narrator of the author's other book also not very likable even though I enjoyed both books in general. Clearly it is just a disconnect of desired protagonist.

In the next book we get a lot more new to Toby characters and less wallowing. Unfortunately we don't get overarching plot really, but we do get more world building.

I really like Toby and Tybalt's interactions, even though it is pretty much a cliche and he is obviously the ultimate love interest (after dabbling with Connor and some other random hot dudes... I enjoyed the way the book intentionally mirrors traditional noir with a male detective and a swarm of gorgeous women (which DF does) and gives us am equivalent bevvy of good looking men for Toby to interact with).

Re: Finally getting around to responding hamsterwoman July 21 2010, 04:25:50 UTC

I wouldn't say hype ruined it for me (I did like the book after all), but I think the combination of hype and the "it should be just perfect for me!" thoughts did raise my expectations higher than they would've been with either of the two alone.

It is interesting because I found the narrator of the author's other book also not very likable even though I enjoyed both books in general.

Oh, interesting! Was the other book Feed? (I've heard good things about that one, even though zombies are so not my thing.) You're probably right about the desired protagonist disconnect -- I've definitely had that happen with some authors while still enjoying their books.

In the next book we get a lot more new to Toby characters and less wallowing.

Ooh, yay! That reminds me, I should unfreeze the hold I had on A Local Habitation at the library now that I'm back.

Tybalt is just so fun! I don't mind cliches when they're fun, I guess. I have a hard time seeing him as the ultimate love interest after the first book, but maybe ALH will convince me.

( ... )

Re: Finally getting around to responding lodessa July 21 2010, 05:11:08 UTC

Oh, interesting! Was the other book Feed? (I've heard good things about that one, even though zombies are so not my thing.) You're probably right about the desired protagonist disconnect -- I've definitely had that happen with some authors while still enjoying their books.

Yes. Feed was extremely good, even though I am not into zombies at all. But Georgia is also a similarly off putting choice for a hard nosed, cynical, narrator. She makes less stupid decisions though, so that helps.

Tybalt is just so fun! I don't mind cliches when they're fun, I guess. I have a hard time seeing him as the ultimate love interest after the first book, but maybe ALH will convince me.

It is true. Cliches are cliche for a reason. I will be curious to see what you think after ALH, but I think he he is the endgame love interest because the whole her thinking he hates her when obviously he doesn't is just too clear to me.

Good point! I actually am not crazy about the way gorgeous women seem to be swarming all over Harry in DF (especially in Changes ( ... )

Re: Finally getting around to responding hamsterwoman July 21 2010, 05:34:48 UTC

I meant to say:

partly because she falls into the "make things difficult for no reason" trap a lot

Yes! exactly! This really bugged me about Toby, because it's the sort of thing that weakens the plot, strains suspension of disbelief, and makes the character look less competent all at once. I'm definitely hoping she grows out of this!

I may have to give Feed a shot. I've heard very intriguing things (and also things that make me reluctant, like the apparent need for lots of tissues at the end...) so I'm tempted.

I can definitely see Tybalt set up as the ultimate love interest for the reason you mention (to go along with the cliche) and he's pretty damn charismatic, far more so than Connor so far, anyway. But I'm not really feeling it yet.

Ugh! I hated that too.

*nods* Especially when nothing in the Harry/Molly interaction to date (after her seduction attempt way back in the beginning) suggested she feels this way, and it undermines a fundamental aspect of their relationship highlighted in this very book, and also when Molly and ( ... )

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