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Seeing as I managed to read 90 books last year, I'll start with that number. I'll probably try to widen my scope of reading as well - I'll try to read some more classics (e.g. The Count of Monte Cristo, Effie Briest, Anna Karenina). I've already read one female author (Robin Hobb), specifically the first book in her Liveships trilogy, 'Ship of Magic'. The idea of sentient ships is interesting, and fantasy books generally don't get nautical very often. 4/5 stars. Other parts of Stravinsky's challenge I will probably cover: Non-white author (does Alexandre Dumas count? Because he had African ancestry); something dealing with space; something published recently. I could also add to that by reading a collection of short stories, and I have plenty of books at home which need to be read at some point.
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Jan 2, 2015 01:13
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Books read: 4/90. #2: The Dog Stars - Peter Heller: Post-apocalyptic book about a man and his dog. Like Cormac McCarthy's 'The Road', but much more optimistic. Challenge met: A post-modern book. 4/5. #3: Poor Man's Fight - Elliott Kay: Space opera about a man trying to pay off his debt by joining the (space) Navy. Not as exciting as Marko Kloos' Terms of Enlistment, but still pretty good. Challenge met: Something dealing with space. 4/5. #4: The Girl With All The Gifts - M R Carey: A story about a zombie-like girl who isn't a mindless slavering monster like most of the not-zombies in the world. (The zombies in the book are called 'hungries', but they're definitely zombies). An interesting story with a slightly more original take on zombies. 4/5.
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Jan 8, 2015 04:03
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Groke posted:That's kind of like saying "nicer than Hitler". (I read The Road right around the time my first child was born. Smart choice. Probably the best book I'll never reread.) 1) Eh, all I meant by comparing it to Cormac McCarthy was that both books take place in the post-apocalypse, both involve travelling and both are written without dialogue markers. I'll probably read some McCarthy at some point. 2) I'm currently reading Jhereg at the moment. I started reading it a while ago, but stopped when I had to take the book back to the library, so I'm giving it another go. Looking forward to finally finishing it.
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Jan 9, 2015 04:13
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Because it's been a while, or: another book update. #5: The Book of Jhereg - Steven Brust: Omnibus edition of the first three books in the Vlad Taltos universe. I thought the first two books were good, but the third one is definitely a weak point in the series. Other people have expressed similar opinions, with which I can't say I disagree. Still interested in reading the other Vlad Taltos books (including the Khaavren books). 4/5 overall (3 for Teckla). #6: Hi-De-Ho: The Life of Cab Calloway - Alyn Shipton: A decent overview of the man's life, if rather dry in the middle with all the intricate descriptions of band members and recordings and other paraphernalia. 4/5. #7: The Emperor of All Maladies - Siddhartha Mukherjee: A history of cancer and medical breakthroughs in curatives and palliatives. A bit dry stylistically and it was more interesting when talking about cancer patients, but it was well-researched and I definitely learned more about cancer. 4/5. #8: Rapture Ready! Adventures in the Parallel Universe of Christian Pop Culture - Daniel Radosh: A discussion of exactly what it says on the cover. Very much in the AJ Jacobs / Nathan Rabin mold of writing. It was published in 2008, so it's already a little bit dated (especially regarding last year's relative deluge of mainstream Christian movies), but it was mostly interesting. 4/5. Currently reading: The Count of Monte Cristo and the second book in John Julius Norwich's 3-book history of Byzantium series.
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Jan 29, 2015 22:24
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Went on holiday recently, so I was able to read a few books. #9: Byzantium - The Apogee - John Julius Norwich: The second book in JJN's 3-part history of Byzantium series. What I learned was that, with better luck and more competent leaders, Byzantium may have been able to keep going for longer than it did. At the very least, the Battle of Manzikert didn't have to have such major negative consequences for Constantinople. 4/5. #10: The Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas: The part everyone remembers about this book (the protagonist going to prison) takes up a relatively small part of the book. There is a lot more to Le Comte than the basic plot would imply. It took me a long time to read it on Kindle, but I finally finished it. 4/5. #11: The Fever - Megan Abbott: In which a group of teenagers fall ill to a mysterious contagion... or not, because it's a bit more complicated than that. It was OK, but some parts were more interesting than others. 3/5. #12: The Mad Ship - Robin Hobb: The second part of RH's Liveships trilogy. One goon said on Goodreads that a big theme of this book is men being useless, and that's a good description. Definitely interested to see how all the pieces fit together. 4/5. #13: The Secret Ministry of Ag. and Fish - Noreen Riols: In which the author writes about her WW2 experiences in the Special Operatives Executive. This book tied in to one I read semi-recently about Noor Inayat Khan, as she was in SOE. There were also other parts, but the WW2-related stuff was the most interesting. I marked it down a bit due to insulting attitudes towards single mothers, but that was the only sour note in the book. 3/5. Currently reading: The first book in Andy McDermott's Nina Wilde series, and Cherie Priest's book combining Lizzie Borden and Cthulhu-esque monsters.
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Feb 20, 2015 09:10
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3 and a half months in, a few books ahead. #14: The Hunt for Atlantis - Andy McDermott: The first book in the Nina Wilde series by our resident author. As addictive as any good thriller book, without the crazy right-wing politics of a Matthew Reilly or Tom Clancy. 4/5. #15: Maplecroft - Cherie Priest: Lizzie Borden fights Lovecraftian monsters. It is structured in an epistolary fashion (via letters / diary entries), and is much more slow-burning than the initial potted description would imply. If you’re looking for all action all the time, maybe consider reading something else (or get it out from a library if you’re still interested). 4/5. #16: Tarka the Otter - Henry Williamson: Well-known book about the life of an English otter. Until I read this book, I didn't know that people used to hunt otters. Well-researched, provides an interesting portrait of an otter and the south-western English countryside. 4/5. #17: Ship of Destiny - Robin Hobb: The final book in the Liveship Traders trilogy. Wraps up the trilogy and sets up events for the future Rain Wild quadrilogy. Next up chronologically is the Tawny Man trilogy. 4/5. #18: The Drunken Botanist - Amy Stewart: An overview of plants and their relation to various alcoholic drinks. Until I read this book, I didn't know there was such a thing as coffee beer, which I will probably try at some point. 4/5. #19: Can You Forgive Her? - Anthony Trollope: The first book in the Palliser series. The main plot of the book is about a woman who is unsure as to which of two men she should marry. Nowadays, I don't know if anyone would frown on a woman breaking off an engagement, so the main moral conflict of the book is somewhat antiquated. Despite that, I enjoyed reading it, but I know that some people would find this book a bit boring. 4/5. #20: Parable of the Sower - Octavia Butler: A book about a young black woman living in a very chaotic USA. I can see why so many people like Octavia Butler's books - she was an interesting writer. 5/5. Currently reading: Replay by Ken Grimwood and A Stranger in Olondria by Sofia Samatar.
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Mar 17, 2015 23:34
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Over a month since my last post, or: update time. #21: Replay - Ken Grimwood: A book with a similar premise to Groundhog Day – namely, one guy who is replaying his life (more than just one day) from a certain point in time over and over again. 4/5. #22: A Stranger in Olondria - Sofia Samatar: Yet another 2014 Nebula Award nominee which is better than Ancillary Justice, which makes three in total. (Still don't have a problem with Ancillary Justice winning the Best Novel Hugo, because the nominee pool was mostly crap that year and, in retrospect, I am heartily glad that Larry Correia didn't win). WRT ASIO: A complicated book, and a 5/5. #23: Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition - Daniel Okrent: A book documenting Prohibition, including its origins. Summary: Prohibition doesn’t work. (See also: drug prohibition WRT marijuana). 4/5. #24: The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet - David Mitchell: A book about Dutchmen (and other nationalities) in early 19th-century Japan. I've also read Cloud Atlas, and judging by those two books, I might check out the rest of DM's oeuvre. 4/5. #25: The Left Hand of Darkness - Ursula K. Le Guin: The classic sci-fi novel, which I finally finished reading. It won the 1970 Hugo, and deservedly so. Bad luck for Slaughterhouse 5, which was nominated in the same year. 4/5. #26: Runelight – Joanne Harris: The second book in the Runemarks series. Not quite as good as Runemarks, but still worth a read. 3/5. (If Goodreads allowed half-stars, this would get a 3.5). #27: Not my Father’s Son – Alan Cumming: In which the titular actor discusses his relationship with his father and his discovery of family secrets regarding his maternal grandfather. 3/5. #28: Hack Attack: How the Truth Caught Up with the World’s Most Powerful Man – Nick Davies: Or, why Rupert Murdoch is a wanker and why British news media and politics are compromised because of him. 3/5. #29 & 30: Saga vol. 1 & 2 – Brian K. Vaughan: I’ve decided to include a few graphic novels in my reading diet. This was a fun read, and the artwork was great. 4/5.
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Apr 27, 2015 08:29
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Half-year update! I've read a lot of books since then, so this may take a while. Part 1: #31: The Voyage of the Basilisk – Marie Brennan: The third book in the A Natural History of Dragons series, in which the protagonist travels to (among other places) a faux-Pacific nation and gets up to some interesting things. A bit better than the last book, still not quite as good as the first (if only for the novelty factor). 4/5. #32: The Bone Clocks - David Mitchell: The author's latest book, which has some similarities to Cloud Atlas, one of which is the inclusion of some characters. (He's trying to do something similar to the Marvel Cinematic Universe, where all his books are connected). Some people didn't like this book - I did. Check it out if you like science fiction. 4/5. #33: The Fallen - Searching for the Missing Members of The Fall - Dave Simpson: In which the author tries to track down as many ex-members of the British post-punk band The Fall as possible (including BBC radio DJ Marc Riley). What I learned from this book: Marc E Smith is an odd cove. If you like The Fall, check it out. 4/5. #34: Saga vol. 3 - Brian K. Vaughan: This volume is the one nominated for this year's Hugo awards (one of the most prestigious science fiction awards, in case you didn't know). The graphic novel category was mostly free of right-wing fuckery, along with Best Novel. Saga is great. 4/5. #35: A Man Lies Dreaming - Lavie Tidhar: In which a writer of pulp fiction imprisoned in Auschwitz imagines Hitler as a struggling detective in London after the Nazis get removed by Communists. Definitely nails the style of contemporary pulp fiction books, including the sex and violence. 4/5, if mainly for stylistic reasons. #36: Fool's Errand - Robin Hobb: The fourth book starring FitzChivalry Farseer. Not quite as good as the first trilogy, but still good enough. 4/5. #37: Pyongyang - Guy Delisle: A graphic novel in which the author works in Pyongyang for two months at a French animation company. Slightly outdated (main difference is that Kim Jong Un is now in charge), but still a good read. 4/5. #38: The Sparrow - Mary Doria Russell: Jesuits in space. OK, there's more to it than that, but that's the most potted description possible. I liked the book, but some people don't because the characters act "unrealistically". I'm still unsure as to what actions were "unrealistic". 4/5. #39: Hip Hop Family Tree, vol. 1 - Ed Piskor: A graphic novel depicting the birth of hip-hop. Covers a wide range of people, including Russell Simmons, Sylvia Robinson and Fab Five Freddy, as well as some people who weren't involved in music until later (such as Rick Rubin and Dr. Dre). 5/5. #40: Burma Chronicles - Guy Delisle: In which the author of Pyongyang lives in Rangoon for a year with his wife and son. Unlike North Korea, things have changed significantly in Burma since he wrote the book. A reasonably interesting snapshot of a period in a person's and a country's life. 4/5. #41: Hip Hop Family Tree, vol. 2 - Ed Piskor: The continuation of hip-hop history from the first volume. Covers 1981-1983, until the rise of Run-DMC. 4/5. #42: Worlds of Exile and Illusion: Rocannon's World, Planet of Exile, City of Illusions - Ursula K. Le Guin: The first three books in the Hainish Cycle (which includes The Left Hand of Darkness). The Hainish books are only loosely connected, so it is possible to read them in any order. The three books aren't quite as good as LHOD, but that doesn't mean they're not worth reading. 4/5. Part 2 continued soon.
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May 31, 2015 05:40
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Part 2. #43: Bloodlands: Europe between Hitler and Stalin - Timothy Snyder: In which both Hitler and Stalin were crazy assholes to people from Poland to Ukraine. Most of the Jewish people killed in the Holocaust weren't killed in the concentration camps - they were shot. 4/5. #44: Rat Queens, vol. 1: Sass and Sorcery - Kurtis J. Wiebe: Another Hugo-nominated comic, in this case about a group of female adventurers. Recommended if you're a D&D nerd (or, like me, you played games like Baldur's Gate 2). 4/5. #45: Ancillary Sword - Ann Leckie: The sequel to Ancillary Justice. Many people don't seem to like this one, but I did. In fact, I thought it was slightly better than the first one, if only because there wasn't as much of the gimmicky Tumblr bait gender stuff. (Left Hand of Darkness did gender ambiguity earlier and far more convincingly, IMHO). However, I kind of want AS to win the Hugo, if only to poke Vox Day in the eye. (If you don't know who VD is, count yourself lucky). 3.5/5, rounded down to 3 on Goodreads. #46: Horrorstör - Grady Hendrix: In which a group of people stay the night in a haunted IKEA-esque store. Strikes a good balance between humour and horror. 4/5. #47: Saga vol. 4 - Brian K. Vaughan: The latest issue of Saga to date. Now to wait for vol. 5. 4/5. #48: Zone One - Colson Whitehead: A book about people in New York trying to survive against zombies. Interesting premise but the writing style didn't work in execution. 3/5. #49: The Manhattan Projects, vol. 1: Science Bad - Jonathan Hickman: The first set of issues in a series about what would happen if the Manhattan Project researched weird things after the atomic bomb. Includes people such as Einstein, Richard Feynman and J. Robert Oppenheimer. 4/5. #50: Lock In - John Scalzi: In which a disease causes many people to become unable to respond to stimulus, and society's response to said disease. There's more to it than that (including a murder mystery), but that was the best I could word it. I might check out some of his other books from the library, if only because of the next book. 4/5. #51: The Year of the Flood - Margaret Atwood: This book seems to get dumped on by lots of people. Not me, though - I liked it. OK, maybe it wasn't quite as good as Oryx and Crake, and some of the links to the former book were a bit contrived, but I enjoyed reading it. What does this book have to do with John Scalzi? The notion that maybe I should investigate books for myself and form my own opinions on them. (Not Ayn Rand or Terry Goodkind, though. Not interested in Objectivism or bad writing). 4/5. #52: Shards of Honour - Lois McMaster Bujold: The first book in the Vorkosigan universe. (OK, there's one book set earlier chronologically, but for all intents and purposes this is where the series began). I had trouble getting past the first page for a while, but once I did, I really enjoyed this book. Looking forward to reading more from the best author at Baen for a country mile. Will read Barrayar next, if only because it's the next book in chronological order. 4/5. Update on Booklord stuff: Increased number of books to read to 120. Challenges met: Female; Non-white author; History; Essay collection (read books by Jo Walton and Roxanne Gay, but didn't include them officially); Post-Modern; Something on either hate or love (multiple books); Something dealing with space; Something dealing with the unreal (Maplecroft); That one book that has been waiting for ages (Left Hand of Darkness); The colour red (if only on book covers).
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Jun 1, 2015 07:42
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September update. I've been a bit lax on updating, so this may take multiple posts. Plus, I've had an ear infection recently, which put me off reading as much. #53: Epileptic - David B.: French graphic novel about the author’s relationship with his epileptic older brother. Interesting black-and-white artwork. 4/5. #54: Tough Guide to Fantasyland - Dianne Wynne Jones: A satirical travel guide to fantasy tropes and clichés. Maybe I need to read more stereotypical fantasy books for this to have the full effect. Still worth a read. 3/5. #55: The Reapers are the Angels - Alden Bell: A post-apocalyptic zombie novel, but a bit more different from the norm (in terms of writing style, characterisation and events). Kind of like Colson Whitehead's Zone One (in that they both involve zombies and are more literary than your typical zombie novel). Zombies. 4/5. #56: The Manhattan Projects, vol. 2: They Rule - Jonathan Hickman: The second collection in the series. A bit more overtly ridiculous than the first set of comics: for example, there is a scene where Einstein and Feynman are shooting FDR robots with a machine gun. If that doesn't sound too silly, check it out. 4/5. #57: How to be a Victorian - Ruth Goodman: An exploration of daily life for the average Victorian citizen, including direct re-creation by the author (so a bit more involved than your average Victorian cosplay). Reasonably interesting. 4/5. #58: East of West, vol. 1 - Jonathan Hickman: A sci-fi/fantasy Western involving the four Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Not as good as the Manhattan Projects series, but not too bad. 3/5. #59: Annihilation - Jeff Vandermeer: In which a group of people investigates an occurrence. It ends badly. Won the Nebula (along with the other two books in the series), so if you're interested in biopunk, check it out. 4/5. #60: The Book of Taltos - Steven Brust: A compendium encompassing the fourth and fifth books in the Vlad Taltos series. Both were good; at the very least, both were better than Teckla. 4/5. #61: Fosse - Sam Wasson: A biography of the multitalented Bob Fosse. One interesting fact that I learned from this book was knowledge of his final film, Star 80, which starred Eric Roberts. Yes, *that* Eric Roberts. Did that movie turn him crazy or was he already nuts? Definitely check it out if you're interested in Mr. Fosse. 4/5. #62: Victoria: A Life - A. N. Wilson: An extensive biography of Queen Victoria. In summation: she was an accomplished and interesting woman who was lucky and unlucky at various points of her life. I might not agree with all of her opinions (feminism, especially), but I have a lot of respect for Her Majesty. 4/5. #63: Little Failure - Gary Shteyngart: A partial autobiography by the author born Igor Shteyngart in Soviet Russia. Worth a look if you're interested in the author (or even if, like me, you've never read a single book by the guy). 4/5. #64: Gut: the inside story of our body's most underrated organ - Giulia Enders: A semi-humourous look at the human digestive system. I don't have any major digestive problems, but my brother has ulcerative colitis (and one of my cousins has full-on Crohn's), so there's some familial interest for me. (Personally, the only real problem I have is an intolerance of egg whites. It's great to feel like crap because of some ninja mayonnaise). 3/5. #65: Snowpiercer - Jacques Lob: The graphic novel on which the titular movie is loosely based. You know how so many people think that books are automatically superior to their movie adaptations? That is usually the case, but in this instance, they'd be wrong. This isn't the worst graphic novel ever (I don't want to know what would be worse than Frank Miller's Holy Terror), but the movie version is so much better it's not even funny. The movie, I'd give 4.5 or even 5 stars out of 5: I gave this a much lower score. In the book's defense, the artwork is fairly good. If you really want to investigate the origins of the movie, do like I did and get it out from the library. TLDR: 2/5. #66: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory: Caitlin Doughty: In which the author talks about her experiences working at a morgue cremating dead people. Worth a look if the subject matter interests you. 3.5(4)/5. Continued in next post.
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Sep 1, 2015 02:12
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elbow posted:Ah, that doesn't bode well for me! I loved the movie and bought the graphic novels immediately after but haven't yet read them because they're so inconvenient to handle. Hope I enjoy them anyway. Sorry if I made you feel stink about buying them. If you already have the books, you may as well read them. If it's any help, remember this; at least they're not that Frank Miller book I mentioned.
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Sep 4, 2015 03:16
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Next set of reviews, up until the last book I read. #67: Barrayar - Lois McMaster Bujold: The Hugo-winning chronological sequel to 'Shards of Honour', and it's a whole lot better than the first book. Definitely a worthy Hugo winner. 5/5 #68: Suffragette - Mary M. Talbot: The story of a fictional British suffragette in the years prior to (and including) World War One. Well-written, well-drawn, worth a look if you're interested in feminist history. 4/5. #69: The Worrier's Guide to Life - Gemma Correll: A collection of comic drawings dealing with anxiety (and other things). A light read. 3/5. #70: Passport to Hell - Robin Hyde: A fictionalised re-telling of the adventures of a New Zealand soldier in World War One. An interesting book, but there is some racist language (including the n-word), because it was written in the '30s and civil rights hadn't happened yet. 4/5. #71: Angles of Attack - Marko Kloos: The third book in his military sci-fi series. The previous book in the series was nominated for a Best Novel Hugo Award by the (Sad/Rabid) Puppies, but Kloos withdrew from the Hugos, allowing The Three-Body Problem to enter (and eventually win). In that light, I was amused to see a semi-major Russian character turn out to be gay (see also: current Russian homophobia). I probably wouldn't nominate any of these books for a Hugo myself, but that doesn't mean that I didn't enjoy them (or that they're not worth reading if you like military sci-fi). At the very least, you could definitely do worse in the genre. 4/5. #72: Baldur's Gate II - Matt Bell: A very spoilery exploration of the titular game and an investigation of the author's relationship with D&D and general nerdery. Worth a read only if you've played the game (not kidding about the spoiler stuff, BTW) and can get it from a library. 3/5. #73: Who Fears Death - Nnedi Okorafor: A magical-realist story about a young woman in an area of post-apocalyptic West Africa. Well-written and definitely worth a look if you're interested in fantasy stories about non-white women. 4/5. #74: The Winter Boy - Sally Weiner Grotta: I decided to read this book because of a goon on Goodreads. I was not disappointed. It's a hard book to describe, but if you're interested in a fantasy book involving gender issues, it's worth a read. 4/5. #75: The Martian - Andy Weir: I decided to read this book because I wanted to see what the fuss was about. It's OK - it's not an all-time classic, but it's not horrible either. Yes, the protagonist is a huge dork, but you get used to that by the end of the book (if you have a tolerance for dorkiness, anyway). It's readable enough. 3/5. #76: Showa: A History of Japan, 1926-1939 - Shigeru Mizuki: In which a major manga author writes a history of Japan combined with autobiographical information. Heavily detailed (it's the first book in a series covering up until 1989), but a good read if you can get used to the manga style of reading right to left and if you're interested in Japanese history. 4/5. #77: My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me: A Black Woman Discovers Her Family's Nazi Past - Jennifer Teege: In which the granddaughter of Amon Goeth (a.k.a the Nazi played by Ralph Fiennes in Schindler's List) discusses her finding out about her familial history. Some parts of the book were more interesting than others, but I might watch Schindler's List at some point. 3/5. #78: The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made - Greg Sestero: In which Sestosterone talks about his relationship with Tommy Wiseau and his experience acting in The Room. I kind of felt a little bit sorry for Tommy Wiseau - I wouldn't be surprised if he was mentally ill in some way. It would explain some of his behaviour. I already knew some of the details prior to reading the book, but it was still an interesting read. 4/5. #79: Displacement: A Travelogue - Lucy Knisley: In which the author goes on a cruise with her elderly grandparents (one of whom has dementia). A meditation on mortality and travelling. 4/5. #80: Hebdomeros - Giorgio de Chirico: A Greek literature-inspired plotless surrealist ramble, but a decent, short read if you're into that sort of thing. 3/5. #81: Perdido Street Station - China Miéville: It's long. The first half is less interesting than the second half. I can kind of see why people complain about the ending. Despite those little nitpicks, I loved this book and I want to read more Miéville. I like American Gods, but I kinda wish this had won the Hugo Best Novel in 2002, because holy poo poo. 5/5. #82: The Warrior's Apprentice - Lois McMaster Bujold: The third Vorkosigan book, and the first to star its main character, Miles Vorkosigan. In the book, Miles finds himself the leader of a group of mercenaries and shenanigans happen. The level of interest fluctuates a little, but it's a good beginning point if you prefer male protagonists. 4/5. #83: Ms. Marvel, vol. 1: No Normal - G. Willow Wilson: Speaking of Hugos, this won the Best Graphic Novel at this year's awards. At the time of voting I hadn't read it, but I voted for it anyway because I'd heard good things about it and to send a middle finger to racists and misogynists. Now that I've read it, was it worthy of the award? Yes it was, haters to the left. To put it more objectively: the book was well-drawn, well-written and I'm probably going to check out future volumes. 4/5. Currently working my way through Hector Berlioz's memoirs (as in the composer).
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Sep 4, 2015 04:09
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I've reached the 3/4 mark in my reading (90/120) so I figured I should update to there. #84: Ms. Marvel, vol. 2: Generation Why - G. Willow Wilson: The follow-up to Ms. Marvel vol. 1. Less focused on Kamila Khan's family life, more on her superheroics against villainy, etc. Still a good read. 4/5. #85: The Memoirs of Hector Berlioz - Hector Berlioz (duh): The memoirs by the aforementioned 19th-century French composer. Details his love life, his music, his difficulties against the musical establishment at the time (especially with the Paris Opéra) and his travels (to Germany and Russia, in particular). I'm doing a paper on 19th-century opera at the moment, so the parts about music were fun to read. The writing style is very much what you'd expect from a 19th-century Frenchman (i.e. florid), and he spent a bit too much time talking about his romantic relationships for my taste, but if you're interested in the man and his music, it's worth a look. 3/5. #86: The Anti-Christ Handbook: The Horror and Hilarity of Left Behind - Fred Clark: A book collating a series of blog posts reviewing in excessive detail the first 200 pages of the first book of the Left Behind series, written by an evangelical Christian. If you want to find out just how much Left Behind sucks without actually reading it, then it's relatively cheap on Amazon. A minor note: He mentions both Patrick and Teresa Nielsen Hayden during the book, which I found amusing due to recent science-fiction-related stupidity. 4/5. #87: The Shambling Guide to New York City - Mur Lafferty: An urban fantasy book about a human who takes a publishing job in New York City with supernatural beings (e.g. vampires, zombies). Commence weird poo poo. Read if you like urban fantasy with good world building. 4/5. #88: My Fathers' Ghost Is Climbing In The Rain - Patricio Pron: I decided to read this book because I was searching for something on the library website and it suggested this. It was OK - I read it in English, so I don't know if it would have been better in Spanish. 3/5. #89: Native Tongue - Suzette Haden Elgin (RIP): Holy crap. If you want to read a book that will make you *angry*, read this. It's set in the future where misogynists took over the United States government and forced them to send women's rights back to the 19th-century (complete with quasi-scientific bullshit). The story details children and learning languages and communicating with aliens, but the attitudes of the male characters will make you want to punch people (or at least that's what I felt). BTW: if you read this and think that the behaviour of the men is unrealistic, just go read 'Escape' by Carolyn Jessop, which is about her life as a fundie Mormon. Some of the comparisons between this book and the FLDS are chillingly similar. 4/5. #90: Black Hole - Charles Burns: A graphic novel, drawn in chiaroscuro style, set in the '70s about high school kids and STDs. I wasn't a huge fan of the book. Decent artwork, but the story wasn't terribly exciting to me. 3/5.
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Sep 30, 2015 22:01
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Seeing as the new thread's up, I should probably post the final lot of books I read. 120/120 books read. Challenges completed: # of books, female author, non-white author, history, essays, post-modern, something on hate, space, unreal, something published this year, biography, something involving the colour red. #91: Exploring Music - Ernst Krenek: A collection of essays by the author on a variety of topics both musical and not and before and after he emigrated to America. The author was a 20th-century Austrian composer: readers of Alex Ross's history of 20th-century classical music may remember him as the composer of the popular opera Jonny Strikes Up. 3/5. #92: Men Explain Things To Me - Rebecca Solnit: Another collection of essays, this time on feminism and other related topics. 4/5. #93: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay - Michael Chabon: Two Czech Jewish cousins move to New York due to Nazis, become involved in the comics industry, grow up. 4/5. #94: The Golden Notebook - Doris Lessing: The most well-known book by the Nobel Prize-winning author, in which a woman keeps four notebooks detailing various aspects of her life before merging those threads into the titular golden notebook. Worth reading if interested in feminism, communism, the middle of the 20th century. 4/5. #95: Zinky Boys - Svetlana Alexievich: I read this just before the author received the Nobel Prize for literature. The book details the experiences of the women connected to Soviet soldiers who died in the Soviet-Afghan War during the '80s. If anyone wants to gain some insight into the Soviet Union during the eighties and its follies, check it out. I cannot wait for her other two books to be available digitally. 4/5. #96: Y: The Last Man: Deluxe Vol. 1 - Brian K. Vaughan: In which an epidemic wipes out all of the world's males on Earth (across all species) except the protagonist Yorick and his capuchin monkey Ampersand. A good read, with some interesting insights on gender politics. 4/5. #97: Rat Queens vol. 2 - Kurtis J. Wiebe: In this edition, the titular adventuring party fight against a Cthulhu-esque deity. Not quite as good as vol. 1 (I prefer to read about the party interacting with people), but still worth a read. 3.5(3)/5. #98: Y: The Last Man: Deluxe Vol. 2 - Brian K. Vaughan: See previous entry, same score. #99: The Twelve Caesars - Suetonius: If you want to read one of the main primary sources of Roman history, go for it. Once I got past the parts about Julius Caesar and Augustus, the book became more entertaining. Worth a read if interested in Roman history, but do take it with a grain of salt due to author bias, history writing practices, etc. 4/5. #100: Saga vol. 5 - Brian K. Vaughan: The latest volume in the series. Still good so far. 4/5. #101: Winter's Tale - Mark Helprin: Way better than the movie based on it. If you saw the movie and were confused, read the book - the movie only adapts about a quarter of the total material and does a poor job to boot. If you're interested in magical realist-ish books set in New York City during various parts of the 20th century, have a look. 4/5. #102: Ms. Marvel vol. 3: Crushed - G. Willow Wilson: In which the Marvel version of a certain Norse trickster deity shows up, and afterwards Kamala Khan has to deal with a cute boy who turns out to be not-so-cool. 3.5(4)/5. #103: Under the Paw: Confessions of a Cat Man: In which the author writes about his experiences with life and cats. I picked this up because the author wrote a book about tooling around with some nu-metal kid, which I read when I was younger. 3/5. #104: Bitch Planet vol. 1: Extraordinary Machine: Kelly Sue DeConnick: The first volume of a graphic novel series which occurs in a dystopian future where women are imprisoned for being outspoken and opinionated. Worth reading if interested in feminism (particularly of the intersectional variety, i.e. non-white, non-heterosexual, etc.) 4/5. #105: Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang - Kate Wilhelm: The winner of the 1977 Best Novel Hugo Award, where a community has to resort to cloning in order to survive in a vaguely post-apocalyptic future. Worth a read if interested in the '70s, the Hugos, cloning, individualism. 4/5. #106: The Mountains of Mourning - Lois McMaster Bujold: Winner of the 1990 Best Novella Hugo Award. In this book, Miles Vorkosigan has to travel to a remote mountain community in order to solve a murder mystery involving a disabled baby, which connects to Miles' physical shortcomings. A good short read between Barrayar and The Vor Game (in the series' chronology). 4/5. #107: Golden Son - Pierce Brown: A distinct improvement over Red Rising, if only for the setup for book three. Continues the story of Darrow and the politics in his caste. 4/5. #108: The Wicked and the Divine vol. 1: The Faust Act - Kieron Gillen: A graphic novel series in which deities are pop stars and vice versa. Not entirely convinced by this first volume due to unclear storytelling, but it has the potential to improve. 3/5. #109: Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? - Roz Chast: In which the author deals with the decline and death of her parents. Less depressing than it sounds. 4/5. #110: The Grace of Kings - Ken Liu: Can be summed up as Wuxia Game of Thrones, but with far less rape. A very good read: worth a look if interested in the beginning of an epic fantasy series which isn't the usual Whitey McWhiterson Tolkien knock-off stuff. (On the gender front: mostly a sausagefest, but there is more attention paid to gender politics than your average epic fantasy book). 4/5. #111: Beautiful Darkness - Fabien Vehlmann: A beautifully-drawn tale involving tiny people which can be summed up in a smiley:  , a.k.a surprisingly hardcore. Definitely worth a look if you can handle some violence. 5/5.#112: The Goblin Emperor - Katherine Addison: One of the Best Novel Hugo nominees for this year, and if I'd read it in time for voting I'd have put it ahead of Ancillary Sword. I really enjoyed this book, especially the world-building and the political focus. 5/5. #113: Parable of the Talents - Octavia Butler: The sequel to Parable of the Sower. Similar to Native Tongue in that it will make you angry at men. There were going to be further books, but they didn't get written before the premature death of the author; however, the end of the book feels like a natural stopping point. 4/5. #114: Andre the Giant: Life and Legend - Box Brown: Graphic novel detailing the life of the wrestler (and occasional actor) Andre the Giant, from his childhood in France to his death in his mid-40s. On the whole it is a reasonably balanced portrait of the man, detailing his positives (his charisma and his wrestling activities) to his negatives (occasional racism, his lack of attention towards his daughter). I should watch The Princess Bride, it's on Netflix and everything. 4/5. #115: War for the Oaks - Emma Bull: One of the defining books in the urban fantasy genre. One flaw this book has is that it was written in the '80s and it hasn't exactly aged that well (in terms of fashion and music; there are also a couple of instances of the homophobic f-word, just a friendly heads-up if you really can't handle that word). Worth a look if you're interested in the genre's roots, but there are (probably) better urban fantasy books to read. 3/5. #116: Step Aside Pops: A Hark! A Vagrant Collection - Kate Beaton: The latest collection of cartoons from Kate Beaton. Definitely worth a look if you're a fan, and even if you couldn't tell Kate Beaton from Mrs. Beeton you could probably get it out from your local library (if you have access, etc.) 4/5. #117: Hammer Head: The Making of a Carpenter - Nina MacLaughlin: In which a journalist decides on a whim to take a job in carpentry, which is more interesting than you might think. 4/5. #118: Bird Box - Josh Malerman: In which a disaster has rendered people unable to go outside without wearing blindfolds. Told in both the present and in flashbacks. Not so much scary as unsettling. 4/5. #119: The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal and the Real Count of Monte Cristo - Tom Reiss: The Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of the novelist Alexandre Dumas's rad dad. I know modern-day France can be pretty drat racist (sorry French people), but the fact that there aren't more statues of Alex Dumas is utterly disgraceful. Alex Dumas was a cool dude and worth ten Napoleons (especially in military ability. If you want to compare Napoleon to Julius Caesar, knock yourself out, but I'm fairly certain that Caesar was far more skilled in military matters). 4/5. #120: Dorothy Must Die - Danielle Paige: Young adult book in which Dorothy (as in the Wizard of Oz) is a dictator who has turned Oz into a dystopian nightmare, and she must be sorted out. I read this book in the middle of the year, but I only added it to my Goodreads challenge recently. Incidentally, of course there are sequels. 4/5. See you in the new thread. ZakAce fucked around with this message at 23:44 on Dec 30, 2015 |
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Dec 29, 2015 03:28
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