(no subject)
Dec. 3rd, 2006 01:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
winterbadgerSo more on my book project. I thought I might try to ebay stuff this morning, but I remembered I will be out of town next weekend, so I had better wait until I'm back.
So, books I might have read this year, or maybe last...
Portrait in Sepia by Isabelle Allende: A fascinating novel about life in 19th century San Francisco and in Chile.
Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss: What editor could resist?
The Family Tree by Sheri S. Tepper: An entertaining fable set in two different worlds that somehow intersect. A good read and the source of one of our household's entertaining nicknames (though what it is and for whom will not be here revealed)
The Treasure of Montsegur by Sophy Burnam: An excellent historical novel about the Cathars.
Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn: A good, solid adventure novel set in something not quite but almost feudal Japan.
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters: Another of Waters' brilliant novels that explore themes of love and betrayal in 19th century England.
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier: A retelling of an old fairytale, this os rather good; not a classic, perhaps, but a engaging story.
A Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss: Not bad, but fairly forgettable, this historical mystery novel--with its Jewish boxer-turned-private-eye sleuthing through 18th century London--is the sort of thing that often makes me think 'If this could get published, then I should try writing, as I could do at least as well, if not better, than this.'
The Ill-Made Mute by Cecilia Dart-Thornton: This novel, and its two companions (The Lady of the Sorrows and The Battle of Evernight) are wonderful to me in the way that they bind together a vast knowledge of folktale, a sense of horror and danger that pass beyond gross physical danger and the 'yet another army of orcs' syndrome, and an incredibly evocative talent for description of place. I had not realised until looking up these URLs that the author had published many more books. I'm half-afraid to go looking for them, lest I find she has shot her bolt with her first trilogy.
Sea Dragon Heir by Storm Constantine: Apparently Neil Gaiman has high praise for Constantine--I think that was originally what led me to this book (I instinctively shy away from anything with dragons on it). I can see some glimmers of a good writer here, but this felt shallow and unfinished. I wasn't moved to go look for more of her work.
Losing Nelson by Barry Unsworth: I enjoyed his Morality Play, so I tried this novel about someone obsessed with the life of Lord Nelson (Chris had brought it home). He is a good writer, almost too good, as his portrait of a compulsive, disturbed individual is scarily convincing.
Eragon by Christopher Paolini: So, I got suckered by the hype to read another book about dragons. Mistake. Even if it had been written by a 15-year old (which it wasn't), it would have been a very mediocre novel that derives most of its highly unimaginative plot from 2-3 authors who I suspsect many of my readers are already well familiar with. I saw the preview for the movie the other day, and I strongly suspect the movie may be miles better than the book. To quote Dorothy Parker, 'This is not a book to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.'
Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman: I'm astonished that the author of a string of teen potboilers (some of them Victorian mysteries like this one) could have produced the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy. Those books are masterful. This is merely mediocre. I enjoyed it (hence the rereading) but it's not great fiction, merely adequate.
Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint: Not de Lint's best, but very good, well written, engaging short stories in a magical realist vein.
Book of Atrix Wolfe by Patricia McKillip: Also not her best, but an engaging fantasy novel about magic and language.
The Secret Country by Pamela Dean: I picked this up off the bookshelf of my then-GF Laura several years ago and started reading it. I didn't finish it at the time, so I got a mass market copy a while back so as to finish it. It had reminded me at the time of some of the 'magic adventures of pre-teens' books I read as a kid, and it's solidly in that genre. Not outstanding, but an entertaining read as far as it goes.
The Glasswrights' Apprentice by Mindy L. Klasky: I seem to be hitting a vein here. Another good but not great work of fantasy fiction. I tried it, secondhand, to see if it would be worth reading the rest of the series. I was still undecided after reading it, so I'm not pursuing them at the moment.
Guilty Pleasures by Anita Blake: I don't get why vampires are so fascinating to so many people, but for a detective story this isn't too bad. Blake is a decent writer and imaginative in envisioning ways that the reality of the supernatural might affect and be affected by modern society and technology.
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey: BDSM and fantasy-adventure, what's not to like? :-) There are some plot weaknesses and a few implausibilities, but this is an entertaining novel, and the occasional scenes are rather hot. I liked it well enough to buy the first sequel, though I haven't read it yet.
Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman: I have yet to read anything by Gaiman that I didn't vastly enjoy. This is excellent stuff, a first-rate collection of modern fantasy short stories.
One more list (the books I *know* I read this year) will have to wait until this evening. I don't want to be late for my date!
So, books I might have read this year, or maybe last...
Portrait in Sepia by Isabelle Allende: A fascinating novel about life in 19th century San Francisco and in Chile.
Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss: What editor could resist?
The Family Tree by Sheri S. Tepper: An entertaining fable set in two different worlds that somehow intersect. A good read and the source of one of our household's entertaining nicknames (though what it is and for whom will not be here revealed)
The Treasure of Montsegur by Sophy Burnam: An excellent historical novel about the Cathars.
Across the Nightingale Floor by Lian Hearn: A good, solid adventure novel set in something not quite but almost feudal Japan.
Fingersmith by Sarah Waters: Another of Waters' brilliant novels that explore themes of love and betrayal in 19th century England.
Daughter of the Forest by Juliet Marillier: A retelling of an old fairytale, this os rather good; not a classic, perhaps, but a engaging story.
A Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss: Not bad, but fairly forgettable, this historical mystery novel--with its Jewish boxer-turned-private-eye sleuthing through 18th century London--is the sort of thing that often makes me think 'If this could get published, then I should try writing, as I could do at least as well, if not better, than this.'
The Ill-Made Mute by Cecilia Dart-Thornton: This novel, and its two companions (The Lady of the Sorrows and The Battle of Evernight) are wonderful to me in the way that they bind together a vast knowledge of folktale, a sense of horror and danger that pass beyond gross physical danger and the 'yet another army of orcs' syndrome, and an incredibly evocative talent for description of place. I had not realised until looking up these URLs that the author had published many more books. I'm half-afraid to go looking for them, lest I find she has shot her bolt with her first trilogy.
Sea Dragon Heir by Storm Constantine: Apparently Neil Gaiman has high praise for Constantine--I think that was originally what led me to this book (I instinctively shy away from anything with dragons on it). I can see some glimmers of a good writer here, but this felt shallow and unfinished. I wasn't moved to go look for more of her work.
Losing Nelson by Barry Unsworth: I enjoyed his Morality Play, so I tried this novel about someone obsessed with the life of Lord Nelson (Chris had brought it home). He is a good writer, almost too good, as his portrait of a compulsive, disturbed individual is scarily convincing.
Eragon by Christopher Paolini: So, I got suckered by the hype to read another book about dragons. Mistake. Even if it had been written by a 15-year old (which it wasn't), it would have been a very mediocre novel that derives most of its highly unimaginative plot from 2-3 authors who I suspsect many of my readers are already well familiar with. I saw the preview for the movie the other day, and I strongly suspect the movie may be miles better than the book. To quote Dorothy Parker, 'This is not a book to be tossed aside lightly. It should be thrown with great force.'
Shadow in the North by Philip Pullman: I'm astonished that the author of a string of teen potboilers (some of them Victorian mysteries like this one) could have produced the 'His Dark Materials' trilogy. Those books are masterful. This is merely mediocre. I enjoyed it (hence the rereading) but it's not great fiction, merely adequate.
Dreams Underfoot by Charles de Lint: Not de Lint's best, but very good, well written, engaging short stories in a magical realist vein.
Book of Atrix Wolfe by Patricia McKillip: Also not her best, but an engaging fantasy novel about magic and language.
The Secret Country by Pamela Dean: I picked this up off the bookshelf of my then-GF Laura several years ago and started reading it. I didn't finish it at the time, so I got a mass market copy a while back so as to finish it. It had reminded me at the time of some of the 'magic adventures of pre-teens' books I read as a kid, and it's solidly in that genre. Not outstanding, but an entertaining read as far as it goes.
The Glasswrights' Apprentice by Mindy L. Klasky: I seem to be hitting a vein here. Another good but not great work of fantasy fiction. I tried it, secondhand, to see if it would be worth reading the rest of the series. I was still undecided after reading it, so I'm not pursuing them at the moment.
Guilty Pleasures by Anita Blake: I don't get why vampires are so fascinating to so many people, but for a detective story this isn't too bad. Blake is a decent writer and imaginative in envisioning ways that the reality of the supernatural might affect and be affected by modern society and technology.
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey: BDSM and fantasy-adventure, what's not to like? :-) There are some plot weaknesses and a few implausibilities, but this is an entertaining novel, and the occasional scenes are rather hot. I liked it well enough to buy the first sequel, though I haven't read it yet.
Smoke and Mirrors by Neil Gaiman: I have yet to read anything by Gaiman that I didn't vastly enjoy. This is excellent stuff, a first-rate collection of modern fantasy short stories.
One more list (the books I *know* I read this year) will have to wait until this evening. I don't want to be late for my date!
no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 06:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-12-03 07:49 pm (UTC)The movie looks like good fun fantasy nonsense in the run up to Xmas.