Book Logging
Sep. 9th, 2014 12:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_rckAmulet, Book 6: Escape from Lucien - I have to confess that I've forgotten almost all of the supporting characters and that I don't really remember events of past books. This may be worth a reread once it's finally complete. I suspect it will work better when I remember who all these people are and what they're doing. I do suspect that the story is coming to a head. It almost certainly won't finish in the next volume, but the one after that or the one after that is possible.
Jamison, Anne. Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World - I had to get this via interlibrary loan. That being so, I made myself read it right away. I did have to push myself because it was kind of dense. I'm not sure that the book made any points that were new to me, but I liked getting a bit of perspective on large fandoms I was never a part of (there was a lot on Twilight fandom). Interspersed through the text, there are essays by and interviews with fic writers of various types, and those were particularly interesting because I'd only heard of a few of those writers.
Rehak, Melanie. Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her - I found this book a bit of a slog, but, by the time I admitted I was having to push hard to get through it, I was within sixty pages of finishing, so I persevered. I found the background to the creation of Nancy Drew fascinating. The Stratemeyer Syndicate wasn't something that would ever have occurred to me. I can't imagine writing as fast as those authors did. I remember my mother telling me that Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon were the same person. I now know that's not true. The series were written by different ghostwriters.
Riera, Michael. Staying Connected to Your Teenager - The library only has one copy of this, and it appears to have a perpetual waitlist, so I very nearly didn't finish this. (I finished it right before we went to the library on the day it was due.) I think I need to read it more than once. It's given me some ideas for dealing with the upcoming problems of adolescence, but Cordelia's not quite into all of this stuff yet. I do want Scott to read this book, though. I don't think most of the advice will be easy to follow, but the book has given me some important things to think about.
Ross, Josephine. Jane Austen's Guide to Good Manners: Compliments, Charades & Horrible Blunders - This book was considerably shorter than I expected it to be, so it was a very quick read. It didn't go into great depth about the social rules of Austen's time, just touched lightly on a variety of topics. I don't think I learned anything new.
Vernon, Ursula. Dragonbreath: The Case of the Toxic Mutants - As with all the Dragonbreath books, this was fun and a quick read. Danny's grandfather's dentures have gone missing, and Danny and his friends have to find them. Because this is Ursula Vernon, things get weird in ways I wouldn't have predicted. I recommend this series to those who want a gift for an early reader and to those who enjoy creative books without worrying about the book being aimed at the 'right' age group.
Books started but not finished:
Addison, Katherine. The Goblin Emperor - I barely started this one. I wasn't put off by anything in particular except for my general inability to finish anything. There was a waitlist for this at the library, so I couldn't renew it and have another go. Maybe later.
Allan, Barbara. Antiques Roadkill - In a different mood, I might actually have finished this one because I liked the point of view character reasonably well. I just didn't want to deal with all the usual trappings of a mystery (which is maybe a problem when I have several on hold at the library. We'll see if I finish any of them).
Coel, Margaret. The Eagle Catcher - I started this mystery, but I wasn't feeling comfortable with it, so I stopped. I've got about a dozen books from the library. There's no need to force myself to read things. This was set on an Arapahoe reservation.
Doctor Who. Series 3, volume 4, Dead Man's Hand - I gave up on this one when I realized that I was forcing myself through, in spite of not enjoying it, simply to be literate in one of Scott's favorite fandoms. I think he'll forgive me for not reading every scrap of canon there is. I've handed the book off to him so that he can read it before it's due back at the library. (For some reason, the library never got Series 3, volume 3. I don't care enough to ask why.)
Epstein, Adam Jay and Andrew Jacobson. Secrets of the Crown - I just couldn't get myself interested enough to read this one. I checked it out because I'd kind of enjoyed the first book in the series.
Hoover, H.M. The Winds of Mars - Hoover wrote some of my favorite SF books for kids, some of the first SF that I ever read and definitely the first that made me go looking for more books by the same author (I haven't reread any of them in many years, so I don't know if the Suck Fairy has visited). This one was a bit too obviously dystopic for me, and I have no patience for that these days, so I didn't get far. I probably would have loved it when I was twelve.
Hussey, Charmian. The Valley of Secrets - I read about the first ten (very short) chapters of this. I liked the prose, but I wasn't very interested in the story.
Uttley, Alison. A Traveller in Time - GoodReads thought I would like this one, and it is well written. I got a very definite sense of place from what I read. I just couldn't face the general level of doomedness involved in the characters from the past. Part of that is that I have never had much sympathy for Mary, Queen of Scots.
Walsh, Jill Paton. The Late Scholar - I read a bit more than half of this before admitting to myself that, although it was an easy enough read, I didn't care very much. It was interesting to see Peter and Harriet return to Oxford, but there didn't seem to be any depth. I kept losing track of who the supporting characters were. I also question the decision to make Peter Duke of Denver. It's not unreasonable, but it felt wrong.
Jamison, Anne. Fic: Why Fanfiction Is Taking Over the World - I had to get this via interlibrary loan. That being so, I made myself read it right away. I did have to push myself because it was kind of dense. I'm not sure that the book made any points that were new to me, but I liked getting a bit of perspective on large fandoms I was never a part of (there was a lot on Twilight fandom). Interspersed through the text, there are essays by and interviews with fic writers of various types, and those were particularly interesting because I'd only heard of a few of those writers.
Rehak, Melanie. Girl Sleuth: Nancy Drew and the Women Who Created Her - I found this book a bit of a slog, but, by the time I admitted I was having to push hard to get through it, I was within sixty pages of finishing, so I persevered. I found the background to the creation of Nancy Drew fascinating. The Stratemeyer Syndicate wasn't something that would ever have occurred to me. I can't imagine writing as fast as those authors did. I remember my mother telling me that Carolyn Keene and Franklin W. Dixon were the same person. I now know that's not true. The series were written by different ghostwriters.
Riera, Michael. Staying Connected to Your Teenager - The library only has one copy of this, and it appears to have a perpetual waitlist, so I very nearly didn't finish this. (I finished it right before we went to the library on the day it was due.) I think I need to read it more than once. It's given me some ideas for dealing with the upcoming problems of adolescence, but Cordelia's not quite into all of this stuff yet. I do want Scott to read this book, though. I don't think most of the advice will be easy to follow, but the book has given me some important things to think about.
Ross, Josephine. Jane Austen's Guide to Good Manners: Compliments, Charades & Horrible Blunders - This book was considerably shorter than I expected it to be, so it was a very quick read. It didn't go into great depth about the social rules of Austen's time, just touched lightly on a variety of topics. I don't think I learned anything new.
Vernon, Ursula. Dragonbreath: The Case of the Toxic Mutants - As with all the Dragonbreath books, this was fun and a quick read. Danny's grandfather's dentures have gone missing, and Danny and his friends have to find them. Because this is Ursula Vernon, things get weird in ways I wouldn't have predicted. I recommend this series to those who want a gift for an early reader and to those who enjoy creative books without worrying about the book being aimed at the 'right' age group.
Books started but not finished:
Addison, Katherine. The Goblin Emperor - I barely started this one. I wasn't put off by anything in particular except for my general inability to finish anything. There was a waitlist for this at the library, so I couldn't renew it and have another go. Maybe later.
Allan, Barbara. Antiques Roadkill - In a different mood, I might actually have finished this one because I liked the point of view character reasonably well. I just didn't want to deal with all the usual trappings of a mystery (which is maybe a problem when I have several on hold at the library. We'll see if I finish any of them).
Coel, Margaret. The Eagle Catcher - I started this mystery, but I wasn't feeling comfortable with it, so I stopped. I've got about a dozen books from the library. There's no need to force myself to read things. This was set on an Arapahoe reservation.
Doctor Who. Series 3, volume 4, Dead Man's Hand - I gave up on this one when I realized that I was forcing myself through, in spite of not enjoying it, simply to be literate in one of Scott's favorite fandoms. I think he'll forgive me for not reading every scrap of canon there is. I've handed the book off to him so that he can read it before it's due back at the library. (For some reason, the library never got Series 3, volume 3. I don't care enough to ask why.)
Epstein, Adam Jay and Andrew Jacobson. Secrets of the Crown - I just couldn't get myself interested enough to read this one. I checked it out because I'd kind of enjoyed the first book in the series.
Hoover, H.M. The Winds of Mars - Hoover wrote some of my favorite SF books for kids, some of the first SF that I ever read and definitely the first that made me go looking for more books by the same author (I haven't reread any of them in many years, so I don't know if the Suck Fairy has visited). This one was a bit too obviously dystopic for me, and I have no patience for that these days, so I didn't get far. I probably would have loved it when I was twelve.
Hussey, Charmian. The Valley of Secrets - I read about the first ten (very short) chapters of this. I liked the prose, but I wasn't very interested in the story.
Uttley, Alison. A Traveller in Time - GoodReads thought I would like this one, and it is well written. I got a very definite sense of place from what I read. I just couldn't face the general level of doomedness involved in the characters from the past. Part of that is that I have never had much sympathy for Mary, Queen of Scots.
Walsh, Jill Paton. The Late Scholar - I read a bit more than half of this before admitting to myself that, although it was an easy enough read, I didn't care very much. It was interesting to see Peter and Harriet return to Oxford, but there didn't seem to be any depth. I kept losing track of who the supporting characters were. I also question the decision to make Peter Duke of Denver. It's not unreasonable, but it felt wrong.
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no subject
Date: 2014-09-09 04:10 pm (UTC)If you want to read The Goblin Emperor, and don't want to go through the library, it's on my shelf at home. I enjoyed it but it isn't a very showy book, and it is hard to reconcile all the long elvish names and titles sometimes, though I managed it by the end. I'm kind of bummed there is no sequel planned, as I was really comfortable in the world and then it just ... ended. I wanted more, particularly to see how our goblin emperor would deal with the world as a more mature person.
no subject
Date: 2014-09-09 04:20 pm (UTC)I'm a little afraid of borrowing books anywhere but from the library. I have so many books to read, and I'm prone, these days, to doing other things than reading. I'm afraid that, without the due date, I'd never pick the book up. Thanks for offering, though!
no subject
Date: 2014-09-10 03:38 pm (UTC)TLS sounds like it at least has a plot and a mystery! Something might be made of Peter as dutiful Duke in such situations, and Harriet of Bloomsbury wryly along, perhaps tempted to put all these posh people into a book of her own, which of course couldn't be published till long afterwards (perhaps on the hundredth anniversary of the assassination of the Archduke).
Maybe I'll give TLS a try, to see if it's better than TAE.
no subject
Date: 2014-09-10 04:10 pm (UTC)The Late Scholar has some good points, but I found it really difficult to track the supporting cast. That was a problem when people died and other people became suspects. There's a conflict at the heart of the book that has two factions among the faculty of a particular Oxford college; the factions are equally balanced so that no decision can be reached. I couldn't remember who was on which side. I couldn't even remember, all the time, which characters had appeared before.