Book Logging
Oct. 28th, 2011 04:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_rckAaronovitch, Ben. Midnight Riot - I couldn't finish this. I liked the voice and the style and was intrigued by the story, but the level of violence was too much for me. I regret that because I wanted to know what would happen. I read the end, but that's not really knowing what happens. The story follows a police officer who, after talking to a ghost who witnessed a murder, finds himself apprenticed to a senior officer who's also a mage.
Andrews, Donna. The Real Macaw - This is another amusing installment in Andrews' series. This time, Meg is coping with being a mother to four month old twins while she solves the crime. She also tries not to get too involved in the case (the need for sleep looms far larger in her mind than the need to catch a killer). This book felt almost low key by the standards of the series, but there was still plenty of humor and family chaos.
Castle, Jayne. Canyons of Night - For some reason, the mystery and adventure here seemed smaller than in most of Castle's books. That wasn't a bad thing, just a little surprising given that I'm used to her books being each so much like the others. This one also had a few dangling threads at the end that I expect will be picked up in the next book. The introduction specifically said that the setting will be used several times. I can't say that this book was particularly memorable-- I've already forgotten the character names. This time it was a romance between an antique dealer and a police chief, both with unusual psychic powers.
Hiaasen, Carl. Scat - I wasn't sure what to expect from this. The author had gone on my very long list of books to try out quite a while ago, and I no longer remember why. (It's a list of authors and titles that my local library owns. It probably has a couple hundred entries.) Fortunately, the library has a small sample of the book up on its website, so I was able to try it out. The sample intrigued me, and the book itself didn't disappoint. This has a nice blend of humor and seriousness that carried me along pleasantly. The serious stuff-- conservation, Iraq War injuries-- was never trivialized by the humor, but it also never overwhelmed the humor.
Krentz, Jayne Ann. In Too Deep - I mostly stopped reading Krentz when she started writing in her Arcane Society universe. I expected her books (ignoring many of her early books which I dislike) to be fun, and I didn't find the Arcane Society and the people involved in it cheerful. I can't say that this book changed my mind about that. It didn't have the humor that I prefer. Everything seemed too serious. Still, going into it with different expectations, I enjoyed the book. I'll probably go back and read more of the Krentz/Quick/Castle books that I skipped. Popcorn books have their place, even popcorn books where everything is serious business.
Krentz, Jayne Ann. White Lies - I almost gave up on this one because I wasn't having fun. I'm not very interested in the mystery and conspiracy and such when there isn't a cast of likable characters. Not that I disliked these characters. I just didn't care about spending time with them. This is another Arcane Society novel. This heroine can tell when people are lying. It's less useful than one might think.
LaFevers, R.L. Theodosia and the Last Pharaoh - I found this book rather a slog which is a pity because I've enjoyed the earlier books in the series. I suspect that it's more me than the book. I simply wasn't in the mood for the suspense and near disaster after complication after near disaster. This time, Theodosia's in Egypt, attempting to return some important artifacts to an Egyptian secret organization. There was some dissonance for me because nobody in Egypt seemed to be Muslim and because there wasn't any hint of what it might be like to follow the ancient Egyptian gods in a heavily monotheistic society. This may, however be me quibbling. The book is aimed at kids, after all.
Landy, Derek. The Faceless Ones - I had trouble with this one. I could tell things were going to go wrong and keep going wrong. The fact that the library doesn't yet own the next book didn't help. In this book, a conspiracy takes all the steps necessary to let the Faceless Ones, the ancient evil gods, back into the world. Skulduggery and company are always a step behind.
Prineas, Sarah. The Magic Thief - I managed to read the first third and the last third of this, but I couldn't get myself to read the middle. Life's too short to be forcing myself to read books, so I gave up (plus, somebody else has a hold on it at the library. I figured I might as well let them have it). I think I felt like I didn't really know the characters in spite of the story being told in first person. The central conflict-- the ongoing disappearance of magic from the city-- never felt really urgent.
Sage, Angie. Physik - It's been a while since I read the first two books in this series. I've forgotten a lot of what happened in them. Fortunately, this book had sufficient reminders that I could navigate. This story involved a powerful (and nasty) ghost and time travel. It ended with some things still up in the air. It'll probably be a while before I get to the next volume. I've got too many other things to read.
Smith, Clete Barrett. Aliens on Vacation - A kid gets sent to spend the summer with his grandmother at her bed and breakfast. Once he arrives there, he discovers that her guests are more than a little unusual-- They're all aliens, and he has to help keep them a secret while letting them enjoy their visits to Earth. The book moves along at a good clip with new aliens and problems appearing frequently and the boy trying to find time for himself as well. I had fun and will look for the sequel when it comes out.
Watson, Winifred. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - This was frothy fun for the most part. Miss Pettigrew is quite delightedly out of her element as she enjoys life for the first time. There's a 'however' to attach unfortunately-- I was put off by anti-Semitism, other racism and the attitude that women can drive men to violence and deserve what they get. These things all came up briefly, and I was able to get past them to enjoy seeing wonderful things happen to Miss Pettigrew. I just feel that potential readers should be warned. I liked the movie better, so if it's a choice between the book and the movie, I recommend the movie.
Andrews, Donna. The Real Macaw - This is another amusing installment in Andrews' series. This time, Meg is coping with being a mother to four month old twins while she solves the crime. She also tries not to get too involved in the case (the need for sleep looms far larger in her mind than the need to catch a killer). This book felt almost low key by the standards of the series, but there was still plenty of humor and family chaos.
Castle, Jayne. Canyons of Night - For some reason, the mystery and adventure here seemed smaller than in most of Castle's books. That wasn't a bad thing, just a little surprising given that I'm used to her books being each so much like the others. This one also had a few dangling threads at the end that I expect will be picked up in the next book. The introduction specifically said that the setting will be used several times. I can't say that this book was particularly memorable-- I've already forgotten the character names. This time it was a romance between an antique dealer and a police chief, both with unusual psychic powers.
Hiaasen, Carl. Scat - I wasn't sure what to expect from this. The author had gone on my very long list of books to try out quite a while ago, and I no longer remember why. (It's a list of authors and titles that my local library owns. It probably has a couple hundred entries.) Fortunately, the library has a small sample of the book up on its website, so I was able to try it out. The sample intrigued me, and the book itself didn't disappoint. This has a nice blend of humor and seriousness that carried me along pleasantly. The serious stuff-- conservation, Iraq War injuries-- was never trivialized by the humor, but it also never overwhelmed the humor.
Krentz, Jayne Ann. In Too Deep - I mostly stopped reading Krentz when she started writing in her Arcane Society universe. I expected her books (ignoring many of her early books which I dislike) to be fun, and I didn't find the Arcane Society and the people involved in it cheerful. I can't say that this book changed my mind about that. It didn't have the humor that I prefer. Everything seemed too serious. Still, going into it with different expectations, I enjoyed the book. I'll probably go back and read more of the Krentz/Quick/Castle books that I skipped. Popcorn books have their place, even popcorn books where everything is serious business.
Krentz, Jayne Ann. White Lies - I almost gave up on this one because I wasn't having fun. I'm not very interested in the mystery and conspiracy and such when there isn't a cast of likable characters. Not that I disliked these characters. I just didn't care about spending time with them. This is another Arcane Society novel. This heroine can tell when people are lying. It's less useful than one might think.
LaFevers, R.L. Theodosia and the Last Pharaoh - I found this book rather a slog which is a pity because I've enjoyed the earlier books in the series. I suspect that it's more me than the book. I simply wasn't in the mood for the suspense and near disaster after complication after near disaster. This time, Theodosia's in Egypt, attempting to return some important artifacts to an Egyptian secret organization. There was some dissonance for me because nobody in Egypt seemed to be Muslim and because there wasn't any hint of what it might be like to follow the ancient Egyptian gods in a heavily monotheistic society. This may, however be me quibbling. The book is aimed at kids, after all.
Landy, Derek. The Faceless Ones - I had trouble with this one. I could tell things were going to go wrong and keep going wrong. The fact that the library doesn't yet own the next book didn't help. In this book, a conspiracy takes all the steps necessary to let the Faceless Ones, the ancient evil gods, back into the world. Skulduggery and company are always a step behind.
Prineas, Sarah. The Magic Thief - I managed to read the first third and the last third of this, but I couldn't get myself to read the middle. Life's too short to be forcing myself to read books, so I gave up (plus, somebody else has a hold on it at the library. I figured I might as well let them have it). I think I felt like I didn't really know the characters in spite of the story being told in first person. The central conflict-- the ongoing disappearance of magic from the city-- never felt really urgent.
Sage, Angie. Physik - It's been a while since I read the first two books in this series. I've forgotten a lot of what happened in them. Fortunately, this book had sufficient reminders that I could navigate. This story involved a powerful (and nasty) ghost and time travel. It ended with some things still up in the air. It'll probably be a while before I get to the next volume. I've got too many other things to read.
Smith, Clete Barrett. Aliens on Vacation - A kid gets sent to spend the summer with his grandmother at her bed and breakfast. Once he arrives there, he discovers that her guests are more than a little unusual-- They're all aliens, and he has to help keep them a secret while letting them enjoy their visits to Earth. The book moves along at a good clip with new aliens and problems appearing frequently and the boy trying to find time for himself as well. I had fun and will look for the sequel when it comes out.
Watson, Winifred. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - This was frothy fun for the most part. Miss Pettigrew is quite delightedly out of her element as she enjoys life for the first time. There's a 'however' to attach unfortunately-- I was put off by anti-Semitism, other racism and the attitude that women can drive men to violence and deserve what they get. These things all came up briefly, and I was able to get past them to enjoy seeing wonderful things happen to Miss Pettigrew. I just feel that potential readers should be warned. I liked the movie better, so if it's a choice between the book and the movie, I recommend the movie.
