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Feb. 28th, 2008 08:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
the_rckBook logging for the second half of February (Yes, I ought to wait another couple of days, but this is long enough already.)
Beet the Vandel Buster 10 - One Big Bad soon to be down, how many to go? Fighting and power ups and secret weapons and smart planning. Still fun.
Case Closed 4 - Ooh! A mystery that doesn't involve a murder. I like the kids and the way Conan interacts with them. Still, what's with the code names for the two bad guys? Aren't their names Gin and Vodka? Am I remembering incorrectly? Using two of the Three Kings rather strongly implies that they should be a trio rather than a duo.
Ceres 14 - Series done. I think I understood the ending of the manga better than I did the ending of the anime.
Claymore 1 -Scott and I both found this very Buffy (but with less clever dialogue). We've put a hold on the next volume at the library and are looking forward to it.
Dragon Drive 1 - Not hooked yet, but it's from the library, so I'll try volume 2. I wish that the hero had some redeeming quality beyond 'nice guy.' I'm also hoping that we get something beyond VR fighting. If we don't, I'll likely end up thinking that Angelic Layer did it better (at least I *liked* the main character there).
Dramacon 2 - I like Bethany, the new artist, quite a bit. Her dilemma seemed realistic to me. The convention humor is still there in this volume, things that seem like exaggerations but aren't and that are funnier because they're not. I'm very much looking forward to v.3.
Eerie Queerie 2 - I didn't finish this one. I checked it out from the library to sample the series (the library has 2-4 but lacks v.1). Some comments I'd read from people on my FL who were reading it as it came out lead me to think that I wouldn't really love the series, so I didn't work particularly hard to get my hands on it. Eventually, I decided simply to try v.2, since I could easily get it, so that I could be more sure whether or not I'm interested. And I'm not interested. Maybe I should have given it more of a chance, but I was at the library and needed to leave. I didn't like it enough to haul it home on the bus.
Emma 3 - Yea! My library now has Emma! (I'd heard a while ago that it was likely because the series had gotten a starred review in some trade publication or another, but I hadn't been sure if I should count on it.) I'm still hugely impressed by this series because I'm actually getting a lot of character reactions and personality just by looking at the art. I usually can't do that.
Ex Machina 1 - I'm not quite sure how I feel about this graphic novel. I'm interested in the characters, the politics and the backstory, but I'm wary of this sort of graphic novel. They very often get too stressful and/or violent for me. Still, Scott liked the first volume, and I'll likely keep reading as long as he does. I hope that the next few volumes will give more information about exactly how the protagonist's powers work.
High, Philip E. Speaking of Dinosaurs - A few early details of this book annoyed me because the dinosaur details were forty years out of date (the book was published in 1974, but I find myself wondering if it were written earlier) and because, although the point of the book was completely different from Intelligent Design, one of the essential plot points was that the biological history of our planet couldn't be explained by evolution.
The main character decided, correctly, that the dinosaurs were evidence that some group of alien scientists had been manipulating the development of life on earth from the get-go. He was right and then had to help free earth from those scientists (who were trying to build organic weapons/soldiers that could be controlled for interplanetary conquest as a way of getting around a thoroughly enforced disarmament clause in a treaty).
I like High's books more because they're fun than because the science is all that good. He has certain tropes that annoy me (For example, part of creating a utopia for him is having people pair off in perfectly matched couples who're pre-destined to some degree by being utterly psychologically complimentary), but because I know they're coming, I can work around them. His stuff tends to be optimistic.
A question for those who know more British history than I-- There's a character in the book who's about thirty who has a background in small unit, guerrilla tactics, jungle fighting during 'the war' in the British military. (The book's set in England.) Assuming the book's set in the mid-70s, where would he be likely to have gained such experience? He's rather presented as one of those people who can kill you sixty different ways with a toothpick, and I get the impression that his experience is a matter of public record with no secrecy about details. Does this make any sense at all? I'm ignorant.
Hill, Stuart. The Cry of the Icemark - I couldn't finish this one. The style simply didn't work for me. It didn't let me near the characters and contained a lot of description of places and of things happening. It was like the author was trying to write a movie. I have too much to read to keep going when I'm not having fun.
LaFevers, R.L. The Secrets of Grim Wood - I think I'd like this series better if it were bound together as one book. I understand why it isn't. The target audience is very young readers who might be intimidated by a thick book but who'll devour each of the three separate books (assuming they like the genre). At any rate, the series' young hero takes the next step in his quest to defeat the evil mage. The world building is pretty good with a lot of implied depth. I'm pretty sure that book three won't hold any surprises for me, but I expect the pieces to come together relatively seamlessly.
Lathen, Emma. Pick Up Sticks - After reading this, I'm about 80% certain that I've read it before. Some of the plot threads are dated, but reading them as part of a story with an historical setting works. Basically, we have murder on a construction site at a development aimed at selling vacation homes. I'm not sure how many clues I picked up because I've read several Lathen books and how much was my (probably) having read the book before.
Lennon, Joan. Questors - This kids' novel reminded me a lot of some of Diana Wynne Jones' books, particularly Hexwood and Tale of Time City. The story involves three children from three different worlds being summoned to try to save their worlds by going on a quest. The original plans had involved letting them grow up fully before calling them, but the problems that might destroy all three worlds accelerated too fast. I enjoyed this book quite a bit and ended up finishing it much faster than I'd expected. The story and characterization aren't particularly deep (I don't think, for example, that the identity of the villain will come as much of a surprise to readers), but all the pieces were in the right places.
Mallet, Nathalie. The Princes of the Golden Cage - This is another book that has nothing really wrong with it except that I can't finish it. Actually, I can barely start it. I don't know why I put it on my list of interesting things to look for at the library.
The Sultan, by law, keeps all of his sons locked up. The law dictates that they not be allowed out until after one of them has become Sultan (and some of them may be kept imprisoned after that). There's a lot of infighting and politics and general nastiness among the hundred plus princes. Our hero is bookish and far down the line of succession. Then somebody starts using magic to kill of princes.
I don't know if it's that this is a bad time for me to read stressful books or if this book would set me off normally. There's too much of life-sucks-and-is-about-to-get-worse here. I only managed a few chapters (and most of those from the end of the book). I didn't want to spend time with the first person narrator. The book goes back to the library, and I don't pick up the sequel when it comes out.
Mar 7 - Fighting. Training. Powering up. More fighting. Bored now. Still, a series the library has, so I'll keep going. After all, I'm at least half way through. There are too many enemies left to fight them *all* in detail, right? So something else must happen (I hope), and I do like the characters.
Mull, Brandon. The Candy Shop War - This book would make an interesting role playing game. It has a plethora of different magic items (candies that produce different effects), all with limitations, and of powered characters who have limitations. It might even be a decent role playing game for kids as the story and setting are aimed at them. Because it's aimed at kids, there are moral lessons. I was a little startled when I turned to the end of the book (I read both ends towards the middle. Deal) and found a page of discussion questions.
I may have missed something, but I think all the characters are white (I've returned the book to the library, so I can't check, and I might be wrong. I was skimming). This gets underlined by one magical candy that changes a character's physical appearance (including fingerprints) for an hour. The author offered descriptions of the new appearances that rested heavily on race. It bothered me.
The One I Love - A dozen short manga sequences about young women in love. I got bored, I'm afraid, and I'm not keen on all the baggage involved in what 'love' seems to mean here. Still, it's Clamp, so it's pretty.
Princess Princess 4 - Still silly. I'm sure I missed something in the crossover sections (the library doesn't, I think, have the other title, so it's harder to find out what I'm missing). I wonder if the story will continue after the 'princesses' aren't freshmen any more. At that point, they ought to be just ordinary students. Well, as much as they can be ordinary students.
Red River 4 - Reading this last night, I realized that I know diddley-squat about the history involved. I've been assuming that it's heavily fictionalized, at best, and quite possibly just names pasted onto the story the author wants to tell, but I've not bothered to check at all. I don't care enough to attempt anything heavy, but I can manage Wikipedia. I do hope that our heroine gets a bit smarter/more sensible. I'm also trying to remember how old she's supposed to be. I suppose the will-they-or-won't-they sexual tension can be drawn out for many volumes, but I'm not really enjoying it. Not that I want them to have sex. It's just dull bit of dramatic tension.
Sagara, Michelle. Cast in Secret - This turned up at the library. I hadn't thought it ever would since they'd never bought the earlier books in the series. I suppose someone must have requested it. I'll buy the book eventually because I enjoyed it enough to think that I might reread it and because I want to be able to loan it.
As with the earlier books in the series, we get incremental reveals about Kaylin's mysterious powers. This one also focuses on a species that wasn't central to either of the previous two books. I suspect that each book may show Kaylin getting involved with and more connected to a different species. I'm not sure though because she started out with strong connections to the remaining species-- She's human herself, and she works closely with Leontines and Aerians. (I've returned the book to the library, so I apologize if I'm getting species names wrong.)
W Juliet 9 - Ah, so now we're aiming at a Big Event. That should sustain the arc through a lot of episodes as we head toward it. The older brother and older sister are sweet together. I do find myself why our main couple risks going out with Makoto dressed as a boy. Every time they do it, bad things happen. I suppose it's meant to remind readers that he is male given that in drag he looks more feminine than Ito normally does. I'm also highly amused that Ito's inspiration for wanting to act comes from an outdoor superhero performance (what's the actual name for that sort of thing?).
Beet the Vandel Buster 10 - One Big Bad soon to be down, how many to go? Fighting and power ups and secret weapons and smart planning. Still fun.
Case Closed 4 - Ooh! A mystery that doesn't involve a murder. I like the kids and the way Conan interacts with them. Still, what's with the code names for the two bad guys? Aren't their names Gin and Vodka? Am I remembering incorrectly? Using two of the Three Kings rather strongly implies that they should be a trio rather than a duo.
Ceres 14 - Series done. I think I understood the ending of the manga better than I did the ending of the anime.
Claymore 1 -Scott and I both found this very Buffy (but with less clever dialogue). We've put a hold on the next volume at the library and are looking forward to it.
Dragon Drive 1 - Not hooked yet, but it's from the library, so I'll try volume 2. I wish that the hero had some redeeming quality beyond 'nice guy.' I'm also hoping that we get something beyond VR fighting. If we don't, I'll likely end up thinking that Angelic Layer did it better (at least I *liked* the main character there).
Dramacon 2 - I like Bethany, the new artist, quite a bit. Her dilemma seemed realistic to me. The convention humor is still there in this volume, things that seem like exaggerations but aren't and that are funnier because they're not. I'm very much looking forward to v.3.
Eerie Queerie 2 - I didn't finish this one. I checked it out from the library to sample the series (the library has 2-4 but lacks v.1). Some comments I'd read from people on my FL who were reading it as it came out lead me to think that I wouldn't really love the series, so I didn't work particularly hard to get my hands on it. Eventually, I decided simply to try v.2, since I could easily get it, so that I could be more sure whether or not I'm interested. And I'm not interested. Maybe I should have given it more of a chance, but I was at the library and needed to leave. I didn't like it enough to haul it home on the bus.
Emma 3 - Yea! My library now has Emma! (I'd heard a while ago that it was likely because the series had gotten a starred review in some trade publication or another, but I hadn't been sure if I should count on it.) I'm still hugely impressed by this series because I'm actually getting a lot of character reactions and personality just by looking at the art. I usually can't do that.
Ex Machina 1 - I'm not quite sure how I feel about this graphic novel. I'm interested in the characters, the politics and the backstory, but I'm wary of this sort of graphic novel. They very often get too stressful and/or violent for me. Still, Scott liked the first volume, and I'll likely keep reading as long as he does. I hope that the next few volumes will give more information about exactly how the protagonist's powers work.
High, Philip E. Speaking of Dinosaurs - A few early details of this book annoyed me because the dinosaur details were forty years out of date (the book was published in 1974, but I find myself wondering if it were written earlier) and because, although the point of the book was completely different from Intelligent Design, one of the essential plot points was that the biological history of our planet couldn't be explained by evolution.
The main character decided, correctly, that the dinosaurs were evidence that some group of alien scientists had been manipulating the development of life on earth from the get-go. He was right and then had to help free earth from those scientists (who were trying to build organic weapons/soldiers that could be controlled for interplanetary conquest as a way of getting around a thoroughly enforced disarmament clause in a treaty).
I like High's books more because they're fun than because the science is all that good. He has certain tropes that annoy me (For example, part of creating a utopia for him is having people pair off in perfectly matched couples who're pre-destined to some degree by being utterly psychologically complimentary), but because I know they're coming, I can work around them. His stuff tends to be optimistic.
A question for those who know more British history than I-- There's a character in the book who's about thirty who has a background in small unit, guerrilla tactics, jungle fighting during 'the war' in the British military. (The book's set in England.) Assuming the book's set in the mid-70s, where would he be likely to have gained such experience? He's rather presented as one of those people who can kill you sixty different ways with a toothpick, and I get the impression that his experience is a matter of public record with no secrecy about details. Does this make any sense at all? I'm ignorant.
Hill, Stuart. The Cry of the Icemark - I couldn't finish this one. The style simply didn't work for me. It didn't let me near the characters and contained a lot of description of places and of things happening. It was like the author was trying to write a movie. I have too much to read to keep going when I'm not having fun.
LaFevers, R.L. The Secrets of Grim Wood - I think I'd like this series better if it were bound together as one book. I understand why it isn't. The target audience is very young readers who might be intimidated by a thick book but who'll devour each of the three separate books (assuming they like the genre). At any rate, the series' young hero takes the next step in his quest to defeat the evil mage. The world building is pretty good with a lot of implied depth. I'm pretty sure that book three won't hold any surprises for me, but I expect the pieces to come together relatively seamlessly.
Lathen, Emma. Pick Up Sticks - After reading this, I'm about 80% certain that I've read it before. Some of the plot threads are dated, but reading them as part of a story with an historical setting works. Basically, we have murder on a construction site at a development aimed at selling vacation homes. I'm not sure how many clues I picked up because I've read several Lathen books and how much was my (probably) having read the book before.
Lennon, Joan. Questors - This kids' novel reminded me a lot of some of Diana Wynne Jones' books, particularly Hexwood and Tale of Time City. The story involves three children from three different worlds being summoned to try to save their worlds by going on a quest. The original plans had involved letting them grow up fully before calling them, but the problems that might destroy all three worlds accelerated too fast. I enjoyed this book quite a bit and ended up finishing it much faster than I'd expected. The story and characterization aren't particularly deep (I don't think, for example, that the identity of the villain will come as much of a surprise to readers), but all the pieces were in the right places.
Mallet, Nathalie. The Princes of the Golden Cage - This is another book that has nothing really wrong with it except that I can't finish it. Actually, I can barely start it. I don't know why I put it on my list of interesting things to look for at the library.
The Sultan, by law, keeps all of his sons locked up. The law dictates that they not be allowed out until after one of them has become Sultan (and some of them may be kept imprisoned after that). There's a lot of infighting and politics and general nastiness among the hundred plus princes. Our hero is bookish and far down the line of succession. Then somebody starts using magic to kill of princes.
I don't know if it's that this is a bad time for me to read stressful books or if this book would set me off normally. There's too much of life-sucks-and-is-about-to-get-worse here. I only managed a few chapters (and most of those from the end of the book). I didn't want to spend time with the first person narrator. The book goes back to the library, and I don't pick up the sequel when it comes out.
Mar 7 - Fighting. Training. Powering up. More fighting. Bored now. Still, a series the library has, so I'll keep going. After all, I'm at least half way through. There are too many enemies left to fight them *all* in detail, right? So something else must happen (I hope), and I do like the characters.
Mull, Brandon. The Candy Shop War - This book would make an interesting role playing game. It has a plethora of different magic items (candies that produce different effects), all with limitations, and of powered characters who have limitations. It might even be a decent role playing game for kids as the story and setting are aimed at them. Because it's aimed at kids, there are moral lessons. I was a little startled when I turned to the end of the book (I read both ends towards the middle. Deal) and found a page of discussion questions.
I may have missed something, but I think all the characters are white (I've returned the book to the library, so I can't check, and I might be wrong. I was skimming). This gets underlined by one magical candy that changes a character's physical appearance (including fingerprints) for an hour. The author offered descriptions of the new appearances that rested heavily on race. It bothered me.
The One I Love - A dozen short manga sequences about young women in love. I got bored, I'm afraid, and I'm not keen on all the baggage involved in what 'love' seems to mean here. Still, it's Clamp, so it's pretty.
Princess Princess 4 - Still silly. I'm sure I missed something in the crossover sections (the library doesn't, I think, have the other title, so it's harder to find out what I'm missing). I wonder if the story will continue after the 'princesses' aren't freshmen any more. At that point, they ought to be just ordinary students. Well, as much as they can be ordinary students.
Red River 4 - Reading this last night, I realized that I know diddley-squat about the history involved. I've been assuming that it's heavily fictionalized, at best, and quite possibly just names pasted onto the story the author wants to tell, but I've not bothered to check at all. I don't care enough to attempt anything heavy, but I can manage Wikipedia. I do hope that our heroine gets a bit smarter/more sensible. I'm also trying to remember how old she's supposed to be. I suppose the will-they-or-won't-they sexual tension can be drawn out for many volumes, but I'm not really enjoying it. Not that I want them to have sex. It's just dull bit of dramatic tension.
Sagara, Michelle. Cast in Secret - This turned up at the library. I hadn't thought it ever would since they'd never bought the earlier books in the series. I suppose someone must have requested it. I'll buy the book eventually because I enjoyed it enough to think that I might reread it and because I want to be able to loan it.
As with the earlier books in the series, we get incremental reveals about Kaylin's mysterious powers. This one also focuses on a species that wasn't central to either of the previous two books. I suspect that each book may show Kaylin getting involved with and more connected to a different species. I'm not sure though because she started out with strong connections to the remaining species-- She's human herself, and she works closely with Leontines and Aerians. (I've returned the book to the library, so I apologize if I'm getting species names wrong.)
W Juliet 9 - Ah, so now we're aiming at a Big Event. That should sustain the arc through a lot of episodes as we head toward it. The older brother and older sister are sweet together. I do find myself why our main couple risks going out with Makoto dressed as a boy. Every time they do it, bad things happen. I suppose it's meant to remind readers that he is male given that in drag he looks more feminine than Ito normally does. I'm also highly amused that Ito's inspiration for wanting to act comes from an outdoor superhero performance (what's the actual name for that sort of thing?).
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Date: 2008-02-28 03:47 pm (UTC)Dramacon: I believe you will be very satisfied with the ending of this one. :)
Emma: I really need to read more of this series--I got a freebie chapter a while back and liked it very much. I liked how "low key" it was and how human the characters felt. I'll definitely get more of it.
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Date: 2008-02-28 04:04 pm (UTC)As to Dramacon-- I hope so. Scott's enjoying the series a lot, too. We're going to get v.3 more quickly than we did v.2. The library has v.3-4 but was missing v.2 (it had been ordered).
Emma is excellent. I don't guarantee a happily ever after (I haven't read it all, so I don't know for sure). It reads like the obstacles the characters face might well be insurmountable but also like they won't be utterly destroyed if things don't work out. It's all subtle.