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Mini Reviews
Oct. 25th, 2009 01:34 pmI have been a reading fool lately (in what little spare time I've had from work). No time for long reviews but I thought I'd post some minis as a public service...or something. So here goes.
The Children of Henry VIII by Alison Weir
I am a big fan of Weir's historical biographies and this one is no exception. It starts with the death of Henry VIII and ends with Elizabeth taking the throne. The years in between are full of religious strife, sibling rivalry, attempted coups - all good stuff. While not a complete as a full length, in-depth biography might be it is a great look at Edward, Jane, Elizabeth and Mary during these tumultuous years. Definitely worth the read!
Anne Boleyn: A New Life Of England's Tragic Queen by Joanna Denny
Biased much? Denny claims that all other biographies of Anne Boleyn are pro-Catholic, biased, and paint Anne as a demon or witch. She in turns tries to paint Anne as a Protestant martyr, a wronged woman, a veritable saint. From what I've read by other historians the truth is likely somewhere in between. I couldn't get past the first few chapters of this sorry excuse for an historical biography. I prefer my historians to be professional and unbiased. This reads more like the blog of some hack, not a professional work. Skip it.
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
I gave it 200 pages, which is far more than the normal 50 I have to read before giving up on a book. It isn't that it is a bad book. It just couldn't hold my attention. Even 200 pages in, once I put it down I had no desire to pick it up again. Out of sight, out of mind. After two weeks sitting untouched on the coffee table I removed the bookmark and put it in the To Be Sold pile. I've heard people rave about this one so YMMV.
Threshold by Caitlin R. Kiernan
Dark fantasy with some horror elements thrown in. This was a much faster read for me than Silk and I enjoyed it more. Kiernan's writing is at times lyrical, at others abrupt, and it definitely takes some getting used to as do the characters. This is my second Kiernan novel (I've read several of her short stories) and as with Silk I didn't really like any of the characters. They were all a little too damaged for me to relate. Still, the book was a great read and it stayed with me, making me think, long after I finished. If you like dark fantasy and psychological horror you might want to give this one a try.
In the Woods by Tana French
Police procedural, murder mystery, in Dublin. The first third or so of this book had me hooked and on the edge of my seat. A murder of a child. Echoes of the disappearance of two kids from the same woods 20 years ago. The cop that is also the boy that survived. Is there a connection between the two crimes? And how will Detective Ryan keep it together as memories buried for 20 years suddenly start coming to the surface? Unfortunately the second two-thirds of the book didn't live up to the promise of the first third. Ryan ends up being a whiny prick. His partner, Cassie, is too, too perfect. And I figured out who did it the minute hesheit came on stage. I read the whole book because I wanted to know if I was right about who did it and why (I was). Still, this one left me disappointed. Too much potential left unrealized as the author went for standard tropes and stereotypical characters. If you like that kind of thing then go for it, otherwise there are better books.
Desolation Road by Ian McDonald
This starts out more as character vignettes than a cohesive story with plot and everything. But the characters are quirky and interesting enough that I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. There is a plot here, eventually, and there is a climax to the story of a sort. But really this isn't a story about any particular person or event...it is the story of a town from it's birth to it's death. That the story takes place on Mars and is rife with both technology and fantastical elements just adds to the fun. There are typos galore in this edition but none that took me out of the story (maybe being SciFi I didn't really notice them?). I really liked this one and if you are a fan of science fiction or of McDonald I say give it a chance.
OK, that's it! Later.
The Children of Henry VIII by Alison Weir
I am a big fan of Weir's historical biographies and this one is no exception. It starts with the death of Henry VIII and ends with Elizabeth taking the throne. The years in between are full of religious strife, sibling rivalry, attempted coups - all good stuff. While not a complete as a full length, in-depth biography might be it is a great look at Edward, Jane, Elizabeth and Mary during these tumultuous years. Definitely worth the read!
Anne Boleyn: A New Life Of England's Tragic Queen by Joanna Denny
Biased much? Denny claims that all other biographies of Anne Boleyn are pro-Catholic, biased, and paint Anne as a demon or witch. She in turns tries to paint Anne as a Protestant martyr, a wronged woman, a veritable saint. From what I've read by other historians the truth is likely somewhere in between. I couldn't get past the first few chapters of this sorry excuse for an historical biography. I prefer my historians to be professional and unbiased. This reads more like the blog of some hack, not a professional work. Skip it.
The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova
I gave it 200 pages, which is far more than the normal 50 I have to read before giving up on a book. It isn't that it is a bad book. It just couldn't hold my attention. Even 200 pages in, once I put it down I had no desire to pick it up again. Out of sight, out of mind. After two weeks sitting untouched on the coffee table I removed the bookmark and put it in the To Be Sold pile. I've heard people rave about this one so YMMV.
Threshold by Caitlin R. Kiernan
Dark fantasy with some horror elements thrown in. This was a much faster read for me than Silk and I enjoyed it more. Kiernan's writing is at times lyrical, at others abrupt, and it definitely takes some getting used to as do the characters. This is my second Kiernan novel (I've read several of her short stories) and as with Silk I didn't really like any of the characters. They were all a little too damaged for me to relate. Still, the book was a great read and it stayed with me, making me think, long after I finished. If you like dark fantasy and psychological horror you might want to give this one a try.
In the Woods by Tana French
Police procedural, murder mystery, in Dublin. The first third or so of this book had me hooked and on the edge of my seat. A murder of a child. Echoes of the disappearance of two kids from the same woods 20 years ago. The cop that is also the boy that survived. Is there a connection between the two crimes? And how will Detective Ryan keep it together as memories buried for 20 years suddenly start coming to the surface? Unfortunately the second two-thirds of the book didn't live up to the promise of the first third. Ryan ends up being a whiny prick. His partner, Cassie, is too, too perfect. And I figured out who did it the minute hesheit came on stage. I read the whole book because I wanted to know if I was right about who did it and why (I was). Still, this one left me disappointed. Too much potential left unrealized as the author went for standard tropes and stereotypical characters. If you like that kind of thing then go for it, otherwise there are better books.
Desolation Road by Ian McDonald
This starts out more as character vignettes than a cohesive story with plot and everything. But the characters are quirky and interesting enough that I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. There is a plot here, eventually, and there is a climax to the story of a sort. But really this isn't a story about any particular person or event...it is the story of a town from it's birth to it's death. That the story takes place on Mars and is rife with both technology and fantastical elements just adds to the fun. There are typos galore in this edition but none that took me out of the story (maybe being SciFi I didn't really notice them?). I really liked this one and if you are a fan of science fiction or of McDonald I say give it a chance.
OK, that's it! Later.
