Books I have Read since my Last Post
in between the sleeping and the cleaning and the playing and the working and the sleeping and the laundry and the cleaning and the unpacking and the napping
1. Harry Potter & The ½ Blood Prince
J.K.Rowling Bloomsbury 2005 HB 608p
“It was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in his office, reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind”
Don’t.Believe.The.Hype.
2. A Talent for War
Jack McDevitt Ace PB 1986 310pp
“The air was heavy with incense and the sweet odour of hot wax”
This was a surprisingly cool book. I am sure that I have read Mr. McDevitt’s work before and not been that impressed. Can’t tell you what or when tho’, but this book was 10c and I ask you again, what’s the girl to do.
A big space war 200 years ago against freaky aliens and a series of legends build up around the final days – hero’s such have Christopher Sim that now have planets named after them. Our unlikely – but quite likeable hero – Alex Benedict is thrown into the search for a legacy – ooooh is it a conspiracy???? – by the death of his uncle.
Lots about the stupidity of war and the myths that are created to support stupid wars. Lots of spaceships and lasers and mystery.
Cool.
3.The Autograph Man
Zadie Smith Hamish Hamilton 2002 PB 419p
“He has the ability to imagine himself a minor incident in the lives ofothers.”
Alex the Jew, the collector, the dysfunctional. It’s like “Black Books” with lots of mad mad characters in a contemporary setting that do and say mad mad things that are funny ‘cause you are protected from them by a glass screen, or in this case ‘cause they are flat, black squiggles.
I bought this – it might have been 50c – as I had read an article on Zadie Smith in an ‘Oprah’ magazine. She’s one of those beautiful black women who look stunning with lots of plaits and a bit of cloth wrapped around her head. There’s a fabbo first book, followed by some indifferences, and then a great third or maybe fourth book. I am not sure which one this is, but it was quite funny and enjoyable.
Anyone who collects stuff, or lives with someone who collects stuff or knows someone who collects stuff will either be very frightened or pleased to know they are not alone in the world (personally I was the latter)
4.Thud
Terry Pratchett Doubleday HB 2005 362pp
“The first thing Tak did, he wrote himself”
A Vimes novel. I think I prefered ‘Going Postal’ but that is like saying I preferred one wonderful flavour of ice-cream over another flavour of wonderful ice-cream.
Once again, if you have read his work, read this one! If you haven’t, then GET.A.LIFE and read him. But don’t start here. Ask around. Someone you know WILL have the set.
PS - I was going to buy ‘Where’s My Cow” in hard back from Angus &Robertson for Cozaxcoatl; it featured lovely drawings of Vimes looking like a messed up cross between Pete Postlethwaite and Jim Carey. I kid you not. But it was $33, for about 20 pages. Lucky we don’t need materiality to know we care do we?
5.Saint Peter’s Fair
Ellis Peters Futura 1981 PB 268pp
“It began at the normal daily chapter in the Benedictine monastery of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, of Shrewsbury in the thirtieth day of July, in the year of Our Lord 1139”
Derek Jacobi rocks. Even a stupid wampirish God Father. We Still Love You.
Once again, if you have read her work, read this one! If you haven’t, then GET.A.LIFE and read her. But don’t start here. Ask around. Someone you know WILL have the set.
I read this in one evening this week as I was sick and the children were away and I knew I was not going to work the next day. Like a panacea it was, like a panacea
6.Arrows of the Queen
Mercedes Lackey 1988 Legend 320pp PB
“A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the trees, but the young girl seated beneath it did not seem to notice”
In a catalogue, this would definitely have a unicorn next to it, and maybe some other kind of symbol – a heart or a rose around the unicorn – signifying teenage wish fulfilment. Perhaps baby unicorns - lots of big eyed baby unicorns...
I really like Mercedes Lackey, sometimes, othertimes she is not so good. Worth a risk tho’ and this is quite sweet.
If it was written 10 years later this would be the first in the 5part trilogy of a young girls epic journey in a world of swords and sorcery and magic gone bad and telepathic white horses and political intrigue and good queens and bad kings. Thankfully we have only this sweet tome; great for a summer’s Sunday afternoon while your children battle each other in Tekken and the laundry remains very silent and sulky in the corner (where all naughty laundry that rudely falls over just because it hasn’t been put away should live)
7.The Salmon of Doubt
Douglas Adams 2003 Macmillan PB 284pp
“Dear Editor”
Douglas Adams as every decent human being knows ROCKS. The Hitchhikers trilogy changed my early teen life – that and the Earthsea trilogy. The classic underplayed Brit humour that was THE highly quotable text choice for the uber-geek before the Simpson emerged.
This is bits that they found on his computer after his untimely death. The favourite bits of those closest to him – apparently there was heaps. Lovely, funny, sad
Very Very Cool
8.Anansi Boys
Neil Gaiman 2005 Headline Books PB 350pp
“It begins, as most things begin, with a song.”
Mr Gaiman is one of my favourite authors. I did NOT like ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ and gave the book away but this is more that made up for by such classics as NeverWhere and American Gods. And the Sandman series (which I only gave away ‘cause I was pregnant with my first child and wanted a nice clean pure atmosphere for him. I gave away a lot of CD’s as well, so Neil is in the company of vintage Christian Death, and I really miss them both)
More Classic story telling. Poor Fat Charlie, engaged to a lovely not-before-marriage girl. His father dies and THEN he finds out he is the son of a god. Lots of great dialogue and characters and myth and generally a romp of a story that never lets up.
The book comes ‘packaged’ with several extras. I am in two minds about these – although it is cool to read ‘deleted scenes’ or see copies of his handwritten notes books. I find that when I read a fine story such as this upon finishing all I want to do is close my eyes and let the last waves of the story continue to wash over me. A gentle re-entry. Especially with characters who were very cool, I want to keep them as long as I can. ‘Reading Group Discussion Questions’ such as “What does Anansi Boys say about today’s multicultural society? How are the characters influenced by their varied backgrounds? Do traditional attitudes conflict with or inform new ideas?” are a bit of a hard landing.
Great story tho’. Of course
1. Harry Potter & The ½ Blood PrinceJ.K.Rowling Bloomsbury 2005 HB 608p
“It was nearing midnight and the Prime Minister was sitting alone in his office, reading a long memo that was slipping through his brain without leaving the slightest trace of meaning behind”
Don’t.Believe.The.Hype.
2. A Talent for War
Jack McDevitt Ace PB 1986 310pp
“The air was heavy with incense and the sweet odour of hot wax”
This was a surprisingly cool book. I am sure that I have read Mr. McDevitt’s work before and not been that impressed. Can’t tell you what or when tho’, but this book was 10c and I ask you again, what’s the girl to do.
A big space war 200 years ago against freaky aliens and a series of legends build up around the final days – hero’s such have Christopher Sim that now have planets named after them. Our unlikely – but quite likeable hero – Alex Benedict is thrown into the search for a legacy – ooooh is it a conspiracy???? – by the death of his uncle.
Lots about the stupidity of war and the myths that are created to support stupid wars. Lots of spaceships and lasers and mystery.
Cool.
3.The Autograph ManZadie Smith Hamish Hamilton 2002 PB 419p
“He has the ability to imagine himself a minor incident in the lives ofothers.”
Alex the Jew, the collector, the dysfunctional. It’s like “Black Books” with lots of mad mad characters in a contemporary setting that do and say mad mad things that are funny ‘cause you are protected from them by a glass screen, or in this case ‘cause they are flat, black squiggles.
I bought this – it might have been 50c – as I had read an article on Zadie Smith in an ‘Oprah’ magazine. She’s one of those beautiful black women who look stunning with lots of plaits and a bit of cloth wrapped around her head. There’s a fabbo first book, followed by some indifferences, and then a great third or maybe fourth book. I am not sure which one this is, but it was quite funny and enjoyable.
Anyone who collects stuff, or lives with someone who collects stuff or knows someone who collects stuff will either be very frightened or pleased to know they are not alone in the world (personally I was the latter)
4.Thud
Terry Pratchett Doubleday HB 2005 362pp
“The first thing Tak did, he wrote himself”
A Vimes novel. I think I prefered ‘Going Postal’ but that is like saying I preferred one wonderful flavour of ice-cream over another flavour of wonderful ice-cream.
Once again, if you have read his work, read this one! If you haven’t, then GET.A.LIFE and read him. But don’t start here. Ask around. Someone you know WILL have the set.
PS - I was going to buy ‘Where’s My Cow” in hard back from Angus &Robertson for Cozaxcoatl; it featured lovely drawings of Vimes looking like a messed up cross between Pete Postlethwaite and Jim Carey. I kid you not. But it was $33, for about 20 pages. Lucky we don’t need materiality to know we care do we?
5.Saint Peter’s FairEllis Peters Futura 1981 PB 268pp
“It began at the normal daily chapter in the Benedictine monastery of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, of Shrewsbury in the thirtieth day of July, in the year of Our Lord 1139”
Derek Jacobi rocks. Even a stupid wampirish God Father. We Still Love You.
Once again, if you have read her work, read this one! If you haven’t, then GET.A.LIFE and read her. But don’t start here. Ask around. Someone you know WILL have the set.
I read this in one evening this week as I was sick and the children were away and I knew I was not going to work the next day. Like a panacea it was, like a panacea
6.Arrows of the Queen
Mercedes Lackey 1988 Legend 320pp PB
“A gentle breeze rustled the leaves of the trees, but the young girl seated beneath it did not seem to notice”
In a catalogue, this would definitely have a unicorn next to it, and maybe some other kind of symbol – a heart or a rose around the unicorn – signifying teenage wish fulfilment. Perhaps baby unicorns - lots of big eyed baby unicorns...
I really like Mercedes Lackey, sometimes, othertimes she is not so good. Worth a risk tho’ and this is quite sweet.
If it was written 10 years later this would be the first in the 5part trilogy of a young girls epic journey in a world of swords and sorcery and magic gone bad and telepathic white horses and political intrigue and good queens and bad kings. Thankfully we have only this sweet tome; great for a summer’s Sunday afternoon while your children battle each other in Tekken and the laundry remains very silent and sulky in the corner (where all naughty laundry that rudely falls over just because it hasn’t been put away should live)
7.The Salmon of DoubtDouglas Adams 2003 Macmillan PB 284pp
“Dear Editor”
Douglas Adams as every decent human being knows ROCKS. The Hitchhikers trilogy changed my early teen life – that and the Earthsea trilogy. The classic underplayed Brit humour that was THE highly quotable text choice for the uber-geek before the Simpson emerged.
This is bits that they found on his computer after his untimely death. The favourite bits of those closest to him – apparently there was heaps. Lovely, funny, sad
Very Very Cool
8.Anansi Boys
Neil Gaiman 2005 Headline Books PB 350pp
“It begins, as most things begin, with a song.”
Mr Gaiman is one of my favourite authors. I did NOT like ‘Smoke and Mirrors’ and gave the book away but this is more that made up for by such classics as NeverWhere and American Gods. And the Sandman series (which I only gave away ‘cause I was pregnant with my first child and wanted a nice clean pure atmosphere for him. I gave away a lot of CD’s as well, so Neil is in the company of vintage Christian Death, and I really miss them both)
More Classic story telling. Poor Fat Charlie, engaged to a lovely not-before-marriage girl. His father dies and THEN he finds out he is the son of a god. Lots of great dialogue and characters and myth and generally a romp of a story that never lets up.
The book comes ‘packaged’ with several extras. I am in two minds about these – although it is cool to read ‘deleted scenes’ or see copies of his handwritten notes books. I find that when I read a fine story such as this upon finishing all I want to do is close my eyes and let the last waves of the story continue to wash over me. A gentle re-entry. Especially with characters who were very cool, I want to keep them as long as I can. ‘Reading Group Discussion Questions’ such as “What does Anansi Boys say about today’s multicultural society? How are the characters influenced by their varied backgrounds? Do traditional attitudes conflict with or inform new ideas?” are a bit of a hard landing.
Great story tho’. Of course
- posted by FuschiaReads @ 9:24 AM
Comments:
Thud- check...Vimes just gets better, and Vetinari rocks (very Snape like, can't go wrong)
Cadfael- i read somewhere that having a crush on a Monk was good for the soul
Salmon- I loved this, made me want to cry to realise no more Adams.
His wonderful articles on athetism, technology, loving Australia and his writing. No more Dirk Gently, what would have happened, where was he going...*sniff*
I remember visiting Ob's grandparents in LA, looking down at the LA Times and his death notice was the first thing i saw....i think i went AAARRGGGHHHnooooo. Later that day we drove up to Santa Barbara,(more grandparents) the town where he died...:(
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