Book log catchup, #2
Sep. 6th, 2004 09:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
nlbarberJuly:
Mary Balogh, Slightly Sinful
Mary Balogh, Slightly Dangerous - Liked this one the best of the series (which also got re-read before starting these last 2). Balogh has some writing quirks that annoy, but she manages to drag me into the stories enough that I can get past them.
Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men - Lovely, lovely book. I like Pratchett, but I read them slowly (I may never catch up to his output..) with lots of space between books. These juveniles are an exception.
Robin McKinley, Sunshine - I'm hit or miss on McKinley's books, but this one is a hit. Not sure I'll re-read it much, but it's a good read, and not as dark as I'd expected based on various reviews. I don't generally do dark.
Mary Jo Putney, Kiss of Fate - in the world of her novella in Irresistible Forces, but a much stronger story than the novella, IMHO
Laura J. Underwood, Magic's Song: Tales of the Harp - a collection of short stories about the same character which I've been reading on my PDA for months. Suffers from heavy repetition of the basic character info--the stories were published separately and not edited for this collection. Fair-to-middling.
Georgette Heyer, Faro's Daughter - annoying early because of the extreme fiscal irresponsibility of several characters, then develops into a sweet romance
Julia Quinn, When He Was Wicked - Why do I keep trying her Regencies? Way too many out-of-period actions and language usages that jerk me out of the story every time. Must stop buying these.
Laura Resnick, In Legend Born - I rated this a B+, but now can't recall the story at all. Ah, well...
Rebecca Caudill, Somebody Go and Bang a Drum - I'd had this on a recommended list from some Internet forum, with no note on who or why. It turned out to be a simplistic story on adopting kids from a variety of backgrounds, written at a YA or even J level. My strong practical streak kept trying to figure out how in the world this family could exist on the father's income. Maybe a 7 year old reader would be able to just read a sweet story on adoptions.
August:
Jasper Fforde, Well of Lost Plots - Good, perhaps a little less gripping than the second one, which wasn't quite as good as the first.
Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky - I really liked The Wee Free Men. AHFOS was better. The "find your true self" story really made the book for me.
Wrede and Stevermer, The Grand Tour - Enjoyable, though not as much so as Sorcery and Cecelia.
September:
Julia Spencer-Fleming, In the Bleak Midwinter - Good mystery, marred in a couple of places by the TSTL (Too Stupid To Live--a standard of bad romance and gothic novels) actions of the heroine. Thinking back, I can see why the author wanted me to not find those actions TSTL, but on the first read, they were TSTL. I think even with possible excuses for those actions they were TSTL. I'll be reading the second in the series, but hoping that the heroine displays a little more common sense.
Steve MIller and Sharon Lee, various Liaden books - deserves a separate post.
Mary Balogh, Slightly Sinful
Mary Balogh, Slightly Dangerous - Liked this one the best of the series (which also got re-read before starting these last 2). Balogh has some writing quirks that annoy, but she manages to drag me into the stories enough that I can get past them.
Terry Pratchett, The Wee Free Men - Lovely, lovely book. I like Pratchett, but I read them slowly (I may never catch up to his output..) with lots of space between books. These juveniles are an exception.
Robin McKinley, Sunshine - I'm hit or miss on McKinley's books, but this one is a hit. Not sure I'll re-read it much, but it's a good read, and not as dark as I'd expected based on various reviews. I don't generally do dark.
Mary Jo Putney, Kiss of Fate - in the world of her novella in Irresistible Forces, but a much stronger story than the novella, IMHO
Laura J. Underwood, Magic's Song: Tales of the Harp - a collection of short stories about the same character which I've been reading on my PDA for months. Suffers from heavy repetition of the basic character info--the stories were published separately and not edited for this collection. Fair-to-middling.
Georgette Heyer, Faro's Daughter - annoying early because of the extreme fiscal irresponsibility of several characters
Julia Quinn, When He Was Wicked - Why do I keep trying her Regencies? Way too many out-of-period actions and language usages that jerk me out of the story every time. Must stop buying these.
Laura Resnick, In Legend Born - I rated this a B+, but now can't recall the story at all. Ah, well...
Rebecca Caudill, Somebody Go and Bang a Drum - I'd had this on a recommended list from some Internet forum, with no note on who or why. It turned out to be a simplistic story on adopting kids from a variety of backgrounds, written at a YA or even J level. My strong practical streak kept trying to figure out how in the world this family could exist on the father's income. Maybe a 7 year old reader would be able to just read a sweet story on adoptions.
August:
Jasper Fforde, Well of Lost Plots - Good, perhaps a little less gripping than the second one, which wasn't quite as good as the first.
Terry Pratchett, A Hat Full of Sky - I really liked The Wee Free Men. AHFOS was better. The "find your true self" story really made the book for me.
Wrede and Stevermer, The Grand Tour - Enjoyable, though not as much so as Sorcery and Cecelia.
September:
Julia Spencer-Fleming, In the Bleak Midwinter - Good mystery, marred in a couple of places by the TSTL (Too Stupid To Live--a standard of bad romance and gothic novels) actions of the heroine. Thinking back, I can see why the author wanted me to not find those actions TSTL, but on the first read, they were TSTL. I think even with possible excuses for those actions they were TSTL. I'll be reading the second in the series, but hoping that the heroine displays a little more common sense.
Steve MIller and Sharon Lee, various Liaden books - deserves a separate post.
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(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-07 08:22 am (UTC)Yah, read through some of her stuff quickly as library reads. If I could force myself to read/get into it, I often liked them. But I have some Issues. Not someone I'll go out of my way to read, but I might go back some day. Who knows! :-)
Georgette Heyer, Faro's Daughter - annoying early because of the extreme fiscal irresponsibility of several characters , then develops into a sweet romance
Read that one for the first time recently and I wasn't too impressed. I might like it more on reread though, it does happen with me sometimes!
Thanks for the comments! It's good to know about your opinion of Julia Quinn, I've heard people rave, but haven't made the effort. And the Fforde books, well, it wouldn't be the first time the books get worse over time. But then I think I like the world well enough I'd want to read them all anyway. You know there's a newer one out now too, right?
(no subject)
Date: 2004-09-13 06:46 pm (UTC)Don't give up on the Julia Spencer-Fleming; hornedhopper & I are both huge fans. They're worth it, just for the grandma's voice in the female protagonist's head. :)