shallowness

Oops, it's been well over a week since I last posted. A lazy holiday (when I read this) and getting over a touch of something are to blame. It's also been ages since I posted anything like a book review, I think.

'Seasparrow' by Kristin Cashore is the fifth in the Graceling Realm series, set after ‘Winterkeep’, which I reviewed here. ( Read more... )

The Ink Black Heart: Robert Galbraith

I actually read this at least one Prime Minister ago, but working out what I wanted to say about it - it’s a long book, there’s a lot going on in it! – took ages.

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After rereading the three previous books, I read
Winterkeep by Kirsten Cashore.

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I don't do What I'm Reading Wednesday, and I'm not doing it properly now. What I'm currently reading is 'Between Two Thorns' by Emma Newman, the first of the Split Worlds series. It's an English-set urban fantasy with elements of historical fiction and mystery. So far, it's a cracking story. What I'll be (re)reading next is 'Bitterblue' by Kristin Cashore.

But what I was (re)reading was 'Fire' by Kristin Cashore.

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Due to carelessness on my part, the post about The Widow will be much later, not that I think anyone else is watching it.

MotherFatherSon 1.7

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Inspired by everyone’s ‘What I’m Reading Wednesday’ posts, I’ve just finished The Tropic of Serpents by Marie Brennan. It’s book 2 in the Lady Trent’s memoirs series, and it is far too long since I read the first ‘volume’. ( Read more... )

‘Phases’ is a collection of speculative fiction short stories by Elizabeth Moon, each introduced with a short paragraph.

Knowing her writing mainly through her science fiction, especially The Serrano and Vatta’s War series, what struck me was how many of the protagonists were male. I found myself not particularly sympathetic to many of them, although you understand where they’re coming from. The stories range from science fiction, fantasy, fairy tales and literary with a hint of the speculative or uncanny, and vary in length. There’s a flavour of the far-distant past, and some of what was future tech when the story was written now feels dated.

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How come I’d never heard of ‘The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet’ by Becky Chambers? I only came across it by picking it up off a shelf in a bricks and mortar bookshop because of the title. (Oldschool.) Consider yourself informed if you like female-centric science fiction that takes place in the great expanse that is space, love crews that become families, made up of multi-faceted beings (‘sapients’ to use the novel’s term) working out what it means to be them, be they Human or not, around others.

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I went to see Suicide Squad last week (life has been a little busy since). My hopes/expectations were that it would be less dull than Batman vs Superman: Dawn of Justice. It passes on that score, but that doesn’t mean it was ‘good’, though. There were plot holes, there were too many characters and too many flashbacks. ( Read more... )

I forgot to wait for scenes in the middle of the credits.

Parks and Rec 7.4 Leslie and Ron (this was the only episode available to catch up on, so I hope the next will be 7.5 and Dave won’t skip it).

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I finally read The Cuckoo's Calling– let’s say it took me a while to get over The Casual Vacancy, which I didn’t like at all. I enjoyed it. What I ask of murder mysteries is that I enjoy the ride, that I like or admire the investigators and that it's not too relentlessly grim or gory. I play along, but not too hard and not too well at guessing whodunit – I only started guessing right with Christie after reading a ton of her books. ( Read more... )