May's reading

[jmc_bks]

Since I’m not likely to read anything else this month, here's my reading list.  Fifteen books read, including 2 rereads, 4 keepers, and 4 DNF. 

1. The World Without Us by Alan Weisman. Nonfiction. Discussed here. 

2. A Lady’s Secret by Jo Beverley. Georgian historical, road romance. Good; I'm finished with the Mallorens, though. 

3. Passage by Lois McMaster Bujold. Fantasy. I don’t think I could possibly squee enough to convey my love for this book. I’ve chatted it up to several people, including The Chemist and The Biochemist, as well as several colleagues. A+ 

4. The Hollow by Nora Roberts. Contemporary. I don’t think that NR can write a bad book; this one wasn’t bad, but if felt unfinished to me, as if maybe the three books in this trilogy would’ve been better served by being combined into a single large release. B-/C+ 

5. The Duke of Shadows by Meredith Duran. Victorian historical, debut. C+/C. The book felt schizophrenic – the first half and second half were so utterly different. Characters were extremes – utterly evil or too good; heroine wasn’t TSTL but she was dumber than a box of rocks about some things; suspense subplot was extraneous. 

6. From Dead to Worse by Charlaine Harris. Fantasy. B-/C+. Mentioned here. 

7. The Spanish Bride by Georgette Heyer. Discussed here. 

8. Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay. Suspense. A-. The tale of a serial killer narrated by another serial killer – macabre and darkly funny. Even as I enjoyed it, I felt uncomfortable being entertained by it. 

9. The Prince of Bagram Prison by Alex Carr. Contemporary, general fiction. A. Still thinking about this one.

Rereads: 

10. Beguilement by Lois McMaster Bujold 

11. Legacy by Lois McMaster Bujold

DNF:

12. A Hunger Like No Other by Kresley Cole. I’ve read a lot about how Cole switches gender roles, but Emmaline struck me as a typical limp dishrag heroine. 

13. The Book of the Flame (Samarai Girl) by Carrie Asai. I thought this was the first book of the series, but it wasn’t – it picked up wherever the last book ended, and did not provide a good background. Felt lost so I gave up. 

14. Fallen by Erin McCarthy. I was suckered in by the gorgeous cover. 

15. More Than A Governess by Sarah Mallory. Mary Sue heroine + cardboard hero + pointless suspense subplot + stereotypical children. I don’t think there were any possible clichés omitted by the author.

Comments

[rosario001.livejournal.com]

Blood Brothers felt that way to me: unfinished. But I suspect I would have probably enjoyed it more if I'd been strong and been able to resist reading it until all three come out.

I would recommend you try the next Kresley Cole in the series, even if you didn't care for the first one. I think you can see the non-traditional gender roles much better there.

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

My original plan was to wait until all three were released, then read them as one. But I have no willpower; their prominent displays at the bookstore wore me down.

I've heard that about the second book of the Cole series from a few people now, so I'll check it out.

[riley-merrick.livejournal.com]

A Hunger Like No Other is the weakest of the Immortals After Dark books. I almost didn't stick with the series, b/c this book had smacked of "forced seduction" and formulaic willing-or-not lifemate concepts, which I hate. But No Rest for the Wicked was so, so, sooo much better, and I've enjoyed the others books too (just reviewed the latest).

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

I'll check the next one out then. Part of my problem is that I'm feeling vampired out, on top of my general reading ennui.

[menage-a-kat.livejournal.com]

I agree with this. I vaguely remember that I liked the second enough to want to read the third. I just read the third book, and I enjoyed it. But I adamantly maintain that--and I've said this before--a "doona" is an effing quilt.

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

Does Cole use "doona" incorrectly? (I don't remember reading the word in the first book.)

[menage-a-kat.livejournal.com]

No, it's supposed to convey a Scottish brogue. I find it soooo unsexy.

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

Doona. Dinnae. Blech.

I've noticed lately that my tolerance for colloquial language is diminishing a lot. Slang is fine, but I don't need an author to change "you" into "yea" to mark dialect or accent.

[jenniesbooklog.blogspot.com (from livejournal.com)]

I meant to comment on your Heyer post but got distracted. I'm actually surprised that Heyer doesn't work for you. I'd have thought you would like her slightly jaded attitude toward schmaltzy romance. But I'd say if you've tried a few and they don't work for you, definitely give up. I think all her regencies are pretty similar.

Yay for Bujold! Have I ever properly thanked you for introducing me to her? :) I'll bet you've seen this, but in case you haven't there's a podcast of her doing a Q&A and a reading from Horizon here:
http://adventuresinscifipublishing.blogspot.com/2008/05/aisfp-50-lois-mcmaster-bujold.html

And I agree on the McCarthy. The cover is definitely more gorgeous than what's inside. :(

[jenniesbooklog.blogspot.com (from livejournal.com)]

Look! I figured out the OpenID thing. I'm so slow. :)

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

I didn't know what the OpenID thing was or how it worked until a few weeks ago. If you're slow, I am too.

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

Oooh, I hadn't listened to that yet -- thanks for the link!

I want to like Heyer, but she just hasn't worked for me in terms of romance. The humor seems too brittle and the plots too thin. I did like The Spanish Bride as a military narrative, though.

*chalkes up another Bujold convert* I've been pimping her to everyone. My brother-in-law now has all of her Miles books in audio format, plus the first two books of the Sharing Knife series. One of my officemates is reading The Curse of Chalion.

[dogzzz2002.livejournal.com]

Phew - I was *this* close to buying the McCarthy last night and it was totally for the cover but I haven't had luck with McCarthy so I put the book back. If A Hunger Like No Other was the first book in the series then I loved it and haven't enjoyed any of the others quite like this one.

You probably already know that Dexter is the HBO show based on this book. I agree about the comfort level but then he's funny and taught only to kill evil people and he's kind to his girlfriend. Yep. I got over my comfort problems about 3rd episode.

CindyS

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

I keep seeing commercials for the show, but I haven't watched. Worth renting via Netflix?

I thought Dexter was very funny in a dry, sarcastic kind of way, appreciated how he treated his girfriend and her kids and his sister. When I took a step back and thought about the whole picture, I squirmed a little bit...but it didn't stop me from reading, nor will it keep me from reading the next book in the series.

[dogzzz2002.livejournal.com]

Absolutely! After the first few episodes if you aren't hooked then you know it's not for you. Now, I never watched 6 feet Under so I had no preconceived notions about the actor playing Dextor. I've heard others couldn't get his previous role out of their head. And he is funny - I'm not sure how closely the series follows the books (I thought there was only one) but the self realizations he makes while he is with his victims can be off the wall. I remember he asked a married couple who were serial killers for relationship advice just before killing them. Definitely dark and absurd but funny.

Cindys

Dexter and Bujold

[(Anonymous)]

I read and reviewed the first and second books on my blog. I liked the second book much better than the first. The first book had too many dream sequences and repetitive phrases but in the second book, it was much tighter and interesting read. I'd read the first, B and the second B+.

I have yet to read Bujold but I will.

And I must read The Duke of Shadows just see where our tastes differ. We seem to have similar tastes in books as we both love Megan Whalen Turner and I see you really enjoyed the Dexter book and I'm sure you'll enjoy the second. Can't wait to see what you thought of the second book in the series.

Keishon

Re: Dexter and Bujold

[jmc-bks.livejournal.com]

I have the second Dexter book in the TBR; as soon as I can find it, I'll read it. The dream sequences in DDD confused me, but I found Dexter as narrator so drily funny and disturbing that I overlooked the dreams.

The Duke of Shadows really seems to have gotten a varied response from readers -- a lot of raves mixed with frustration over pacing, etc. I'm looking forward to reading more from Duran, even though TDOS didn't work that well for me.