Books, Books, Books.
Aug. 10th, 2009 11:55 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
savage_midnightI've turned into a book junkie lately. Not that I don't already read a lot, but for the past two weeks I just haven't took my head out of a book. I have e-books littering my Desktop at work. I come home, I eat, and then I disappear with a paperback. And it's been so good. Sometimes I go through periods (only short periods, thankfully) when I don't read at it, mostly because I haven't managed to find a book to keep me interested. This happens sometimes. My attention span tends to shrink. Then I go through what I call my junkie periods, like now, when I devour one or two books a day simply because I can't stop reading. The only problem with these periods is that the good material eventually runs out. It doesn't help that I'm a little fussy about what I read; unlike my mum, I can't read just anything. Part of me wishes I could. So then I get this push-and-pull thing going on, especially when one of my favourite authors releases a new book, where part of me wants to just sit and read the whole thing right then and there, while another part of me needs to draw it out and make it last.
I've been re-reading old series for the past few weeks (as mentioned in my previous post). I read the previous Kim Harrison book and then White Witch, Black Curse, which I've had for a long time. I do love Harrison and I think she's at the top of her genre, but I'm starting to feel like her series is stretching a little bit too far. While the last couple of books have been revelations in themselves, I felt that the latest book didn't really build on the drama of the previous book all that well. But I liked that Kisten's murder was finally resolved and I admit to crying a little when Rachel remembered what had happened. I always had a little soft spot for him, mostly because unlike Ivy and a lot of vampire characters out there, he loved being what he was and he had fun with it.
And Jenks, bless his heart. I will blubber like a baby when he and Matalina die. I'm holding on to a small hope that Harrison will finish the series before this happens, but I doubt it. She's really not afraid to rip away the characters we love (and no matter how I don't like it, it's a good thing that an author can let go of her characters in a way her readers can't or won't).
Bis! I love him. He is epic proportions of awesome. I hope his role in the series is bigger than this, though. In the previous book his appearance seemed to be a pre-cursor to something big and significant happening, so I'd like to see that followed through eventually.
I want to see more Trent next time. And I want to see Rachel actually training with Al in the Everafter. Harrison pushed her into an interesting predicament at the end of the previous book, but it was never really explored. While I did like the Pierce storyline, I felt it overshadowed Rachel's story. You know, her story about growing and becoming something more, learning and changing and discovering her past. I think part of the reason this series is starting to drag for me is because it is, quite simply, dragging. The whole series thus far has only covered a short number of months. And yes, I understand that Harrison is trying not to rush the whole process of Rachel becoming more than she is, mostly because it's clear that the series is the process. I get that. But to do it you still need to make each novel more significant and substantial than the next, and I don't feel like the latest book was either of these things.
I made my way through Karen Chance's Cassandra Palmer series again (and Midnight Daughter) and finally, finally removed the fourth book from my shelf, dusted it off and cracked the spine.
I do enjoy Chance's books. She knows how to have fun with her characters and her world, and that's not always the case with a lot of urban fantasy authors, especially this far along in a series. Sometimes you can almost sense their enthusiasm waivering but I don't get that impression with Chance.
A few elements of this book were a little predictable and there was something almost too easy about it. Though not every problem was solved, all the major plot points that I thought might take a few more books to explore were dealt with quickly and cleanly. That's not to say that Chance hasn't left any loose ties to explore in the next novel, because she has, but I'm not sure how they're going to all come together to make another exciting, suspenseful story in the future.
Another thing that's starting to grate on me is the relationship between Cassie and Mircea. I love Cassie and I love Mircea, and sometimes -- only sometimes -- I love them together. But I'm finding it harder and harder to root for them while Mircea continues to treat Cassie like a child and Cassie continues to allow it. One scene in the book, in which Cassie insists that people stop calling her Mircea's woman, ends up with her being lectured about respecting vampires and their traditions. But not once does Cassie stand up and defend her right to be respected as a human being.
The excuse that Mircea was born to a different time when women were treated like property, locked away and protected at all costs is starting to wear thin. He's had five hundred years to adapt; he's managed to do it in every other area of his life, why not this one? I don't find that acceptable reasoning. I keep expecting Cassie to tell him to shove his traditions up his ass.
That's only a small nitpick, however. Despite the fact that Cassie never really seems to stand up for herself, she defies him more through her actions than her words. And she does it for the right reasons, not simply to annoy him. Which is why I love this character. She doesn't always think about what she's doing and sometimes she overthinks it, and most of the time I never know what she's going to do next. And that's definitely a good enough reason to hold out for the next book in the series. I like that her relationship with Mircea isn't the be-all and end-all of her existence, that it doesn't overshadow the predominant story of Cassie learning to become Pythia, which is the reason I'm still reading the novels.
To sum up, I did enjoy the book, mostly because I love Chance's sense of adventure and the way she has fun with her characters. What needs to be addressed is Mircea's treatment of Cassie. When he's not speaking to her like a child, he's treating her like a possession, and Cassie, though defiant as ever, still lets him think that it's okay to act this way.
I also re-read Karen Marie Moning's Fever series again. I think it's definitely up there in my top ten. I can't really describe what it is I love about it. I think it's because I genuinely like and care about the lead character, Mac, and I'm finding her transition into a "hero" believable. The whole series (well, thus far) is fascinating, dramatic, tense, gritty, dark, fun and unpredictable. I find myself almost unable to wait until the 18th for the next installment. The next book is going to lead to one of those push-and-pull things. Part of me will want to lock myself in my room and never come out until I've devoured the whole thing. The other part of me knows that this is the second to last book in the series (another thing I think works for this series; Moning already has it planned out and she knows what she wants to say with it) and it's a year's wait until the final book. I don't want it be over and I'm not really a fan of her Highlander series, so I know I should pace myself, even though I won't.
And this is the downside of being a book junkie. I don't know how long it's going to be until I find another series of books that drags me in so completely that I never want to leave my room. There's something almost addictive about the feeling of absolute satisfaction that you get when you reach the end of a mindblowing book.
Until then I have the new Vicki Pettersson book to read. I re-read the first three Zodiac books and didn't realise how much I'd forgotten about the third book. I think because so much happened in it and I only read it once (I usually re-read a whole series before the next book comes out, so the first two were drilled into my brain), only the big plot points stuck with me. But The Touch of Twilight is definitely evidence that Pettersson is getting more comfortable with her world and her characters, because it was of those books that started off so puzzling and twisted, and then the pieces finally, finally clicked in the end. I love this series because each book is a puzzle, a mystery, the outcome completely unknown and unexpected. I hope the fourth book is just as exciting and unpredictable.
Okay, a whole post about books. I think that pretty much says it all, folks. Despite what it mean seem, I do still have a life. Sort of. I'm out getting drunk at least once a week. I call this Socialising, though I don't know if conversing with a brick wall while intoxicated counts. No, I'm exaggerating. I haven't been drunk in a long time but I have been out, because I find that if I don't go out and interact with real human beings (work colleagues and family not included) at least once a week, I start to feel my brain seeping out of my ears. And plus, I love to dance. I'm also a dancing junkie. A dancing book junkie.
I've applied for a job in my office (I'm actually covering some of the duties of this particular position as a temp) and I have my interview on Wednesday. Eep. I'm quite nervous. There's a twenty-minute Excel test, and while I'm pretty spiffy on Excel, I'm paranoid that they're going to spring something on me that I totally don't know how to do despite my experience. But we shall see. If I get this job, my life will be so much easier. Temping is starting to make life a little difficult.
I've been re-reading old series for the past few weeks (as mentioned in my previous post). I read the previous Kim Harrison book and then White Witch, Black Curse, which I've had for a long time. I do love Harrison and I think she's at the top of her genre, but I'm starting to feel like her series is stretching a little bit too far. While the last couple of books have been revelations in themselves, I felt that the latest book didn't really build on the drama of the previous book all that well. But I liked that Kisten's murder was finally resolved and I admit to crying a little when Rachel remembered what had happened. I always had a little soft spot for him, mostly because unlike Ivy and a lot of vampire characters out there, he loved being what he was and he had fun with it.
And Jenks, bless his heart. I will blubber like a baby when he and Matalina die. I'm holding on to a small hope that Harrison will finish the series before this happens, but I doubt it. She's really not afraid to rip away the characters we love (and no matter how I don't like it, it's a good thing that an author can let go of her characters in a way her readers can't or won't).
Bis! I love him. He is epic proportions of awesome. I hope his role in the series is bigger than this, though. In the previous book his appearance seemed to be a pre-cursor to something big and significant happening, so I'd like to see that followed through eventually.
I want to see more Trent next time. And I want to see Rachel actually training with Al in the Everafter. Harrison pushed her into an interesting predicament at the end of the previous book, but it was never really explored. While I did like the Pierce storyline, I felt it overshadowed Rachel's story. You know, her story about growing and becoming something more, learning and changing and discovering her past. I think part of the reason this series is starting to drag for me is because it is, quite simply, dragging. The whole series thus far has only covered a short number of months. And yes, I understand that Harrison is trying not to rush the whole process of Rachel becoming more than she is, mostly because it's clear that the series is the process. I get that. But to do it you still need to make each novel more significant and substantial than the next, and I don't feel like the latest book was either of these things.
I made my way through Karen Chance's Cassandra Palmer series again (and Midnight Daughter) and finally, finally removed the fourth book from my shelf, dusted it off and cracked the spine.
I do enjoy Chance's books. She knows how to have fun with her characters and her world, and that's not always the case with a lot of urban fantasy authors, especially this far along in a series. Sometimes you can almost sense their enthusiasm waivering but I don't get that impression with Chance.
A few elements of this book were a little predictable and there was something almost too easy about it. Though not every problem was solved, all the major plot points that I thought might take a few more books to explore were dealt with quickly and cleanly. That's not to say that Chance hasn't left any loose ties to explore in the next novel, because she has, but I'm not sure how they're going to all come together to make another exciting, suspenseful story in the future.
Another thing that's starting to grate on me is the relationship between Cassie and Mircea. I love Cassie and I love Mircea, and sometimes -- only sometimes -- I love them together. But I'm finding it harder and harder to root for them while Mircea continues to treat Cassie like a child and Cassie continues to allow it. One scene in the book, in which Cassie insists that people stop calling her Mircea's woman, ends up with her being lectured about respecting vampires and their traditions. But not once does Cassie stand up and defend her right to be respected as a human being.
The excuse that Mircea was born to a different time when women were treated like property, locked away and protected at all costs is starting to wear thin. He's had five hundred years to adapt; he's managed to do it in every other area of his life, why not this one? I don't find that acceptable reasoning. I keep expecting Cassie to tell him to shove his traditions up his ass.
That's only a small nitpick, however. Despite the fact that Cassie never really seems to stand up for herself, she defies him more through her actions than her words. And she does it for the right reasons, not simply to annoy him. Which is why I love this character. She doesn't always think about what she's doing and sometimes she overthinks it, and most of the time I never know what she's going to do next. And that's definitely a good enough reason to hold out for the next book in the series. I like that her relationship with Mircea isn't the be-all and end-all of her existence, that it doesn't overshadow the predominant story of Cassie learning to become Pythia, which is the reason I'm still reading the novels.
To sum up, I did enjoy the book, mostly because I love Chance's sense of adventure and the way she has fun with her characters. What needs to be addressed is Mircea's treatment of Cassie. When he's not speaking to her like a child, he's treating her like a possession, and Cassie, though defiant as ever, still lets him think that it's okay to act this way.
I also re-read Karen Marie Moning's Fever series again. I think it's definitely up there in my top ten. I can't really describe what it is I love about it. I think it's because I genuinely like and care about the lead character, Mac, and I'm finding her transition into a "hero" believable. The whole series (well, thus far) is fascinating, dramatic, tense, gritty, dark, fun and unpredictable. I find myself almost unable to wait until the 18th for the next installment. The next book is going to lead to one of those push-and-pull things. Part of me will want to lock myself in my room and never come out until I've devoured the whole thing. The other part of me knows that this is the second to last book in the series (another thing I think works for this series; Moning already has it planned out and she knows what she wants to say with it) and it's a year's wait until the final book. I don't want it be over and I'm not really a fan of her Highlander series, so I know I should pace myself, even though I won't.
And this is the downside of being a book junkie. I don't know how long it's going to be until I find another series of books that drags me in so completely that I never want to leave my room. There's something almost addictive about the feeling of absolute satisfaction that you get when you reach the end of a mindblowing book.
Until then I have the new Vicki Pettersson book to read. I re-read the first three Zodiac books and didn't realise how much I'd forgotten about the third book. I think because so much happened in it and I only read it once (I usually re-read a whole series before the next book comes out, so the first two were drilled into my brain), only the big plot points stuck with me. But The Touch of Twilight is definitely evidence that Pettersson is getting more comfortable with her world and her characters, because it was of those books that started off so puzzling and twisted, and then the pieces finally, finally clicked in the end. I love this series because each book is a puzzle, a mystery, the outcome completely unknown and unexpected. I hope the fourth book is just as exciting and unpredictable.
Okay, a whole post about books. I think that pretty much says it all, folks. Despite what it mean seem, I do still have a life. Sort of. I'm out getting drunk at least once a week. I call this Socialising, though I don't know if conversing with a brick wall while intoxicated counts. No, I'm exaggerating. I haven't been drunk in a long time but I have been out, because I find that if I don't go out and interact with real human beings (work colleagues and family not included) at least once a week, I start to feel my brain seeping out of my ears. And plus, I love to dance. I'm also a dancing junkie. A dancing book junkie.
I've applied for a job in my office (I'm actually covering some of the duties of this particular position as a temp) and I have my interview on Wednesday. Eep. I'm quite nervous. There's a twenty-minute Excel test, and while I'm pretty spiffy on Excel, I'm paranoid that they're going to spring something on me that I totally don't know how to do despite my experience. But we shall see. If I get this job, my life will be so much easier. Temping is starting to make life a little difficult.