reading

The Passionate Tudor by Alison Weir

Wednesday, July 10, 2024

Historical fiction about Mary I of England. I enjoy reading about this period but haven't read much about Mary Tudor herself. Most of the novel is tedious with uninteresting writing and characters, and though the last part, concerning Mary's final years, was more interesting it was still a stodgy read. Generally, I prefer Weir's nonfiction and this was no exception. Weir does not care for Mary and it clearly shows in both the novel and the afterword.

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Talk Sweetly To Me by Courtney Milan

Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Another in the Brother's Sinister series, but other than being a romance set in Victorian England I failed to see any connection. Rose Sweetly works as a computer for a scientist and has a crush on her rakish neighbourhood writer. All my previous complaints about Milan books are back in force; an overly rushed romance, an implausibly wonderful love interest, and an oh-so-exceptional protagonist. My biggest peeve is that Rose's experiences as a Victorian-era British Black woman seem under-explored but if you like Milan's "

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Clairmont by Lesley McDowell

Friday, June 28, 2024

I eagerly started this highly-rated novel about Clair Clairmont, being very interested in reading about her. After having finished it I can't understand the glowing reviews. I didn't care for it at all, finding it disjointed, tedious and brimming with unlikable, boring characters (Mary Shelley! Byron! Boring?!) wandering around in mind-numbingly dull settings (including the Year Without Summer FFS!) that skip back and forth in time. Not for me! Two stars only because I actually finished it.

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Goblins & Greatcoats by Travis Baldree

Thursday, June 27, 2024

A very short, very sweet story set in the Legends & Latte world. I hope Zyll will show up in more of Baldree's writing. ★★★☆☆

The Tainted Cup by Robert Jackson Bennett

Monday, June 24, 2024

A fantasy murder mystery served with a dollop of Pacific Rim, garnished with a hint of The Goblin Emperor, and a tiny sprig of romance. It was nicely written with interesting world-building and enjoyable characters; Ana, in particular, was a delight. The murder plot and its somewhat deflated resolution kept this at a 3-star rating for me. Though the opportunity is rarely afforded in fantasy whodunits, I like to follow along and solve crimes too!

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The Duchess War by Courtney Milan

Saturday, June 15, 2024

The first novel in the Brother's Sinister series and my second Milan book. Again I found the romance much too rushed, and the male protagonist implausibly perfect. Also implausible is the notion of a peer thinking and acting as the Duke of Clermont does in this book. It just didn't work for me, I could not suspend my disbelief enough to accommodate it. Milan writes nicely and delivers escapism but I don't really enjoy her books.

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The Scandalous Confessions of Lydia Bennet, Witch by Melinda Taub

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

A magical version of Lydia Bennet's story in her own words. I'm no Janeite but do enjoy reading Austen, her sparkling prose and ability to make "dull" romance/marriage plots interesting and funny is always a delight. I'm also fond of fantasy and a good retelling, but I did not enjoy "The Scandalous Confessions..." very much. The magic system was dull, the various subplots tedious, and I didn't care for the writing.

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The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

Tuesday, June 11, 2024

I was excited to read this as the premise is brilliant. Sadly, I found it a bit of a dud. The story got progressively less engaging and incorporated a “twist” I found trite, and the middling resolution made the whole story weaker. No characters were particularly engaging and I found the arctic chapters and the musings of the main character more of a distraction than an enhancement. I didn't particularly care for the writing style, and also lampshading something doesn't magically make it not bad.

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Dark Fire by C.J Sansom

Thursday, June 6, 2024

Matthew Shardlake, a barrister during Henry VIII's reign, keeps being charged with solving mysteries. In theory, I should adore Sansom’s Matthew Shardlake series, but I just don’t. The history is impeccable as is the ability of Sansom to evoke the Tudor period but the mysteries don't interest me, their solutions are unsatisfying, and the characters seem flat. Matthew should fascinate me, yet I remain indifferent. In conclusion, this series is not for me and I’ll stop trying to make Shardlake happen.

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Geek Love by Katherine Dunn

Tuesday, May 21, 2024

A book about the chicken-biting type of Geek Love. An engineered “freak”, the hunchbacked dwarf protagonist Oly, tells the story of her childhood and teen years living deeply enmeshed with her family in a travelling carnival, interspersed with chapters of her life at 38. It’s a strange but interesting read for the most part, though at times, horrifying. The first third grabbed me, but later in the book my attention waned at times and I found the ending a little unsatisfactory.

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How Lucky by Will Leitch

Sunday, May 12, 2024

A novel reminiscent, in some ways, of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time”. Diagnosed as a child with spinal muscular atrophy much of the book is preoccupied with the effects this has and continues to have on the protagonist’s life. This was also the aspect I enjoyed the most. Though, overall, a relatively enjoyable and readable book I found the ending too abrupt and quite meh, with the “mystery” driving the plot uninteresting and lacking a satisfactory dénouement.

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The Steerswoman by Rosemary Kirstein

Monday, May 6, 2024

This was a re-read to get me ready for the sequels. In 2016 I rather enjoyed it, liking the world building, the Steerswoman conceit and the writing, even if I found the plot a little lacking and the “villains” too reasonable. This time it just didn’t work for me, finding it tedious and meandering. Just goes to show how much my mood influences how I feel about a book. Not sure I like that about me.

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A Lady of Rooksgrave Manor by Kathryn Moon

Sunday, April 28, 2024

Not the book I expected. Thought I was getting a victorian historical novel, turns out it’s actually a monster fucker porn-with-very-little-plot book. This will teach me to actually read dedications and blurb. The writing was fine and it was a quick read. However, I did not like the protagonist, a hyper-sexual “pick me girl”, who is perfect in every way, and the immediate and total lack of any actual tension in her “arrangement” strained all credulity.

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Whalefall by Daniel Kraus

Thursday, April 25, 2024

This short novel, described as a scientifically accurate thriller about a scuba diver swallowed by a sperm whale, was not for me. It seemed to be chapter after chapter of either repetitive daddy issues, long-winded descriptions of diving and diving equipment, or tedious descriptions of escape attempts. The writing was marred by flourishes clearly meant to ramp up tension but which just became extremely annoying. I almost put it down multiple times, but forced my way to the end.

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Unspeakable Shaking Pleasures by Lucy Debussy

Wednesday, April 24, 2024

A selection of short stories billed as a collection of erotica. The stories definitely had erotic elements and overtones, but I’m not sure I’d classify them as erotica per se. However, I found the prose lush and the stories odd and interesting. Erotica that isn’t up your alley can often be rather tedious but I enjoyed these stories quite a lot. ★★★☆☆

The Governess Affair by Courtney Milan

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

A short historical romance novella that moves along at a very snappy pace with a plot less straightforward than the title implies. The romance felt a bit rushed, very “love at first sight”, and the male protagonist was a little too good to be true. I love historical fiction, but I haven’t read much romance and don’t understand the conventions of the genre. Perhaps this book fits into a specific sub-genre thus written perfectly to fit a category?

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Modern Still Life by Sari Shryack

Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Thanks to NetGalley, I was able to read a digital ARC of Modern Still Life: From Fruit Bowls to Disco Balls by Sari Shryack. The book is comprised of a short introduction, then ten chapters covering supplies and mindset, still life setup, drawing for painting, value studies, colour, warming and cooling, discoballs, modern still life, style sandwiches, and cleanup and closure, before ending with a conclusion and an index. The chapters are short and succinct with examples clearly showing the various principles.

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Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel

Monday, April 22, 2024

Beginning with an intriguing mystery, Sleeping Giants uses interviews, journal entries, transcripts and articles to slowly inform the reader. I quite enjoy this style of epistolary-like storytelling, though I would have liked to see stronger "voices". It was a fine read, but because the plot ultimately didn't particularly interest me and I hadn't come to care for or about any of the characters, I probably won't read the sequels. I'm just not invested enough.

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A Pale View of Hills by Kazuo Ishiguro

Saturday, April 20, 2024

The second Kazuo Ishiguro book I've read, and had it been my first it would also have been my last. I found the story lacking and the dialogue irrelevant and banal. The characters felt flat and affectless. There was just nothing here for me. Apparently a book too subtle for me to enjoy. The biggest surprise about it was how much I disliked it after really enjoying Never Let Me Go.

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Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan

Monday, April 15, 2024

Novella about a man who grew up the son of an unwed mother in 1940s Ireland. Mainly concerning his inner life as he goes about the daily grind of life, and how something in him changes after some chance encounters at the local nunnery (aka Magdalen Laundry). This one was not for me. The writing was fine, and the topic something I feel strongly about, but I didn’t enjoy this nor did it elicit any strong feelings in me.

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The Angel of the Crows by Katherine Addison

Sunday, April 14, 2024

I enjoyed the characters, the worldbuilding, and found it a fresh and interesting take on Holmesian fiction, and I really liked Crow in particular. At times it felt a little disjointed, and though I really liked some parts, there were other parts that didn't appeal quite so much. Overall an enjoyable read. ★★★☆☆

Godkiller by Hannah Kaner

Friday, April 12, 2024

The fates of a Godkiller, a baker, and a young girl and her pet God intertwine in this fantasy novel. I really wanted to like this more than I did, but for some reason neither the world, the story nor the characters really captured my interest. However, it really picked up by the end and pushed me into probable sequel-reading territory. ★★★☆☆

All the Hidden Paths by Foz Meadows

Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Though I devoured this as fast as I did the first book in The Tithenai Chronicles series, I didn't enjoy it quite as much. There was a little too much rumination on self-worth (or the lack thereof) for my tastes. Still enjoy the worldbuilding and the characters a lot. I did like the addition of the new POV character and could easily have read a chapter or two more of their story.

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A Strange and Stubborn Endurance

Tuesday, April 9, 2024

I really enjoyed A Strange and Stubborn Endurance by Foz Meadows. A unabashedly queer novel deliciously somehow saturated with both tenderness and sweetness even though there are a lot of rather grim situations (murders/rape/abuse). After finishing I was left with the same kind of feelings I have after Becky Chambers or Katherine Addison novels. Absolutely delightful.

Lake of Souls

Monday, April 8, 2024

As a huge fan of Ann Leckie, but not someone who generally enjoys short stories very much, “Lake of Souls” was a bit mixed bag for me. I enjoyed the final two stories the most, the penultimate being the absolute delight that is “Saving Bacon”. I loved it, and I love Slale Vachash-Troer and his family so, so much.

Testing Speechify

Sunday, February 11, 2024

Decided to test Speechify, a TTS app which offers premium and AI enhanced voices. Turns out I got a referral code which (as of the time of writing) gives a $60 discount to whoever uses it, and nets me free month(s). So, if anyone wants to use Speechify and doesn’t want to pay full price here’s the promo code link. Benefits me, benefits you.

Book Review: Vibrant Watercolor

Friday, February 2, 2024

Thanks to NetGalley, I was able to read a digital ARC of Vibrant Watercolor: A creative and colorful exploration into the art of watercolor painting by Geethu Chandramohan. The book is divided into two main sections, The Basics and Projects. The Basics is split into eight sections detailing tools and materials, watercolour basics, colour theory, watercolour techniques, perspective, composition, light and shadow, landscape painting. The author includes recommendations and useful tips throughout, and each chapter is full of photographs illustrating concepts introduced in the text.

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