Anyhoo, back to the report. It's been awhile since I did one of these. In fact, it's been 2 months. I checked. I'm not going to review each book I read (or didn't read...probably). Just the ones that might interest you. And definitely the ones that interested me!
Soulless // Kind of a mash up between steam punk and fantasy. Vampires and werewolves type fantasy. Also a romance. It was okay in terms of "chic lit", but I will not be seeking out any further titles in this series, if that's what this is. You can tell it was written by a fan of fiction like this, which isn't meant as an insult or anything. Just not my cup of tea. A spinster with a mind of her own (and an Italian father, which is apparently even worse than just being a spinster), who has no soul is attacked by a vampire at a posh party, and has to dispatch of him with her trusty parasol. And the whole situation is a bit fishy, so it is investigated by the equivalent of the Supernatural Police, led by a handsome Scottish werewolf. Supernatural folk are disappearing and appearing at an alarming rate, and Alexia seems to be right in the middle of it!
The Paying Guests // This is one of those books where I kept waiting for the climax and then the book ended. Which isn't to say there wasn't a climax, just that it wasn't very climactic for me. I did really enjoy the details, the minutiae of everyday life in a different time. Essentially, a spinster and her widowed mother take in boarders - of a lower class - after the war in order to be able to afford to continue living in their home and then stuff happens. "Routines are shaken up"...I can't actually write anymore or I will give away what little surprises there were. Scandal! Cover Up! Toilet in the backyard!
Editor's Note: I have never heard of the author, but apparently she is very famous and many of her books have been adapted for TV. And her earlier books have received some better reviews, so perhaps I am not finished with Sarah Waters after all.
The Giver // Definitely Young Adult, like, really young. I can see handing this one over to Lucas this year. As a cynical adult, the very very open-ended "ending" left me floundering. But given a child's imagination and a more innocent take on the world, and I could definitely fill in some blanks there and see past the disappointment I felt. Which is probably what they had to do with the movie, because the book is all of 180 pages.
Behemoth // The second book in the Leviathan series. Not as good as the first, but I am still very impressed and very enamored with this alternate reality that the author has created. The Leviathan has moved on to Istanbul, where they hope a gift from the Crown will sway the Sultan to the side of the Allies. But the Germans have beaten them there, and have bigger and shinier gifts. The prince on the run has to leave the ship behind, but finds friends in a resistance movement. They have really cool toys.
Dude & I are still madly in love with The Deltora Quest audio books! We are on the final stretch - I think I am waiting for book #6 to come available - and have a lot of guesses about how it will end. I am saving my review of the series until we've finished the final book, but I can safely recommend this series to young readers. It was especially exciting to listen to it read by an Australian! (I'm a sucker for accents...)
Tried and failed...these are the books that I didn't finish. Because, reasons.
Insurgent // Was so terrible I didn't even make it past 30 pages. I think I reached the first "love scene", promptly threw up in my mouth, and rain it back to the library. It looks like I will not be finishing this trilogy.
A bunch of Neil Gaiman graphic novels. Apparently my love for Neil Gaiman does not extend to his comic writing. Sandman was very gory, disturbing, and did not interest me at all. And while Marvel 1602 has an amazing premise - today's Marvel superheroes re-imagined for the world of 1602 - it was really long, and there were SO MANY CHARACTERS! Like, all of them. And I am not familiar enough with every single Marvel personality to keep them straight when faced with all of them presented anew on every page.
I did read a very intriguing graphic novel called Sex Criminals. A lady and gent discover they can exist outside of regular time when they orgasm, so they plan a bank robbery. Only to be caught by other people who can do the same thing! Amaze balls!
I think I will save December's books for another post. I have already started my 2015 Book List page and am slogging through my first book of the year. 52 in 2015 begins now!
It always amazes me how many books you read. I try to let it inspire me as oppose to stress me out.(Nadine- you are not Lisa- you love to read creative & cooking magazines and cook books- let that me enough.) Comparison is a work in progress.
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