SaraPepparkaka Posted July 9, 2009 Author Share Posted July 9, 2009 I think you are all aware by now that I'm not very good at series.. I start in the middle, forget a book in the middle, etc. So you will not be surprised when I tell you that I read "In the cities of coin and spice" by Catherynne M Valente, and that I haven't read "In the night garden", which apparently is the first part of "The orphan's tales". I haven't read anything else by this author, but I think I will. A few years ago I wanted nothing to do with fantasy books, and now they are my everyday reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 The main character is a photographer, gay, and unhappily in love with someone. He finds a troll one night, a young, injured one. So he decides to take care of that troll.That rather sounds like my cuppa tea...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted July 10, 2009 Author Share Posted July 10, 2009 Giulia, I can't really say if you'll like it, as I said, it's a weird book. It's not too long though, and a fast read (at least in Finnish), so you could try. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted July 10, 2009 Share Posted July 10, 2009 I like weird books and alternative approaches to narrative and this incorporates a lot of my pet themes as well - I'll let you know what I think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted July 20, 2009 Author Share Posted July 20, 2009 So, on my/our trip to Sweden I read "The Tea Rose" by Jennifer Donnelly. I figured better to take one VERY LONG book instead of many shorter. I didn't really fall for this book, can't put my finger on why not. There was at least one thing: it was kind of obvious that this was a book where the heroine overcomes all obstacles and gets it all in the end, just because she's such a lovely person. I don't usually mind, after all I read romance, but.. Since then I've read a collection of Neil Gaiman's short stories, "Smoke and Mirrors". And I'll soon finish an Ian Rankin ("The Hanging Garden"). That'll balance the sweetness I guess. (anybody want to guess what the weather's like today? Oh yes-raining. That means more reading and less Project Summerhouse) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted July 27, 2009 Author Share Posted July 27, 2009 We went to Dubrovnik. Lovely place. Picture me in the shade under a tree reading. Patrick Ness "Topics about which I know nothing", Sergei Lukyanenko "The Day Watch", Charlaine Harris "Grave surprise" and Mary Ann Shaffer "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society". All good books in their own way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BookJumper Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 Since then I've read a collection of Neil Gaiman's short stories, "Smoke and Mirrors".Could I ask you what you thought of this, and how disturbing you would say it is? I'm a big Gaiman fan (I've loved his novels "Neverwhere", "Stardust" and "Anansi Boys", his co-operation with Terry Pratchett "Good Omens", as well as several of his "Sandman" comics) but as for his short fiction - this and "Fragile Things" - I keep picking them up in shops and putting them back down again as apparently some of the stories are quite disturbingly explicit and I wouldn't want that eek! Please help? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted July 31, 2009 Author Share Posted July 31, 2009 There were two stories in "Smoke and Mirrors" that are a bit explicit in my opinion, and one of those two made Gaiman feel embarrassed when he was writing it, according to the introduction. If you have the opportunity- read the introduction, it says a little about all the short stories in the book, and that maybe helps you to decide. - But it's nothing compared to some of the "romance" novels out there now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted August 5, 2009 Author Share Posted August 5, 2009 Two books to comment since last time. "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz and "Sputnik Sweetheart" by Haruki Murakami. I'm glad I know some Spanish, that really helped when reading Oscar Wao. After a while I got a bit tired of the footnotes, except for the one in the beginning of the book where it says: "You didn't know we were occupied twice in the twentieth century? Don't worry, when you have kids they won't know the U.S. occupied Iraq either." That does say something about the short memory of the general public, and a world where everything is So Important one day and completely forgotten the next. So the book was half funny and half romantic and it didn't add up to a whole. Not bad, just not THAT good. "Sputnik Sweetheart" was beautifully written. I thought it was for the best that Sumire disappeared, because she was becoming someone she wasn't, and someone I felt she really didn't want to be . Says the person who absolutely does not go to work in her black shabby jeans and her homedyed batik t-shirt. The role of dreams and the dream world was also interesting. So, all in all: clever, beautiful book, but sad. I was so ready to read about happily-ever-after after those two books that I re-read some of the nicest chapters in "The Duchess" by Jude Deveraux. There's nothing quite like reading about two imperfect persons that are perfect for each other.. I may return to "Emotional Geology" and "Star Gazing" too. Suggestions are also welcome- a book with a heartwarming and happy ending, please! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted August 11, 2009 Author Share Posted August 11, 2009 I've read more. Actually these two books I've read in small doses over a long period of time, but I have now finished them. The first one is "Tess of the D'Urbervilles" by Thomas Hardy. I did like some of it, it sure did pick up speed towards the end. I thought the ending was the best part of the book- I wouldn't have bought any "quick fixes" at that point. Then "Gargoyle" by Andrew Davidson. In some ways this was exactly my kind of book. I never cared much for "normality" in characters, but growth and development I care for. I don't really know why the main character had to start out as such an .. (looking for the right word..) unpleasant guy. I warmed to him gradually as I warmed to the book gradually. For the first chapters of the book it felt like the author was looking at the characters from the outside, "if I make him like that and her like that and her like that, and throw them together, then let's see what happens". But along the way I felt like the author started to like them and then I started to care for them too. About the ending, let me just say: .. it was another unhappy one. Yes it was perfect for the book, yes it was delightfully bittersweet- but I really need to get me some happy endings, this is bringing me down.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrysalis_stage Posted August 12, 2009 Share Posted August 12, 2009 I think you are all aware by now that I'm not very good at series.. I start in the middle, forget a book in the middle, etc. So you will not be surprised when I tell you that I read "In the cities of coin and spice" by Catherynne M Valente, and that I haven't read "In the night garden", which apparently is the first part of "The orphan's tales". I haven't read anything else by this author, but I think I will. A few years ago I wanted nothing to do with fantasy books, and now they are my everyday reading. Oh Sara, I just came across your post by searching Catherynne M Valente. I have read her 'Palimpsest' the other month and adored it and would recommend it if you have not read it yet! I really want to read The orphans tales 1 & 2 but I do not have money atm to buy them. How did you find 'In the cities of coin and spice'? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted August 12, 2009 Author Share Posted August 12, 2009 How did you find 'In the cities of coin and spice'? I liked it. I thought it was very original how the tales were woven together. I will definately read more by her, actually I was looking for "Palimpsest" but the online store where I usually buy my books didn't have that. So I figured I could just read the one they had and see if I liked the writing. With every turn of the page, everything I thought I knew about that book/that world, was turned upside down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted August 16, 2009 Author Share Posted August 16, 2009 I've read two books that I like and one I didn't like. I read "Eric" by Terry Pratchett, and "The Thief" by Megan Whalen Turner. (Do I need to say that those were the ones I liked?) Then I read "Funny Valentine" by Amy Jenkins. I figured it would have a happy ending, and it did, but the way there was not pleasant. It was all a lot of random events that didn't make the story go forward. For example her flatmates pregnancy- what did THAT have to do with anything? "The Thief" was perfect to pick up and put away as I was preparing for my son's birthday party. "Eric" did A LOT to balance the slightly sad books I've been reading lately. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted August 19, 2009 Author Share Posted August 19, 2009 I read "A Lifetime Burning" by Linda Gillard. I find it very difficult to say anything much, other than that it was excellent writing, interesting characters- and very controversial themes. I also read a few pages this morning in R A Macavoy's "Twisting the Rope", but it seems I'm in the mood for something else. And since I believe I will enjoy this book very much, I'll put is aside and wait for the right mood to strike me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted August 24, 2009 Author Share Posted August 24, 2009 I've read "The War of the Worlds" by H G Wells. Nobody is mentioned by name- not a single name mentioned in the whole book. I wonder why. Very good to be a classic. I only have to read three more classic books this year, and I'll have read enough for my Librarything challenge. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mac Posted August 24, 2009 Share Posted August 24, 2009 I loved The War Of The Worlds, Sara. My wonderful, tremendously eccentric English teacher gave me three books by Wells to read over the summer of 1989, and this was my favourite. My teacher's name was Mr Dudek, and he towered above us all, magnificently unusual in his behaviour, but he instilled in me my passion for literature - I was already a voracious reader at this point, but he...nailed it down, if you like. A great man. Hope you're very well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted August 29, 2009 Author Share Posted August 29, 2009 Yes, Mac, I'm as well as can be expected I suppose. I read "Written on the wind" by Judith Pella. It was a book that remained indifferent to me. A WW2 story of three sisters, and the beginning of a series I'm quite sure I can live without reading. And then I threw myself into "Norwegian Wood" by Haruki Murakami, and finished it just now. It was more or less the emotional rollercoaster I expected. And I'm not so sure about the ending. I wasn't convinced it was those two that should have ended up together. He's an excellent writer just the same, and I'll go back to hunting down more of his books- which has turned out to be surprisingly difficult here in Finland. This was the only book of his that the library had. Now I'll start reading a fantasy written by a Swedish-speaking Finn (like I am if someone didn't know..). Arra by Maria Turtschaninoff. It's YA- but what am I if not young at heart.. I may be expecting too much of this book, but it does look like my kind of book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted August 31, 2009 Author Share Posted August 31, 2009 Yes, Arra by Maria Turtschaninoff was my kind of book. A fairytale about a very different girl who can talk to the earth, the fire, the wind and the water- only it takes a long time for the girl to understand that she can. She really doesn't fit in her family, but she finds her place at last. I'm now re-reading "Wuthering Heights". Delicious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted September 2, 2009 Author Share Posted September 2, 2009 Finished "Wuthering heights". Delicious, that's all I can say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted September 3, 2009 Author Share Posted September 3, 2009 Kelley Armstrong, "The Summoning" and "The Awakening". I mean, why not read two books in a day (more or less..)- they were good. Slightly less delicious than "Wuthering Heights", but only slightly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 Kelley Armstrong, "The Summoning" and "The Awakening". I mean, why not read two books in a day (more or less..)- they were good. Slightly less delicious than "Wuthering Heights", but only slightly. Sounds like a good day to me! Glad you liked them - I'm still waiting for my reservation for "The Awakening" to come in to the library. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poppyshake Posted September 3, 2009 Share Posted September 3, 2009 There were two stories in "Smoke and Mirrors" that are a bit explicit in my opinion, and one of those two made Gaiman feel embarrassed when he was writing it, according to the introduction. If you have the opportunity- read the introduction, it says a little about all the short stories in the book, and that maybe helps you to decide. - But it's nothing compared to some of the "romance" novels out there now. I've just read 'Fragile Things' which is another collection of Gaiman stories ... from what you've said the two collections seem to be quite similar .. there were stories that were too explicit for my taste but there were others that just fired up the imagination. "The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao" by Junot Diaz. I'm glad I know some Spanish, that really helped when reading Oscar Wao. After a while I got a bit tired of the footnotes, except for the one in the beginning of the book where it says: "You didn't know we were occupied twice in the twentieth century? Don't worry, when you have kids they won't know the U.S. occupied Iraq either." That does say something about the short memory of the general public, and a world where everything is So Important one day and completely forgotten the next. So the book was half funny and half romantic and it didn't add up to a whole. Not bad, just not THAT good. I so looked forward to reading this book but it just didn't live up to my expectations. I'd read good reviews and the premise seemed good but although I enjoyed parts of it .. several times I lost interest and I very nearly didn't finish it, like you say not bad but not great either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted September 4, 2009 Author Share Posted September 4, 2009 Poppy, I'm sure I will read "Fragile Things" sooner or later, Neil Gaiman is one of my favourite authors. Me, I don't mind the "explicit" content, like I said, some of what passes for romance these days is much more explicit. (And usually with the added "bonus" of it not really fitting in the story but rather serving as page filler. There's no excuse for filling pages just for the sake of it. Absolutely none. Not all books need to be 500+ pages.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SaraPepparkaka Posted September 6, 2009 Author Share Posted September 6, 2009 I have read a lot this weekend. Charlaine Harris: "Grave Sight" and "A Secret Rage". I found "A secret rage" to be a bit more serious than her usual. Not bad, just different. Kelley Armstrong: "Made To Be Broken". (And I have done it yet again, starting a series in the middle.. I have yet to read "Exit Strategy"). I definately did not like this heroine. Still, a decent read, no skipping pages. Then I finished two books I had started some time ago, Glen Duncan "I, Lucifer" and Johanna Sinisalo "Lasisilm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Andrea~ Posted September 7, 2009 Share Posted September 7, 2009 Finished "Wuthering heights". Delicious, that's all I can say. Ooh one of my all time favourites. Glad you enjoyed second time around. I must re-read it one day myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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