I've been putting this one off.
How do I get across just how much I loved this book? I've said it so many times recently, the words seem kind of wan. And yet - and yet -
And yet I find myself, four days later, just reliving one moment or another from this book. One sensation or another. A sudden desire to be in the presence of one of the characters. This doesn't happen to me often.
I'll keep it short. Once again, I'm late to the party. This book already won all of the awards, we can all sit down and bask in the glow.
What did I like about this book, you ask? I'll tell you! I liked the voice. It was a voice clearly not human, without being so other that it felt forced. Yes, this was an AI talking, one mind spread across multiple bodies (a ship, it was an entire ship) and yet I didn't feel Leckie trying to force it's inherent AI-ness down my throat. It was just there.
And I liked that this was okay. By which I mean, I liked that this was just okay with One Esk/Breq. Breq didn't have moral dilemma's about her identity, although other characters had plenty enough on her behalf. Breq had her intelligence, and her goal. One step and then the next. This book is so much more than the question of what constitutes a human, although that is a question that is present throughout. The other question, that comes up again and again is: What do you do when you have two options, and neither of them are right?
Again, I don't see Leckie tripping over Breq's tongue to preach to us what we should do. Breq makes choices, and some are more damaging, others are less damaging. An excellent thing about One Esk as a focaliser is that we can see, through One Esk and the Justice of Toren the small and large scale impact.
Just- wow. I could wax on about this all day long, but I wouldn't be waxing lyrical or sense because I genuinely don't quite know how to do this book justice. I can't wait until I get my hands on the next.
This counts for the Mount TBR Challenge.
Tuesday, 12 April 2016
Thursday, 7 April 2016
Review: Sabriel
Well, I'm on a roll! Here I am with yet another finished book - this time, Sabriel by Garth Nix.
I really enjoyed this book, continuing also the roll of books I've loved. There still hasn't been a single book this year that I've felt like I haven't liked. Fingers crossed for a continuation on this theme.
I'm definitely very late to the party with Sabriel, so I'll make this brief. I loved the magic system Nix dreamt up, and I even at one point found myself shaking with pleasure. It is so unusual, and so exquisite. I look forward to reading more, and seeing how the Charter, Necromantic and Free Magics all work and where (if at all) they intersect.
I also loved Sabriel as a character. Nix strikes the perfect balance between weakness and strength with her. What she knows, she knows well, and makes good use of. She is strong willed enough to stand on her own two feet, and wise enough (mostly) to know when she'd do well to lean on someone else's strength or understanding. She is in a tough situation and it shows, but without her being spoilt or bratty or completely selfish. She's amazing!
One of the few things I wasn't really a fan of - perhaps the only thing - was the romance. I found myself laughing so that I didn't have to roll my eyes. They didn't feel wrong as a couple, necessarily, but the entire thing felt a bit closer to insta-love than I would expect. I'm fairly sure that it's been proven that two people who experience a trial together are more likely to experience romantic feelings for each other, and it seems like all of YA is based on this theory. BUT. Spare me the sop bucket, please! The spontaneous kisses between Sabriel and Touchstone felt somewhat out of character, the crying from Sabriel when she thinks that Touchstone is canoodling and more with a maid brought to rise the desire to whack her one. I like that Sabriel understands that part of her attraction to him is because he is literally the first eligible male she has met ever. And I also like that Touchstone's declaration of love everlasting* takes very much into account the fact that Sabriel might not want that. But yeah. Maybe this is just me nitpicking.
This book counts for the Mount TBR challenge (and finishing it also takes me down to only 26 'Currently Reading' books, yay!)
Happy Reading,
Little Newman
*Okay, I exaggerate vastly.
I really enjoyed this book, continuing also the roll of books I've loved. There still hasn't been a single book this year that I've felt like I haven't liked. Fingers crossed for a continuation on this theme.
I'm definitely very late to the party with Sabriel, so I'll make this brief. I loved the magic system Nix dreamt up, and I even at one point found myself shaking with pleasure. It is so unusual, and so exquisite. I look forward to reading more, and seeing how the Charter, Necromantic and Free Magics all work and where (if at all) they intersect.
I also loved Sabriel as a character. Nix strikes the perfect balance between weakness and strength with her. What she knows, she knows well, and makes good use of. She is strong willed enough to stand on her own two feet, and wise enough (mostly) to know when she'd do well to lean on someone else's strength or understanding. She is in a tough situation and it shows, but without her being spoilt or bratty or completely selfish. She's amazing!
One of the few things I wasn't really a fan of - perhaps the only thing - was the romance. I found myself laughing so that I didn't have to roll my eyes. They didn't feel wrong as a couple, necessarily, but the entire thing felt a bit closer to insta-love than I would expect. I'm fairly sure that it's been proven that two people who experience a trial together are more likely to experience romantic feelings for each other, and it seems like all of YA is based on this theory. BUT. Spare me the sop bucket, please! The spontaneous kisses between Sabriel and Touchstone felt somewhat out of character, the crying from Sabriel when she thinks that Touchstone is canoodling and more with a maid brought to rise the desire to whack her one. I like that Sabriel understands that part of her attraction to him is because he is literally the first eligible male she has met ever. And I also like that Touchstone's declaration of love everlasting* takes very much into account the fact that Sabriel might not want that. But yeah. Maybe this is just me nitpicking.
This book counts for the Mount TBR challenge (and finishing it also takes me down to only 26 'Currently Reading' books, yay!)
Happy Reading,
Little Newman
*Okay, I exaggerate vastly.
Tuesday, 5 April 2016
Review: Oliver VII
It feels strange to be writing yet another review so soon! If I wake up tomorrow to find the sky beneath my feet I won't be surprised.
I wondered, briefly, whether I should hold this review off a little and make a lit corner of it as it doesn't suit the needs of any of my challenges (more's the pity), but then I decided to plough on ahead. After all, I don't know when next I'll read a book that doesn't satisfy a single one of the challenges I have undertaken. As a concession to my desire to label this post as a lit corner, I'll add in a little section about other books I have read this year which have not made it to the blog, and also a more general update on what I'm reading just now.
So, now that that's all over with...
Oliver VII by Antal Szerb.
I started reading this book last year, as I mentioned in a previous post. In the same post I said that I looked forward to diving back in, and dive I did. Oliver VII follows the eponymous hero: a king who finds himself in the somewhat unusual position of playing himself in a confidence trick.
Oliver, alias Oscar, secretly heads a coup against himself and escapes his fictional country of Alturia for Venice, neatly skipping out on an unfavourable deal to save the Alturian finances and a marriage to the pretty but naive Princess Ortrud.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It is thoroughly lighthearted and, as translator Len Rix writes in his afterword, does not contain a harsh word. I only found while reading the last quarter of the book that Szerb wrote this only two years before his death in a labour camp. Nothing in the book points to the persecution that Szerb faced and yet somehow this doesn't surprise me. I am not sure why, but somewhere I feel that perhaps that is how I might respond in a similar situation - maybe it is escapism, but I like to think that it is something else that drives the light hearted and extremely playful tone of this book.
I would like to take a moment to comment on my copy of the book. It is published by Pushkin Press, and obvious thought and dedication has gone into the feel of the book. The end page states that it is 'designed to be as satisfying as possible to hold and to enjoy' and they have not missed their mark at all. Somewhat smaller than average book size and printed on weighty paper with a gently textured cover, this book definitely pleased the girl who took great pains to write only on 80gsm paper for five years of her life. I feel it is only right to point out that this book is a pleasure in as many ways as can be imagined.
--
Now onto the other books. I finished Stolthet och fördom (Pride and Prejudice) and naturally enjoyed it. It was a very quick read for me, as I know the story so well. I had previously tried reading the older translation available on Wiki commons, and found it didn't work for me. This newer translation from Gun-Britt Sundström, published by Albert Bonniers förlag was much more readable for me.
The second finished but unreviewed item is Kamisama Kiss vol. I, read in German. Again, this is a case where I was already familiar with the story. Also, it being a manga was a plus: less text, easier themes. I was still very much impressed with myself. I think I would like to continue buying the following volumes in German.
Finally, the 'Currently Reading List of Doom'. I am trying so desperately not to add another book onto the end of it! I absolutely have to get it down under twenty five before I pick up a new book. I'm closing in on this rather pathetic goal - finishing Oliver VII struck one book off, and I am making fairly good progress with Sabriel by Garth Nix, too. Less actively, I'm still making my way through Tintenherz with the read-along group I set up. Actually, I am very behind, but I am trying. I have also recently picked up Resa med lätt bagage (Travelling with light baggage) by Tove Jansson. This is another short story collection, but I am only intending to read one a weak. Kappan och Näsan (The Cloak and The Nose) by Gogol is also waiting patiently for me to return to it. But I don't think any of these will follow Sabriel in the order of which books I'll finish next. I'm thinking it'll be Ancilliary Justice but who knows when I'll pull a crazy stunt and find myself on the good end of Darkmans instead?
This has been a fairly long post, so I'll stop myself here.
Happy Reading,
Little Newman
I wondered, briefly, whether I should hold this review off a little and make a lit corner of it as it doesn't suit the needs of any of my challenges (more's the pity), but then I decided to plough on ahead. After all, I don't know when next I'll read a book that doesn't satisfy a single one of the challenges I have undertaken. As a concession to my desire to label this post as a lit corner, I'll add in a little section about other books I have read this year which have not made it to the blog, and also a more general update on what I'm reading just now.
So, now that that's all over with...
Oliver VII by Antal Szerb.
I started reading this book last year, as I mentioned in a previous post. In the same post I said that I looked forward to diving back in, and dive I did. Oliver VII follows the eponymous hero: a king who finds himself in the somewhat unusual position of playing himself in a confidence trick.
Oliver, alias Oscar, secretly heads a coup against himself and escapes his fictional country of Alturia for Venice, neatly skipping out on an unfavourable deal to save the Alturian finances and a marriage to the pretty but naive Princess Ortrud.
I really enjoyed reading this book. It is thoroughly lighthearted and, as translator Len Rix writes in his afterword, does not contain a harsh word. I only found while reading the last quarter of the book that Szerb wrote this only two years before his death in a labour camp. Nothing in the book points to the persecution that Szerb faced and yet somehow this doesn't surprise me. I am not sure why, but somewhere I feel that perhaps that is how I might respond in a similar situation - maybe it is escapism, but I like to think that it is something else that drives the light hearted and extremely playful tone of this book.
I would like to take a moment to comment on my copy of the book. It is published by Pushkin Press, and obvious thought and dedication has gone into the feel of the book. The end page states that it is 'designed to be as satisfying as possible to hold and to enjoy' and they have not missed their mark at all. Somewhat smaller than average book size and printed on weighty paper with a gently textured cover, this book definitely pleased the girl who took great pains to write only on 80gsm paper for five years of her life. I feel it is only right to point out that this book is a pleasure in as many ways as can be imagined.
--
Now onto the other books. I finished Stolthet och fördom (Pride and Prejudice) and naturally enjoyed it. It was a very quick read for me, as I know the story so well. I had previously tried reading the older translation available on Wiki commons, and found it didn't work for me. This newer translation from Gun-Britt Sundström, published by Albert Bonniers förlag was much more readable for me.
The second finished but unreviewed item is Kamisama Kiss vol. I, read in German. Again, this is a case where I was already familiar with the story. Also, it being a manga was a plus: less text, easier themes. I was still very much impressed with myself. I think I would like to continue buying the following volumes in German.
Finally, the 'Currently Reading List of Doom'. I am trying so desperately not to add another book onto the end of it! I absolutely have to get it down under twenty five before I pick up a new book. I'm closing in on this rather pathetic goal - finishing Oliver VII struck one book off, and I am making fairly good progress with Sabriel by Garth Nix, too. Less actively, I'm still making my way through Tintenherz with the read-along group I set up. Actually, I am very behind, but I am trying. I have also recently picked up Resa med lätt bagage (Travelling with light baggage) by Tove Jansson. This is another short story collection, but I am only intending to read one a weak. Kappan och Näsan (The Cloak and The Nose) by Gogol is also waiting patiently for me to return to it. But I don't think any of these will follow Sabriel in the order of which books I'll finish next. I'm thinking it'll be Ancilliary Justice but who knows when I'll pull a crazy stunt and find myself on the good end of Darkmans instead?
This has been a fairly long post, so I'll stop myself here.
Happy Reading,
Little Newman
Monday, 4 April 2016
Review: Bone Jack
This review was meant to be written and posted last week. Unfortunately, I became unexpectedly busy, and so I'm only just writing it up now.
Bone Jack by Sara Crowe is about Ash, a fifteen year old boy whose father is a soldier who has come home a very changed man, and his ex-best friend Mark whose father killed himself. Ghosts from the land's past and the mythology of the area are part of the fabric of the book, and the reason why I was so desperate to buy it in the first place.
It was a fabulous book. It had been on my 'to remember' list for a long time - Goodreads reliably informs me that is has only been two years, which really isn't so long. I was so happy when I finally put my pennies together to buy it that I read about five chapters before I finished the bus journey home.
Why, then, did it take me four months to read? The answer to this is simple, and fairly ridiculous. It felt like I was moving too fast. Definitely not my normal problem. When I finally finished and managed to get over my ecstasies just enough to recommend it to a friend, I told her that I wasn't really sure what age group the book is aimed at. The main characters are in the 14-16 range, and the book is dark enough to delight someone who was reading a Swedish book about witches at the same time* but the ease with which I read it made it feel like it was targeted towards a younger audience. Sure enough, on the author's blog I found reviews from a few 12 and 13 year olds. This is by no means an issue - it just felt like I wasn't giving the book time and space to do it justice. So, I decided to slow down.
I'm glad I made this decision. It made me enjoy the book that much more. I would have loved it if I had swallowed it down in a couple of days, as I was probably on track to do, but I would have perhaps missed some of the richness. Crowe's writing is a real treat. She manages to create a miasma** of fear, of constantly looking over one's shoulder, of chills down one's spine when unbearable heat gives over to the feeling that something is not quite right. The atmosphere of much of the book is neatly summed up by this sentence: 'Ash gazed back through a haze of pain and smoke and blood and terror.'
I loved everything about this book. It's about family, and friendship and fear and human sacrifice. What more could I want?
This book counts towards the Mount TBR challenge.
Happy Reading!
Little Newman
*And we all know that they do Dark in the North.
**Fact: 'miasma' is a Greek word that refers to a malevolent power that causes catastrophe until the original wrongdoer is sacrificed. No spoilers from me, but that is a strikingly relevant word.
Bone Jack by Sara Crowe is about Ash, a fifteen year old boy whose father is a soldier who has come home a very changed man, and his ex-best friend Mark whose father killed himself. Ghosts from the land's past and the mythology of the area are part of the fabric of the book, and the reason why I was so desperate to buy it in the first place.
It was a fabulous book. It had been on my 'to remember' list for a long time - Goodreads reliably informs me that is has only been two years, which really isn't so long. I was so happy when I finally put my pennies together to buy it that I read about five chapters before I finished the bus journey home.
Why, then, did it take me four months to read? The answer to this is simple, and fairly ridiculous. It felt like I was moving too fast. Definitely not my normal problem. When I finally finished and managed to get over my ecstasies just enough to recommend it to a friend, I told her that I wasn't really sure what age group the book is aimed at. The main characters are in the 14-16 range, and the book is dark enough to delight someone who was reading a Swedish book about witches at the same time* but the ease with which I read it made it feel like it was targeted towards a younger audience. Sure enough, on the author's blog I found reviews from a few 12 and 13 year olds. This is by no means an issue - it just felt like I wasn't giving the book time and space to do it justice. So, I decided to slow down.
I'm glad I made this decision. It made me enjoy the book that much more. I would have loved it if I had swallowed it down in a couple of days, as I was probably on track to do, but I would have perhaps missed some of the richness. Crowe's writing is a real treat. She manages to create a miasma** of fear, of constantly looking over one's shoulder, of chills down one's spine when unbearable heat gives over to the feeling that something is not quite right. The atmosphere of much of the book is neatly summed up by this sentence: 'Ash gazed back through a haze of pain and smoke and blood and terror.'
I loved everything about this book. It's about family, and friendship and fear and human sacrifice. What more could I want?
This book counts towards the Mount TBR challenge.
Happy Reading!
Little Newman
*And we all know that they do Dark in the North.
**Fact: 'miasma' is a Greek word that refers to a malevolent power that causes catastrophe until the original wrongdoer is sacrificed. No spoilers from me, but that is a strikingly relevant word.
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