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What Are You Reading Weekend
Jul. 28th, 2018 02:12 pmWhat can I say, I have a backlog
Currently reading:
LOTR - stayed up until 1am on Friday morning reading book 4, which I remembered as the most tedious. Welp.
DuMarier, Rebecca - now seemed like as good a time as any. Also, I'm stressed, and better at starting things than finishing them
Rohinton Mistry, A Fine Balance - definitely won't get this finished by the time I leave for Aus. It'll be a miracle if I manage it while I'm there, tbh. Continues to be a good book, but not a gripping one.
Albrecht Classen, Erotic Tales from Medieval Germany - fun enough, but aside from 'The Belt', I don't LOVE any of them so far.
Recently Finished:
The Watchmaker's Daughter by C.J. Archer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a fun travel read that crossess several genre boundaries. It is, in short, a historical urban fantasy series with a detective thread, written by a former romance writer. I say detective thread because there isn't a discrete plot per book in the series, as there usually are with crime series. The urban fantasy / magical element is a little underbaked, I think - the author may be playing a long game, but it feels like she's working out how this works on the fly, rather than revealing strategically.
The Mapmaker's Apprentice by C.J. Archer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This one felt a little weaker - despite having its own minor crime plot, the series-wide arc starts to drag a bit. And the relationship between the two protags is still in the UST phase, but getting a little tired at it. HOWEVER. The minor characters in this one are fun- especially the doddering aunt.
Unfit to Print by K.J. Charles
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I just didn't like this as much as many KJC. It had the world-building, but the plot seemed undercooked - better suited to a novella, perhaps. There really wasn't enough internal conflict in the main relationship to hold up to a novel standard.
It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat Sebastian
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I think this might be my favourite Sebastian yet - and that's saying something, given I avoided it for a very long while because the idea of 'gay priest' historical romance gave me the heebie-jeebies. That part was really well handled - REALLY. There's a depth of allusion here, back to medieval philosophy of friendship, that I really wasn't expecting. The vicarage is St Aelred's, and the Climactic Dramatic Moment involves a whole chunk of biblical exegesis which is, I'm 80%, drawn from Aelred. NICE WORK, CAT SEBASTIAN.
In general, it didn't have the... weird, shiny shallowness that bothered me about the last Cat S series I read.
Jackalope Wives And Other Stories by T. Kingfisher
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I liked this more than Toad Words - there's been a clear maturation in Ursula's short story writing, IMHO. I was a big fan of the desert-dwelling liminally human witch figures who keep cropping up.
Out Of Rhythm by Shona Husk
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I wanted to love this. I really did. Lesbian new-adult romance set in Perth in the early 2000s? Featuring a rock band I would definitely have listened to? SIGN ME UP.
Unfortunately: flat prose, clunky style, too much exposition not enough tension, poor plotting of the main romance. Do not recommend.
Up Next: Well, I'm trying to SHED books, not gain them. I think I've put 'Death on the Cherwell' in my carry-on luggage for the Aus trip, and I've stacked my kobo. Bought the sequel to the Cat Sebastian noted above, for one thing.
Music notes: I haven't been very switched on to music lately. I did just buy Snail Mail's album Lush, which I was listening to on spotify for a while.
And now, I must get back to cleaning out my flat for the last time.
Currently reading:
LOTR - stayed up until 1am on Friday morning reading book 4, which I remembered as the most tedious. Welp.
DuMarier, Rebecca - now seemed like as good a time as any. Also, I'm stressed, and better at starting things than finishing them
Rohinton Mistry, A Fine Balance - definitely won't get this finished by the time I leave for Aus. It'll be a miracle if I manage it while I'm there, tbh. Continues to be a good book, but not a gripping one.
Albrecht Classen, Erotic Tales from Medieval Germany - fun enough, but aside from 'The Belt', I don't LOVE any of them so far.
Recently Finished:
The Watchmaker's Daughter by C.J. ArcherMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a fun travel read that crossess several genre boundaries. It is, in short, a historical urban fantasy series with a detective thread, written by a former romance writer. I say detective thread because there isn't a discrete plot per book in the series, as there usually are with crime series. The urban fantasy / magical element is a little underbaked, I think - the author may be playing a long game, but it feels like she's working out how this works on the fly, rather than revealing strategically.
The Mapmaker's Apprentice by C.J. ArcherMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
This one felt a little weaker - despite having its own minor crime plot, the series-wide arc starts to drag a bit. And the relationship between the two protags is still in the UST phase, but getting a little tired at it. HOWEVER. The minor characters in this one are fun- especially the doddering aunt.
Unfit to Print by K.J. CharlesMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I just didn't like this as much as many KJC. It had the world-building, but the plot seemed undercooked - better suited to a novella, perhaps. There really wasn't enough internal conflict in the main relationship to hold up to a novel standard.
It Takes Two to Tumble by Cat SebastianMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
I think this might be my favourite Sebastian yet - and that's saying something, given I avoided it for a very long while because the idea of 'gay priest' historical romance gave me the heebie-jeebies. That part was really well handled - REALLY. There's a depth of allusion here, back to medieval philosophy of friendship, that I really wasn't expecting. The vicarage is St Aelred's, and the Climactic Dramatic Moment involves a whole chunk of biblical exegesis which is, I'm 80%, drawn from Aelred. NICE WORK, CAT SEBASTIAN.
In general, it didn't have the... weird, shiny shallowness that bothered me about the last Cat S series I read.
Jackalope Wives And Other Stories by T. KingfisherMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I liked this more than Toad Words - there's been a clear maturation in Ursula's short story writing, IMHO. I was a big fan of the desert-dwelling liminally human witch figures who keep cropping up.
Out Of Rhythm by Shona HuskMy rating: 2 of 5 stars
I wanted to love this. I really did. Lesbian new-adult romance set in Perth in the early 2000s? Featuring a rock band I would definitely have listened to? SIGN ME UP.
Unfortunately: flat prose, clunky style, too much exposition not enough tension, poor plotting of the main romance. Do not recommend.
Up Next: Well, I'm trying to SHED books, not gain them. I think I've put 'Death on the Cherwell' in my carry-on luggage for the Aus trip, and I've stacked my kobo. Bought the sequel to the Cat Sebastian noted above, for one thing.
Music notes: I haven't been very switched on to music lately. I did just buy Snail Mail's album Lush, which I was listening to on spotify for a while.
And now, I must get back to cleaning out my flat for the last time.