May book reads + reviews

“Three Meant To Be” by MN Bennet

I was really intrigued by the premise of this book and impressed with the complexity of its magic system with all its different magic branches and root magics and their variations and stuff. In fact, sometimes I found it almost too difficult to follow and I was as frustrated as Mr Frost’s first-year students were so often frustrated with him that there were so many things to keep in mind! But, like I said, I was really impressed! I’m sure I’ll get a better hang of it if I go on to the second book, but I’m still on the fence whether I want to plunge deeper into the series or not, because of the main character’s dour personality. I just found it too difficult to handle his constantly depressive mode, because right now my nervous system needs something a little bit more upbeat than what Dorian Frost can offer me. If only the second book was written in Milo’s POV! Naturally, Enchanter Evergreen has enchanted me (especially in contrast with his almost reluctant and permanently moody lover) and I’d love to see more of him. However, I had a peek into the next book and it seems to promise even more depression than the first. On the other hand, I’d love to see how Mr Frost’s students get on next term (especially Caleb, Kenzo, and both Gaels, who have become my favourites).

“Southern Fried Wiccan” by S.P. Sipal

I’m ashamed to say that I have completely forgotten that I have this book. But I have this bookish problem that some of you might be familiar with: I tend to download and buy lots of books on a daily basis – hoard them like treasure and yet not read. However, as it is my plan to read as many books as I can this year, starting with the ones that have been waiting for their chance for a long time, I went back to see what books I have been neglecting and came across several written by my fellow authors. I know S.P. Sipal from our Harry Potter days. (Merlin’s beard, I miss those days!) I’ve read her excellent and extremely helpful “A Writer’s Guide to Harry Potter”“A Writer’s Guide to Harry Potter” that I would recommend to any budding writer out there looking for writing advice that works and now I’ve read her “Southern Fried Wiccan”, which I really enjoyed. Light-hearted and humorous, it kept me turning pages until the very end. I was actually planning to work on my own novel today, but instead I spent half of my morning in bed reading. I was drawn into this sweet and quaint small-town atmosphere with all these different characters, each standing out in their own way. This book also touched upon some very important questions connected with faith, spirituality, religion, self-identity, choices, stereotypes, and preconceptions. I have even copied down several quotes that I’m going to discuss with my students during our Speaking Club. I can’t say that I personally identified with any of the characters but it was very intriguing to have a glimpse into an entirely different life and my attention and interest were fully engaged throughout the book.

“Snow Boys” by Simon Doyle

This was such a sweet yet poignant story. So heartfelt! Naturally, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the author’s sense of humour and I loved the main characters, Dean and Ben. I loved that we got chapters from each boy’s point of view, which allowed us a good look into their lives, what they were thinking, feeling, going through, and it made observing the development of their feelings for each other so much more interesting. I loved reading about their interaction with each other and those sweet moments that they shared. However, my heart ached for poor Ben each time I read chapters from his point of view. I must confess that I didn’t expect such heavy family drama or what it would come to in the end. I was quite shocked. I just wanted to take Ben away and keep him safe and away from his horrible parents who seemed to have forgotten that they even had a child, which was such a contrast to Dean’s parents. Good thing that Ben had Dean to take his mind off things. I also liked Dean’s best friends, Tony and Ashley, and Ben’s best friend, Erin. Another thing that I greatly enjoyed was reading a book set in Ireland rather than in America, which provided me with some eye-opening discoveries. Of course, I must admit that I don’t know much about Ireland, so it wasn’t all that difficult. Unfortunately, intolerance and bullying that we witnessed on the pages of the book seem to be the same no matter what country the story takes place in.

“Thorfinn and the Witch’s Curse” by Jay Veloso Batista

A slow-paced, immersive, and atmospheric story that takes place in the days of yore. The author gives a very detailed description of the lifestyle, culture, religion, superstitions, and traditions of Norsemen (Danes and Vikings) who settled on the territory of what later became England in the area that was referred to as Danelaw. I happen to know something about it from my foray into “The Last Kingdom” series of books last year, which made it easy for me to understand a lot of the specific vocabulary used in the book, which made it sound quite authentic. There are some very distinctive characters like Yeru and Karl that make an instant impression, though for a while it wasn’t clear to me why so much of the story was dedicated to them, when it was supposed to be about Finn. I assumed that Finn or Thorfinn Agneson (his full name, though, by no means, his real name) was the main character because of his name in the title of the book and I was impatient for his story to begin. But just like famed skalds of those bygone days the author of the book generously libated us with stories of the past before returning to the present with befitting theatricality. Finn’s own adventure begins after an ill-fated trip to an old witch’s place alongside his elder brothers during which one of them gets cursed. Finn and the other brother return to that horrible place at night in order to kill the witch and save the brother from her curse. However, they soon learn that it is not easy to kill someone barely corporeal. While chasing the witch, Finn ends up in the Realm Between Realms, where he meets another intriguing character by the name of Ragacheep Nanawan or Raga as he tells Finn to call him, who can turn into a raven and who becomes Finn’s guide through the perils and the mysteries that await him now that his body (lich) and spirit (hug) are split between two worlds. I can’t really say much about Finn as a character. Despite the fact that he is a titular character, his own story appears rather sparingly on the pages of the novel, lost among many other tales and events, and he has remained largely a blank slate throughout the book. However, as it is only the first book in the series, I hope that he is yet to show himself. While I found the title of the book misleading and therefore not delivering the adventure that I was expecting, it is a very engaging novel with a great number of interesting characters, richly embroidered narrative, exciting adventures, and heart-warming atmosphere with a promise of more to come.

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BRIGHTMORE BONDS

Beatrix Bond did not set out to capture Leopold McBride’s heart and yet that is precisely what she did. But will their mutual affection be enough to conquer many an obstacle on their path to felicity? 

BRIGHTMORE BONDS is a humour-filled romantic novel written in the best traditions of Jane Austen’s school of sarcasm and romance that combines a heavy dose of irony, ridicule, and brutal social commentary. 

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BRIGHTMORE BONDS

A Regency Romance with sass and scandal:

Leopold McBride is quite happy to marry the young lady his parents have chosen for him – until he meets and falls in love with the last woman he should think of. Beatrix Bond is penniless and is the daughter of the woman his father detests. But her passionate nature and eccentric ways are irresistible and Leopold finds himself drawn into her life of near penury and chaos in an old cottage on a cliff.

When his parents learn of the affair, Leopold is faced with disinheritance and is sent off to London, while Miss Bond is forced to take the post at a local school to support her family through difficult times. But her rival for Leopold’s affections sets out to take away her only means of making her living as well as completely destroying her reputation in the eyes of the local society.

Having lost her position, Beatrix is invited to accompany one of the local ladies to London, which means for her a chance to see Leopold again. But what happens in London will either bring them together or force them further apart as dark clouds of suspicion and scandal gather above their heads, threatening the destruction of all their dearest hopes and wishes.

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April book picks

 “Lord of Eternal Night” by Ben Alderson

Well, that was horrible! Everyone knows that it’s extremely difficult to pull off the 1st POV and not to sound like a complete idiot. My first impression of Jak was that he was extremely arrogant. My second impression was that he was extremely stupid. It didn’t make for a good combination nor did it provide me with much hope for the rest of the book. I hate reading books with unintelligent main characters (or where the main character’s stupidity is used as a plot device) and the 1st POV the author chose to use made these unflattering qualities even more pronounced. I instantly felt much more sympathetic towards the creature Jak was supposed to kill and I hoped that he would fail. It would certainly knock him down a peg or two. And, in any case, that mysterious creature sounded much more intriguing than a stupid boy, because following a blundering Jak around was no fun at all. “The man… creature, infuriated me. Disgusted me.” I felt the same way but about Jak. I found him a deeply unpleasant character that didn’t inspire my sympathy and made me root for Marius instead. I expected that they would eventually end up together and I hated the thought. I believed that Marius deserved someone more intelligent. I don’t want to say more about this book – this pretentious and horny but ultimately boring retelling of “Beauty and the Beast”. It was a complete waste of my time. 

“The Vampire Lestat” by Anne Rice

I am convinced that this book wasn’t written – it was composed. Its language is a symphony. It was music to my ears – literally – each word a perfect note. This is how books are supposed to be written! This is how they should sound! It’s perfect. It was heaven after my previous selection and I took pleasure in every sentence that I read and absorbed not only with my eyes but with my very soul. Here is a book with a substance! I haven’t finished it this month, because my April reading plans have been completely derailed, but, to tell you the truth, I’m not in a hurry to finish it. I’m taking so much pleasure from reading it that I’m trying to prolong the experience for as long as possible. Lestat has always been my favourite vampire. In fact, he has been the only vampire I allowed to exist, because generally I don’t like vampires (to put it mildly). I could never understand this global fascination with them and I never fell victim to their dubious charms and even more dubious books written about them that garnered so much obsessive and adoring fans. That being said, last year I encountered another vampire that I actually liked a lot: Mick St John – a vampire detective – from an oldish obscure TV show “Moonlight” played by Alex O’Loughlin (who also played Steve McGarrett in “Hawaii 5-0”).  The show was cancelled after an aborted first season, which is a pity, because it was a really good show and one that would have probably had a longer screen life if only it appeared a few years later during “Twilight” frenzy. Anyway, Lestat has been my favourite vampire ever since I watched the film “Interview with the Vampire” and fell in love with his bitchy catty self. A whole book about his becoming a vampire is pure heaven (if anything about vampires can be pure).

“The Sunshine Court” by Nora Sakavic

I have already written about my complete obsession with the “All For The Game” series a few posts before. I don’t know why I waited so many years to read the first three books in the series, but once I started, there was no going back. I have been listening to it on repeat as an audiobook ever since. I love my Foxes, their coach, and their nurse. I love their problematic and complicated characters and relationships and their gradually becoming a real team and family. While reading about Neil’s story as a Fox, I was also intrigued by the character of Jean Moreau, who appeared as Riko Moriyama’s sidekick. At least, I thought that he was his sidekick and that he was as vile a person as Riko. But surely no one can be as vile as that piece of shit? Little did I know what Jean’s life was really like in the Nest under Riko’s violent reign and Coach Moriyama’s questionable rule! Naturally, I couldn’t and wouldn’t resist reading a book about Jean at its centre. I absolutely loved it and read it in a little over  a day. Nora creates such a beautifully painful story, where every sentence is a punch to the gut. It was another brutal story – in many ways even more brutal than Neil’s – that showed us the life of the Nest from within – and it wasn’t a pretty picture. Jean’s tortured character and his transition from the Ravens and their single-minded approach to Exy to the Trojans who know how to live like normal human beings and who love to have fun and eat questionable food was as fascinating as it was excruciating to read. Poor Jean! The Trojans will never replace my beloved Foxes but I can’t wait to see what happens next. If there are going to be more books. Well, everyone seems to imply that there will be…

“Mosaic” and “Pathways” by Jeri Taylor

In order to commemorate the completion of my rewatch of “Star Trek: Voyager”, I’ve decided to listen to two audiobooks based on the show and created by one of its many showrunners, because I was curious to see how she envisioned their characters beyond the show and because I consider her point of view as canon. So I’ve listened  to “Mosaic” and “Pathways” by Jeri Taylor. Both reads were enjoyable and eye-opening in many ways and made my farewell with “Star Trek: Voyager” less painful. I also liked that the audiobooks were voiced by the actress who played Captain Kathryn Janeway and the actor who played the EMH (Emergency Medical Hologram).

March book picks

“Glass Houses” by Rachel Caine (paperback)

I don’t really know whether I liked the first book in “The Morganville Vampires” series or not – or should I say how much I liked it. It certainly kept my interest and my adrenaline level up, and maybe that’s the problem: I prefer a healthy balance between bad and good, good and bad, but Claire and her friends didn’t have a moment’s peace. I don’t mind problematic characters and violence in books – heck, one of my all-time favourite series is “All For The Game” by Nora Sakavic – but constant violence aimed at Claire by Monica and her cohorts simply baffled me. I just kept wondering why as it kept escalating, without any reason other than to wish to hurt and even kill Claire. There wasn’t any comprehensible reason to justify such level of viciousness and violence. And then I realised that maybe there doesn’t need to be any normal reason for a deranged person to attack a non-deranged person? After all, isn’t that exactly what happened when my country was attacked by a neighbouring country? They do it because they want to, because they can, and because they know that no one will stop them. I guess I want books that I read to provide some hope when real life doesn’t. Still, I grew quite fond of Claire, Eve, Shane, and Michael, and if I come across any more books in the series, I’ll definitely buy them. I also really liked Amelie, whereas Oliver turned out to be a complete disappointment. By the way, I was shocked to learn that the author of the books had passed. I’m pretty sure that I bought my copy when she was still alive and the knowledge that she is no more hit me hard. She left behind a legacy of more than 50 books and I hope that people will continue to discover and read them.

“The Ice Mage” by Julianne Munich (ebook)

I took up this novel expecting to find a magical adventure yet all I found was growing frustration with the novel’s language, logic, plot, and characters. The language was very wobbly: I had a feeling that the author couldn’t quite decide whether to stick to more old-fashioned language that would suit the selected historical time period or whether to pepper its pages with modern-day expressions and notions – and simply used both, creating a rather uneven effect. I kept wondering if people of that time period would be familiar with such notions as ‘coma’ and ‘closure’. Worse still were the dialogues: awkward, forced, and generally unnatural. The characters sounded like wound-up dolls rather than people. Speaking of the characters, most of the things they did were so idiotic it was painfully obvious that they would achieve the opposite result to what they actually expected to achieve. Was that supposed to be a plot device to help move the story along? A very questionable technique then, as it made the characters look stupid and incapable of anything sensible. Also, if you set your story in a historical time period, your characters cannot have the same attitudes as modern people (e.g.: beauty standards) – unless you’re writing a time-travelling novel, of course. Otherwise you’re just playing dress-up. However, I wanted to commend the author on providing some authenticity in terms of personal hygiene (dressing, undressing, even going to the toilet – it nicely recreated the atmosphere of the time where dialogues failed to convey it), but the relationship between the aristocracy and their employees was completely unrealistic. I have been extensively studying everything connected with the French court during the reign of Louis XIV for a while now and I found the depiction of court-related things in this book utterly unbelievable. I believe that even when writing fantasy we should operate within certain parameters of knowledge and understanding. Also, I’ve noticed that the female characters appeared to be all-knowing in this book, while the male characters were generally slow and clueless. I actually found Marcel and Adelaide quite likeable at first, but after that interminable carriage ride without a single conversation of substance between the two of them, they began to seriously annoy me. They only grew more tiresome once the carriage ride came to an end. All in all, a very silly book with ridiculous characters, and an extremely forced plot.

February book picks

THE VAN HELSING PARADOX, Evelyn Chartres (ebook)

I found the story quite intriguing and interesting but there were many instances when the style of narration was so confusing that I had to reread the same sentence or passage more than once in order to figure out what the author meant. In fact, as I kept reading, more and more ‘buts’ began to pile up. I found the main character, Clara, too distant and mechanical – rather like an automaton than a real person, but that could be explained by her calling and things that she saw and had to do. I suppose she had to be detached and cold-hearted but it stood in the way of my liking her. Additionally, I found Clara’s isolation daunting and I keenly felt the lack of interaction between her and the other characters. There was a lot of telling and little showing in this respect, with the exception of occasional back-and-forth between her and her tutors. I thought that once Edith appeared on the scene we would get to see Clara interact more with someone other than herself – the author’s description of Clara’s thoughts on the subject was quite promising – but their relationship never amounted to anything in the end. There really were very few actual conversations as though the author is allergic to dialogue. I kind of felt that the story wasn’t really moving forward. Clara didn’t seem to learn anything, even though we were often told about her training and learning. However, every single time she would leave the Tower, she would blunder her way into trouble and blunder her way out through sheer dumb luck. Miraculously, she always managed to accomplish things that apparently no one else ever could before her, even though her knowledge and experience were often lacking. Honestly, I felt more sorry for the creatures that she killed than glad that she did it. I guess it was the ease with which Clara dealt with all those creatures that made me feel that it wasn’t a fair fight at all. She might have ended up the best hunter out there, because that was the author’s intent, but because she failed to form any meaningful and lasting relationships, she failed to develop as a person. I felt disconnected from her throughout the book and struggled to understand her.

A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA, Ursula Le Guin (paperback)

A masterfully woven, perfectly crafted, beautifully written old-school fantasy tale that just wasn’t my cup of tea. I enjoyed reading it as a linguist but as a lover of the fantasy genre it failed to entertain me, even while its language kept me completely spell-bound. Just like in the previous book, I was ultimately put off by the main character’s isolation and didn’t feel any connection to him. However, I understand that back in the day the representatives of what I term ‘classic fantasy’ (just like in classic literature, I suppose) treated their characters as tools that moved the plot along, whereas nowadays many authors tend to write character-driven stories. I definitely prefer the latter approach. I like to fall in love with characters I’m reading about. If I’m not invested in the characters, I don’t care about the story, no matter how well-written it is. I know that there are three more books in the series and if I ever come across them I’m sure I’ll buy them and read them but for now I will be moving on.

January book picks

This year I’ve decided to go through as many books as I can, both standing on my bookshelves and gathered on my Kindle. So each month I’ll try to read one ebook and one physical book.

January book picks:

WAYWARD SON, Rainbow Rowell (hardback)

I really don’t know what to say. I feel like this is the silliest and the most ridiculous book I’ve ever read. There were some sweet and touching moments, I grant you, but most of the time it reminded me of complete descent into madness. As a writer myself I’m sometimes genuinely concerned about the books that actually get published and that people apparently enjoy reading. The only thing that kept me going was my fondness for Baz. I know that there is another part but I’ll probably need at least a year before I’m ready to tackle it.

WIDDERSHINS, Jordan L. Hawk (ebook)

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book! I suppose I could call it a comfort read for me. It had just the right amount of history and pace and a perfect balance between good and bad, sweet and gory, romance and adventure. I got really attached to the main characters that I found very easy to like and to understand and I feel like I would really love to go back and reread it. I enjoyed following the development of their relationship during their investigation, learning more about their backgrounds and backstories, and exploring their characters. I know that there are many more books in the series and I’m looking forward to getting into them at a later date.