The Power by Naomi Alderman
Jun. 4th, 2017 09:46 pmNow that I have finished the book, I thought I'd attempt a non-spoilery review, since I enjoyed the book immensely.
( Read more... )
( Read more... )
The Power by Naomi Alderman
Jun. 2nd, 2017 09:40 pmI'm currently reading this book and about half way through, I have to stop and post because it is such a brilliant piece of fiction!! It's amazing. I love how the author plays with the power dynamics here and how she goes to the bottom of the gender inequality so ruthlessly. Anyone else here read this maybe?
I wasn't around much lately so I didn't have the time to write much about the individual episodes and now it is too late to catch up, but I'm watching and I love what they are doing for the most part.
I especially like how they are working with the Jaime and Brienne storyline, which is prompting me to write about those two and why I find them so intriguing.
( no book spoilers )
I especially like how they are working with the Jaime and Brienne storyline, which is prompting me to write about those two and why I find them so intriguing.
( no book spoilers )
Crucible of Gold by Naomi Novik
Mar. 11th, 2012 10:18 amJust finished the last Temeraire book and it went down like butter."Tongues of Serpents" was ok, but at times it dragged and I felt right after the amazing "Victory of Eagles" there was too little happening for my taste.
Serves to say that "Crucible of Gold" makes up for everything. I could not put it down and was hooked from the first to the last page, the only bad thing being that the next book is not yet written.
( Spoilery review ahead )
Serves to say that "Crucible of Gold" makes up for everything. I could not put it down and was hooked from the first to the last page, the only bad thing being that the next book is not yet written.
( Spoilery review ahead )
The man with the Knives
Dec. 2nd, 2010 10:51 pmIt's a bit writing into the desert here, because maybe two people on my flist at best have read Ellen Kushner's Riverside series, but since this is the place where I get my fannish joy on, I have to post anyway, even if everyone is busy with comic wank day.
The Man with the Knives is a Riverside short story, which is available online since yesterday.
( thoughts on "The Man with the Knives" )
Guilty Pleasures
Sep. 11th, 2010 06:36 amThis time I'll just post to DW first!
With all the analysing my brain on my own reading habits for the story level post I came upon a few odd things about my reading habits. What I think is really quality reading might not necessarily be what I read the most. I just decluttered one of my bookshelves (and how come, have now a ginormous box of books to give away, but barely half a meter free space. Must be the Lovecraft's messing up the laws of physics) and found an incredible lot of junk, not all of which I was able to get rid of.
So I was wondering what kinds of books are you reading, that you know are bad in so many ways but still terribly enjoyable? What makes them bad? And what makes you read them anyway?
With all the analysing my brain on my own reading habits for the story level post I came upon a few odd things about my reading habits. What I think is really quality reading might not necessarily be what I read the most. I just decluttered one of my bookshelves (and how come, have now a ginormous box of books to give away, but barely half a meter free space. Must be the Lovecraft's messing up the laws of physics) and found an incredible lot of junk, not all of which I was able to get rid of.
So I was wondering what kinds of books are you reading, that you know are bad in so many ways but still terribly enjoyable? What makes them bad? And what makes you read them anyway?
Snakes on plains
Sep. 11th, 2010 06:27 amI've been a bad DW user lately and forgot to crosspost again, but better late than never:
This is a little meta on storytelling, spawned by various conversations I had during the last week.
It grew a bit longish.
( Read more... )
This is a little meta on storytelling, spawned by various conversations I had during the last week.
It grew a bit longish.
( Read more... )
So this time I'm not forgetting to include DW.
On a greatly cherished rec by![[personal profile]](http://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
deird1 I got myself the first book of the series "His Majesty's Dragon" and shortly after that first my boyfriend and then I got completely addicted to them. I've read the first five novels (the 6th has just come out in hardcover) now and since my friends can attest that I talk of little else literary wise these days I though I'd write a review of something I'm really enjoying.
This review got exceedingly long and detailed so I decided to split it into two posts. This first one is to give the folks who have not read the books (which I assume is the majority of my flist) a taste of what they are like, without spoilers.
The second post will be the more detailed review about all the big and small people and events that made me obsess about this story so much.
( Read more... )
On a greatly cherished rec by
deird1 I got myself the first book of the series "His Majesty's Dragon" and shortly after that first my boyfriend and then I got completely addicted to them. I've read the first five novels (the 6th has just come out in hardcover) now and since my friends can attest that I talk of little else literary wise these days I though I'd write a review of something I'm really enjoying.This review got exceedingly long and detailed so I decided to split it into two posts. This first one is to give the folks who have not read the books (which I assume is the majority of my flist) a taste of what they are like, without spoilers.
The second post will be the more detailed review about all the big and small people and events that made me obsess about this story so much.
( Read more... )
Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner
May. 19th, 2010 05:29 pmI just finished Ellen Kushner's Priviledge of the Sword and decided that everyone has to know about the existence of this book because I enjoyed it so much. You people are lucky to only know me on the internet and can decide to either click the cut or not, while my rl friends can only pretend to have urgent callings they must attend to.
( "You )( Read more... )
( "You )( Read more... )
Just saw the golden compass
Dec. 10th, 2007 01:24 pmI went to see The Golden Compass yesterday. Heeh, I was pretty sure, I´d like it from what I had seen in the trailers and it didn´t disappoint.
Dumbledors outing
Oct. 21st, 2007 12:27 amhttp://www.newsweek.com/id/50787
awww, this is so sweet, so it wasn´t only my fanfiction soaked brain, who thought that that Dumbledore/Grindelwald thing sounded more like a college crush, than an intense friendship.
And she wonders, that this makes the fans happy :)
awww, this is so sweet, so it wasn´t only my fanfiction soaked brain, who thought that that Dumbledore/Grindelwald thing sounded more like a college crush, than an intense friendship.
And she wonders, that this makes the fans happy :)
I came across the book, while surfing on a fangirl wave of devotion for Buffy the Vampire slayer and preordered it the instant it met my eye. A Book about internet fandom, for print, in real. I had to have it!
And I wasn´t disappointed. The author Allyson Beatrice describes life as a fangirl and the twisted ways of the web in a funny and very eloquent way.
The stories evolve mainly around Buffy and other whedonesque fandoms, but the main focus is on the personalities the author came across in her fandom. I´ve not socialized so much on the web with online Buffy fandom so far but so many of the personae and situations she describes go for every fan related message board, i´ve ever visited. The kerkuffles, where everybody calls everybody a fascist in the end, people who create fake personae to crave attention, family, who can barely e-mail. All this was so familiar, I would have hugged Allyson over the book, if that had been possible.
That also goes for her stories about the various ways, she describes friendships and social bonding in the web. At times the book was just funny and snarky but some parts were outright touching. I had to check on all my favorite message boards and online friends, right after finishing it.
It might be, because I´m into the same fandoms, as the author and also seem to have read the same books, but I really liked it. It´s not a book, I´d recommend to everyone, but for people, that spend quite some time online in discussions and fandom, it`s a great read. Besides it´s the first and only book on the topic I ever saw.
I really hope, she´ll write more, I´ll buy her books for sure.
And I wasn´t disappointed. The author Allyson Beatrice describes life as a fangirl and the twisted ways of the web in a funny and very eloquent way.
The stories evolve mainly around Buffy and other whedonesque fandoms, but the main focus is on the personalities the author came across in her fandom. I´ve not socialized so much on the web with online Buffy fandom so far but so many of the personae and situations she describes go for every fan related message board, i´ve ever visited. The kerkuffles, where everybody calls everybody a fascist in the end, people who create fake personae to crave attention, family, who can barely e-mail. All this was so familiar, I would have hugged Allyson over the book, if that had been possible.
That also goes for her stories about the various ways, she describes friendships and social bonding in the web. At times the book was just funny and snarky but some parts were outright touching. I had to check on all my favorite message boards and online friends, right after finishing it.
It might be, because I´m into the same fandoms, as the author and also seem to have read the same books, but I really liked it. It´s not a book, I´d recommend to everyone, but for people, that spend quite some time online in discussions and fandom, it`s a great read. Besides it´s the first and only book on the topic I ever saw.
I really hope, she´ll write more, I´ll buy her books for sure.
The Deathly Hallows (Spoiler)
Jul. 27th, 2007 10:21 amSo, with this I´m adding my opinion on the book to the millions of others, already available on the net. If you haven´t read the book yet and don´t want to be spoilered, I strongly suggest not to read on.
I liked it far better, than the last two books. Those two were a little bloated and mystery was solved only at the end, without the characters doing much for it. Before that it had been all adventures and riddles, in the last two, there were just revelations. So I was quite positively surprised, when the last book was all action and riddles, actually solved by the main characters. It was exciting, gripping and sometimes even emotionally stunning. God, I loved, the flashback to Snapes memories of Lily Potter.
I´m not much of a Potter fan, since there are a lot of childrens books, that I hold dearer, but Snape is my all time favorite character and I was so glad, that he turned out to be the tragic Hero in the end. Makes me want to wear a T-shirt, saying: "Sod off, James!"
What galled me a little was the sex separation at the final battle. I just don´t like it, when the male heroes duel the male villains, and the female heroes only go at female villains. Not that Bellatrix Lestrange vs Mrs. Weasly wasn´t cool, it just had this air from Batman, were Batgirl always got female villain sidekicks to bruise. Also I don´t see, why non of the male characters can ever raise his wand to do the dishes. Should be possible in a society of omnipotent wizards.
And I´d rather have known, what career choices the heroes made, than that they all got kids and lived happily ever after (Albus Severus was cute though).
But, of course, those were Rawlings choices to make, and all in all I enjoyed her work a great deal, so no ranting here.
The book was vibrant with interesting side characters too. Xenophilius Lovegood attending the wedding with what is essentially the wizard equivalent of a swastika on his robe, for esoteric reasons. Aberforth Dumbledoor, Kreacher, the rise of Neville, simply great.
I´ll never be a HP-fangirl but this was worthy ending and I´m glad I read it, before some stupid newspaper headline could spoiler me.
I liked it far better, than the last two books. Those two were a little bloated and mystery was solved only at the end, without the characters doing much for it. Before that it had been all adventures and riddles, in the last two, there were just revelations. So I was quite positively surprised, when the last book was all action and riddles, actually solved by the main characters. It was exciting, gripping and sometimes even emotionally stunning. God, I loved, the flashback to Snapes memories of Lily Potter.
I´m not much of a Potter fan, since there are a lot of childrens books, that I hold dearer, but Snape is my all time favorite character and I was so glad, that he turned out to be the tragic Hero in the end. Makes me want to wear a T-shirt, saying: "Sod off, James!"
What galled me a little was the sex separation at the final battle. I just don´t like it, when the male heroes duel the male villains, and the female heroes only go at female villains. Not that Bellatrix Lestrange vs Mrs. Weasly wasn´t cool, it just had this air from Batman, were Batgirl always got female villain sidekicks to bruise. Also I don´t see, why non of the male characters can ever raise his wand to do the dishes. Should be possible in a society of omnipotent wizards.
And I´d rather have known, what career choices the heroes made, than that they all got kids and lived happily ever after (Albus Severus was cute though).
But, of course, those were Rawlings choices to make, and all in all I enjoyed her work a great deal, so no ranting here.
The book was vibrant with interesting side characters too. Xenophilius Lovegood attending the wedding with what is essentially the wizard equivalent of a swastika on his robe, for esoteric reasons. Aberforth Dumbledoor, Kreacher, the rise of Neville, simply great.
I´ll never be a HP-fangirl but this was worthy ending and I´m glad I read it, before some stupid newspaper headline could spoiler me.
