Search results for tag #bookstodon
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Book 5 - Misery by Stephen King
My first foray into King's work and thought it was excellent. It managed to keep the tension and intensity up throughout and I loved the character study of Annie and Paul. A couple of pacing issues and an alright ending were my only complaints.
4/5
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Book 6 - The Emperor's Soul by Brandon Sanderson
I thought the discussion about human nature and what defines art was good. The central relationship between Shai and Gaotana was excellent. It lacked tension at the end, as everything felt too easy.
3.5/5
Book 7 - I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman
The novel brilliantly tackles themes of what it means to be human, love, grief and our drive to continue living. It's invariably a tough read, but there is a smattering of hope and humour to eleviate that.
5/5
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Book 8 - The Stone of Farewell by Tad Williams
The most middle of middle books. Not a massive amount happens for such a long book. The pay off isn't as good as the first. My main issue is the characters and how unconnected I am to them...
Book 9 - The Women Of Troy by Pat Barker
In the aftermath of the fall of Troy, Briseis has to navigate the rising tensions in the camp, to rally + help the enslaved women. It tackles grief + living in a father's shadow. Doesn't quite have the emotional impact of the first book.
3.5/5
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Book 10 - The Map of Bones by Kate Mosse
A fitting end to the Joubert Family Chronicles. Focusing on two women's journeys to find answers about their family in theCape Colonies. Very well researched & at the heart of it a story of women breaking through the societal norms. The final journey of Isabelle in the 19th century was a bit rushed, so never fully engaged in that part of the book.
4/5
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Book 11 - Children Of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky
It explored evolution and how we have evolved through time was excellently done. The flicking between perspectives of human and spider societies only highlighted the juxtaposition between the two. I will be thinking about the ending for a while.
Book 12 - My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante
I loved this. It's full of contrasts, and the mundanity of ordinary life is bought sharply into focus with short, sharp bursts of violence. I was engrossed in Lila and Lenu's losses, victories, and frustrations.
4.5/5
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Book 13 - The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
Easily my favourite Poirot book so far. The writing seems to be more polished and the comedic elements elevate it. The twist at the end is an all timer! Bonus - no Hastings!
4.25/5
Book 14 - Sunbringer by Hannah Kaner
A slow build up to an epic final half that doesn't remove the character moments. I love the world that's created and the conversation around gods and religion. Main gripe - not enough of Kissen. A strong second book.
4/5
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Book 15 - Things We Lost In The Fire by Mariana Enriquez
A short story horror collection that's able to get under your skin. A number could have been expanded upon a little bit more. The blend of horror, politics and human stories work perfectly.
3.5/5 (could be upgraded to a 4).
Book 16 - To Green Angel Tower by Tad Williams
A satisfying conclusion to this trilogy. Subverted tropes, which must have been groundbreaking at the time. However, for the length of the book, the story felt spread thin over the word count.
4/5
Book 17 - The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
An experimental, feminist retelling of Penelope from the Odessey. The use of the chorus (the maids' narrative), was inspired. It disects class and gender that remains relevant to today. It's unflinching in the abuses, yet bitingly funny.
3.5/5
Book 18 - Our Man in Havana by Graham Greene
This was surprisingly hilarious. It digs into the paranoia of the period and you get a real sense of place from the writing. You do have to somewhat suspend your disbelief to fully enjoy this, I feel.
4/5
Book 19 - The Sword Of Kaigen by ML Wang
This one certainly lives up to the hype! Unusual in its structure, where the main event happens in the middle, this allows for real character moments in the aftermath. Misaki is one of my favourite characters in fantasy.
4.5/5
Book 20 - Kairos by Jenny Erpenbeck
One where I appreciate it more than I actually enjoyed it. We see Katharina and Hans embark on a passionate affair and the intense breakdown of it, with the backdrop of the fall of East Germany and how the two are interlinked.
3/5
Book 21 - The Ruby In the Smoke by Philip Pullman
The main thing about this, is it's just a fun little mystery set in 19th century London. It's fast paced with characters that leap out of the page. Sure, there were plot contrivances and a huge cast of characters for such a short novel, but served perfectly as a palette cleanser.
3/5
Book 22 - The Parable of the Sower by Octavia E Butler
There's so much to unpack with this, that I'm posting my full review below.
Safe to say, it's an easy 5 stars for me.
Book 23 - Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
Whilst I appreciated the boldness of style in this, the tolerance of the comedy and Lampo is going to be divisive. It took about 30-40% to properly get into this. The themes of friendship, loyalty and the importance of art is the highlight.
Book 24 - Saturation Point by Adrian Tchaikovsky
An excellent novella exploring humanity's use of technology and its impact upon the climate. The world building in this is great and builds the tension up, right from the off.
Book 25 - The Silk Roads by Peter Frankopan
A great introduction to the history of predominantly the Middle East. A lot of details on the 20th century and how UK and US foreign policy impacted that part of the world and how those decisions when made are still impacting us today.
Book 26 - The Darkness That Comes Before by R Scott Bakker
Very much a set up book for the next installments, as various factions come together to march on a Holy War. Political intrigue abound and really lived in world. It's dark with not much light and morally grey characters. For a novel of 600 plus pages, I never really clicked with any of them.
3.5/5
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It's my stop on the blog tour for The Forty Rules of Love!
In which I suggest Shams of Tabriz (Elif's version) is AuDHD and asexual: https://www.draliceviolett.com/blog-tour-the-forty-rules-of-love #bookstodon #BookMastodon
Alt...
Part cover of The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak, featuring the book's title and bright illustrations of flowers on a dark blue background
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