January 2003 Archives

By Robert L. Wolke. I learned a couple of things. This was a nice one for reading in bits and pieces -- exactly what I need with kids around. I'll be watching his column as well.

Re-read Larry Niven's Flatlander: The Collected Tales of Gil "The Arm" Hamilton. I was just in the mood for some comfortable science fiction mysteries.

Finished off Stevermer's A College of Magics today. I really enjoyed the atmosphere for most of the book -- Greenlaw, the Orient Express, Galazon, the costume ball in Aravis were all lovely. But the last part of the book didn't hold together as well. It was harder to tell just what exactly was going on.

I was disappointed in the quality of the reprint. The paper is just barely better than newsprint, and it wouldn't surprise me if the physical book didn't last for very long. It's too bad, because I'd love to read this to my kids when they're a bit older.

Finished this one during the kids' naptme today. A nice story, but I feel like I spent novel prices for a novella. Gaiman is a good writer, but this really wasn't the sort of book I like best. I enjoyed his American Gods much more than this one.

This was a nicely creepy little tale, but somehow it needed more too it to make me feel like the other mother was really menacing. Coraline never really seemed to be in any real danger. Perhaps it was the length of the story, but I didn't really connect with any of the characters. It reminded me a bit of Stephen King, but I'm not sure just what did that. Perhaps the button eyes. Or the rats.

Finished Riddle of the Wren by Charles De Lint. This is apparently the first book he wrote (though not the first published). If you know his other books, you'll find some familiar themes in this one. It's a quest novel of the "unwantetd/unappreciated child leaves the inn and goes off into the wide world" sort.

I found the book a little dense, prose-wise. There seemed to be enough plot there to support a longer book, and to play with the pacing somewhat. The amount of new vocabulary and history of the world of the book also contributed to the density.

Got a surprise book from Janet today! Thanks, Janet! (The book is What Einstein Told His Cook: Kitchen Science Explained... you'd think she knew I just bought Cookwise)

Finished Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn. This was delightful. I ripped through this one, and will have to read it again more slowly to savor the details (and spend more time looking up words, rather than guessing meaning from context and moving right on.)

I like the epistolary format, though I felt that the two girls (Ella and Tassie) were a little hard to distinguish just from the text. That may have something to do with the speed at which I read the book, though.

Finished One For The Morning Glory by John Barnes.

This was a fun one. It's a long, self-aware fairy tale, about a prince who drinks the "Wine of the Gods" as a toddler, and becomes half a man. The writing style reminded me a lot of William Goldman or George MacDonald.
Recommended.

There are lots of reviews out there.

Oooh! My book order from Amazon arrived.

Saw Tales of Robin Hood by Clayton Emery at the library while looking for dusty books (books that haven't circulated in a while). I enjoyed the McKinley book so much, that I snatched this one up.

The tone struck me as off from the beginning. Strike one was in Chapter Two, when Sir Guy let out with "I don't want them associating with losers." The modern phrasing and language just knocked me out of the story. Strike two was on the next page, where we get a sadistic Sir Guy whipping an underling across the face.

It reminded me of that large section of Terry Goodkind's Wizard's First Rule which is all about power gained through sadistic behavior. That section was far enough in that I decided to finish the book, but it certainly didn't make me want to rush out for the next book in his series.

Strike three was the dead baby in chapter three.

On to something more worth my time.

But if you want to buy a copy, it's apparently available in a POD version from iUniverse.

Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley.

I know I've read this before, but it was a long time ago, probably before we moved here. I rescued it from a pile of paperbacks we were donating to the lIbrary book sale. I'd say it's been at least five years, probably seven, since I've read it.

I read it mostly as a comfortable adventure novel, not with any eye to criticism. But I'll put it on the shelf next to the T.H. White for my kids to find when they're reading to themselves, or perhaps read it as a bedtime story when they're old enough to handle the battles.

Oh, and a cool site: The TH White Glossary

Ordered a bunch of books from Amazon today.

The Riddle of the Wren [Paperback] by Charles De Lint
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay [Paperback] by Michael Chabon
Coraline [Hardcover] by Neil Gaiman, Dave McKean (Illustrator)
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress [Paperback] by Sijie Dai, Ina Rilke (Translator)
Ella Minnow Pea: A Novel in Letters [Paperback] by: Mark Dunn
Cookwise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Cooking [Hardcover] by: Shirley O. Corriher
A College of Magics [Paperback] by Caroline Stevermer

ETA is Jan 15-Jan 21

Order page is here

I finished Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie.

I didn't really "get" this book. Well written and interesting, yes. But not very plotty. Things happen, yes, but the narrator isn't the protagonist, really. The title character is, and she's mostly offscreen. Not a real satisfier.