Stillman really needs to read in 2013

2012 was a tough year reading wise for me, so in 2013 I hope to turn over a new leaf (ho, ho) and really make the effort to find the time.

First up, I’ve just finished my first book of the year, Jim Butcher’s Cold Days, Harry’s first outing as the Winter Knight. I thought parts of this were very good; Harry’s battle against going dark side with his new powers, some new revelations on the purpose of Winter and Summer, and an unexpected twist. I didn’t think this was as strong as the previous book, Ghost Story, but I seem to be in a minority on that front. It had the usual action-packed pacing and humour, but the characters just felt like they were going through the motions without any real development. That said, it does set up some potentially interesting plot lines for the future.

With so many characters and events from previous books referenced, however, it did remind me that I really need to go back and re-read this series from the start.

yeah, everything is related in that series. Not sure I'll have time to go back and re-read. I need a cheat-sheet for the series!

Heh - I know what you mean. I had to look stuff up here more than once!

http://dresdenfiles.wikia.com/wiki/Dresden_Files

oh that's great! thanks!

Stillman, that is the exact review I would have written if I had any skill writing reviews. My thoughts exactly.

Thanks Mrs Lee, although I know you have skill with review writing - I read them!

Paths Not Taken Simon R. Green

I'm slowly making my way through the Nightside series. In this outing, John Taylor and Susie Shooter travel back in time to the very start of the creation of the Nightside hoping to avert a future disaster. I didn't really find the premise of this one particularly strong. It was interesting to meet the residents of Nightside in their earlier manifestations, and there's some nice time traveling in jokes, but it's certainly not up to the standards of the others, so I'm hoping the series gets back on track with the next one.

Next up for me is Lives of the Monster Dogs which has been on loan from a friend for a while now. I keep putting it back on the shelf as I'm really not sure what to make of it, but I guess there's only one way to find out.

Kirsten Bakis won the Bram Stoker award for Best First Novel for Lives of the Monster Dogs in 1997. It tells the story of a race of genetically engineered dogs, created by a 19th century Prussian scientist and perfected by his followers in the early 20th century. Originally designed to be the perfect soldiers, the prosthetically-enhanced dogs are endowed with great intelligence and mechanically altered voice boxes, and yet remain enslaved by their human masters. Eventually the dogs rebel and flee their Canadian township where they have been hidden away from the modern world, and seek a new life for themselves in New York, where they settle amongst the human population.

I’ve seen this book described elsewhere as a postmodern Frankenstein, and it’s hard not to see the influence of Shelley’s work. The parts of the book where the writing is the strongest are those portions of the book written by Ludwig Von Sacher, a German Shepherd attempting to write the history of his race as drawn from the personal diaries and letters of their creator Augustus Rank. Here the writing has very clear 19th century gothic influences which work really well, giving the book a bit of a steampunk feel. But the sections written by Cleo, a journalist writing the story of their lives in New York, feel flat, and at times quite grating.

I did very much enjoy this book, or at least, the first three quarters of it. I think by the time I got to the end I felt as though it hadn’t adequately addressed the major philosophical concepts it skirts around throughout. Maybe I just got swept up in the bustle-skirted, pince-nez wearing world of the monster dogs, but I’d recommend reading this for that idea alone, even if it isn’t pulled off as perfectly as I was really hoping it would be.

7: I agree with your assessment. I happened across that book in some forgotten way and read it probably ten years ago, so this is my best recollection at a distance.

It was an arresting premise, and the backstory was promising. I especially liked the way the dogs were taken up as fashionable and how they were treated in society despite their strangeness. I didn't find that development predictable, but it made logical sense in the way that fantasy fiction should.

But like you I thought the last part of the novel simply fell apart. It was as though the author had wound the windup key too tightly, and so, instead of running forward like a good little fictional device, it spun wildly in all directions and then fizzled out. Once she lost control of it, she never got it back.

I like that analogy Meredy, and that really is how I felt about this book. Very frustrating in the end because the set up was so intriguing.

Argh I didn't even know cold days was out already!

There's always something to add to the list reading_fox!

Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

Despite best intentions, my 12 in 12 list never really got off the ground last year, and this is one of the books I should have read as part of my ‘Books Actively Avoided’ category last year. I’ve put off reading this series mostly due to hype, and the number of adults who proclaimed them to be the most amazing books they’d ever read. As a child approaching this for the first time I’m sure I would have been enthralled, and as an adult it brought back strong memories of spending my summers reading books about boarding schools and hoping each September that my parents would announce they were sending me away! I know the series gets better (at least the films would suggest this), but despite living through Pottermania, I’m hard pushed to see how this book could have started all that.

11: If you don't read the Harry Potter series, you're missing out on one of the sweeping cultural phenomena of our time. But you may not be missing much else. The series is not great literature by any stretch. And as it goes on, it gives more and more evidence of being rushed, skipping past a careful edit, and catering to the marketplace.

For someone who's read very little overall and knows nothing about traditional children's fantasy, fairy tales, and mythology, the books may seem amazingly inventive. They are in fact heavily derivative and make use of many familiar conventions. They're fun to read, without a doubt, and a great deal of the novelty is in bringing those traditional elements into a modern setting, as well as the interesting premise of formal academic training for witches and wizards.

I'd suggest putting them aside and not forcing yourself to do anything with them. One day, when you just happen to be idle and in the mood, maybe you'll pick up the first book and get caught up in the story. But trying to choke it down when you're not interested is like forcing yourself to munch your way through a box of sugar cookies when you'd really much rather just have a cheese sandwich.

I can't think of any time I'd prefer a cheese sandwich over cookies, but I take your point! It wasn't an awful experience, and it's a short enough book that it wiled away a wet and windy afternoon. Once in a while I think it's good to take a peek and see what all the fuss is about with books I've avoided reading - I might even have a go at Jane Austen this year!

Six Wives of Henry VIII - Alison Weir (audiobook)

Weir's biography of Henry's wives combines strong background research and a lightness of touch with her writing that has left her open to criticism for being too 'popularist', although why that should be such a terrible thing I'm not quite sure.

Over half of the book deals with Henry's first two wives, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, but this is not surprising given that they were undoubtedly the most significant of Henry's wives. Weir suggests that it was Henry's battle with these two wives which turned him into the ill tempered tyrant he became. Although Anne's story is well known, I knew very little of Catherine and in particular her appalling treatment by Henry's father following the death of her first husband Prince Arthur, Henry VIII's brother. In addition to the political machinations behind the scenes, in this biography Weir also touches upon how the personalities of the queens impacted on their eventual fate. Thus Anne Boleyn with her ambitious and at times ruthless plotting and Catherine Howard with her naivety and less kindly, stupidity, end up on the block. Anne of Cleves, by contrast, determined neither to end up like AB/CH or Catherine of Aragon, willingly accepts divorce, is given lands and property, and remains in favour at court.

Overall this is a very readable (listenable) account of one of the most important periods of British history, and I suspect there will be quite a few historical/biographical audio books on the horizon for me as I seem to be able to follow these better than fiction.

Just wanted to say, re Harry Potter...I agree, they're extremely derivative--Diana Wynne-Jones, anyone? But I always felt that Wynne-Jones frequently sacrifices character for plot, whereas Rowling hangs onto character better. And while I so disliked Books 5 and 6 of Harry Potter that I never bothered reading Book 7, I'm putting a word in for Book 3, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, as being an excellent read. It's exciting and tightly written (it received proper editing, IMO) and nearly un-put-downable for the last 150 pages or so.

That's interesting Marissa, because I was very much hoping that the books got better as they went on. I've seen most of the films, and for me P of A was where things started to get interesting, but I thought this gathered strength in terms of plot development in 5 and 6. I haven't seen the very last film yet, and now that I've started the series I might hold off a bit in case I carry on with the books.

Well, the plot may have gathered steam, but as books, they have balls and chains around their ankles--they're bloated, seem to have hardly been edited, and Harry becomes unlikeably emo. Very disappointing after the excellent P of A.

I have finally made it to the end of A Clash of Kings. I confess I got slower and slower in my reading of this, and at the end had to force myself to sit down and finish it. It's not that it is a bad book, it's just (and it pains me to admit this), I really struggle with long books. If I've read 450 pages, and I'm still only half way through, I feel like I haven't accomplished anything and I feel quite defeated. But that's a reflection of me, rather than Martin.

I'm starting to find that I much prefer certain characters and their stories to others. I'm not sure whether it's a reflection of my preferences or Martin's writing, but I find the King's Landing chapters far more interesting than what Theon or Bran are up to. Actually I skipped quite a bit of Bran's chapters towards the end which I am loath to do when reading. I do really enjoy the political intrigue of these books though, probably more so than the adventure side of things which may explain this. I am enjoying the series overall, and I will continue with it, but I think I'm going to pick up something else for a bit before the next one. The only question, of course, is whether I move on with the TV series before I read A Storm of Swords.

One final thought; it's always hard not to compare books to TV/film adaptations, whichever way around you come to them, but I am struck by how good some of the casting seems to be in the series.

Fated by Benedict Jacka

I always think it's hard to judge the first novel in a series. There have been many I have been tempted to give up on the strength of the first couple of books, including the Dresden series which has gone on to be one of my favourite series of books. Fated is the first of the Alex Verus books which sees magic shop owner and probability mage Alex trying to gain access to an ancient relic which has turned up at the British Museum, and which has the forces of dark and light battling it out for control of the relic - and of Alex.

It's hard, as others have mentioned, not to see elements of Dresden in this; the hero who doesn't really fit with the 'official' channels of good and evil, the apprenticeship to a dark master in youth, the circle of quirky and troubled friends etc, but I think that there are enough signs of something interesting here to hope that Jacka really starts to make the world his own in future novels.

Fated popped up on my Amazon recommendations list a while ago but I think I'll wait to see how a few more people feel about the 2nd book before I venture into that world. Will you be continuing with the series?

It popped up on my Amazon list too, which is how I came to give it a go. I will try the next one as I don't really think you can judge a series by the first book. The writing was generally good, and there was enough of a hint of there being more to come out in future books for me to stick with it as a series for now.

Mary Boleyn - Alison Weir

Rather like her biography of Henry VIII's wives, Weir's biography of Mary is very engagig in its style given the breadth and depth of its research. Although interesting, this is quite repetitive in places and several sentences seem to be repeated several times throughout, almost as if they were cut and pasted directly. It also wanders off Mary's story in several places. This is no doubt due to the lack of detailed information about Mary herself, and the utmost secrecy in which her affair with Henry was carried out; it becomes quite difficult to say with any degree of certainty what Mary was doing, when, and with whom. Nevertheless, Weir is at pains to point out that Mary was far from the 'great and infamous whore' she is often labelled, and seeks to reclaim the 'real' Mary, from the Mary of myth and popular fiction.

I'm finding I'm quite enjoying listening to some non-fiction on audio book while I do my chores - it's nice to feel that I am becoming smarter as I wash up! That said, the narrator of this one is a little grating in places, and she does have a tendency to ham it up in places.

#14 - I adored Weir's Six Wives of Henry VIII. I think I will have to get my hands on Mary Boleyn as well. On the book, I mean. ;o) Love Weir's writing.

Yes she writes really well given the depth of her work. I didn't think Mary was as good as her Six Wives of Henry VIII, but I do think that is largely due to the source material she had to work with for Mary.

The Suspicions of Mr Whicher Kate Summerscale

The eponymous Mr Whicher is a detective in the newly formed Metropolitan Police, dispatched to Wiltshire in 1860 to investigate the brutal murder of a four year old boy. This true story re-examines the hunt for the killer - the mistakes made by local police in the early days of the investigation which led to missing evidence; the class conflicts which bubbled to the surface as servants came under investigation but family members received little scrutiny; the intense press interest and speculation around both the household members and the police; and finally the growing popular interest in the new science of detection. Summerscale draws on testimony, newspaper articles, and records from the trial to recreate the events of the investigation.

This book wasn't quite what I expected. I'm not sure why, but I was under the impression that this was an unsolved murder and the author had carefully pieced together the evidence to offer a fresh hypothesis, but there isn't really anything new here in terms of the main story. What is interesting, is the way Summerscale has used the detective fiction of the time to demonstrate the influence of the Road Hill House murder on Victorian society and on the rise of the detective novel. Using Poe, Dickens, Collins and others, Summerscale draws clear parallels between the gothic house detective fiction of the time, with its suggestions of claustrophobia and mental illness, and the events that unfolded in Wiltshire. That said, this approach isn't for everyone, it really annoyed my mum when she read it, so much so I nearly didn't read it myself. Part of me felt that I would rather have read a book about the influence of real-life crime on detective fiction, rather than this odd hybrid approach. But then I'm not really one for true crime, and in fact, reading this I was struck by the question of where the line is for me between a kind of morbid curiosity and historical interest.

The Book of Tea by Okakura Kakuzo

This short book explores a history of tea and the Japanese tea ceremony, but rather than focus on the preparation and serving of the tea, it is much more focused on the philosophical, spiritual and aesthetic aspects of the ceremony. Through Taoism and Zen it explores the beauty to be found in simplicity and the mundane and how the architecture and artistry of the tea room and ceremony reflects this. Written in 1906 for a Western audience, this beautifully written book calls for greater respect and understanding of the East by the West, and this is as much a book about Japanese culture as it is about tea per se. I found this to be an enjoyable and thought provoking read, and having grappled with elements of Taoism, Zen, and Confucianism before and failed, I found this a very simple introduction to some basic principles.

I'm also reading The Iron Wyrm Affair at the moment and confess I'm struggling a little bit. So far I'm loving the world in terms of its take on an alternate London and the steampunk vibe, but I'm finding it very difficult to really get into. I'm not sure whether it's just that my head's not really in it at the moment, but it feels as if the world and its laws aren't really being properly explained to me. Maybe I'm just impatient - like when my partner will say within three minutes of the start of a film 'who are they?', 'what's all that about?', where's this heading?'... aargh - I don't know either. Watch it and find out!

Interesting - I had the same reaction last week to The Iron Wyrm Affair and decided to put it down for a while.

whereas I couldn't put The Iron Wyrm Affair down. I do love seeing how different folks react to books.

Oh I'm so glad it's not just me! If I struggle with a book I usually assume I've missed some key bit of information somewhere. I've put it to one side a while and I'm taking the second Alex Verus book with me on my train journey today (although I'll probably sleep for most of it).

I just got the first Alex Verus book from the library. I assume that it's a good read as you are moving on to the second one!

I did enjoy it. There were parts where I couldn't help thinking 'Butcher would have made that funnier/darker/nastier' but I tried my best not to read it with a 'Dresden-lite' frame of mind. Early days on the second one, but I expect it to turn out to be, at worst, a fun and perfectly adequate series -and I'm hoping for much more than that. Then I plan to dip into some Ben Aaronovitch I think, I've seen his name come up quite a bit and I seem to be indulging in a lot of alternate London writings at the moment so I might as well continue the theme.

After the Ben Aaronovitch books and if you find you're still wanting more London urban fantasy then try the Felix Castor series by Mike Carey. Starts with The Devil You Know. Bit of a darker tone to either Dresden or Rivers of London books but I'm sure that won't put you off.

Ooh thanks for that tip, it looks right up my street!

My fantasy dinner party guest list has always included David Attenborough, although that has changed since reading David Attenborough: Life on Air. Now, I'd be perfectly happy having him as my only dinner party guest - I am not sure I would wish to share him. This is a wonderfully entertaining account of Attenborough's fifty years in broadcasting, and charts, in typically self-effacing style, his rise to become one of the most well-loved faces on British television. Before reading this, I had no idea that Attenborough had spent so much of his early years behind the camera, as Controller of BBC2 and other roles, and this book is an interesting glimpse into those early days of the BBC, recounting the technical difficulties of producing television programmes, as well as the challenge of producing quality television across what was then a ground breaking two channels.

But it is his recollection of his time spent developing his wildlife programmes that holds the most interest, and it is clear that in over fifty years of broadcasting, his love of the natural environment has never diminished. His story is told with a warmth and humour that was only enhanced by the fact that I listened to him read this to me as an audio book. I suppose I can play some of the best bits back over supper - it will probably be the closest I will get to having him to dinner!

I can't recommend this highly enough to anyone with an interest either in Attenborough himself, natural history programming, or in the early days of BBC.

That definitely sounds like a book for seeking out.

And I heartily agree about the difference between a dinner party guest list and guests you don't want to share. (Even for a party the family rule is maximum 8 including ourselves -- else the hosts do nothing but run around like headless chickens, which rather misses the point.)

Life on air is on my stack of non-fiction books to read this year. He is an amazingly talented and fascinating man. He was responsible for Monty Python getting onto TV, at a time when many at the BBC wouldn't have given something so unconventional the green light. I'm glad you enjoyed the book and I'll have to move it up my pile.

#34 That sounds like a great book. I agree with you that he is one of the most well-loved broadcastrs on British television.

I had not realised he was inteterested in wildlife until his first documentary came out. Until then I had only pictured him in his other roles.

I had a similar experience when I read Melvyn Bragg's Credo. Firstly I was surprised to discover he had written a book. Then I was amazed to discover he is primarily an historian and that his television work is simply one part of a multifaceted career. Who would have thought that TV broadcasters might have a life beyond the box?

;)

I was amazed to discover Attenborough had done so much other work aside from his wildlife documentaries. I also found it a fascinating insight into the BBC at a time when it took its 'public service' broadcasting side far more seriously (at least that's how it seems to me). I couldn't imagine half of the programmes commissioned then being picked up now; far too bookish and erudite!

Cursed by Benedict Jacka

The second book in the Alex Verus series sees Alex trying to get to the bottom of who is harvesting all the power from the few remaining magical creatures left in the world, in a ritual so dark it is forbidden by both the white and the black councils. Along the way there is plenty of opportunity for double crossing, gun battles, magic slinging, and the odd dragon.

I'm enjoying this series, and I think in the second book I can start to see how the world is coming into its own a little more. It does remind me of the Dresden series, not because of the wizardry, but because of the charm; it has that warmth and humour of the early Dresden books, and good people making bad decisions for the right reasons (and vice versa). It will be interesting to see whether Verus takes a distinctly darker turn, and I suspect from the way it is being set up that it certainly will- I think there is going to be a lot more political intrigue to come as the different players start to come together.

Thanks to Meredy and Mrs Lee for reminding me of the existence of the Cadfael books! I have meant to try these for years, having loved the tv series many years ago, and A Morbid Taste for Bones did not disappoint! I very much like the character of Cadfael - the monk who sees considerably more than he ever lets on, and not just in terms of his mystery solving. It's hard not to see Derek Jacobi when reading these but I don't mind that, it seems he was very well cast. I'm hoping to read at least the next one in the series this weekend, in between some DIY.

Derek Jacobi has always been Cadfael for me too, since I saw the TV series before I read the book. What a wonderful thing the PBS mystery series has been. They have introduced me to many fine books.

Yeah, and he's always been Cla - Cla - Claudius, too. :)

Continuing on with listening to the comings and goings and beheadings of the Tudors, this weekend's decorating and decluttering frenzy was carried out while listening to The Children of Henry VIII by Alison Weir. I find Weir's writing style very suited to listening to on audio book (I find fiction considerably harder to listen to on audio book, I don't know why). This book primarily deals with the reigns of Edward VI and Mary, although the brief reign and fate of Lady Jane Grey is also considered. It doesn't deal with the reign of Elizabeth, but instead considers her relationship with Edward, and with Mary in particular, saving detail on Elizabeth presumably for her book devoted specifically to her. Again, as with her other books, it is well researched and engagingly written, although it lacks some of the political background and contextual detail in terms of the various factions and families vying for prominence. I guess I might as well continue on and finish up with her book on Elizabeth, having made my way through all of the others.

In terms of my dead tree book reading, I hope to finish the second Cadfael book today (held up due to spending more time tidying than planned this holiday) and hopefully finish up The Iron Wyrm Affair which I put aside half way through.

#43 - Oh, more Weir for the wishlist. I don't know whether to thank you or smite you. ;o)

44 - Smite 'em! There is all too little smiting going on these days. ;)

#44, #45 - normally I'd agree with the smiting, but I'm not sure I want to be smited/smote/smitten (not sure of past tense)!

There's a few other Weirs - may as well add them all now!

One Corpse Too Many by Ellis Peters

I didn't enjoy this one quite a much as the first book. I think it's a combination of having lots of disruptions while reading it so I rarely had chance to read more than a few pages in a sitting, and the fact that the main story isn't really about the extra corpse but about aiding and abetting a couple of 'runaways'. There are, however, plenty of opportunities to warm to Cadfael and admire his cleverness, not just in terms of the mystery, but his astute reading of people and politics. These are shaping up to be a very enjoyable series, and its nice to read a book which is set somewhere I know very well.

I'm leaving medieval England now and moving on to the third Alex Verus novel, I'm only a few chapters in but already I can see these books getting stronger as they go on.

47: I agree that the mystery wasn't in the foreground in this one, making the actual plot seem a bit weak. However, I have the third book in house and expect to continue with the series.

To my misfortune, I don't have any first-hand familiarity with the setting, although it seems so from all my reading.

Taken by Benedict Jacka

Someone, or something, is making apprentices disappear, and the Council ask Alex to investigate...

I have finally decided I love this series - Jacka's writing gets better and better and as the world unfolds I'm finding it's really sucking me in. The only downside is I've flown through the first three and now there's a wait for the fourth... and then presumably a longer wait for the fifth.

My library system only has the first one, which I loved. I'm trying to buy fewer books, but my hand may be forced in this case ...

Hmm. I'm having a bad time of buying fewer books at the moment. I really have enjoyed these though; I'm a bit lost now there's a wait!

The Devil You Know by Mike Carey

Felix Castor is an exorcist (most definitely not the kind attached to any church), in a London where the undead have risen - some to wreak havoc, some to just go about their business pretty much as they did when they were alive. Brought in to investigate a haunting at a local archive, Castor soon realises he is caught up in something much bigger than a run of the mill haunting.

Thanks to AHS-Wolfy for suggesting this one! I felt right at home in Fix's world from the word go with this book, which for a first in series I found quite unusual. It has darker, grittier edge than similar books of its kind, but if anything I found it more interesting because of it. There were some good twists, particularly at the end, an interesting set of recurring characters, and (my personal favorite) a tortured, socially stunted, central character. I think the series has set itself up strongly with this first book, so I hope I'm not disappointed.

Oh, and the great thing about the book - it's about a haunted archive! I like books about books, and books about libraries, and books about librarians... but I keep an active eye out for ones about archives and archivists, and this has a pretty good depiction of both - only maybe with less of the haunting and mayhem! But seriously, BS5454 and a loup-garou in the same book? That's something you don't see everyday!

#52 by @Stillman> Glad you enjoyed Fix. I really did as well and look forward to book 2.

I've just got The devil you know from the library, based on your and others' enthusiasm for the books!

You're welcome. Glad you enjoyed it.

I think the series has set itself up strongly with this first book, so I hope I'm not disappointed.

I've only read the first two in the series but it's generally held that it at least holds its own as it goes along so I don't think you will be.

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch

This book was not what I was expecting, and two pages in, I expected not to make it to the end and not to like it at all. I'm pleased to say not only did I make it to the end, but I will be reading the others in the series.

The problem hit me a couple of pages in when I realised this wasn't an urban fantasy in the Butcher/Jacka sense of urban fantasy, but was more in the style of Pratchett/Fforde, two authors which I have struggled with previously. I like a bit of wry humour in my reading, but I find this style of humour very difficult to read; and it's always frustrated me because I've always felt I've been missing something by not reading either Pratchett or Fforde - I think I will love their world and ideas if I can just get past the style.

So I was surprised, therefore, to find not only did I stick with it, but I really enjoyed this. The basic premise involves newly qualified police constable Peter Grant being co-opted into a special unit which investigates supernatural crimes. The plot revolves around a series of grisly murders, and a hunt to find the link between centuries' old crimes and the modern day occurrences, and introduces a number of quirky sidekicks and (so far) minor support characters who introduce Grant to a new world of magic and the paranormal. After Mike Carey this really was a change of pace, but I found its quirkiness surprisingly refreshing and charming.

I will be carrying on with the others in the series, and I might try revisiting Pratchett/Fforde again to see whether there's just something about this particular series, or whether I've just changed my reading preferences! However, this will have to wait as I have determined not to buy any new books in May and to only read ones on my tbr pile!

Well, being very fond of Pratchett/Fforde, I will have to add that to my wish list!

I do like the Aaronovitch series. I think even though it sits within the urban fantasy genre it's also very much a police procedural and that's what sets it apart from other similar books. The humour on show is quite natural and events are not forced just to make a joke.

It was definitely a surprise, and not at all what I expected an urban fantasy to be. I was also very taken with his turns of phrase - he has a gift for summing up in a single sentence the eccentricities of British culture, and several times I paused to reflect on the fact that the post office/pub/tube etiquette or some such was 'just like that'.

I'm a little tired of the romance type urban fantasies, and didn't get into the Dresden File series, but Aaronovitch's series sounds different and fun. Maybe I should give them a try?

#60 by @sandragon> Well, they are certainly not the romance type of urban fantasy. I really enjoy them too.

YES! Do try Aaronovitch, sandragon! They're very good.

Done! Another one for the wishlist. I'd been hemming and hawing about this one for a while now. I was even thinking about using my brother as a guinea pig to see what he thought of it. (I may still do that.)

I avoided urban fantasy for ages because everything seemed to be romance and that just doesn't sound like my kind of thing. Hope you enjoy Aaronovitch!

May was an awful month for me in terms of reading. I didn't manage to finish a single book. I'm currently trying to mop up what I picked up and started:

Lancaster and York: The Wars of the Roses by Alison Weir. Another audio. I never seemed to find time to listen to it, and when I finally decided to get some earphones so that I could listen on my travels, they were eaten by the rabbit (sigh)

Sixty-One Nails by Mike Shevdon - started promisingly but got a bit bogged down in the middle. I'm told it improves so I will push on eventually

A Storm of Swords by GRRM - I was making great progress with this, but put it down somewhere and can't find it (aaarrgh)

Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino- finding this one hard to get in to - will push on with it eventually as I really like his other work

Storm Front - Jim Butcher - sticking with this re-read for now. Finding it much more enjoyable than I did the first time round.

I'm not sure why I couldn't complete anything last month, but hoping that I improve in June!

#65 A Storm of Swords by GRRM - I was making great progress with this, but put it down somewhere and can't find it (aaarrgh)

Is it possible not to notice where a GRRM book is located? Is that not like misplacing an elephant?

:-)

#66 Any halfway intelligent elephant knows how to hide behind a blade of grass and a handful of sand. Despite their size, they're easily misplaced when they don't want to be found ;-)

Now what sort of circumstances would induce a book to hide from its reader? Were they holding it too tight, crying on its pages, or perhaps flinching at the exciting bits hence annoying the book? Or, is it a perverse book, waiting until the reader is caught up in the story, then diving into the couch cushions to drive its human man?

I'm more worried that a rabbit has eaten it... and the elephant... and whatever it was hiding behind. Those pesky rabbits will eat anything!

:) mrslee - that reminds me of jasper fforde's idea of having book characters rush off to do other jobs when not actually being read. Such a fun idea.

Honestly, I have had the same problem. A book will be lying around the living room forever, but as soon as I turn to dig it out, the thing hides. I suspect it of snickering at the hapless human.

How odd. Books throw themselves at me promiscuously, spreading their pages, inviting me and even daring me to take on just one more, even when I say I'm already committed to one--or several. My resistance is chronically low and I'm easily drawn in. I have to hide from them.

Storm Front by Jim Butcher

I’ve been meaning to re-read this series for a while, and I’m hoping to make my way through the series before the release of Skin Game later this year. I was surprised to find it better than I remembered, but I think I’ve let my love of the characters overlook some of the weaknesses in the writing and I was a lot less forgiving the first time I read Storm Front. Butcher’s come in for some criticism of his female characters, and in particular Dresden’s perceived patronising chauvinism/ outright misogyny, I tend to disagree with this assessment, although I think it’s fair to say Butcher gets better at writing female characters as he goes on. I’d also forgotten how irritating I found Murphy in the first few books, and I think Butcher builds the Dresden/Murphy relationship up nicely, before he knocks it all down again.

It has been interesting to remind myself of some of the things I’d long forgotten about (He Who Walks Behind for one), and I expect I will come across a lot more (I’d even forgotten about Demonreach by Cold Days). Dresden was my first introduction to urban fantasy and the series remains my favorite at the moment, I think more so for characters rather than the world itself. That said, I'm keen to push on with the Felix Castor books, which I think could become a contender for my favourite series.

Lancaster and York: The Wars of the Roses by Alison Weir

Another Weir audio book for me. I found this one hard going, but I think it was partly because I found the narrator irritating rather than the book itself. I found myself rewinding this one quite a bit so I've moved on to some more recent history for my next audio and I'm currently listening to No Such Thing as Society: A history of Britain in the 1980s.

Also finishing up Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - I'm really hoping this isn't going to have a disappointing ending, but I have a feeling it is going to.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs

As a young boy Jacob is fascinated by his grandfather’s fabulous stories of travel, adventure, and heroism against monsters. As he grows older, Jacob comes to realise these stories cannot possibly be true, and the monsters of his grandfather’s imagination were the Nazis he fled from as a child. When his grandfather dies in violent circumstances, and Jacob witnesses something he cannot explain, he heads to a Welsh island to try to uncover his grandfather’s connection to the island and its people in a bid to solve the riddle of his final words. There, he finds a community of gifted children hiding their talents from the modern world, and from the creatures that hunt them. Having unwittingly revealed their hiding place, Jacob must now help the ‘peculiars’ in their battle against those who would use their power for their own ends.

This is a difficult book to review, and I'm not sure if I'm judging the book on what it is, what I thought it was, or what it could have been. But I think I am left somewhat disappointed on all counts.

First off, I didn't realise this was a YA book, and not really being a reader of YA fiction, I'm not really sure how this holds up. I did like the creepy gothic feel of it, but I'm not sure it's doing anything all that new and exciting; it certainly isn't in terms of adult fiction. The hook for me was the Victorian photography used to illustrate the book and that's why I picked it up in the first place. Riggs has woven a narrative around a series of Victorian photographs of freak show characters, trick photography, and, frankly, fascinatingly odd individuals. As an archivist with a love of 19th century fiction this was more than enough to sell me on the idea, and I confess that I probably had far too high expectations of what this book could have been. I have also subsequently found out that it is part of a planned series, which explains why I thought it was a book that didn't really do anything and never resolved anything; this is very much a set up book.

As a YA I would probably have been really impressed with this, but as an adult who's read much cleverer fiction I thought it was a bit thin after the initial photo idea. In a final analysis I'd give it three/three and a half stars.

I am, however, interested to hear that Tim Burton is set to make the film... I can see Helena Bonham Carter's role, but who will Johnny Depp play?

No Such Thing as Society: A History of Britain in the 1980s by Andy McSmith

A bit of a change from the Tudors for my audio book listening. McSmith's book deals with the major political, social, and cultural changes in Britain during the 1980s. Given that I was only just a teenager at the end of the 80s, I was surprised at how much I not only remembered, but by how politically aware and involved (incensed?) I was a quite a young age. What struck me about this book was how much things have changed within my own lifetime, particularly attitudes towards race and gender. It's certainly given me pause to reflect on whether I think I am less politically active now because I think I've achieved what my thirteen year old self wanted. Away from politics, it was nice to be reminded of the importance the Rubik's cube, alternative comedy, and New Romanticism once had in my life!

Well I've had a rubbish summer reading wise. I have no idea what happened, other than I got a bit involved in knitting and spinning and kind of forgot to do any reading. So I'm pleased to report I have finally broken my drought!

A Storm of Swords: Steel and Snow
I finally admitted defeat and bought another copy of this after losing my original. Still very much enjoying things. Still finding Bran and John a bit of a chore to get through.

In the Plex: How Google Thinks Works and Shapes Our Lives

It's hard to remember a time before Google some days. My students look at me like I'm crazy for even suggesting there was a time before Google. What really surprised me was how much I have come to take for granted in a little over a decade. It was written with the support of Google, and paints a very sympathetic picture of the founders and the company's ethos, and it's hard not to buy into their belief not to be evil. The concept of information for all, for free, is such a powerful tool for ensuring accountability, social justice, and human rights that it's almost painful to see how Google themselves have come to be viewed with such suspicion. In the information age, data has become such an important commodity that we need someone to gather, store, and mediate our access to it. The question is, do we trust Google to be that someone?