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1391
Start Date: August 31, 2008
Finished:
1. Gut Symmetries by Jeanette Winterson (9/4/08)
I've been a fan of Jeanette Winterson for a while, and while I don't think this book is quite at the level of The Powerbook (one of my favorites), I think it is beautiful nonetheless. What an amazing writer. ****1/2
2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey (9/6/08)
Despite getting off to a rocky start, I really enjoyed this book. Kesey has such a way of drawing you into the story, and I see why it's such a classic. *****
3. The Seagull by Anton Chekov (9/6/08)
I read Paul Schmidt's translation, which I think does a great job. I enjoyed the play about as much as a play can be enjoyed on paper - I would love to see a live version, and I would be interested to see if they play it as parody or tragedy. ***
4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (9/7/08)
This is one of my all-time favorite books, but I rarely read it straight through - usually I skip around to the bits I like. It was really nice to read the entire thing again, because there were a few plot points I couldn't remember (like how she got her fortune - I had completely forgotten the uncle subplot). *****
5. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole (9/7/08)
Let me put it this way...it's decent if you consider the historical aspect of the book (first horror novel, ect.) Otherwise, it's hilariously bad. **
6. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (9/11/08)
I really enjoyed pieces of this book - the imagery was amazing, and my edition had several helpful footnotes that helped me catch some of the vaguer allusions. However, I couldn't quite get into it. I think it's because, well, I knew the ending (since it is the story of the first Mrs. Rochester from Jane Eyre), and because of that I could dread the ending from the first moments I began to read. It felt so unavoidable, which made this a very uncomfortable and thoughtful read. ****
7. The Petty Bourgeois by Maxim Gorky (9/11/08)
Gorky uses very vivid archetypes as characters (the petit bourgeois, the intelligentsia, the revolutionary), which I found disengaging and a bit off-putting. Personally, I found the play difficult to get through, simply because I could not connect with any of the characters - I didn't care about them at all. The antagonists of the play (although they are not antagonists so much as apathetists) are so dislikeable, and the protagonists are so unsympathetic, that it was really a chore for me to finish the play. **
8. The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan (9/16/08)
I LOVED this book. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read. *****
9. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome (9/23/08)
Three Men in a Boat is pleasant enough to read, but very dated. It's lighthearted and fun, but poorly edited and digressive. It's not particularly magnificent or atrocious; just very typical. **
10. Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman (9/26/08)
Ex Libris is a collection of essays about books - reading books, collecting books, growing up and old with books. Fadiman is passionate and witty, and her essays are, for the most part, very entertaining and thoughtful. I would recommend this to any avid reader. ****
Finished:
1. Gut Symmetries by Jeanette Winterson (9/4/08)
I've been a fan of Jeanette Winterson for a while, and while I don't think this book is quite at the level of The Powerbook (one of my favorites), I think it is beautiful nonetheless. What an amazing writer. ****1/2
2. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey (9/6/08)
Despite getting off to a rocky start, I really enjoyed this book. Kesey has such a way of drawing you into the story, and I see why it's such a classic. *****
3. The Seagull by Anton Chekov (9/6/08)
I read Paul Schmidt's translation, which I think does a great job. I enjoyed the play about as much as a play can be enjoyed on paper - I would love to see a live version, and I would be interested to see if they play it as parody or tragedy. ***
4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (9/7/08)
This is one of my all-time favorite books, but I rarely read it straight through - usually I skip around to the bits I like. It was really nice to read the entire thing again, because there were a few plot points I couldn't remember (like how she got her fortune - I had completely forgotten the uncle subplot). *****
5. The Castle of Otranto by Horace Walpole (9/7/08)
Let me put it this way...it's decent if you consider the historical aspect of the book (first horror novel, ect.) Otherwise, it's hilariously bad. **
6. Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys (9/11/08)
I really enjoyed pieces of this book - the imagery was amazing, and my edition had several helpful footnotes that helped me catch some of the vaguer allusions. However, I couldn't quite get into it. I think it's because, well, I knew the ending (since it is the story of the first Mrs. Rochester from Jane Eyre), and because of that I could dread the ending from the first moments I began to read. It felt so unavoidable, which made this a very uncomfortable and thoughtful read. ****
7. The Petty Bourgeois by Maxim Gorky (9/11/08)
Gorky uses very vivid archetypes as characters (the petit bourgeois, the intelligentsia, the revolutionary), which I found disengaging and a bit off-putting. Personally, I found the play difficult to get through, simply because I could not connect with any of the characters - I didn't care about them at all. The antagonists of the play (although they are not antagonists so much as apathetists) are so dislikeable, and the protagonists are so unsympathetic, that it was really a chore for me to finish the play. **
8. The Thirty-Nine Steps by John Buchan (9/16/08)
I LOVED this book. It's a thoroughly enjoyable read. *****
9. Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome (9/23/08)
Three Men in a Boat is pleasant enough to read, but very dated. It's lighthearted and fun, but poorly edited and digressive. It's not particularly magnificent or atrocious; just very typical. **
10. Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader by Anne Fadiman (9/26/08)
Ex Libris is a collection of essays about books - reading books, collecting books, growing up and old with books. Fadiman is passionate and witty, and her essays are, for the most part, very entertaining and thoughtful. I would recommend this to any avid reader. ****
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I've been having difficulty getting some of the touchstones to work, but all these books are listed in my library if you want more information on them.
11. Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett (9/27/08)
There is something so satisfying about completing a Terry Pratchett novel - he really takes you on a journey, and the ending is always spectacular and *perfect*. Thief of Time brings back several familiar favorites - Death, Susan and Nanny Ogg - and introduces new counterparts - Lobsang Ludd, Lu Tze (who we see briefly in Night Watch and Small Gods) and Myria LeJean. A very, very thoughtful and enjoyable addition to the Discworld. ****1/2
12. The Bedbug by Vladimir Mayakovsky (10/5/08)
Mayakovsky is a brilliant, ballsy writer. He makes me laugh, but his humor is potent and painful. The Bedbug is a very, very humorous play about his vision of the post-Revolution Russia, and his realizations that the Revolution did not achieve everything he thought it would. *****
13. Zoyka's Apartment by Mikhail Afanasevich Bulgakov (10/8/08)
The play is very topical; it creates a wonderful picture of its time, but to today's eyes it can seem quite outdated and unfamiliar. It is a good play, but perhaps not a great one. ***
14. Lighthousekeeping by Jeanette Winterson (10/14/08)
I'm a pretty big fan of Winterson's work, but this book really did very little for me. I didn't enjoy Dark's story, and I thought Silver's was severely underdeveloped. The ending was much, much better than the first half of the book, but it felt tacked on and didn't flow well. **
15. The Suicide by Nikolai Erdman (10/21/08)
I must admit, the play did not sit well with me. It made me uncomfortable, much in the same way "Meet the Fockers" or other comedies that operate under the 'embarrassment' genre. After a while, it simply felt like too much - it's a very long play, with a myriad of characters and it's overwhelming. There's very little room for sympathy, or any sort of human recognition. I found it difficult to identify with or connect with, which made it a chore to plod through. **
16. The World and Other Places by Jeanette Winterson (10/22/08)
"The World and Other Places" is a collection of short stories, each entirely independent, yet tenuously linked. I found it a rough beginning - the first few essays did not draw me in as much as most of Winterson's work does, but by the end I was thoroughly engrossed. Several of the stories really stood out to me beyond all the rest - Atlantic Crossing, Disappearance I, Turn of the World and The World and Other Places were some of my favorites. I don't think this is one of Winterson's strongest novels, but it is still eminently readable and enjoyable if you have the time to really savor it. ****
17. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett (11/1/08)
This book is almost unrecognizable from what I've come to see as "The Discworld". Pratchett's style has evolved so much between this and Making Money, and it's wonderful to see where it all began.
18. Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marissa Pessl (11/22/08)
I enjoyed this book. Of of it's biggest criticisms is that it weighs in at over 500 pages, but I think that for the ending to be as effective as it was, it had to have that beautifully slow build-up. However, I was a bit miffed when I reached the end and realized that the first 400 pages really didn't have much to do with the plot at all (especially the June Bugs/Eva Brewster subplot). I also would have liked to have seen more of the main character's thoughts, instead of esoteric quotations from literature, film, and her father (speaking more on the father topic, the weird Electra Complex that Blue seemed to have for him was a little creepy). I felt that, at many times, her father served to express ideas that the author didn't want Blue to express but wanted said anyway, in order to keep reader sympathy with her main character in case the quotations stung a bit - something along the lines of not a direct quotation, just an embellished hypothesis of a typical sentence "I was at the party, surrounded by wealthy men and women. 'Wealth is used a substitute for the soul', Dad had said in his lecture to the students at South Dakota State." I felt as though Blue only narrated the events, while the thought process was handed over to others.
But with that said, I thought Pessl's writing style was fantastic, her plot decently compelling, and her construction incredible. We found out that Hannah dies right on the first page of the book (not a spoiler), but when the death scene arrived I found myself absolutely shell-shocked. I will definitely check out any more works that this author has to offer. ****
19. The Truth by Terry Pratchett (12/13/08)
It took me a while to get involved in this story, but once I was I was hooked - I absolutely love the new characters (William de Worde, Otto, the dwarves, Mr. Pin and Mr. Tulip). The plot was decent, but rather simple to figure out, at least by Discworld standards. All in all, I did enjoy it, and I think it's a solid book - certainly much better than Making Money, but a few steps below Going Postal or Thud!. ****
20. Terrorism by the Presnyakov Brothers (12/13/08)
Terrorism is a fascinating look at the roots of violence in our daily lives. It explores five barely-connected storylines that are both horrifying and frighteningly resonant. This play is very apropos to several of the deeply rooted questions that we are beginning to ask ourselves - how does violence start? What causes these daily terrors that eventually derail us? How do we communicate between one another in this depersonalized world? ****
11. Thief of Time by Terry Pratchett (9/27/08)
There is something so satisfying about completing a Terry Pratchett novel - he really takes you on a journey, and the ending is always spectacular and *perfect*. Thief of Time brings back several familiar favorites - Death, Susan and Nanny Ogg - and introduces new counterparts - Lobsang Ludd, Lu Tze (who we see briefly in Night Watch and Small Gods) and Myria LeJean. A very, very thoughtful and enjoyable addition to the Discworld. ****1/2
12. The Bedbug by Vladimir Mayakovsky (10/5/08)
Mayakovsky is a brilliant, ballsy writer. He makes me laugh, but his humor is potent and painful. The Bedbug is a very, very humorous play about his vision of the post-Revolution Russia, and his realizations that the Revolution did not achieve everything he thought it would. *****
13. Zoyka's Apartment by Mikhail Afanasevich Bulgakov (10/8/08)
The play is very topical; it creates a wonderful picture of its time, but to today's eyes it can seem quite outdated and unfamiliar. It is a good play, but perhaps not a great one. ***
14. Lighthousekeeping by Jeanette Winterson (10/14/08)
I'm a pretty big fan of Winterson's work, but this book really did very little for me. I didn't enjoy Dark's story, and I thought Silver's was severely underdeveloped. The ending was much, much better than the first half of the book, but it felt tacked on and didn't flow well. **
15. The Suicide by Nikolai Erdman (10/21/08)
I must admit, the play did not sit well with me. It made me uncomfortable, much in the same way "Meet the Fockers" or other comedies that operate under the 'embarrassment' genre. After a while, it simply felt like too much - it's a very long play, with a myriad of characters and it's overwhelming. There's very little room for sympathy, or any sort of human recognition. I found it difficult to identify with or connect with, which made it a chore to plod through. **
16. The World and Other Places by Jeanette Winterson (10/22/08)
"The World and Other Places" is a collection of short stories, each entirely independent, yet tenuously linked. I found it a rough beginning - the first few essays did not draw me in as much as most of Winterson's work does, but by the end I was thoroughly engrossed. Several of the stories really stood out to me beyond all the rest - Atlantic Crossing, Disappearance I, Turn of the World and The World and Other Places were some of my favorites. I don't think this is one of Winterson's strongest novels, but it is still eminently readable and enjoyable if you have the time to really savor it. ****
17. The Colour of Magic by Terry Pratchett (11/1/08)
This book is almost unrecognizable from what I've come to see as "The Discworld". Pratchett's style has evolved so much between this and Making Money, and it's wonderful to see where it all began.
18. Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marissa Pessl (11/22/08)
I enjoyed this book. Of of it's biggest criticisms is that it weighs in at over 500 pages, but I think that for the ending to be as effective as it was, it had to have that beautifully slow build-up. However, I was a bit miffed when I reached the end and realized that the first 400 pages really didn't have much to do with the plot at all (especially the June Bugs/Eva Brewster subplot). I also would have liked to have seen more of the main character's thoughts, instead of esoteric quotations from literature, film, and her father (speaking more on the father topic, the weird Electra Complex that Blue seemed to have for him was a little creepy). I felt that, at many times, her father served to express ideas that the author didn't want Blue to express but wanted said anyway, in order to keep reader sympathy with her main character in case the quotations stung a bit - something along the lines of not a direct quotation, just an embellished hypothesis of a typical sentence "I was at the party, surrounded by wealthy men and women. 'Wealth is used a substitute for the soul', Dad had said in his lecture to the students at South Dakota State." I felt as though Blue only narrated the events, while the thought process was handed over to others.
But with that said, I thought Pessl's writing style was fantastic, her plot decently compelling, and her construction incredible. We found out that Hannah dies right on the first page of the book (not a spoiler), but when the death scene arrived I found myself absolutely shell-shocked. I will definitely check out any more works that this author has to offer. ****
19. The Truth by Terry Pratchett (12/13/08)
It took me a while to get involved in this story, but once I was I was hooked - I absolutely love the new characters (William de Worde, Otto, the dwarves, Mr. Pin and Mr. Tulip). The plot was decent, but rather simple to figure out, at least by Discworld standards. All in all, I did enjoy it, and I think it's a solid book - certainly much better than Making Money, but a few steps below Going Postal or Thud!. ****
20. Terrorism by the Presnyakov Brothers (12/13/08)
Terrorism is a fascinating look at the roots of violence in our daily lives. It explores five barely-connected storylines that are both horrifying and frighteningly resonant. This play is very apropos to several of the deeply rooted questions that we are beginning to ask ourselves - how does violence start? What causes these daily terrors that eventually derail us? How do we communicate between one another in this depersonalized world? ****
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21. Plasticine by Vassily Sigarev (12/13/08)
I thought Plasticine was wonderful at evoking images - the stage directions are incredibly beautiful, and some of the strongest points of the play rest on them. However, I did get tired of the constant struggles towards the end - basically, the entire plot of the play is just a recount of the horrible things that happen to Maksim. It is very wearing, and the general effect is almost more comical than poignant. ***
22. Reading the OED by Ammon Shea (1/1/09)
I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would, to be honest. I was super-excited to read it, but I couldn't click with the writing style - the author was a bit too misanthropic for my (admittedly, delicate) tastes, and I couldn't quite mesh with his prose. **
23. May on Motors by James May (1/13/09)
I enjoyed May on Motors. It's simply a collection of his articles, but having the book format made it handy to pick up and read an article or two at a time, which I feel is a nice, leisurely way of reading fun books. His style is very personable and accessible, though occasionally grumpy. ***1/2
24. The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost (1/15/09)
The Sex Lives of Cannibals was, I found, even more than it promised to be - it was a funny travelogue, sure, but it also contained more serious topics about colonialism, foreign aid and environmental protection. I'm glad I picked it up! *****
25. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (1/16/09)
The Maltese Falcon reads like a photo (if this metaphor makes sense) - the imagery is well-rendered without being overly-descriptive, and it really puts the reader into the scene, as it were. It was a quick read, full of action and enigmatic characters, and it's easy to see how much it contributed to the film noir genre. ****
I thought Plasticine was wonderful at evoking images - the stage directions are incredibly beautiful, and some of the strongest points of the play rest on them. However, I did get tired of the constant struggles towards the end - basically, the entire plot of the play is just a recount of the horrible things that happen to Maksim. It is very wearing, and the general effect is almost more comical than poignant. ***
22. Reading the OED by Ammon Shea (1/1/09)
I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would, to be honest. I was super-excited to read it, but I couldn't click with the writing style - the author was a bit too misanthropic for my (admittedly, delicate) tastes, and I couldn't quite mesh with his prose. **
23. May on Motors by James May (1/13/09)
I enjoyed May on Motors. It's simply a collection of his articles, but having the book format made it handy to pick up and read an article or two at a time, which I feel is a nice, leisurely way of reading fun books. His style is very personable and accessible, though occasionally grumpy. ***1/2
24. The Sex Lives of Cannibals by J. Maarten Troost (1/15/09)
The Sex Lives of Cannibals was, I found, even more than it promised to be - it was a funny travelogue, sure, but it also contained more serious topics about colonialism, foreign aid and environmental protection. I'm glad I picked it up! *****
25. The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett (1/16/09)
The Maltese Falcon reads like a photo (if this metaphor makes sense) - the imagery is well-rendered without being overly-descriptive, and it really puts the reader into the scene, as it were. It was a quick read, full of action and enigmatic characters, and it's easy to see how much it contributed to the film noir genre. ****
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26. My Life in Art by Konstantin Stanislavski (1/25/09)
I thought that "My Life in Art" - especially my edition, which is the most current translation of the Russian version with wonderfully illuminating footnotes and addendum - was a fantastic read. Stanislavski's voice is so clear, and he absolutely draws you in with his conversational and friendly prose. I enjoyed hearing his struggles as a young actor, especially since they are things I am coming up against in my own acting, and how he worked as an "actor's director". This book was very eye-opening for me, and it really helped me to look at various theatrical standbys in a new light. ****
I thought that "My Life in Art" - especially my edition, which is the most current translation of the Russian version with wonderfully illuminating footnotes and addendum - was a fantastic read. Stanislavski's voice is so clear, and he absolutely draws you in with his conversational and friendly prose. I enjoyed hearing his struggles as a young actor, especially since they are things I am coming up against in my own acting, and how he worked as an "actor's director". This book was very eye-opening for me, and it really helped me to look at various theatrical standbys in a new light. ****
5billiejean
I have been enjoying your reviews. I love that there are so many Russian writers out there for me to meet in books. :) Have a great day!
--BJ
--BJ
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27. Stanislavski: An Introduction by Jean Benedetti (2/5/09)
Benedetti's work provides an excellent foundation in which to examine Stanislavski's art and works. It has helped me to understand 'the system' as, rather than a rigid structure, a malleable tool that Stanislavski used as a stepping stone. His triumphs and failures artistically and in writing his teachings have been meticulously detailed in order to create a frame to help keep his ideas fresh and relateable. ****
Benedetti's work provides an excellent foundation in which to examine Stanislavski's art and works. It has helped me to understand 'the system' as, rather than a rigid structure, a malleable tool that Stanislavski used as a stepping stone. His triumphs and failures artistically and in writing his teachings have been meticulously detailed in order to create a frame to help keep his ideas fresh and relateable. ****
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28. Vsevolod Meyerhold by Robert Leach (2/17/09)
Leach does a fantastic job of reconstructing information to create an in-depth overview of Meyerhold's life and work. However, I don't think he did as great of a job relaying that information to us - the layout of the book is poorly organized, and some of the subjects (such as Biometrics, which Leach has spent the better part of ten years studying) are sadly superficial. As scholarship goes, it consolidates and disseminates invaluable information regarding Meyerhold's life and career, but it does so without providing a vast amount of insight. It did leave me with a renewed appreciation of Meyerhold's artistry, but also with a renewed thirst for additional resources. ***1/2
29. The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol (2/17/09)
The Government Inspector is a short, fast-paced satirical farce. I felt like it lacked some of Gogol's habitual mystic insanity, but as a comedy it fits neatly into the vein of its contemporaries. ****
30. Lethal Legacy by Linda Fairstein (2/19/09)
Lethal Legacy brought together two of my favorite things - libraries and mysteries. Alex Cooper, ADA, finds herself mixed up in a scheme involving the uber-wealthy and the New York Public Library. It's fast-paced, with short chapters that make it perfect for commuter reading. Because this is the middle of the series, the character development was minimal, though I had little difficulty keeping track of them all. I now feel like I have to go re-acquaint myself with the library - though I am a resident of NYC, I've only been once. Fairstein's descriptions are delicious, and now I want to go explore all the settings for myself. The prose isn't magnificent, but it works for a detective novel. I thought a few plot elements could have been thought through more thoroughly as well, but I loved Shalik's involvement. ***1/2
Leach does a fantastic job of reconstructing information to create an in-depth overview of Meyerhold's life and work. However, I don't think he did as great of a job relaying that information to us - the layout of the book is poorly organized, and some of the subjects (such as Biometrics, which Leach has spent the better part of ten years studying) are sadly superficial. As scholarship goes, it consolidates and disseminates invaluable information regarding Meyerhold's life and career, but it does so without providing a vast amount of insight. It did leave me with a renewed appreciation of Meyerhold's artistry, but also with a renewed thirst for additional resources. ***1/2
29. The Government Inspector by Nikolai Gogol (2/17/09)
The Government Inspector is a short, fast-paced satirical farce. I felt like it lacked some of Gogol's habitual mystic insanity, but as a comedy it fits neatly into the vein of its contemporaries. ****
30. Lethal Legacy by Linda Fairstein (2/19/09)
Lethal Legacy brought together two of my favorite things - libraries and mysteries. Alex Cooper, ADA, finds herself mixed up in a scheme involving the uber-wealthy and the New York Public Library. It's fast-paced, with short chapters that make it perfect for commuter reading. Because this is the middle of the series, the character development was minimal, though I had little difficulty keeping track of them all. I now feel like I have to go re-acquaint myself with the library - though I am a resident of NYC, I've only been once. Fairstein's descriptions are delicious, and now I want to go explore all the settings for myself. The prose isn't magnificent, but it works for a detective novel. I thought a few plot elements could have been thought through more thoroughly as well, but I loved Shalik's involvement. ***1/2
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31. Free Range Chickens by Simon Rich (2/25/09)
A quick, fun read. It's just a collection of short jokes, so it only takes about an hour to read. Good for a quick pick-me-up. ***
A quick, fun read. It's just a collection of short jokes, so it only takes about an hour to read. Good for a quick pick-me-up. ***
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32. Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov (3/7/09)
Pale Fire is the story of an amateurish and pretentious poet with an (exiled king?) (insane man?) as his neighbor and ardent admirer. Thoughout the ostensibly critical work, Kinbote (the neighbor) gives us commentary on the poet's final work, but by 'commentary' I mean absolute digression. It's fantastic and funny, definitely worth a read.
32. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett (3/14/09)
Equal Rites involves Esk, a young girl who wants to become a wizard. She's the eighth daughter of an eighth son, and comes equipped with a wizard's staff and Granny Weatherwax to Unseen University. I thought it was a solid novel, though I wish it didn't end so quickly - a few more things could have been better explained and developed. I wish we could see more of Simon and Esk, though I hear she may be making a cameo in the last Aching book!
33. Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett (3/24/09)
Wyrd Sisters is the second book in the Witches arc, following Equal Rites. I really enjoyed it - Magrat and Granny are two of my favorite characters. I felt like it was all wrapped up a bit too neatly, and it took so long to really get plot points moving, but I still love it. It riffs off Macbeth and Hamlet (along with a little bit of Lear, and...well, if you know your Shakespeare, you'll enjoy it).
34. Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett (3/24/09)
I love the City Watch series in Discworld - Vimes and Carrot are two of my favorite characters, and seeing their beginnings was wonderful. I couldn't put the book down, even though this is the third time I've read it.
35. Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett (4/1/09)
I loved it! It was refreshing to see so much of Carrot's point of view, though I do adore Sam Vimes (and we get plenty of him as well). Men at Arms shows us the evolution of the Watch from the bumbling foursome in Guards! Guards! to the well-trained (and multi-specied) group we see in later books. In Men At Arms, the watch has to investigate a theft and a string of murders, all while navigating the tricky political waters that would much rather sweep everything under the carpet. A+
36. Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett (4/8/09)
Feet of Clay, the third novel in the Watch series, involves a rogue golem and a very puzzled Sam Vimes. It appears someone has poisoned Vetinari, and two people have been found dead - ostensibly killed by a golem, a creature constructed of baked clay and brought to life by the words in its head. I really enjoyed this novel; it was suspenseful and compelling but also very well thought-out, and it brought up a lot of intriguing questions.
Pale Fire is the story of an amateurish and pretentious poet with an (exiled king?) (insane man?) as his neighbor and ardent admirer. Thoughout the ostensibly critical work, Kinbote (the neighbor) gives us commentary on the poet's final work, but by 'commentary' I mean absolute digression. It's fantastic and funny, definitely worth a read.
32. Equal Rites by Terry Pratchett (3/14/09)
Equal Rites involves Esk, a young girl who wants to become a wizard. She's the eighth daughter of an eighth son, and comes equipped with a wizard's staff and Granny Weatherwax to Unseen University. I thought it was a solid novel, though I wish it didn't end so quickly - a few more things could have been better explained and developed. I wish we could see more of Simon and Esk, though I hear she may be making a cameo in the last Aching book!
33. Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett (3/24/09)
Wyrd Sisters is the second book in the Witches arc, following Equal Rites. I really enjoyed it - Magrat and Granny are two of my favorite characters. I felt like it was all wrapped up a bit too neatly, and it took so long to really get plot points moving, but I still love it. It riffs off Macbeth and Hamlet (along with a little bit of Lear, and...well, if you know your Shakespeare, you'll enjoy it).
34. Guards! Guards! by Terry Pratchett (3/24/09)
I love the City Watch series in Discworld - Vimes and Carrot are two of my favorite characters, and seeing their beginnings was wonderful. I couldn't put the book down, even though this is the third time I've read it.
35. Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett (4/1/09)
I loved it! It was refreshing to see so much of Carrot's point of view, though I do adore Sam Vimes (and we get plenty of him as well). Men at Arms shows us the evolution of the Watch from the bumbling foursome in Guards! Guards! to the well-trained (and multi-specied) group we see in later books. In Men At Arms, the watch has to investigate a theft and a string of murders, all while navigating the tricky political waters that would much rather sweep everything under the carpet. A+
36. Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett (4/8/09)
Feet of Clay, the third novel in the Watch series, involves a rogue golem and a very puzzled Sam Vimes. It appears someone has poisoned Vetinari, and two people have been found dead - ostensibly killed by a golem, a creature constructed of baked clay and brought to life by the words in its head. I really enjoyed this novel; it was suspenseful and compelling but also very well thought-out, and it brought up a lot of intriguing questions.
